San Jose Faculty and Staff
Head of School
Deron Marvin, Head of School, San Jose
Deron Marvin began his tenure as the Co-Head in 2021. Mr. Marvin holds a B.A. in Liberal Studies/History from San Francisco State University, an M.A. in Sociology and Education from Columbia University Teachers College, and an M.A. in Educational Leadership from Michigan State University. In 2021, Mr. Marvin was awarded a Klingenstein Fellowship at Columbia University Teachers College. Mr. Marvin's educational career spans more than 20 years across US independent schools and international schools. Most recently, Mr. Marvin was the Head of School at Xiamen International School in Xiamen, China. He, and his wife, Laurie Ransom have one daughter who is a senior and is attending a boarding school in Connecticut.
Early Childhood
Lucy Yan 闫潞霞, Primary Years Program (PYP) Coordinator
Lucy Yan has joined Shu Ren with more than 23 years of academic and administrative experience in various IB and other international schools. She has gathered valuable experience as Head of School, Academic Principal, Curriculum Director, and IB Chair of Multi-Program and Synchronized Evaluation Visits. She believes in the core of the PYP, which is to cultivate students' initiative (Agency), allowing students to have their own voice, choice, and leadership. She has designed and run various events and activities to kickstart student agencies. Students participated in the design and organization of these activities under the guidance of teachers, which allowed for rich, open-minded, and multicultural understanding experiences for all those involved and which also cultivated students' initiative to lead their learning and to become creative, collaborative, and life-long learners.
Yiling Chen 陳怡伶, Early Childhood Site Director, Teacher (Pre-K)
Yiling Laoshi was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan. She has been in the field of education for over 10 years. She obtained her BA on English Literature in Chinese Culture University, the Certificate on “Lesson Planning & Use of Resources for Language Teaching '' from the University of Cambridge as well as an MBA in the USA. In addition to 5 years of teaching experience from kindergarten to high schools in Taiwan, Yiling Laoshi had also worked with occupational therapists to help young children with special needs in the bay area. She was an Assistant Director at Little Tree Montessori International School of Fremont for 2.5 years and a head teacher in a Chinese immersion preschool in Sunnyvale. Yiling Laoshi believes that every child can be inspired in many ways of learning where they can utilize their own creativity and imagination in science, arts, children-led activities and beyond. She loves traveling, hiking, yoga and reading in her spare time.
Wendy Lin 林玉清, Teacher (Pre-K)
Wendy Lin, from southern China, has a passion for teaching and has been doing so since 2016. With an AS degree in Early Childhood Education, Wendy strongly believes that children's natural curiosity is a powerful motivator for learning. She also enjoys embroidering, knitting, painting, hiking, traveling, exploring and learning new things. Wendy is excited about the opportunity to join Shu Ren and looks forward to continuing to grow personally and professionally.
Cindy Niu 钮红玉, Teacher (Pre-K)
Cindy Niu, a mother of two, is passionate about teaching Mandarin. With a nursing degree from ZheJiang University, she initially worked at military hospitals. After immigrating to the US, she transitioned to being a Montessori-trained teacher. Experienced with ADHD and sensitive children, she excels at easing preschool transitions, instilling habits, teaching skills, and promoting hygiene. Committed to a safe, nurturing environment, Cindy dedicates time to researching ways to support children with ADHD. In her free time, she enjoys bonding with her own kids.