Meet The Staff 

Ms. Gonzalez was born in Portland, Oregon, and earned degrees in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Nova University, Miami, Florida, where she taught for six years.  She earned a Master of Education Degree with a Reading Endorsement for elementary and middle school from George Fox University.  In 2016 she earned an Administration Endorsement from the University of Portland.  Ms. Gonzalez taught at St. Ignatius Catholic School for two years and at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School (OLL) for 22 years, including five years as vice principal.  Ms. Gonzalez has taught early childhood, first, fourth, sixth, seventh grade, worked in curriculum design, and as a reading specialist. She has served as a member of four OLL re-accrediting committees, co-chaired Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School's accreditation, and chaired St. Francis Catholic School's Self-Study.  Additionally, she has been a member on two accrediting teams at other Catholic schools. In 2017, Ms. Gonzalez won the SASEE (Service Above Self: Educational Excellence) award, which is awarded by the Lake Oswego Rotary Club.  Ms. Gonzalez loves the outdoors, sports, family time, and encouraging children to become the best that they can be.

Mrs. Cruse is from California.  She and her family moved to Oregon in 2015.  She has 2 children who attend St. Francis Catholic School.  Before signing on to be the Administrative Assistant, she was involved in volunteering in the school.  She was and still is the CYO Athletic Director.  In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, photography, being outdoors and reading books.

Mrs. Finnell grew up in Paris, Texas, and then earned her degree from Kansas State University in Secondary Education Mathematics.  She has taught various mathematics classes 7-12 and also college level mathematics over the past 26 years.  In addition, Mrs. Finnell has experience working in an office setting and as a director of Religious Education at a previous parish.  She and her husband recently relocated with their two dogs to the Portland area after becoming empty nesters.  Camping and travelling have become two of her favorite past times.    Mrs. Finnell is excited to be a part of the St. Francis Community and to get to know all the families!

Mrs. McGann was born and raised in Poway, California and spent several years living across the country while her husband served in the US Marine Corps. She now lives in Sherwood with her husband and two sons, Owen and Jack. Mrs. McGann holds a Bachelor's degree in Human Development from California State University, San Marcos. She brings a passion for early childhood education and nearly a decade of experience in preschool classrooms and programs. While her family and teaching at St. Francis keep her hands and heart full, Mrs. McGann also enjoys time with her dogs, traveling and gardening.

Mrs. Williamson has her Bachelor of Arts degree in Education and has been a childcare provider in Sherwood since 2004.  She has extensive knowledge in early childhood development, behavior management techniques and positive reinforcement methods.  Mrs. Williamson is excited to co teach with Mrs. McGann in an effort to teach, grow, and support the beautiful hearts and minds of the kids at St. Francis as well as to share her Catholic faith with students and help them to grow in their love for God.  

Ms. Hilburger was born in Denver, Colorado.  Her parents moved to Portland when she was a baby and she has been here since.  Ms. Hilburger attended St. Rose Catholic School in Portland for first – eighth grade and graduated from La Salle Catholic High School.  She received her degree in accounting from Portland State University and worked in the account field for seven years. Wanting a change, Ms. Hilburger went back to school to acquire her Master’s of Arts in Teaching from the University of Portland and is Orton-Gillingham trained.  Ms. Hilburger has been with St. Francis Catholic School since 2007.  She enjoys her cats, gardening, and watching NFL football – especially the Broncos – Go Broncos!

Mrs. Cordell comes to St. Francis Catholic School with a wealth of experience and expertise. A native Oregonian, she grew up in the Donald/Aurora area and attended La Salle High School. She obtained her Bachelor's degree from Southern Oregon University and her Masters in special education from Portland State University. She taught for seven years in the Gresham-Barlow school district in a K-5 self-contained special education classroom. Mrs. Cordell is a parishioner and parent of three children that attend St. Francis Catholic School. 

Mrs. Cusick was born and raised in California before moving to Oregon in 2007. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley and attended Catholic school as a child. She has experience as a learning coach for online education at the elementary grade levels, having facilitated her children’s online education for the past 3 years. Mrs. Cusick is also a co-teacher for the 3rd/4th grade Faith Formation program at St. Francis Parish and her children are students at St. Francis. She refers to her own early Catholic education as the foundation on which she has built a love for both the Catholic faith and childhood learning. She is passionate about helping the students of St. Francis reach their fullest academic potential while also sharing the beauty and values of Catholicism. She enjoys spending time with her family, studying the Catholic faith, loves all animals (even spiders!), and dreams of writing a children’s book one day.

Ms. Andrus was born in the Portland metropolitan area and has spent most of her life here. Ms. Andrus graduated with a bachelor's degree from Portland State University and received a Masters of Arts in Elementary Education from Concordia University. After graduation she was a substitute teacher for Beaverton School District and most recently a Kindergarten teacher at St Pius X. Ms. Andrus loves the outdoors, cooking and traveling. Ms. Andrus is excited to be teaching second grade this year and is looking forward to getting to know the St Francis community.  Ms. Andrus is currently training in Orton-Gillingham.

Mrs. Bergman completed her Bachlor's of Arts in Elementary Education from Seattle Pacific University and is currently working towards her Master's in Teaching degree.  She is passionate about education and creating a safe and suportive environment for all students.  She has over four years of experience working with children in early education centers, nannying, working in summer camps and student teaching. She is excited about the opportunity to contribute to our St. Francis community.

Mrs. Huber was born and grew up in the Portland area.  She attended Holy Trinity Catholic School, St Mary of the Valley High School, and Gonzaga University.  Mrs. Huber received her degree in Special Education with endorsements in reading, psychology, and early childhood education from Gonzaga and is also Orton-Gillingham trained.  After college, Mrs. Huber taught third grade for six years and first grade for seven years at St. Mary of the Valley Elementary School in Beaverton.  Mrs. Huber stayed home to raise her three children for 11 years and returned to the classroom during the fall of 2018 as a substitute teacher.  She is very happy to be teaching third grade at St. Francis Catholic School and to a part of a wonderful school and parish community. 

Mrs. Brockmann and her family are parishoners at St. Franics Church and she has been working at St. Francis Catholic School since 2019.  Two of Mrs. Brockmann's children are currently enrolled at St. Francis and one has recently graduated.  

Mr. Pinkstaff grew up in Eugene, Oregon. He graduated from South Eugene High School and attended Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics-Accounting. Later, he earned his teaching degree in Elementary Education from the University of Oregon.  Mr. Pinkstaff taught for over 20 years in the Bethel School District in Eugene and taught for five years in the Estacada School District in Oregon.  Mr. Pinkstaff retired from teaching, later to find himself as a long-term substitute at St. Mary’s Cathedral School and at Sacajawea Elementary School in Vancouver, Washington. Mr. Pinkstaff has four children: three daughters and one son.  Mr. Pinkstaff’s hobbies include reading, nearly all sports, and spending time with family and friends.

Ms. De Jesus was born in the Philippines and raised throughout the Bay Area in California. She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Forensic Biology with minors in Chemistry and American Sign Language at California State University, East Bay. After a few years of volunteering at a Deaf school and teaching English to Japanese students during a college study abroad program, she decided to pursue a Master of Arts degree in teaching. Ms. De Jesus did the Pacific Alliance for Catholic Education (PACE) program at the University of Portland and student-taught in Honolulu, Hawai'i for two years. She also student-taught for Mrs. Smith and substituted in the Diocese of Portland, which led to her decision to stay in the Pacific Northwest. Ms. De Jesus loves to cook at home and travel when given the opportunity.

Mrs. Smith grew up in a variety of places including Europe, California, and North Dakota.  After high school she earned degrees in Biology, Psychology, and Education from both the University of North Dakota in conjunction with Oregon State University.  She taught at St. Anthony Catholic School in Tigard for 23 years and has been teaching at St. Francis Catholic School since its inception.  Additionally, Mrs. Smith has been involved with the Archdiocesan of Portland, Oregon, mathematics and science curriculum throughout her career.  Mrs. Smith enjoys camping, gardening, and nature photography along with her wonderful family.

Ms. Gelao was born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota. She attended Catholic schools, K-12, before earning a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology at Minnesota State University.  She attributes her Catholic identity and love for learning to her Catholic education.  “My teachers instilled in me the unswerving belief in God’s love for us, and I hope to impart that same certainty to the children I serve her at St Francis Catholic School,” she asserts. Ms. Gelao’s goal for students is to facilitate their academic, social, emotional, and spiritual development, and to help each child reach their highest potential. Previous to teaching, Ms. Gelao worked as a psychiatric social worker for several years in both inpatient and outpatient settings.  After moving to Portland, she earned a Masters of Arts degree in teaching, from Concordia University.  She has taught in the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, for 16 years. Ms. Gelao has one son, who is in his third year at Gonzaga University.  She enjoys reading, traveling, white water rafting, and crafting

Ms. Green has been teaching Art at St. Francis Catholic School since 2005, and Physical Education since 2014.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Montana State University with teaching certifications in Art and Physical Education.  She is a native of Ohio, however, has lived in Oregon most of her life.

Mr. Quinonez earned a degree in history from California State University Fullerton. Mr. “Q” will be the sixth and seventh grade social studies teacher and Kindergarten through eighth grade PE teacher.

Ms. Masjuan was born and raised in Santiago, the capital of Chile.  After working in the pharmaceutical field for 10 years, she changed career paths and became a Spanish teacher.  

She’s passionate about teaching Spanish in a fun learning environment and sharing her Chilean culture. She has extensive experience teaching International Baccalaureate(IB PYP) in an immersion Spanish program.  She taught Spanish for 19 years at The International School of Portland and recently at Our Lady of The Lake Catholic School. Her hobbies are dancing, Latin music, and cooking international recipes.

She is so grateful and excited to be part of the reopening of the Spanish program at St. Francis Catholic School!!

Mrs. Neary was born and raised in Portland, Oregon where she attended St. Ignatius and St. Mary's Academy. She graduated from Gonzaga University in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts in Vocal and a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education, as well as a certification in Elementary Education and a minor in Conducting. Mrs. Neary received a Master’s in Choral Conducting from Portland State University in 2014 and since then, has conducted elementary, middle school, high school, collegiate, and adult choirs. She has been teaching Music in the Archdiocese of Portland for eleven years. Mrs. Neary lives in Tualatin with her husband and four kids.  In Music class, Mrs. Neary loves to teach students in all grade levels how to read music, understand music history and use their knowledge of Music Theory and History to explore all kinds of new music and performance opportunities. Mrs. Neary is excited to be making music with the students of St. Francis!

Sister Christine Marie was born in Midland, Texas, and is the middle child of five. She grew up all over the west coast – her Dad was a geologist and her Mom a history teacher / homemaker. She went to Cal State Long Beach University and has a degree in print journalism with a minor in Far Eastern History specializing in China and Russia. The major comes in handy on a regular basis, as in writing and producing newsletters for her Community, and the minor was a God-wink blessing many years later when God called her to religious life with the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows. Why the God-wink? Her community was founded in Hunan Province, Hengyang, China way back in 1939. God certainly does think ahead! She has just returned from a mission in Richmond, BC, Canada, where she worked as the parish sacristan at St. Paul’s, and taught PREP (catechism) classes. She was also the spiritual director for a Junior Legion of Mary Praesidium. At St. Francis Parish, Sister is in the school W-F, 9 a.m. to 12 noon, and on Sundays works with Alexis Mina on faith formation in the catechism classes and at the Children’s Liturgy at the 10:30 a.m. Mass. She is also at some Saturday retreats and pilgrimages, helping Alexis where needed.