Leadership
WHITNEY STEVENSON CHANANA
Founder & Philanthropist, Joint Head of School
Whitney is grateful for the opportunity to bring a new education option to the valley where she grew up. For Whitney, Waldorf education is elegant in the way it cultivates the child’s intellectual and creative capacities without sacrifice. She loves seeing the spark lit within other parents when they connect with the philosophy.
Whitney was born and raised in the Valley. After graduating from UC Davis and climbing the ranks on Wall St as a research analyst covering semiconductors, retail, and hospitality, she left as one of the few women to have led a sector. Prompted by a desire to birth her children at home and raise them outside of NYC, she returned to the Valley in October 2020, just two months before her first son was born. The journey to launch a Waldorf-inspired school started one year later with her husband, Sundeep.
CHINYELU KUNZ
Joint Head of School & Parent Liaison
Chinyelu is passionate about Waldorf education and continues to be deeply inspired by its philosophy and wisdom—even after 32 years of living and working within it.
Being part of the founding of Hundred Hills School feels like both a culmination and a wonderful new beginning. For Chinyelu, this is not just a role—it is a calling. She sees her place at the school as a bridge: between families and teachers, between vision and action, between history and possibility. She hopes to cultivate a space where parents feel deeply seen, supported, and empowered. She carries a deep reverence for the unfolding journey of childhood and she holds with reverence the community that surrounds both parents and children.
Chinyelu was born and mostly raised in Enugu, Nigeria, West Africa. After graduating from high school, she left Nigeria to attend university in the United States, earning a Master’s in Architecture. She holds a teaching certificate in Waldorf Early Childhood and spent 16 years at Kimberton Waldorf School where she taught both parent-child and pre-kindergarten classes. Most recently she has built her online brand, We Nurture Collective, and published her first resource book for parents - The Little Book of Parenting; How to Nurture Your Child To Their Full Potential.
Chinyelu is honored and thrilled to be part of the birth of a school rooted in the rich traditions and wisdom of Waldorf education—a school where beauty, rhythm, wonder, and human connection are at the heart of learning.
SUNDEEP CHANANA
Founder & Philanthropist
Sundeep was born in San Francisco to immigrant parents who emphasized and sacrificed for education, like many. After graduating from Berkeley where he founded a professional fraternity, Sundeep entered Wall St as an investment banking analyst. In 2015, he founded Horatio Partners in NYC.
Sundeep believes education is the single most important determinant of one’s life trajectory.
Faculty
LAUREN WHEELER
Preschool Lead
Ms. Lauren brings nearly a decade of experience working with young children in a Waldorf early childhood classroom, most recently as Preschool Lead at Central Coast Waldorf School. She was originally drawn to Waldorf education by the belief that education should nurture the spirit as well as the mind. In Waldorf education, she has found a place where childhood is honored, where the early years are not merely preparatory, but are held as the very foundation of lifelong growth and learning. Ms. Lauren enjoys the humming, rhythmic life of the preschool classroom, where the day flows through work, play, story, and song. With a deep reverence for the unfolding of each child, she maintains a calm and nurturing presence that allows the children in her care to feel seen, safe, and supported. Ms. Lauren is honored to serve the very young child and their families.
She completed her Waldorf teacher training at Sound Circle Center for Arts and Anthroposophy and continues to deepen her understanding of child development and Waldorf pedagogy through ongoing professional study. She also holds a California Early Childhood Teaching Certification.
Ms. Lauren is the mother of two extraordinary children. Her partner joined her in the lifelong journey of becoming a Steiner educator and has just finished a loop with his students through the upper grades—teaching is a whole family affair! When she is not at her second home of school, you can find her and her family swimming, surfing, sailing, or finding a reason to get salty.
KATIE ROSE HAMES
Kitchen and Garden Steward
Miss Katie comes to us from the Waldorf School of Santa Barbara, where she spent the past three years assisting in the Kindergarten classroom. She will continue with this work at Hundred Hills and lead fresh food production and cooking as curriculum.
Previously, Katie ran the farm to table program at Midland School for eight years, working on the certified organic school farm and with the chefs to supply fresh produce to the kitchen. She completed her Master’s Degree in Education at UCSB. She also holds a B.S. in Biology from Colby College and is a graduate of The Thacher School in Ojai.
Katie was born and raised on her family’s cattle ranch on Highway 1 in Santa Barbara County. She grew up helping her parents with their cow-calf operation, working in the garden, and standing on a stool by the stove stirring big pots of jam made with fruit from the orchard.
She is the mother of two current Waldorf students.