Meet Our Faculty

Adam was born and raised in Olympia, WA. He attended the University of Washington where he received a double major in Communications & Political Science. He spent three years in Chicago where he got his master's degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Adam teaches our upper level students at Morningside Academy, including content classes in history and civics. Adam has presented the ABAI conference seven times.He cherishes his time with his beautiful wife April, and his sons AJ and Avery. Adam is an avid sports fan (Go Huskies! Seahawks! Mariners! Sounders! Storm! Avalanche! and Cubs!) and spent several seasons coaching Babe Ruth Baseball. Currently, he is coaching both his sons' baseball teams. Adam also enjoys traveling (he's been to over 20 different countries, and 30 U.S. States), reading (especially political, historical fiction and nonfiction, and fantasy/science fiction), playing sports and games with his sons, swing dancing, Star Wars collecting, and fly-fishing any chance he gets.

Bailee is a long-time Seattle resident, having moved here during high school. She has always been professionally focused on education and the role community plays in that domain, working as the Education Director at the Wallingford Boys & Girls Club, a paraprofessional in an elementary school, and a behavior technician working with children and adolescents on the autism spectrum. She minored in Education, Learning and Society at UW and is currently in a Master’s of Teaching program at Seattle Pacific University. Bailee received her first master’s degree in Behavior Analysis from Florida Institute of Technology, is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and has been thrilled by the opportunity to take an applied behavioral approach to education since joining the Morningside family in 2019. She serves on the board of directors of Seattle-based youth/arts organization Coyote Central and is a member of the Association of Behavior Analysis International. When not thinking about teaching, Bailee enjoys attending Sounders FC games with her husband and son, doing yoga, reading, and eating. Mostly eating.

Geoffrey Martin, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, participated in Morningside Academy's Summer School Institute (SSI) in 2000 while in Graduate School in Auburn, Alabama. He attended SSI the following year, assisting with testing and progress monitoring of summer school students. Returning in Summer 2004, he served as a classroom teacher of younger learners in Morningside's Summer School Program. In January 2005, Geoff moved to Seattle to join the faculty at Morningside Academy, teaching full-time in the Foundations Program with a focus on beginning and corrective reading, math, and writing instruction. After teaching in the classroom his first several years, he moved into the role of Lead Substitute Teacher of Morningside Academy, working with the range of curricula and students within both the Foundations and Middle School Programs at Morningside. In addition to his teaching roles, Geoff also assists with the design and production of instructional and supplementary practice materials. Geoff earned his B.S. degree in Psychology from the University of Florida and his M.S. degree from Auburn University. Originally from Northern Virginia, Geoff relocated to South Florida after middle school. He enjoys writing simple computer programs to automate common tasks, renovation projects with friends, reading, and seeing all Seattle has to offer.

Restita DeJesus is the Instructor of our PE/Fitness Class, which is a hybrid of standardized PE activities and Wushu (Chinese Martial Arts Sports). "Coach Rusty" as she is known at Morningside, has 40 years of experience in teaching Fitness and martial arts. Her extensive experience includes Karate, Kung Fu, Kajukenbo, Eskrima, Kyudo, Tai Chi, Qigong, and Wushu. When not teaching at Morningside, she teaches at her martial arts school, "Seattle Wushu Center" in West Seattle. In 2019, Restita's martial arts school attained the "Seattle Martial Arts School Of The Year" award by the Seattle Company Awards Association. In her spare time she enjoys meditation, motorcycling, target slingshot shooting, target blowgunning, bullwhip trick cracking, and paracord crafting. She is a Reiki master practitioner and ordained interfaith minister. Through her PE classes, Restita hopes that kids can enhance their sense of confidence, empowerment, mental sharpness and physical fitness.

Daniel graduated from Kennesaw State University in 2022 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. He attended the Morningside Summer Institute after his graduation and moved from Georgia to work at Morningside the following school year. Prior to Morningside, he worked in the Atlanta Public Schools system and completed a research fellowship at the Marcus Autism Center. When he’s not at work, he enjoys spending time with his girlfriend and their two cats, Princess and Little Man. He loves playing video games and is always down to talk about Stars Wars and the Legend of Zelda.

Amy was born in South Korea and moved to Dallas, TX when she was 16. Amy attended the University of North Texas where she received a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Science and a Master of Science in Behavior Analysis. Before joining Morningside Academy in the fall of 2023, Amy did a semester of virtual internship at Morningside in the fall of 2020 and attended the Morningside Summer Institute in the summer of 2023. Besides teaching, Amy enjoys singing, drawing, wood-burning, taking pictures, editing videos, doing CrossFit, playing tennis, and skiing.

Jacob was born and raised in Tea, South Dakota. After graduating from Augustana University in 2024 with a Bachelors of Arts in Elementary Education and minors in French and Special Education, he moved out to the Seattle area to work at Morningside. Before coming to Morningside, Jacob worked as a director of an organization whose goal was to provide an environment that would foster relationships for adults with differing abilities. Besides working with people of all ages and abilities, Jacob enjoys spending time with friends and being in nature. Jacob is always on the hunt for new clothes and the best thrifting locations.

Emma was born and raised in San Diego, California. She attended the University of California, San Diego, and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Linguistics and a minor in Chinese Studies. She continued her education at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she earned her doctoral degree in Special Education. Emma taught middle school special education and English Language Arts classes in the Bay Area of California for five years, before moving to Seattle in 2024 with her family. When she's not at work, Emma loves to spend time with her husband and two young children. She loves to cook for others, read science fiction and fantasy novels, be outside in nature (gardening, walking, hiking), and sleep.

Jilian grew up on the Olympic Peninsula, in Washington. She attended Washington State University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English, with a concentration in rhetoric and professional writing, and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice. After graduating, Jilian joined Teach for America, which placed her in Phoenix, Arizona. Jilian spent 2 years as a TFA Phoenix corps member, while completing her Masters of Secondary Education degree at Arizona State University and working as a middle school English Language Arts teacher at a Title I school in the Phoenix Metro area. Jilian moved back to Washington in summer 2024 and attended the Morningside Summer Institute. When she isn't teaching, Jilian spends her time playing with her cat, Goose, and her rat, Dr. Rat. Jilian also enjoys skiing, hiking, reading, and searching for the best slice of pizza in Seattle.

Cameron was born and raised in central Florida. He completed a BS in Psychology at Stetson University and then an MS in Educational Psychology at FSU. Around that time, he discovered and fell in love with radical behaviorism and thought it’s best application would be in service of general education. After becoming a BCBA and spending some years working with children and adults with autism and other diagnoses, Cameron became a public school teacher. Inspired by Morningside Academy, he wanted to bring their model to public schools as well as see the public education system from the inside. After 5 years in the classroom, Cameron joined the Morningside faculty. While Cameron is interested in most topics in education, he has a special interest in executive skills and students with deficits in those areas and how to serve them better. In his free time, Cameron enjoys playing video games, watching TV and anime, and reading about science and history.

Emerson is a Pacific Northwest native who grew up in Washington and Oregon. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Seattle Pacific University and began his career as a paraeducator in public schools and a behavior interventionist for an ABA company. He later pursued graduate studies at Vanderbilt University, where he earned a Master’s degree in Special Education. Since then, Emerson has taught elementary and middle school special education for four years. In 2025, he attended the Morningside Summer Institute and joined the teaching faculty that fall. Outside of the classroom, Emerson enjoys weightlifting, practicing yoga, seeing live music and stand-up comedy, listening to podcasts, and spending time outdoors—especially near the water.

Camden is a first year teacher at Morningside. He is originally from Northeastern Nevada and recently graduated with his Master’s of Psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno. During which time his literature research focused on the intersection of advocacy, global justice, and behavior science. He has provided instruction for students in after school programs, aiding them with homework completion and coordinating their extracurricular activities. Prior to Morningside he was also a registered behavior technician and behavior analyst intern. He has provided instruction and support for students across clinic, home, and school settings. In addition to all of this, he also likes to spend his time reading, drawing, and eating desserts of all kinds.

Marijke grew up in Wenatchee, WA. She has loved making art her whole life, but for a large part of her K-12 experience, art lessons were not available in her school - so it's no surprise that she is passionate about creating art experiences for kids! She earned her BFA from UW, and her MFA from the Slade School of Fine Art. Her own art practice is wide-ranging, and she is constantly trying new mediums. When she is not teaching, she can often be found puttering around her garage-studio, gardening, cooking, or snuggling her doggo, Bella.

Paul Conrad provided a rich array of art skills and experiences to Morningside students for over 40 years. Paul received his B.F.A from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle and was a popular local artist with art on display at Pike Place Market. He was also a popular art teacher and facilitator at many community organizations and summer camps. Trained in the fine arts and theater arts with teaching and craft skills, Paul provided students the opportunity to learn hands-on while encouraging independence and imagination. Paul gave students the chance to be creative and appreciate art every week during his time at Morningside. We know he impacted many students during his time with us and we'll miss him.