Administrators
The Administrative Staff oversee the daily operational aspects of the entire school while also supporting the self-governance alongside our Faculty. The whole school is supported by staff in the following departments: Admissions, Athletics, Business, Marketing & Communications, Development, Facilities, Information Technology (IT), Lower School and High School Administration, and Student Services.
Thom Schaefer, Interim High School Administrator
Thom Schaefer (he, him) has been a lifelong educator, teaching and administering from elementary school through college in public and private settings. To Thom, “teaching means taking responsibility for empowering students to be critical thinkers. In keeping with the times, our relationships need to be reformed, rethought, and redesigned.”
Thom has a BA in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz and an MA in Education from Touro University. He received his Waldorf Teacher Training from Rene Querido at Rudolf Steiner College. Thom has been a Waldorf teacher trainer and an anthroposophic adult educator at Rudolf Steiner College in California, Sunbridge College in New York, the Rudolf Steiner Centre in Toronto, and Gradalis in Denver. In 2011, Thom co-founded Credo High School, a Waldorf-Inspired Public Charter School in Sonoma County, California. Starting with 40 students, Credo currently has an enrollment of 450.
Most recently, Thom and his wife Dena spent the last year training and mentoring local teachers for a developing Waldorf initiative in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica. With a sense of excitement, Thom will assume the role of Interim High School Administrator at the Sacramento Waldorf School. Thom is the father of three grown children and five delightful grandchildren scattered throughout the country.
Dena Malon, Lower School Administrator
Dena Malon (she/her) came to Sacramento Waldorf School (SWS) in August of 2024 with a diverse background that began in New York City, where she earned her BA in Theater and Communications. Her path to SWS took her through various experiences that have shaped her deep dedication to Waldorf education.
Early in her career in Atlanta, Dena was an actress and the artistic director of CREATE, an educational theater company. Here, she leveraged the power of performance, writing, directing, and acting in plays and one-person shows that targeted the social, emotional, and academic needs of students from first grade through high school. She also imparted her knowledge to fellow educators, training teachers on creative strategies for classroom management and curriculum development.
The turning point in Dena's educational philosophy came with the birth of her sons, Max and Jack (now 32 and 36). Convinced that only Waldorf education could fulfill her deepest aspirations for them, she became a Waldorf parent. This personal connection quickly led her to embrace the profession; she completed her Waldorf teacher training at Sunbridge Institute in 1997 and subsequently became the class teacher for the Class of 2007 at the Waldorf School of Atlanta, completing the eight-year cycle with them.
Dena returned to New York City to teach the Class of 2015 at the Rudolf Steiner School, guiding them from first to eighth grade. More recently, after relocating to California to be with her husband, Thom Schaefer, she served as the Grades Director at the Marin Waldorf School for four years. Last year (2023-24), Dena and Thom were instrumental as mentors and teacher trainers for a new Waldorf initiative in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica. This year, at SWS, Dena has served as a mentor, middle school support teacher, and language arts teacher to the 8th grade. Since February, she has been class teacher to the 5th grade.
At both the Rudolf Steiner School and Marin Waldorf School, Dena actively served on DEIJB committees. These were deeply important experiences to her as a teacher, administrator, and human being.
As the new Lower School Administrator, Dena is eager to support the faculty with ongoing guidance and collaboration. She is especially excited to build meaningful partnerships with the parents of Sacramento Waldorf School, enriching their understanding and deepening their experience of Waldorf education. With a strong commitment to fostering connections within the school community, Dena believes that cultivating these relationships is essential to best serve and nurture the students.