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2022-2023 ST. SERRA SPOTLIGHT

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Staff Spotlight: Mrs. Kathy Tonokawa (February 12, 2023)

March 14, 2023
By St. Serra Marketing Communications

Meet Mrs. Kathy Tonokawa, St. Serra’s Director of Information Systems (IT). Mrs. Tonokawa first joined St. Serra in 1995 as a volunteer before her children were old enough to attend the school. At that time, she supported St. Serra’s Founding Principal, Mrs. Audrey Tellers, as her assistant. She formally joined the St. Serra ranks in 1996 as the Office Manager, and has worked in a variety of positions since then. She assumed the role of Director of Technology in 2010, and has been notably influential in our school’s technology systems and infrastructure ever since.

“I love working at the school and seeing the students on a daily basis,” says Mrs. Tonokawa. “Education has always been very important in our family growing up, and with our own children. Working with the Principals, it is very rewarding to be part of the team that is making a difference in our students’ lives and preparing them for jobs which may not even exist today.”

Mrs. Tonokawa has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications, with an emphasis in Advertising, from Cal State Fullerton. In addition to her roles at St. Serra, she has also worked in the HOA industry for over 30 years, producing newsletters and special projects for a large association in Irvine. One of her roles at St. Serra was Director of Communications, where she put her marketing and advertising skills to good use. She shares, “Marketing all of the activities and accomplishments of the school over the years, I knew that we were doing great things.” Mrs. Tonokawa’s affinity for technology and problem solving eventually led her to her current role as our IS Director, where she feels she has even greater involvement in shaping the educational experience at St. Serra. “My team and I now have the opportunity to directly impact what happens in the classroom, supporting the teachers and students to be successful.” Her team at St. Serra is currently working to evaluate the school’s network to ensure the strongest foundation possible to support current and future projects on campus.

Mrs. Tonokawa has been married to her husband, Kyle, a Civil Engineer, for 35 years. They have two children who are both St. Serra alumni. Their son, who graduated from St. Serra in 2005, is now practicing veterinary medicine in Naperville, Illinois. Their daughter graduated from St. Serra in 2009. She was trained as a pastry chef at the Culinary Institute of America in New York, and currently works as the Assistant General Manager at Din Tai Fung in Las Vegas.

Outside of her work at St. Serra, Mrs. Tonokawa and her husband spend time together enjoying many activities, including photography, volunteering, walking and traveling. One of their most memorable trips was to Rome to see the Vatican. There, they stood in St. Peter’s Square to see the Pope and listen to him recite the Angelus, the same prayer recited together at noon every day by all of the students, teachers and staff at St. Serra.

Posted in Staff Spotlight
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