Brenda Olshever has been the Executive Director of MATES (Meadows Arts and Technology Elementary School) since 2010.  Mrs. Olshever served as a classroom teacher for 23 years before becoming an administrator. Soon after receiving her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership, the Conejo Valley Unified School District voted to close Meadows Elementary School. When she learned that the parent community was proposing a charter school, she became a proponent and converted with the school as a founding teacher and then ultimately the Executive Director. Her role as the Executive Director is much more than a principal, it is more akin to a Superintendent of a one-school school district.  Her duties include all aspects of administration including, but not limited to, curricular leadership, personnel management, financial management, policy development and implementation, facilities and operations manager, and public relations.  She serves at the direction of the school’s Board of Directors. The success of MATES is near and dear to her heart. She truly believes in the school’s educational philosophy of an environment that promotes academic excellence within the research-supported framework of the arts and technology, Project-Based Learning opportunities, strong teacher collaboration, high expectations of achievement in core content areas, and community involvement.