Katie Sobczak Chau

El Rio Community School, Los Angeles, CA

Katie Sobczak Chau is the Executive Director of El Rio Community School, serving the students in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood, where the school is celebrating its third year of working out of the core principles of public Waldorf education in the heart of Los Angeles. She is a certificated teacher-leader, mother, and school innovator. Originally from Michigan, she obtained her B.A. in English from the University of California, Los Angeles, where she worked as an intern at Corinne A. Seeds University Elementary School (now known as the UCLA Lab School) in a mixed-age 1st and 2nd-grade primary classroom. She later taught at a Catholic school before heading off to Paraguay as a Peace Corps Volunteer, where she worked to train elementary school teachers in bilingual education and innovative teaching methods. Upon her return to Los Angeles, she worked with high school English Learners as a 9th-grade English teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District while obtaining a master/s degree, BCLAD, and Clear Multiple/Single Subject teaching credentials from Loyola Marymount University. After finding her true passion as a Waldorf teacher and founding teacher at Ocean Charter School, she obtained her Waldorf teacher certification and a master’s degree in Waldorf Education in a joint program through Rudolf Steiner College and Touro University. As part of her passion for languages, she brought her experience in bilingual education methodology and programs to Uruguay by participating in a Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching Short-Term Program there. While at Ocean Charter, she organized teachers to form a union and served as Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer, as well as the lead negotiator on the bargaining team for contract negotiations. She also served on the Hiring Committee, participating in prospective teacher interviews and observing and providing feedback on teacher demonstration lessons. In addition, she supervised teachers as a Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Provider, offering feedback on lessons, lesson planning, and focused support, as well as mentor leadership to assist teachers in fulfilling their induction requirements for Clear credentials. She graduated her first cohort of students after five years with them in grades 4-8, then looped back to teach a second cohort in grades 1-2. She subsequently taught in a mixed-age kindergarten at the Detroit Waldorf School for a year before returning to Los Angeles to teach a class in grades 6-8 at Highland Hall Waldorf School. After taking time off to start a family, she taught a group of middle schoolers and, at the same time, was chosen for the Reframe Fellowship to support her work to start a Waldorf charter school in northeast Los Angeles. The program focused on community co-design, leadership development, innovative school model design, and supporting leaders of color and/or women to launch schools in LA County. At the same time that she was working on the charter petition for El Rio, she worked as an Educational Facilitator for iLead Exploration, an independent study charter school supporting homeschooling families. In her current role, she is the lead administrator, supporting faculty and staff, managing the budget, special education programs, and providing oversight for all educational programs and services. When not at work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and eight-year-old son in nature.