Hiroki Akamatsu came to Teachers College from Tokyo, Japan. He graduated from Keio University in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in Policy Management and in 2001, obtained a BA in Education from Keio as well. In April of the same year, he started working full-time as an English teacher at Keio Boys Senior High School. He was a member of the entrance examination administration committee (2004-2006) and Keio Primary and Secondary Schools English Teaching Committee (2001-2006). In addition, he coached the school’s baseball team and led them to the quarter-finals of the national championships in 2005.

Daniel Alexander recently completed his sixth year at St. David’s School in Raleigh, NC. While at St. David’s Daniel has had the wonderful opportunity to serve in many different roles including teaching Upper School Bible, History, Government and Rhetoric, serving as a grade chair and the faculty representative for the Student Council, and coaching JV soccer and the Varsity Wrestling Team. He has spent the past two years working full-time as the Associate Director of Advancement and he plans to return to St. David’s as the Director of Advancement following his year at TC. Daniel is accompanied to NYC by his bride of four years, Sarah and their two amazing children, Avery and David, who are simply excited about the zoo. Daniel has spent the past 28 of his 29 years of life enjoying the South, growing up in Atlanta and attending UNC-Chapel Hill for his undergraduate education.

Diali Bose-Roy graduated from Scripps College in Southern California with a B.A. in Biology. Following her passion for film and television, she worked in television production for two years. She soon came to realize that she felt a strong connection with the educational aspect of documentaries and yearned to be involved in education in a more traditional setting. She has spent the past four years serving as a 5th grade teacher, diversity coordinator, and math club head at the Charles River School, a K-8 outside of Boston, MA. She served as the faculty representative on the Community Service committee and relished organizing faculty talent shows to raise money for non-profit organizations in the area. She loves scuba diving in the tropics, experimenting in the kitchen and watching movies.

Steven Breedlove was born in Alabama as the 3rd of an eventual 5 children. His father was a pastor, and about every 4 years, he would move his family to a new church in a new state. As a consequence, Steven had lived in Alabama, Iowa, Texas, Western Canada, and North Carolina by the time he finished high school. After graduating, Steven went to Bible school in Germany for a year. Returning to North Carolina, Steven studied classics at UNC-Chapel Hill, where he met his wife Courtney. After graduating, they were married and moved to Asheville, North Carolina where they both taught. They have one son, whose name is Steven as well. Steven (the father) has been teaching Latin, Greek, and Rhetoric at a classical Christian school. He also coached the middle school soccer team. Upon completion of the Private School Leadership program, Steven will return to Asheville to be the upper school principal of his school.

Craig Cetrulo has taught at The Episcopal High School in Alexandria, VA for the past four years, most recently serving as the Director of Communications Skills. In addition to teaching 11th and 12th grade Advanced Placement English courses, Craig oversaw the design and implementation of the Writing and Speaking Curriculum which seeks to foster student growth in both oral and written communication skills. Craig also coached soccer and lacrosse while at EHS. Craig graduated from Duke University in 2000 and received his Master’s degree in English from The University of Virginia in 2003. He is looking forward to an exciting year in New York City.

Marcus Chang is in his third year of teaching Physical Education at Little Red School House & Elizabeth Irwin High School in New York City. In addition to teaching Physical Education he is the Physical Education Department Chair, Athletic Director and a S.E.E.D facilitator. Before coming to LREI in 2005 Marcus spent the previous 14 years at San Francisco Day School where he was the Multicultural Coordinator and taught Physical Education. In his free time he loves to be in the outdoors, hiking, cycling, and playing a variety of sports.

After seven years teaching English at Suffield Academy, Abby Cohen is taking a well-deserved sabbatical year at Teachers College. When she wasn’t teaching, coaching, dorm-parenting or advising, Abby found time to train for six marathons, to ski, and to learn to cook (mostly by watching other people). Her specialties include watching other people cook chili, lemon chicken, and Bolognese sauce. She has spent the summers taking classes at the Bread Loaf School of English, going on a National Outdoor Leadership School course in Wyoming, and spending time at the beach. Before teaching and learning at Suffield, Abby earned an M.A. in English Literature from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and an A.B. in English from Dartmouth College. Abby is an alumna of the 2004 Klingenstein Summer Institute.

Jason Couch just finished his eighth year as a teacher and coach at Wesleyan School, a K-12 private, Christian school just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. While at Wesleyan, he taught Pre-Algebra and coached varsity football and baseball. He graduated from the University of Georgia in the winter of 1998 with a BBA in Finance. He grew up in Waycross, Georgia, a small town just outside of the Okefenokee Swamp. Jason is an avid sports fan, but he is especially interested in following college football. He enjoys cooking, going to church, and spending time with his Rottweiler, Duke.

Trefor Davies has taught mathematics for the past seven years at Brooklyn Friends School, a Quaker school located in downtown Brooklyn, where he is the Mathematics Department chair and, recently, a trustee of the School Committee. He teaches lower, middle, and upper school students, but works most closely with middle grades, where he coaches volleyball as well. Before arriving at Brooklyn Friends, Trefor worked at Teachers College and Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, researching teacher education and leading professional development workshops (primarily in mathematics). Outside of work, Trefor enjoys cooking and fixing his house.

Adam M. Dubé first developed his passion for private schools at Columbia (Missouri) Independent School where he was an English, Latin, and Greek teacher. In addition to teaching, he coached Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball, Boys’ and Girls’ Cross Country, and served as the Athletic Director. He comes most recently from Seoul, Korea, where he coordinated and taught an English Language education program. His wife and three children are all excited to be living in NYC! With eight years of teaching experience, he is excited to pursue studies in Educational Leadership and is looking forward to learning from both the faculty at Teachers College and the experiences of other Klingenstein classmates. Adam’s goal is to use the Private School Leadership program to prepare him for a full-time administrative position after graduation where he can share his passion for independent schools.

Nicholas Everdell has independent schools in his blood. He was born and raised on the campus of the Gunston School, a boarding school on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, where his parents were teachers. He graduated from The Lawrenceville School, and went on to major in Russian at Cornell University. After Cornell, Nick spent several years teaching at Echo Hill Outdoor School in Maryland. While there he focused on teaching Chesapeake Bay Ecology, and led field trips on the Bay as a licensed captain. He also worked in the school’s administration as intern coordinator and staff recruiter. After Echo Hill, Nick spent three years as Associate Dean of Admissions at Vermont Academy, where his immersion in the workings of the school inspired him to enroll in the Klingenstein Program. Although depressed at not being able to ski every day, Nick is tremendously excited to be studying in NYC.

Dawn Franchina has been a teacher for 15 years in Catholic, Episcopal and Evangelical Christian schools in Virginia and North Carolina. Her experience has taken her from three year olds in pre-school to seniors in AP World History. Most recently she worked as the Director of Development at Charlotte Christian School in Charlotte, NC. Her undergraduate degree is in History from Houghton College, Houghton, NY and she received her Masters in Education from Marymount University, Arlington, VA. She has taken graduate classes at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of South Carolina at Columbia and is looking forward to completing a Masters in Leadership.

Inés Gómez-Ochoa comes to NY from The Putney School, a progressive school in VT where she has been music director for the past eight years. A graduate of the Music Conservatory in Bilbao (Spain), she continued her piano, conducting, and musicology studies in the US at the Hartt School/University of Hartford, and later at Indiana University, Bloomington. Aside from her career in music, Inés’ interest in social justice has led her to Mexico, where in the year 2000 she was an international observer for the presidential elections, and later an international shield in an indigenous community in Chiapas, while at the same time conducting archival research on Latin American colonial music. Inés is interested in education as a forum for social change, and in progressive education in particular as the resource to empower individuals to be more active and invested contributors in democratic societies.

After graduating from Trinity College (CT) with a B.A. in Psychology in 2003, Trude Goodman moved to Houston, TX, where she worked at The Emery/Weiner School for four years. As a member of the faculty, she taught 6th grade English, 8th grade Speech and Debate and 12th grade Psychology. Additionally, after becoming Middle School Coordinator of Student Life after her second year, Trude served as a member of the Middle School administrative team and admissions committee. As Coordinator, Trude started an advisory program, organized a whole-school retreat and several class trips, ran daily assemblies and oversaw student clubs and diversity initiatives. For the past 13 summers, Trude has been a sailing instructor in Chatham, MA. Born in New York City, Trude is looking forward to returning to her roots!

David Greig started his independent school teaching career five years ago at the Landon School in Bethesda, MD. After interning for the year in the Washington suburb, David moved to California to work at a small middle school in the Carmel/Pebble Beach area. When the opportunity for David to teach and coach at his high school Alma mater, The Pingry School, in Martinsville NJ, he couldn’t resist. After two years in NJ, David moved to Boston to be with his fiancée, Sarah, who was finishing a master’s degree in Art History from Tufts Univ. He received his B.A. in Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought from Amherst College, where he played football and captained the men’s lacrosse team. David and his wife Sarah were married on Nantucket this past June. David loves golf and eating at Benihanna’s.

Rachel Griffin holds her Bachelor’s degree in French from the College of the Holy Cross, and her Master’s of Science degree in early childhood and elementary education from Bank Street College of Education. Rachel began her career twelve years ago at The Chapin School in New York City where she taught Kindergarten, Class 2 and Class 3 for ten years. In 2005 she was appointed Assistant Head of Lower School. In her administrative role she leads the associate teacher program, coordinates community service and has been very involved in school scheduling. In addition, she teaches math and has coached basketball, soccer and lacrosse in the middle and upper schools. Rachel loves to travel and has spent time exploring the United States, Europe and Asia. She also enjoys artistic endeavors, learning new languages, swimming and golf.

Jessie Larson Hamze has taught Middle and Upper School Spanish at the Bosque School in Albuquerque, New Mexico for four years. Before teaching at Bosque, Jessie was a Teach for America teacher in Phoenix, Arizona, where she taught in a fourth grade dual-language classroom. For the past two summers, Jessie worked as a school director, training new teachers for Teach for America in public schools in the South Bronx and Brooklyn. Jessie received her M.A. in curriculum and instruction from Arizona State University. She earned her B.A. in romance languages and literature (Spanish) at Harvard University and played on the women’s soccer team. A native of Albuquerque, Jessie still plays soccer and loves to snowboard and bike with her husband, Safa.

Chad Kampe graduated from Macalester College with a degree in Media and Cultural Studies. For the past three years, Chad has taught 5th grade General Studies at Minneapolis Jewish Day School. He has enjoyed his experience immensely and also served as the school’s diversity coordinator. Chad is an active member of the ISACS (Independent School Association of the Central States) Equity Committee. At MJDS Chad was awarded a Best Buy Te@ch fellowship for integrating technology into his classroom. Prior to teaching at MJDS, Chad worked at Exploration Summer Program at Wellesley College. At Exploration, Chad taught, served as an advisor, and mentored faculty. Chad attended the Klingenstein Summer Institute, and he is excited to become a “full-timer!”

John Larson grew up in Wolfeboro, NH and has spent the last eight years living on the coast of Rhode Island. He has been a teacher for five years at School One, a small private school on the East Side of Providence, RI. John graduated from Salve Regina University with a BA in English Literature and earned a Masters Degree in International Education from the University of Southern California. Like any good New Englander he likes to sail, ski and play tennis. John looks forward to the experiences that the city has to offer both personally and professionally.

Dana Ligocki is in her 9th year of teaching secondary school English. The first 5 years of her career began teaching 9th grade English and AP Literature and Composition at South Miami Senior High School, a public, urban high school. While teaching, she completed her MS in Secondary English Education and supervised General Education Teaching labs at Florida International University. Needing a change and wantingn to avoid cold weather, she moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico for the past three years, she taught 10th and 11th grade English as well as advised National Honor Society at the Baldwin School of Puerto Rico. Committed to instilling global ethics and community outreach, the NHS organized and executed a large-scale nighttime walk-a-thon involving over 500 participants and 70 volunteers raising $33,000 to donate to a high school in Gulu, Uganda through Invisible Children, Inc.

After graduating from Bowdoin College as a Biology and German major Margaret Magee made her way to Kent School, in the lovely valley land of Kent, CT where she spent five years as a Biology teacher. She fell in love with the boarding school experience and found herself involved in many aspects of the school: coaching swimming and field hockey, serving as dorm head for freshman girls, being a member of the Disciplinary and Academic Committees, running the New Faculty and New Student Orientations, and chaperoning the Prom. She was lucky enough to have a taste of what it’s like to be a Klingon when she attended the Summer Institute in 2004. As she tells her students each year, “I’m a nerd and have always loved school.” This nerd is excited to have the chance to be a student in someone else’s classroom again.

Cecilia Marquez is in her fifth year as Department Head of Modern and Classical Languages in the Upper School at Princeton Day School (JK-12 coed). A graduate of Lenguas Vivas in Buenos Aires, Argentina, she earned a Master’s in Applied Linguistics and Methodology at the University of Pittsburgh (1987). Her teaching experience ranges from beginner to advanced Spanish and Spanish Literature at University of Pittsburgh, the University of Miami, and Princeton University, to teaching ESL at Miami Dade Community College. She authored a program on “Teaching Virtues Through Literature” and has conducted educational consulting. She volunteers as chair to the World Language Program and founded the character development committee at Princeton Charter School. She is married and has 3 daughters (16, 13, 9), loves being among students, and enjoys reading, sailing, and listening to classical music.

Keith Meacham comes to Teachers College from the Harlem Day Charter School, where she served in a variety of administrative roles, including Executive Director. She began her career in teaching as a Fulbright Fellow in Northern France and has taught English at the Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia, and at the Nightingale-Bamford School in Manhattan. Before joining Harlem Day, Keith spent several years as a teacher and administrator at Prep for Prep, a non-profit leadership development program in New York. A graduate of the University of Virginia, she currently serves on the Boards of St. Andrews School, Sewanee, Tennessee, and Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America, in New York. She is a Trustee-nominee of the Harlem Day Charter School. Keith lives in New York City with her husband and two young children.

Joey Menendez graduated from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of NC at Chapel Hill in 2001, and instead of heading into the business world was led straight into teaching middle school mathematics at St. David’s School in Raleigh, NC. He has been teaching 7th and 8th grade math at St. David’s for the past six years as well as coaching soccer. During his free time, Joey organized and planned student trips to Guatemala to expose students to a culture and way of life other than what they are used to seeing everyday. In 2006, Joey attended the Klingenstein Summer Institute and his exposure to Klingenstein and Teachers College convinced him to be part of the PSL program this year. Joey is looking forward to applying his studies back at St. David’s School.

Carolyn Michael began teaching middle school Math, French, and Humanities at The East Harlem School in 2002 and has served as the school’s Program Director for the last two years. Before coming to the school, she spent three years living and working in Senegal as a Peace Corps volunteer. A graduate of Wellesley College, Carolyn is passionate about issues of equity in education.

For her project, Carolyn will study how middle schools measure their success. Standardized tests provide only a partial view of a school’s effectiveness. Using a variety of independent and charter schools as case studies, she will seek innovative approaches and metrics that better dovetail assessment with mission.

Sandy Morris comes to the PSL program from Los Angeles, California. She taught for eight years at the Archer School for Girls, a single-sex day school on LA’s west side. As a math teacher in both middle and upper school, Sandy enjoys helping girls find a passion for and excelling in mathematics. Her other roles in the school community include student council advisor and eighth grade dean. Sandy holds a B.A. in Urban Planning from the University of California San Diego. Her favorite activities include traveling, camping and cooking. She is excited about the opportunity to live and study in New York City.

Prior to teaching, Tendai K. Mufuka worked as a sales representative for i2 Technologies and IBM, Inc. With a B.A. in Geography from Auburn University he decided to leave sales to become an educator. After teaching 7th grade for three years in a public school in Jonesboro, GA he moved to Washington, D.C. where he worked at the Landon School for Boys. While teaching Modern World History to 9th graders at Landon, he served as the Freshman Dean, Head JV Soccer Coach and Basketball Coach. He has also served as the 9th grade faculty advisor for the past three years. In his spare time Mufuka cooks and watches movies. The son of Zimbabwean immigrants, Mufuka was born in Jamaica but raised in South Carolina and is a proud father of two young daughters.

Eileen Neville’s first job out of college was writing copy for a Boston ad agency, but she quickly realized that her sense of humor and uncanny memory for commercial jingles might be put to better use in the classroom. After some substitute teaching, a little globetrotting, and two years of teaching in a rural village in northern Japan, she eventually landed at The Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, Massachusetts. At Williston, she served as the International Student Coordinator and taught ESL, American literature and introductory U.S. history. In addition to her classroom and administrative duties, she served on Williston’s faculty council and the diversity committee, coached tennis and worked in a 9th grade girls’ dorm. Eileen earned her B.A. at Harvard in history of science in 1998.

Ryan Pagotto caught the teaching bug during a summer internship at the Taft School in 2000. Following graduation from Dickinson College in 2001, he joined the faculty of Wyoming Seminary for one year and then moved to Blair Academy where he has worn a number of hats including history teacher, coach, housemaster and associate dean of admission. Ryan tried his hand at school leadership during the summer months, serving as dean of students of the Wyoming Seminary Summer Programs for three summers and director of The Cambridge Prep Experience (Cambridge, England) for two summers. Due in large part to a fantastic Klingenstein Summer Institute in 2004, Ryan opted to pursue the PSL program. Ryan enjoys traveling, playing most any sport, reading (especially the newspaper on Sundays) and spending time with his wife, Jennifer, a music teacher at Blair, and their dogs Nyla and Sebastian.

Chris Pannone grew up and was educated in Connecticut, attending public schools and then Wesleyan University, where he majored in the language, history and culture of the ancient Romans. After graduating from Wesleyan he left CT for New York, where for three years he taught history, Latin, and English and coached football, basketball, and baseball at The Green Vale School. Unsure of whether or not he would continue to work in education, Chris was convinced by his language director (a Klingenstein alumna) to attend the Klingenstein Summer Institute. While there, among a cohort of diverse and talented educators, he discovered the fascinating complexity and challenge of education.

Danielle Passno just finished her fifth year of teaching mathematics, most recently including a three year stint teaching calculus at Boston University Academy, a high school on the campus of Boston University. Before moving to Massachusetts, she taught at The Webb School, a day/boarding school in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. Danielle loves to coach soccer and softball and teach English electives. She grew up in Colorado and graduated from Dartmouth College in 2002, where she majored in Engineering modified with Studio Art and minored in English and in Education. Danielle’s hobbies include reading, thinking, knitting, and experiencing wilderness adventures, and it is her most fervent wish to be a through-hiker on the Appalachian Trail. She spends her summers leading canoeing and hiking trips at Alford Lake Camp in Hope, Maine. A Red Sox fan, she resides in Brooklyn.

Jaffrie Perrotti has just completed his third year at the New Hampton School, a small boarding school in central New Hampshire. Jaffrie assumed a variety of responsibilities during his time at New Hampton; his duties included Assistant Dean of Students, Class Advisor, Dorm Head, History teacher, Tutor, and Coach. Jaffrie’s independent school experience has been nothing short of extraordinary–filled with numerous meaningful and personally enriching experiences, which have guided his desire to join the Klingenstein community. Prior to New Hampton, Jaffrie attended Amherst College, where he completed a double major in LJST (Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought) and Psychology.

Mike Ricard graduated from Bowdoin College with degrees in Government & Legal Studies and History. After a brief stint in the financial world, he has worked the past 13 years at St. Paul’s School in Concord, N.H. Having served in many capacities during his time at SPS, Mike was the Acting Athletic Director for the 2006-2007 academic year. In addition to managing the athletic department, he enjoyed running a boys’ dormitory, head coaching the varsity track & boys’ basketball teams, and chairing the student housing committee. Attending Teachers College was made possible when he was awarded a one-year sabbatical and he considers this opportunity to be an exciting change of pace at this point in his career.

Hart Roper graduated from Davidson College with a degree in History and completion of the Education Program. For the past seven years, he has taught and coached at St. Albans School in Washington, DC. Currently, Hart is the lower school dean of students, seventh grade U.S. history teacher, and varsity soccer coach. Prior to his present roles, he taught sixth grade homeroom for five years and coached lacrosse and basketball. He looks forward to returning to the St. Albans community after the PSL program. Hart’s wife Colleen and two-year-old daughter, Mary, will be soaking up New York City life with him this year.

Carson Roy comes to Teachers College from The Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, MA. He served as Asst Dir of Admission, coached Girls Varsity Tennis, Boys Varsity Basketball and served as a dorm parent in an Upper boys dorm. Prior to his stint at Williston, Carson spent three years at Suffield Academy as Assistant Director of Admission and taught U.S. History, World History, and Foundations of Leadership courses. The past couple of summers he has taught Public Speaking, ESL, and directed the Teaching Assistant Program at the Suffield Summer Academy. Carson is a graduate of the Berkshire School (1996) and St. Lawrence University (2000). During his senior year at St. Lawrence, he student taught 8th grade Social Studies at Canton Middle School and received his provisional NY State teaching certification. His hobbies include fly-fishing, running, golfing, and visiting Vermont.

Charlie Savenor, originally from Needham, Massachusetts, currently serves as the Associate Dean and Director of Admissions for the Rabbinical School of the Jewish Theological Seminary. After graduating Summa Cum Laude from Brandeis University in 1991, he received Rabbinical Ordination and a Masters Degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1996. Charlie served for five years as the Associate Rabbi at Anshe Emet in Chicago before returning to New York. He possesses a passion for travel education and has led several summer trips to Israel, Central and Eastern Europe. In addition to rooting for the Boston Red Sox, Charlie enjoys writing, jogging, and spending time with his wife, Julie, and son, Joseph.

After graduating from Williams College in 2001, Mike Schloat returned home to Westchester County, New York, to teach fourth and eighth grade at the Rippowam Cisqua School. After two years at Ripp, Mike moved to Blair Academy in New Jersey where he taught English, ran a freshman dormitory, won a fantasy football championship, served as the assistant dean of student affairs, and coached track, soccer, squash and cross-country. When school is not in session, Mike serves as the athletic director at Camp Dudley, a traditional boys’ summer camp on Lake Champlain in the Adirondack mountains, where he can satisfy his hiking, golfing, and crossword puzzle addictions. Mike is particularly excited to enjoy the New York City experience with his wife of two years, Julie, an art history and English teacher.

Caroline Secor comes from a family of independent school educators. A graduate of St. George’s School, RI (1998), Caroline earned her B.A. in Economics at Kenyon College (2002) where she played both soccer and lacrosse. For the past five years she has been teaching middle school Mathematics and ninth grade Algebra, serving as an Advisor to the 9th grade, and coaching high school soccer and lacrosse at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, MD. While there, Caroline also served as a mentor to new teachers. In 2006 she attended the Klingenstein Summer Institute, during which she decided to pursue private school leadership.

Tim Sullivan graduated from Williams College with a B.A. in Economics in 2001. He then began a two-year analyst program at Lehman Brothers working in their Equity Sales division in both their New York and Boston offices. In 2003 a career change brought Tim to The Wolfeboro Camp School for a summer working on the Student Life Staff. He has spent the last four years teaching 7th and 8th grade Pre-Algebra, Algebra and Geometry at the St. Luke’s School in New Canaan, Ct. In addition to his teaching duties he also was an assistant Varsity football coach and the Head Boys Lacrosse Coach. Tim is excited to return to the other side of the chalkboard and to be in New York City again.

Cooper Westendarp graduated from Wake Forest University in 2001 and worked as an associate in BB&T Bank’s Management Development Program in which he helped broker, underwrite, and manage commercial mortgages. Seeking more, Cooper transitioned to education in 2003 through the Johns Hopkins M.A.T. program which allowed him to teach in Baltimore Public Schools, a springboard to his most recent position as a 6-10 English teacher at The Pine School in Stuart, FL. There, Cooper helped build a new upper school by coaching tennis, basketball, and golf, advising the yearbook staff, partnering the school with Outward Bound, introducing a global service project, contributing to the school’s strategic plan, and helping mold the English curriculum. Cooper is a new board member of Volunteer Kenya.