Our Staff
Nomad staff are vibrant, caring, and passionate. With a student:teacher ratio of 10:1, we develop close and trusting relationships with Nomad students—supporting every child’s whole self.
Co-Founder, Executive Director
Christie Seyfert
Christie founded Nomad in 2016 after helping to start three schools and teaching in a variety of educational settings: public, private, and microschools; traditional, progressive, and tech-based schools; nannying jobs, summer camps, and tutoring programs. Christie combined her favorite parts of many amazing educational models to create Nomad, aiming to strike a balance between experiential, project-based learning and direct academic instruction. Though primarily brought up in public school, Christie was homeschooled for a very formative year-long family road trip around the United States. That experience created the foundation for Christie’s pedagogical beliefs: nothing beats learning through experience, creation, excursion and play. As a superfan of Ms. Frizzle and the Magic School Bus, Nomad is the manifestation of Christie’s longtime dream.
Co-Founder, Education Director, Stem & Maker Educator
Lisa Bishop
Lisa believes that the best learning happens when it's driven by student interest and discovery. For over a decade she has been developing and teaching hands-on math courses for elementary and middle school students using math as a window into an interdisciplinary experience delving into biology, cooking, music, architecture, art, history, ocean conservation and more. Lisa herself has always looked for interdisciplinary experiences, studying both math and music in college, receiving a Ph.D. in Applied Math, and completing a post-doc building math models of HIV at UCSF. Lisa's goal is to bring out the unique mathematician and scientist inside every student by finding learning experiences where students actually get to do math and science in the world around them.
Operations Director
Michele Redalen
Michele was a charter member of the Nomad community as a parent, with children attending from 2016-2023. Also an educator, Michele taught in traditional public and private schools before moving into an administrative role at a non-profit teacher training NGO. There, she oversaw the company’s operations and managed professional development programs for teachers and staff locally and internationally. Her own children’s twice-exceptional (2E) needs led her on an unexpected educational path to custom-schooling and to a local Independent Study Charter School that she ultimately joined as an Education Specialist. There, she advised and guided families in identifying, evaluating, and utilizing resources tailored to meet their students' unique interests and goals. Michele believes strongly in the importance of educational communities and paths that honor students' individuality and their desire for meaning and connection.
Humanities Educator
Cooper Dart
Cooper has spent his entire adult life working alongside teenagers and pushing them to develop the skills needed to deeply experience their education. From a background in outdoor education across Idaho, North Carolina, Maine, and New Hampshire, Cooper has been working to transfer these talents into his humanities classrooms in semester school, education nonprofit, and university settings. With a Bachelor’s degree in the environmental social sciences and a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing, he is fascinated by the possibilities of giving young people the tools they need to encounter the stories of their lives, their landscapes, their communities, and their time. Outside of the classroom, Cooper is at work turning his master’s thesis into his debut book, and when he needs to get away from his own thoughts, he likes to ride his mountain bike and eat pork buns. He is very excited to join the team for the 2026/2027 school year!