Mary Jane Cera has taught at Kino for 45 years, 16 of those also as the Director. She retired from the Directorship in August of 2021 and will continue to teach Primary Language Arts as a part-time teacher. Over the years she has also taught Latin, pre-algebra, and a variety of literature classes.

Mary Jane grew up in Whiting, Indiana, one of 7 children. She graduated from the U of A with a B.A. in Education and a Master's Degree in Reading. she is certified to teach kindergarten through 8th grade, and has a reading endorsement for kindergarten through high school. she is the author of several creative work books for primary age students and several articles in educational journals. she has led numerous workshops on the use of whole language and open education. In her spare time she likes to read, watch baseball, knit and crochet, and do crossword and jigsaw puzzles.

Mary Jane is the mother of 3 children. Her daughter graduated from Kino in 2009.