Erin Conley earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Occidental College with a major in English and Comparative Literary Studies. Ms. Conley began her career as a secondary school teaching intern while she finished her Master of Arts degree and loved the joys and challenges of teaching so much that she ultimately earned her English teaching credential from California State University, Long Beach. She has taught students across all middle school and high school grade levels at various different schools, including most recently at Orange County School of the Arts. Working at OCSA reaffirmed her belief in the power of combining academics and the arts to transform students' lives and prepare them to achieve their goals. Ms. Conley is thrilled to join the CSArts-SGV community in 2018 and looks forward to nurturing thoughtful, creative, responsible global citizens in their pursuit of academic and artistic excellence.

Megan Mekjian is a proud OCSA alumna who is thrilled to be a part of the CSArts founding team. Both an educator and an artist, Megan earned her BFA in Theatre from NYU/Tisch, obtained her Master of Arts in Teaching and Teaching Credential in Secondary English from USC, and is a member of Actor’s Equity. For eleven years she lived and worked in New York City as well as taught, performed, directed, and choreographed across North America.  Megan deeply believes in the transformative impact and unparalleled value of an arts education. She is honored to be back in Southern California to contribute to the next generation of creative thinkers and artists.

Jake Read holds a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from California State University Long Beach and a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from California State University Dominguez Hills. Mr. Read also possesses a single-subject teaching credential in English from CSULB. He joined OCSA in 2011 and has taught Literature and Composition II and II Honors since that time. In addition, Mr. Read teaches Philosophy, an A-G approved academic elective, to juniors and seniors, as well as Introduction to Computer Science and AP Computer Science classes. Mr. Read is a part of the small cohort of teachers who left OCSA to join the CSArts founding team. 

Emma Thompson earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Davis, and her Master of Sciences from California State University, Fullerton.  She has a wealth of teaching experience with each high school grade and level.  In addition to her experience, she brings her passion for literature and composition to CSArts-SGV.  Her belief in the profound importance of finding ourselves and understanding others as we delve into the pages of a variety of texts, are guiding lights in her approach to the classroom.  Mrs. Thompson is pleased to be part of a community that strives to nurture the development of young people through an arts education

Adam Williams is a graduate of Pitzer College with a degree in English and World Literature, and he earned a Master's in Education and a teaching credential from Claremont Graduate University. A huge sports fan, Mr. Williams is an ardent supporter of Los Angeles-based teams, especially the LA Dodgers. He brings a wide variety of experience to CSArts-SGV, from co-teaching a preschool class to teaching creative writing and autobiography classes inside of youth camps and prisons. Mr. Williams is thrilled to teach the talented student artists at CSArts-SGV and aims to help foster creativity among the school community.