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.

Ryan Boccuzzi grew up in northeast Connecticut before attending Colby College where he graduated in 2005 with a degree in Physics. For the past three years Ryan has taught science at Worcester Academy, an independent day and boarding school in Worcester, MA. While at WA, Ryan served as an administrator in the Academy’s residential program and as a member of the Curriculum Committee. Having played soccer his entire life, Ryan was the assistant for the boys’ varsity soccer program and helped coach the track and field team as well. He and his wife Madeline regularly enjoy outdoor activities, particularly hiking and skiing.

Ryan Buckley completed his third year teaching ninth grade history and English at Lawrence Academy, a coeducational boarding and day school in Groton, Massachusetts. Ryan also coached soccer, hockey, and baseball and served as a dormitory head. Prior to his roles at Lawrence, Ryan worked as a trader for Fidelity Investments. He received a B.A. in English and Government and Legal Studies from Bowdoin College, where he was also a member of the varsity baseball and hockey teams. In his free time, Ryan enjoys running, reading, traveling, playing guitar, and spending time with his wife Meredith.

Jorge Cifuentes is an international student from Santiago, Chile. He began his undergraduate studies in architecture at the Universidad Católica de Valparaiso, transferring to the Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educacion where he completed his BA in Art Education. Upon graduation he took a position at the International School Nido de Aguilas in Santiago where he taught visual arts to grades 9-12. After two years at Nido de Aguilas, he took a position as vice principal at the International Country School in Santiago where he was involved in marketing, community outreach and student council advising. In 2007 he was invited by the National Corporation of Private Schools of Chile to join the Chilean delegation for a conference on education reform in England and the Netherlands. His teaching and leadership experience has focused his interest particularly on national school reform in Chile.

Jackson Collins completed his fifth year at Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn, NY, where he served as Coordinator of Interscholastic Athletics. In addition to his administrative and teaching duties, Jackson coached Varsity Basketball and Junior Varsity Soccer. Prior to his work at Saint Ann’s, Jackson worked for Citigroup’s investment bank. He spent two years in the Leveraged Finance Group structuring high yield bond offerings, and another year in the Global Loan Portfolio Management Group. Jackson graduated from Amherst College with a degree in Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought. In his free time, he enjoys photography and fitness.

Robert Z. Cortes has completed 20 years in PAREF Southridge School, a private boys’ school in Muntinlupa, the Philippines. He graduated from Velez College (Cebu) with a B.S. in Medical Technology and received a Certificate in Teaching from the Philippine Normal University (Manila). He has taught various levels of students (primary to high school) and different subjects (Latin, English, History, Math, Biology, and Chemistry). He was the founding conductor of the high school a capella choir and began Southridge’s yearly competition of original plays, the Plautus. He served as Southridge’s Associate Director for Academic Standards for two and a half years.

Honor Debye-Saxinger has completed her tenth year of teaching. For the last four years she taught fifth grade at the Caedmon School in New York City. Honor also held the position of math coordinator. As such, she worked with the teachers and administrators to research, choose, implement and sustain a cohesive math curriculum. Prior to this, Honor taught middle school math at Allen-Stevenson School also in New York City. She attended Hobart and William Smith, and earned her MSEd from Bank Street College of Education. Honor enjoys running, riding horses and spending time with her husband Doug and their cat Louie.

Cotter Donnell comes to Teachers College from Chadwick School in Southern California, where he spent four years teaching English and American history. He also served as assistant coach of the cross country team and Head Advisor for the twelfth grade. Prior to moving to Chadwick, he taught middle school humanities and led outdoor education trips at Lakeside School in Seattle. Cotter graduated from Boston College, where he majored in English and history. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree from the Bread Loaf School of English summer program at Middlebury College. Cotter enjoys outdoor activities, running, art, and film.

Matt Dowling has completed his fourth year teaching chemistry at Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn, New York. While at Packer Matt was a faculty representative on the student council and Student-Faculty Judiciary Committee. Prior to working at Packer, Matt taught Chemistry at Saint Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, New Jersey. Matt attended Valparaiso University where he double majored in Biology and Chemistry. He attended graduate school at Valparaiso University and received a Masters in Education through the Lutheran Education Alliance with Parochial Schools (LEAPs) program. Matt has enjoyed coaching soccer and track.

Michael Eckert completed his sixth year at Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey where he taught History and coached boys Varsity lacrosse and JV basketball. He also served as a housemaster, class dean, and on the Academic Honor and Rules and Discipline Committees. Prior to teaching at Blair Academy, Michael taught History and English for two years at the American Overseas School of Rome and worked two years prior to that in the same capacity at Avon Old Farms School. He attended Harvard College where he majored in Government and splits his summers between working at Camp Dudley in Westport, NY and traveling with his wonderful wife Heather who serves as the Financial Aid Director and Associate Dean of Admission at Blair.

Donna Elimelekh completed her fourth year teaching preschool at Claremont Children’s School on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. She served as the school’s representative for the Association of Independent Schools of New York. Donna earned her Bachelor of Science for Public Relations at Boston University and her Master of Science in Early Childhood Education at Hunter College in NYC. Donna enjoys spending time outdoors either biking or running. She also spends much of her time training for marathons or half marathons to support local charities. Donna values spending time with her family and friends.

Robertson Follansbee finished his third year teaching Astronomy and Physics at the Taft School in Watertown, CT this past spring. He also coached girls thirds soccer and boys lacrosse, and ran an underclass dorm. Rob moved to Taft after a year long teaching fellowship at Phillips Academy Andover. He spends his summers working at camp Pemigewassett in Wentworth, NH as the head of the Junior Camp. Rob attended Deerfield Academy and Williams College, where he majored in Astrophysics.

Andrea Fuentes was born and raised in Hollywood, CA and graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Linguistics and French. She recently completed her third year at Campbell Hall, an Episcopal K-12 school in North Hollywood, CA where she taught Spanish, AP Spanish literature and French at the secondary school. In addition to teaching, Andrea served as an advisor in the Middle School and co-founded the first Latino student group in the High School. As a Campbell Hall alumna, she was highly passionate about issues related to diversity and equity in education as both a teacher and a student. Andrea enjoys traveling, films, running, and salsa dancing, and looks forward to an exciting academic year as a student once again.

Scott Gartlan just completed his fourth year at the Cannon School in Concord, NC as the Character Education Coordinator. He taught AP Psychology and Ethics, counseled upper school students, and coached middle school baseball. In 2005 his Ethics course was recognized by the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love. In 2006 Scott studied positive emotions at UNC-Chapel Hill, and currently develops curriculum for the Council for Spiritual and Ethical Education. He is a 2008 Summer Fellow at Peabody College. While in NYC, Scott will be Program Coordinator with the Cahn Fellows Program for Distinguished New York City Principals. Scott completed his B.A. and M.A. degrees at Washington College in Chestertown, MD.

Xiomara Hall just completed her ninth year as an Early Childhood educator at The Episcopal School in New York City. During her tenure, she served as Episcopal’s Diversity Committee Co-chair for NYSAIS’ 10-year accreditation process and was a board member for ATIS (Assoc. of Teachers in Independent Schools). Her article on Early Childhood diversity curriculum was published in ATIS’ Annual Bulletin and she presented a diversity workshop at NAIS’ 2005 People of Color Conference in Houston. She is a graduate of the Lawrenceville School and William Smith College. Xiomara has studied abroad through Oxford University, volunteered in Turkey, and backpacked in both Thailand and Madagascar. She also enjoys singing, baking, and her monthly book club.

Tim Harger has finished his fifth year of teaching fifth grade science and coaching boys lacrosse at Durham Academy and his ninth year overall of teaching and coaching. After growing up and going to college in the northeast, Tim decided to give the south a try, starting with his first teaching job at a Providence Day School in Charlotte. He finds relaxation by petting his cat, volunteering for political campaigns with his girlfriend, playing soccer, and riding his bike.

Elizabeth Harnage graduated with a BA in History from Vassar College. For the last three years she has enjoyed teaching Latin to middle school students at The Cushman School in Miami, Florida. With her administrators’ support, she helped develop Cushman’s Education Technology Mentorship program for teachers. Liz presented insights on her development of this program to the Florida Council of Independent Schools last year. She also used her years as a varsity rower at Vassar to help expand the athletic department at her school. Liz attended the Klingenstein Summer Institute in 2007.

Brooke Laundon recently completed her fourth year at her high school alma mater, the Green Mountain Valley School in Waitsfield, Vermont, teaching upper and middle school science and coaching alpine skiing. Over the years she also served as Head of Student/Staff Orientation, supervisor of the annual Senior Class Community Service Trip, and a staff member of the Junior Leadership Weekend. Prior to working at GMVS she taught geology at Swiss Semester in Zermatt, Switzerland. Brooke attended Middlebury College where she studied Environmental Studies and Geology. In her free time, Brooke enjoys alpine skiing, mountain biking, and running.

Joshua Mann has been an instructor in Latin and Greek at the Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts for the past five years. Living on campus as an assistant dorm head, he was also the head coach of the alpine ski team and assistant coach for the varsity baseball team. Joshua received his AB in Classics from Harvard in 2000. In the gaps between classes, sports, and dorm duty, he enjoys playing soccer and baseball, watching the Red Sox, collecting records, and sometimes gardening.

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 three children.

Aliya Merali spent the last year as the Curriculum Coordinator at The Dalton School in Manhattan. Previously she taught Second Grade at the International Community School in London, England. Aliya has also taught second grade at the Potomac School and first grade at Woodward Academy. Aliya received her BA from Seattle University in 2000 and her Masters in Elementary Education from NYU in 2003. During her free time she enjoys cooking, yoga, exploring the city, listening to music, volunteering and laughing with her friends and family.

Brian Mitchell recently finished his fifth year as an independent school educator. His first four years were spent at Millbrook School in Millbrook, NY where he taught Geometry, Algebra II, and Pre-Calculus. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he was a dorm head, an Admission Associate, an advisor, a peer mentor to new teachers, and he coached varsity soccer and lacrosse. After four successful years in the boarding school world, Brian moved to Baltimore, MD to explore life in a day school. While in Baltimore, Brian taught throughout the first semester at The Boys’ Latin School. During the second semester, he taught Algebra II and AB Pre-Calculus at Gilman School. Brian graduated from Colby College in 2003 with a degree in Economics. He is an alumnus of the 2006 Klingenstein Summer Institute and an avid sports fan.

Lisa Oberstein began her teaching career as a New York City Teaching Fellow in the Bronx. Following graduation, Lisa worked at Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School in Palo Alto, California, as a fourth and fifth grade teacher. Her most recent stop was Seattle, Washington, where she spent the past two years teaching highly capable third graders at Open Window School. Lisa has served as teacher representative on the school Board of Directors and developed a new teacher mentor program. Her interests lie in gifted education and staff development. Lisa holds a B.S. from Cornell University in Policy Analysis and Management and a Masters in Education from Mercy College. In her free time, Lisa enjoys yoga and reconnecting with her east coast family.

Yom Odamtten recently completed her second year at Kingswood-Oxford School (K-O) in West Hartford, Connecticut. At K-O, Yom taught African American Literature, US and World History, and coached volleyball and track and field while also sponsoring student groups and a post-Katrina service-learning trip to New Orleans. Prior to teaching at K-O, Yom earned a B.A. degree in Multicultural Studies from Scripps College and then taught at the Kent Denver School in Colorado for one year. Thereafter, she attended Teachers College where she earned a M.A. degree in Social Studies. Yom spends her free time leading yoga classes as a certified instructor, cooking, and trying to be more environmentally conscious.

Marisha Plotnik has been teaching physics and mathematics since 1995 at the Rudolf Steiner School in New York City. A native of Toronto, Marisha earned her Honours B.Sc. (Physics) from Trent University and her B.Ed. from the University of Western Ontario. Her responsibilities as part of the collaborative leadership of her school have included serving as Chair of the College of Teachers, and as delegate to the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America. In recent years, Marisha’s interest in the education and mentoring of early-career teachers and in working with master teachers to deepen their practice has taken her to Waldorf schools and teacher education institutes throughout the country.

Jordan Schnell spent six years at Marymount School (preK-12, all girls) in Manhattan as the Class V Homeroom Teacher where she taught fifth grade social studies and all levels of math to fifth-seventh grade students. Jordan was the moderator of the student government, a faculty mentor and a member of the diversity committee. She also served as assistant director of the after-school and summer camp musical theater productions. A 2000 graduate of Loyola College in Maryland and a 2005 participant in the Klingenstein Summer Institute, Jordan spent the 2007-2008 academic year at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education earning a master’s degree in the Mind, Brain and Education program. She enjoys kayaking, spending time on Cape Cod, and cheering for the NY Giants and Yankees.

P. Alex Shaurette just completed his second year at Winston Preparatory School in New York City. While at Winston, Alex worked primarily as a learning specialist for students with learning disabilities. Alex also taught an academic planning and social skills course, served as a music instructor, and organized and facilitated multiple field trips. Prior to working at Winston, Alex spent three years at Woodmere Middle School on Long Island, working directly with the special education population while also teaching in the mainstream. He earned his degree in Secondary Education/Social Studies from Indiana University. Alex spends his summers teaching at Winston and tutoring students with learning disabilities. Alex enjoys writing and performing music with his band and spending time with his wife, Carrie.

Elena Simpser just completed her third year at Rodeph Sholom School as the Language Chair, Spanish and Hebrew teacher and Middle School advisor. At Rodeph, Elena created an exchange travel program for her students, Shalom Amigo, that consisted of visiting a Spanish speaking country for a week and staying in the houses of native families with children of the same age. Prior to working at Rodeph, Elena worked for two years at Colegio Hebreo Sefaradi in Mexico City as a School Counselor. Elena was born and raised in Mexico City. She came to the U.S. in 2004 for her MEd at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. There, she not only discovered her passion for young children and adolescents, but she also discovered her husband-to-be whom she married in 2007.

Pete Smith just finished up his third year at The Pennfield School, a K-8th grade independent school located in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. While at Pennfield, Pete taught Pre-Algebra, was the Director of Athletics, and most recently, served as the Head of Discipline. Pete grew up on Southport, a small island in mid-coast Maine where he developed a love for the ocean. He graduated in 1999 from the University of Rhode Island with a B.S. degree in Marine Affairs. He and his wife Kate spend their summers on Fishers Island, New York, where Pete is director of the sailing program. In his spare time, he enjoys relaxing on the water and sailing.

Natascha Neely Trapp just completed her second year at Saint Mary’s School in Raleigh, North Carolina where she taught American Literature, coached track and field, and resided on campus as a residential hall parent. Natascha began her teaching career in independent schools, first as a third-grade teaching assistant at Princeton Academy in Princeton, NJ and later as a sixth-grade Language Arts teacher at King and Low Heywood Thomas School in Stamford, CT. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she double majored in psychology and English. Natascha recently accomplished her first triathlon and in addition greatly enjoys shopping, serving in the children’s ministry at her church, and spending time with her husband, their dog Malachi, and cat Patches.

Nancy Wheeler was born and raised in Vermont. She attended high school at Groton School, in Massachusetts, and returned to Vermont for college, earning a BA in Geography from Middlebury College in 2000. Following graduation, Nancy moved to San Francisco, where she became the second employee of The Bay School of San Francisco, a new independent high school. Although initially hired as assistant to the head, a year later Nancy became the school’s founding Director of Admission. In 2006, Nancy joined the faculty and taught a sophomore writing class. During her last year with Bay, Nancy also served as the junior class dean. In addition to her teaching and dean responsibilities, Nancy was the assistant coach of the Girls’ Varsity Golf Team and coordinated and led a school trip to Costa Rica and Panama.

Michael Wilper recently completed his fourth year teaching sixth grade English and History at the Dwight-Englewood School in Englewood, NJ. He coached the middle school girls’ soccer team and the middle school track team. Before arriving at Dwight-Englewood, Michael taught English and worked as a language training tutor at the Kildonan School in Amenia, New York. He taught Humanities for two summers at the New Jersey SEEDs program, and has spent the last two summers working with a team of archaeologists in the isolated northwest corner of Arizona. Originally from the great state of Idaho, Michael attended the University of Idaho where he majored in Philosophy. He also spent several years in England where he received an MA in Philosophy from the University of Reading. He enjoys discussing Boise State football and learning about trees.