Our Leadership

Jeanne Goka

Principal

Jeanne Goka began her 30-year career in education at Cullen Junior High, an urban school in the Houston Independent School District. Prior to her selection as the first principal of the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, Ms. Goka was the director of Austin ISD's Kealing Middle School Magnet Program for Advanced Academics. During her tenure, the program added a sixth grade and doubled the number of magnet applicants. Her students scored the highest in the district in all of the subtests of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) tests in 2006. She also served as the academic dean and taught English at St. Michael's Academy in Austin.

During the 2010-11 school year, Jeanne was the community’s choice as a guest Mother Ginger in Austin Ballet’s Nutcracker performance, was honored as a Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scouts of America of Central Texas, received the Corazon Community Award from Con Mi Madre, and was featured in the Austin Woman August issue.  She was recently selected to serve on the National Coalition of Girl Schools as the first representative of public all-girls schools. She lives with her husband, writer Lou Dubose, and is proud of her children, Michael of Austin and Emiko of Portland, Oregon.  She also considers herself the surrogate mother and now Mother Ginger to her students and faculty and staff.

Kristina Waugh

Assistant Principal for High School

Kristina Waugh has been an educator for 23 years. She began her career as a high school teacher and coach in the Killeen Independent School District. Mrs. Waugh has taught Psychology, Sociology, and Special Education at both the high school and middle school level. Prior to joining Ann Richards Mrs. Waugh was the lead guidance counselor for Crockett High School in Austin. Mrs. Waugh is married and has two children.

Melina Berduo

Assistant Principal for Middle School

Melina Berduo grew up in Sulphur Springs, a small east Texas town, with a strong sense of community.  Ms. Berduo received her Bachelor’s degree from Southwestern University in Georgetown, graduating cum laude and her Masters in Educational Administration from the University of Texas, Austin.  Prior to becoming an Assistant Principal, Ms. Berduo was a classroom teacher for 7.5 years.  Ms. Berduo plays indoor soccer, is proud of her Hispanic heritage and works at passing on the Spanish Language to her 8 yr. old son.

Michelle Krejci

Executive Director

Ann Richards School Foundation

Michelle Krejci works with the Ann Richards School Faculty, the Ann Richards School Foundation Board of Directors, and the Austin Independent School District to plan for the school’s growth, develop resources to support it, and build community partnerships. Prior to joining the Ann Richards School, Michelle was the Senior Director of Community Development at United Way Capital Area where she managed more than $4 million in grants to nonprofits in Central Texas and practiced direct social work with foster children served by Child Protective Services and the Texas Youth Commission.  Michelle earned her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin.