Instructional Team
Shehnaz Wadhwania, Ed.D
Director of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
(408) 223-3783
I was born and raised in Mumbai, India, and moved to the U.S. in 2001. Since 2005, I’ve had the privilege of serving as an educator in a variety of roles—high school ELA and Humanities teacher, instructional coach, dean of instruction, AP and IB coordinator, assistant principal, and principal—across districts in New York City, Dallas, Seattle, Santa Clara, and most recently, Pleasanton Unified School District, where I served as the Language Acquisition Coordinator.
My career has centered on creating and strengthening programs that open doors for students. This includes designing an innovative elementary school, leading academic, SEL, and behavior improvements at PK-12 high-need campuses, and evaluating and redesigning special programs such as Dual Language Immersion and the International Baccalaureate Continuum to improve their impact and alignment. I am especially passionate about supporting historically underserved students—multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds—student groups I identify and share life experiences with.
I hold a Doctorate in K–12 Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California and a Master of Arts in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. My doctoral research focused on building the capacity of Student Support Teams (SSTs) to better understand how language acquisition and reading challenges intersect for multilingual learners—work that continues to shape my approach to system design and instructional leadership.
At the heart of my work is a personal mission: to collaboratively build equitable, just, and innovative educational systems where all students can thrive and access a high-quality education. I am honored to live that mission in partnership with the MPESD community and staff.
Lisa Kattenhorn, M.A.
Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP) Coordinator
(408) 223-3781
My name is Lisa Kattenhorn and I am the District Coordinator for ELOP (Expanded Learning Opportunities Programs) and Attendance Monitoring. I oversee our Sunrise Club program, curriculum and tutoring for After-School, intersession programs, and Summer School. This is my 20th year in the district and my 29th year in education. I have my Bachelor of Music Education from Montana State and my Master of Music in Music Education from Boston University. I taught general music and choir to students in preschool through high school, and I was a general ed teacher for grades third through sixth. I have experience developing curriculum for music and general education classes. Additionally, I was a Student Advisor and Interim/Acting Principal during the 2022-2023 school year. Outside of school, I enjoy traveling, reading, and watching football!