Reneé Dake earned a B.A. in Communication Studies from UC Santa Barbara and worked for several years in advertising before deciding to become a teacher.  She earned both multi-subject and learning handicapped special education credentials from CSUN and went on to teach in the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District.  She ran a full inclusion program for grades K-5 and team taught in a multi-age environment before taking time off to start a family.  Her daughters attended and loved Meadows/MATES.  Her oldest is a USC graduate working in the entertainment industry and her youngest is earning a master's degree in speech pathology at CSUSM. Mrs. Dake enjoyed her role as the Meadows/MATES Librarian for 13 years and is proud to have been one of the founding board members for our charter. In 2019 she transitioned back into special education as the MATES Resource teacher. Mrs. Dake is thrilled to take on the role of Assistant Director this year and is grateful to be part of the continued success of MATES.