Ayisha Abdul-Salaam just completed her ninth year at Pace Academy in Atlanta, GA where she taught geometry and advised the multicultural club. Ayisha organized assemblies, service projects, and guest speakers, and also participated in various committees, which created a heightened awareness and appreciation for racial, cultural and religious diversity. Ayisha has been a fixture at the NAIS People of Color Conference as a presenter, attendee and chaperone. Ayisha spends her summers with friends and family, tutoring and traveling, domestically and abroad. In 2006, she served as math instructor in a pilot summer program at the Petters Research Institute in Belize. Prior to Pace, Ayisha attended Duke University where she studied Asian/African languages & literature and math. Ayisha enjoys painting and community volunteerism. She is married to Shadeed, a research chemist at the CDC.

Tony Alleyne completed his second year at St. Andrew’s School, a coeducational boarding school located in Middletown, DE where he mainly does admission and diversity work. He has also taught history, coached football and basketball, was a dorm parent for junior boys, a community service assistant, advisor, and the faculty advisor to the multicultural club. Prior to working at St. Andrew’s, Tony was a member of Teach for America and taught math and science in an urban school in Charlotte, NC. He was named 2005-06 Teacher of the Year by faculty and peers during his tenure in Charlotte. Tony attended Wesleyan University where he majored in sociology and African American studies. Tony enjoys reading, anything athletic, mentoring youth and spending time with his wife and daughter.

Annemarie Bacich just completed her third year at Archbishop Stepinac High School, an all-boys school in White Plains, NY where she taught English and developed the school's literary magazine. Previously, Annemarie taught at the all-girls, Connelly School of the Holy Child in Potomac, MD, and ran the school newspaper. A California native, she got her start teaching Spanish at Marin Catholic High School in northern California. In addition to teaching, Annemarie organizes the EdConference, an annual national education conference. She enjoys leading groups of students on hiking trips and cultural outings. Annemarie received her B.A. in European History from the University of San Francisco and completed graduate work in Romance Languages and Literature at UC Berkeley, and while living abroad in Italy and Spain.

John Baker comes to Teachers College after three years teaching middle school history and civics at the O’Neal School in Southern Pines, NC. While at O’Neal, John served as an eighth grade advisor and faculty liaison to student government in addition to coaching multiple sports. As a faculty member John instituted new programs aimed at developing independent thought and ideas in students (such as the “Facing History and Ourselves” program). Outside of education, John spends his time outside on the beach or hiking in Maine. He is also an avid fan of Rubik’s cubes.

Shannon Baker just finished her fourth year teaching fifth grade at Sage Ridge School, an independent day school in Reno, NV. She established the fifth grade for the school in 2005 after moving from Washington D.C., where she taught in northern Virginia. While in Reno, Shannon developed the fifth grade curriculum, sponsored the lacrosse club and served as grade level team leader. She married her husband Quinn in the summer of 2008, after meeting him at Sage Ridge where he served as athletic director. Originally from California and a product of independent schools, Shannon attended the Thacher School in Ojai, CA for high school and graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 2004 where she majored in psychology and education. She and her husband enjoy waterskiing, snow skiing, training for marathons, and playing with their cocker spaniel puppy, Winnie.

Jeremy Birk finished his sixth year of teaching spread across three continents. For the past fours years Jeremy served as senior and postgraduate dean and taught theory of knowledge for the International Baccalaureate program at the American School in Switzerland (TASIS), while spending the summers in Connecticut as a Choate Rosemary Hall faculty member. Prior to joining TASIS he served as dean and English teacher at the Columbus School in Medellin, Colombia. Jeremy graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in history and a master’s in curriculum and instruction. He enjoys photography, golf, and running.

Kathleen Horgan Bressler has taught for seven years, most recently in Fort Myers, FL. Her work experience includes private schools and public, single gender and co-educational, religious and secular, privileged and Title I, American and international, from grades six through college, in Baltimore, Boston, and Chicago. She began her undergraduate studies at Purdue University in construction engineering and management, but after three years she submitted to the pull of the classroom and earned her degree in secondary math education at Trinity International University. In addition to teaching she has worked in textbook publishing as well as construction contracting. In her spare time she enjoys traveling with her husband, Brad, and spending time with their two bunnies, Georgie and Vinny.

Brooke Coleman just completed her sixth year at Westtown School in Westtown, PA teaching Mathematics and coaching soccer and basketball. She also worked as a dorm head, class advisor and a member of the school's faculty resource group, a non-disciplinary, early intervention team which counsels students regarding substances issues. Brooke spends her summers teaching a geometry course at Westtown and also volunteers at a local GLBTQ youth group. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College where she majored in psychology. In her free time, Brooke enjoys running and yoga.

Charles Colten comes to Teachers College after working in and running programs for over 19 years at public, independent, and international schools in the United States, Europe, and Latin America. He has taught Language Arts and Physical Arts at the middle school, high school, university, and professional levels. He is an experienced Wilderness EMT and has designed and run wilderness backpack trips and intercultural exchange programs.. During the 2008-2009 school year he created and led a pilot program, “Aikido in the Schools,” which brought the peaceful martial art of Aikido into public and private schools in Northern California. Charles holds an M.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He currently serves on the Board of Aikiextensions, an international NGO www.aiki-extensions.org .

Jenny Dolan recently completed her third year of teaching at Cristo Rey New York High School. She also coached cross country, directed campus ministry and service learning experiences, and served as the religion department chair. Prior to her move to New York, Jenny taught at North Cambridge Catholic High School, which is also a member of the National Cristo Rey Network. Jenny attended Messiah College and Boston College for degrees in elementary education and religious education respectively. She spends her free time exercising and cooking nutritious foods, traveling on weekends to Philadelphia and Vermont, and volunteering on the board of One Home Many Hopes, a non-profit organization supporting 34 orphan girls in Kenya.

Steve Feldman just completed his fifth year at Milton Academy in Milton, MA teaching mathematics, living in a dormitory and coaching swimming and diving. He also served as dean for the Class of 2009 and was director of student activities. Prior to working at Milton, Steve taught at Boston College High School for three years. He spends his summers as a skydiving instructor and competitor. Steve attended Colby College where he majored in mathematics. In his spare time Steve enjoys cycling, whitewater kayaking, and traveling with his dog Looey.

Lauren Hamilton recently completed her second year as a prekindergarten teacher at Presbyterian School in Houston, TX. Lauren’s responsibilities included coordinating the curriculum for the prekindergarten program and serving as the prekindergarten team leader. She was also on the school’s early childhood admissions committee. Prior to her work at Presbyterian School, Lauren taught kindergarten at Trinity Episcopal School in New Orleans, LA. Lauren graduated cum laude from Tulane University and holds a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of New Orleans. In her free time, Lauren enjoys reading, photography, and traveling with her husband, Mark.

Kristin Harman recently completed five years as associate director of admissions at Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn, NY. While at Poly, she taught chemistry and math on occasion and she served as advisor to the Poly chapter of Girls Learn International. Previously, Kristin worked at Packer Collegiate Institute, The Potomac School, Concord Academy, The Rivers School, and Dana Hall primarily as an upper school science teacher, but she also did admissions work, ran a dorm, and served as a class dean in a few of her schools. She has two (nearly) grown children, one of whom is currently at Columbia Law School! Kristin loves cooking, running, sailing, and traveling with her husband. The family yellow Lab, Fenway, is so named as testament to another passion—the Boston Red Sox.

Anna Hastings recently finished her fifth year at the Taft School in Watertown, CT where she taught English and coached field hockey, ice hockey, and lacrosse. She also served on the discipline committee, as an advisor, as a sophomore class dean and as a dorm head. Prior to teaching at Taft, Anna taught and coached at the Canterbury School. Anna is a graduate of Pomfret School and Middlebury College, and she earned her M.A. from Middlebury’s Bread Loaf School of English in 2007. For the last two summers, Anna has also taught English to middle and high school students at Choate Rosemary Hall’s summer school. When she isn’t working, Anna enjoys running, needlepoint, making jewelry, being with her family in Maine, and throwing tennis balls for her dog.

Megan Howard just completed her third year at Trinity School in Atlanta, GA. She taught sixth grade and piloted a one-to-one tablet pc program that was recognized by NAIS in the Schools of Excellence publication. Prior to teaching at Trinity, Megan taught fifth grade for three years at Atlanta Youth Academy, a private inner-city school in southwest Atlanta. Megan enjoys traveling and recently spent two months teaching and volunteering in Kenya, Africa. She attended University of Virginia and majored in English literature. In her free time, Megan enjoys cooking, running, and spending time with her Boykin spaniel, Maisie.

Bill Hulseman completed his eighth year at Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart in Newton, MA. While at NCDS, Bill taught world religions courses in the core religious studies curriculum, served as a class moderator and dean, sang with a faculty vocal ensemble, and developed campus ministry programs, including liturgies and retreats. For the last three years, Bill served as director of campus ministry and further developed service and social awareness programming. Originally from the Chicago area, Bill majored in religious studies at Fairfield University and completed his master of theological studies with a focus in the comparative study of religion at Harvard Divinity School.

Mike Ioli just completed his seventh year at Vail Mountain School in Vail, CO. He began his work at VMS as a middle and upper school Spanish teacher and director of the outdoor education program. For the past three years he has served as the upper school director. Mike was also the telemark ski team coach, a program he started six years ago. He attended Lafayette College in Pennsylvania where he studied international affairs and Spanish literature and has had the opportunity to study and teach in both Spain and Costa Rica. When not at school, Mike spends his time enjoying all that the outdoor classroom has to offer.

Brad Jones just completed his third year at Forsyth Country Day School in Winston-Salem, NC. While there, he taught history, satire, and music for the Multisensory Academy of Practitioners (MAP), a program designed for students with high IQs but who struggle with learning differences. He also coached basketball at both the middle and high school levels. During his summers, Brad worked with his colleagues in the MAP Program to create an integrated, differentiated curriculum. Brad attended Wake Forest University where he majored in history. In his free time, Brad enjoys spending time with his wife Kate and playing the guitar.

Mosie Kessler-Zacharias earned a B.A. at Barnard College and a M.A. at Columbia University, both in English literature. She specialized in Shakespeare and, as a recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities Folger Library grant, turned her M.A. thesis work on Othello and Hamlet into published lesson plans for high school students. Mosie has enjoyed other summers working in the humanities — at the Klingenstein Summer Institute and in the Vatican Museums delivering tours to international travelers. She has taught English lit and directed the student publications program at Friends Academy in Locust Valley, NY, for four years. This is the second Quaker school of her career, and although she is not a Quaker herself, she has discovered Quakerism’s spiritual and pedagogical riches. This summer she will chair the English department and provide college counseling at a summer school in Shanghai. She is passionate about travel, NYC, literature and cuisine.

Patrick Pei-Ning Ko recently finished his second year as a mathematics teacher at FuHsing Private School in Taipei, Taiwan. Prior to returning to his home country, Patrick taught math, coached golf and yoga, and worked in the dorms at the Fay School in Massachusetts for four years. In addition, he volunteered as a teacher in Nepal, Thailand, and the aboriginal island of Lanyu off the coast of Taiwan. Patrick attended the Cate School and the University of Pennsylvania where he received dual degrees in applied science and economics. He enjoys traveling, the outdoors, and regularly attends cooking competitions (but rarely wins).

Emily McCarren just completed three years working at the Punahou School Academy in Honolulu, HI. There, she was the director of the Academy Summer School programs and a Spanish teacher. Prior to that, Emily worked for six years at the Thacher School in Ojai, CA where she taught Spanish and biology, horseback riding, coached lacrosse, and worked in the camping and advising programs. She also taught at Swiss Semester in Zermatt, Switzerland after graduating from Colby College. At Colby she majored in Spanish and biology and was on the lacrosse and alpine ski teams.

Sarah Mitchell has completed her fifth year of teaching at The Browning School in New York City. During her time at Browning, Sarah taught first and third grade. She also coordinated lower school assemblies and co-chaired the steering committee for the school’s ten-year NYSAIS evaluation. Prior to her time at Browning, Sarah spent five years teaching kindergarten at The Buckley School. While at Buckley, Sarah also conducted admissions interviews. She received a B.S. in elementary education from Bucknell University and a M.A in elementary education from New York University. She is an avid cook and enjoys cooking for family and friends, and especially her husband Anthony.

Shannon Montague comes to Teachers College after completing her fourth year of teaching sixth grade language arts and writers’ workshop at the Bullis School in Potomac, MD, where she also served as sixth grade coordinator. Shannon also was an advisor to the middle school student council, assistant director of the middle school musicals and on the middle school’s admissions committee. Shannon earned her B.A. in English in 2005 from the University of Virginia where she spent seven years working for the Saturday and summer enrichment program (SEP). During her time with SEP, she was everything from camp counselor to social sciences teacher to on-site education coordinator. In her spare time, Shannon is active in choral music, community theater, poetry writing and politics. She also enjoys watching documentaries, wine tasting and spending time exploring and traveling.

Jamie Nestor recently completed three years of teaching Latin and ancient Greek, coaching middle and upper school athletics, and student advising at the Dexter-Southfield schools in Brookline, MA. During the summer, she teaches Latin at The Steppingstone Academy in Boston. Jamie attended Boston University, where she served as a resident assistant for two years, and earned both a B.A. in ancient Greek and Latin and a B.S. in secondary education. Prior to attending BU, Jamie studied ballet with the Miami City Ballet School, School of American Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. She enjoys dancing, spinning, cooking (she loves food!), and spending time with family and friends.

Eric Nguyen arrives at Teachers College having completed his third year at Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, MA, where he taught math and worked in admissions. He also coached soccer and wrestling, advised the middle school community service program, and served in the boarding department. Eric has spent two summers working at Achieve, a program geared toward low-income students from Boston. In his free time, Eric enjoys cycling, hiking, reading, and playing Scrabble. A graduate of Concord Academy and Amherst College, Eric has also taught at St. Mark’s School, Belmont Hill School, and St. George’s Summer School.

Belinda Nicholson just finished her fourth year as the dean of students at Saint Edward’s School in Vero Beach, FL. In addition to her role as dean, she taught history, sponsored the student council, the diversity club and traveled extensively with the model UN student group. Before her tenure at Saint Edward’s, Belinda served as a special education teacher for Billerica Memorial High School in Massachusetts and Sebastian River Middle School in Florida. Belinda received her B.A. and M.A. in international development from Clark University. Belinda enjoys international travel, scuba diving, painting and exploring.

Neely Norris taught kindergarten at The Seven Hills School, an independent school in Walnut Creek, CA, for four years. While at Seven Hills, Neely co-organized the school’s exchange with Kita City, Japan and led in-services for other teachers on incorporating technology and differentiated instruction into curriculum. Neely developed an interest in creating and working with other teachers in professional learning communities and became a protocol facilitator. In addition, she enjoyed working with a small group of teachers and administrators to create a new compensation model that is in the process of being implemented. Neely received a B.S. degree in Human Development from the University of California Davis and her teaching credential from St. Mary’s College.

Matt Peal just completed his third year at The O'Neal School in Southern Pines, NC. While at O'Neal, Matt taught American history, coached baseball and basketball, and served as the junior class advisor. Prior to working at O'Neal, Matt attended the University of Georgia, where he majored in history. He spends his summers in the Boston area where he works as a program coordinator at Exploration Summer Programs. In his spare time Matt enjoys following his favorite sports teams and spending time with his wife and two labs.

Todd Pinsonneault spent the last six years at North Country School in Lake Placid, NY. He was a biology and math teacher, webmaster and technology director, dorm parent, and weekend trip leader. Before becoming a teacher, Todd researched cancer drugs at a biotech company. He recently spent a summer doing HIV research at Harvard School of Public Health to keep his research skills sharp. Todd spends his summers as leadership development director at Camp Takodah in Richmond, NH, where he trains future staff members and teaches lifeguard class. He is also a CPR and swim instructor, and is an EMT. Todd earned his degree in biology at Keene State College. In addition to being a biodork and computer geek, Todd spends time hiking and developing his own photos to balance out his tech side.

Matt Rymzo recently completed his seventh year at St. George’s School in Newport, RI teaching English, working in a dormitory, and coaching tennis, basketball, and soccer. Prior to working at St. George’s, Matt taught English for a year at the Dunn School in California. He spends his summers traveling and co-lead trips to Greece for high school students. Matt attended Middlebury College where he majored in English and captained the varsity tennis team. Matt enjoys the outdoors, triathlons, cooking, and wine.

Christian Sullivan was born and raised in London, England and has his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Durham University and the University of Bath. Christian comes to the Klingenstein Center from Fairfield Country Day School in Fairfield, CT where he was headmaster for three years. Prior to this, he was middle school director at Flint Hill School in Virginia for six years. Previously, he had taught math and coached rugby, soccer and cricket in London and Oxford in the UK, and Nairobi in Kenya, where he was assistant head of Kenton College. He is a trustee of the International Boys’ Schools Coalition and Fairfield Museum. Christian and his wife, Lisa, enjoy traveling with their two children, Alexis and Matthew.

Katalyn Vidal just completed her fourth year teaching Spanish at Agnes Irwin School in Rosemont, PA. There she was a member of the staff diversity committee and began a pen pal program for middle school students with an army unit deployed in Afghanistan. Prior to working there, Katalyn taught ESL in New York and Spain. She spends summers traveling and as a Spanish teacher for the Steppingstone Foundation. Katalyn attended Swarthmore College, majored in history and completed her first graduate degree in Spanish language and culture at NYU Madrid. Katalyn enjoys cardio dance and spending time with her loved ones.