Pacifica Stories

Voted Faculty Member of the Year in 2023, Hilary Miller (B.A. with Honors from Indiana University, ‘12; MFA from Pepperdine ‘14) is a beloved English teacher who has put down deep roots at Pacifica. In her eleventh year of teaching, seventh at Pacifica, Hilary has taught every grade level and almost every course in the English Department. She headed the Humanities Department, went on to chair the English Department, all the while teaching six English classes per year and committing herself wholeheartedly into the life of the school in small and big ways. She loves teaching The Great Gatsby, The Odyssey, and Antigone. Her favorite authors include Jane Austen, Curtis Sittenfeld, and Kevin Wilson, and she watches Nora Ephron movies on repeat. She is funny, creative, full of warmth and energy, a consummate professional who sees that teaching is a vocation that calls for commitment to each student as a child of God. 

Last year Hilary taught English to the entire freshman class and added the responsibility of Assistant Director of Faculty. She worked closely with Dr Mary Ortiz, who joined Pacifica as Interim Director of Faculty. Together they provided leadership and support for the faculty.

This year Hilary has accepted the offer to take up the role of Director of Faculty and Academics. Stepping out of the classroom completely, she will provide strategic leadership for the growth, support, and effectiveness of Pacifica’s faculty and academic program. This role mentors teachers in both their professional craft and spiritual formation, cultivates academic excellence through curriculum development and instructional leadership, and fosters a positive, collaborative faculty culture aligned with Pacifica’s mission. Working closely with the Head of School and senior leadership team, the Director leads faculty development, oversees academic initiatives and assessment practices, supports hiring and onboarding, facilitates communication across departments, and helps ensure that students experience a rigorous, Christ-centered education that prepares them to think and live well.

Since Hilary has stepped out of the classroom, Katie Savage (Point Loma Nazarene University ‘03, University of Kansas, MFA, ‘11) has accepted the role of English Department Chair. Katie starts her eighth year at Pacifica and her sixteenth in the classroom.. Katie brings a wealth of classroom experience, a broad and deep familiarity with curriculum, and a love for the mission to her new role. Katie was voted Faculty of the Year in 2024 and is known and loved as a passionate and effective literature and writing teacher. She brings literature to bear on the great questions of life. A published author herself, Katie believes in the power of effective writing and feels a calling to help students deepen their skills and think critically. Her favorite books to teach include Crime and Punishment, Beloved, and Frankenstein. She is the mother of Miles ‘27 and Evie ‘30, and you’ll find her at many Pacifica sporting and arts events, cheering them on.

Dr. Mary Ortiz (B.A. Bowdoin ‘86, PhD New York University ‘09) joined Pacifica last year.  Mary served as Head of School at Oakcrest School in Vienna, Virginia, for eleven years. She brings over thirty years experience in educational leadership. This year she takes on the role of  Director of Academic Strategy and Operations, a part-time position through which she provides visionary leadership for the long-term development of Pacifica’s academic program, helping ensure that growth, innovation, and operational effectiveness remain firmly rooted in the school’s Christian mission and educational philosophy. Serving as a strategic thought partner to the Director of Faculty & Academics and senior leadership, Mary guides academic planning, curriculum development, instructional vision, accreditation efforts, and special projects that shape the future of the school. The Director brings wisdom, research, and an experienced perspective to complex academic challenges, facilitates collaboration across departments and grade levels, supports faculty hiring and onboarding, and helps design initiatives that cultivate intellectual, moral, and spiritual formation in students.

With Hilary and Mary in these two new roles we have strengthened and deepened the commitment to excellence in teaching and learning. Hilary and Mary have a year behind them of rich collaboration. Their roles are distinct, but their work is intertwined and interdependent. Hilary carries the daily weight of faculty life, curriculum implementation, and academic leadership. Mary’s role provides the perspective that comes from reflection and experience. In practice, this is a weekly conversation between respected partners committed to serving the mission of Pacifica. We are off to a great start!