Monterey Bay Academy is excited to announce the hiring of several incredible teachers and staff members who come ready to share in the mission and ministry of education at MBA. Each one has expressed enthusiasm and heartfelt commitment for the school’s student-centered approach.
Last May after a months-long search, we enjoyed our first Sabbath with our new MBA Church pastor, Cris Suarez. Immediately, Pastor Cris and Principal Dan Nicola sat down to brainstorm ideas for enhancing MBA’s spiritual life program. With the support of the School Board, discussion turned to the possibility of hiring a campus chaplain to provide direct support to the Campus Ministries team while the pastor would provide direction to the overall spiritual life program and attend to the well-being of the broader MBA community.
As is often the case in an Adventist boarding academy, the search for new staff must necessarily include looking for couples who can fill multiple staffing needs. Thus, the opportunity arose to interview Cristy-Anna Martinez for our vacant Math Department chair position. She is an excellent math teacher and happens to be married to Gabe, who has spent his entire career as an academy chaplain. Impressed with both candidates, the Personnel Committee voted to hire them for these roles.
Gabe comes to MBA with 20 years as a Bible teacher and campus chaplain gained primarily at Escondido Adventist Academy (EAA) with the last 3 years as youth pastor at Pine Hills Adventist Academy (PHAA). His love for music and leading in worship fit perfectly with several of the goals Pastor Cris and Principal Dan had identified for the Chaplain position. With his wealth of experience in student spiritual programming, Gabe will be a great addition to the MBA school and church Spiritual Life team.
Cristy-Anna has 24 years of teaching experience, having also served at EAA and PHAA. Cristy-Anna joins MBA as the chair of the Math department. In addition to classroom teaching, Cristy-Anna and Gabe have worked together to support the Student Association at their previous schools, and are joining long-time SAMBA sponsor Herb Dunn to bring new energy and fresh ideas to our SA program. They have three elementary aged children: Declan 11, Aniden 10, Xyanna 8. Cristy-Anna enjoys being outdoors, singing, and spending time with family. She shared that she is excited and grateful to God for this new adventure.
A retirement in the administrative office created the opportunity for a new position, Director of Communications & Administration. Noely Stanley joins us from the public education sector, where she honed a broad range of skills that will both strengthen our efforts to improve our communication and streamline our administrative function. Her strong belief in the value of Christian education, dedication to serving God and people, and love for kids will positively impact our students and staff.
Greg Gryte and Johnsy Posthumus will continue to cover the boys' dorm with Dean Gryte serving as the FT head dean. Dean Johnsy will serve as the associate dean and will assist VP for Finance & Operations Samm Bryson with some of MBA’s operations duties.
Both girls’ deans departed at the end of the school year, and we are pleased to announce the hiring of Christine Viehmann as our new head girls’ dean. Dean Christine is no stranger to MBA, having lived on our campus for seven years and serving as a volunteer dean in the girls dorm for five years. The associate dean position will be filled by current staff member Elizabeth Worth, who will still teach her PE and EMR/EMT classes but will relinquish Spanish I and II to Chaplain Gabe Martinez.
Jane Nicola vacated the Registrar position and moved into a part time role as Enrollment Coordinator, and after reviewing a number of resumes the Personnel Committee found a student-focused and detail-oriented person right here on our campus. Jo Mustard will be transitioning from her role as an elementary teacher at our closes Adventist elementary school into the Registrar's office to support VP for Academics Tim Hansen in this important role.
As we enter into the 2025–2026 school year, our hearts are brimming with excitement and hope. With Pastor Cris Suarez and Principal Dan Nicola already envisioning fresh ways to enrich MBA’s spiritual life, the Martinez family poised to ignite both our worship and math programs with enthusiasm and expertise, Noely Stanley ready to streamline communications and administration, and our dedicated deans—Greg Gryte, Johnsy Posthumus, Christine Viehmann, and Elizabeth Worth—bringing compassion and stability to residential life, we know our students are in exceptional hands. Add Jo Mustard’s meticulous care for every transcript and enrollment detail, and it’s clear that this team’s collective passion, creativity, and commitment will inspire our community to new levels of excellence in service to our students and their families. With God as our guide, here’s to a year filled with discovery, growth, and joy—together, there’s no limit to what MBA can achieve!
