Klingenstein Center Teachers College

Private School Leadership

Pearl Rock Kane

Pearl Rock Kane is the Klingenstein Family Chair Professor of education in the Department of Organization and Leadership, director of the Klingenstein Center for Independent School leadership and advisor for the Master’s degree programs focusing on school leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University. Professor Kane taught and served as an administrator in public and private schools in Michigan, Massachusetts and New York City. She is a member of several boards including Editorial Projects, which publishes Education Week, and the Holderness School in Plymouth, NH. Professor Kane also serves on the board of Uncommon Schools, Inc., a nonprofit organization that develops and supports charter schools, and is a founding member of Brooklyn Prospect Charter School. She is the editor of The First Year of Teaching: Real World Stories from America's Teachers, The Colors of Excellence:  Attracting and Keeping Faculty of Color and Independent Schools, Independent Thinkers. She has written numerous book chapters and published articles about independent schools on issues of leadership, governance, professional development and the attraction and retention of teachers. A member of the first class of twelve Klingenstein Fellows in 1978, Professor Kane has served as the director of the Klingenstein Center and advisor for the Master’s degree programs. She holds a Master of Arts degree from Smith College and a doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Sarah Daignault

Sarah Daignault was most recently the Executive Director of the National Business Officers Association, a 700 member organization serving independent school business officers by providing professional development opportunities and information on independent school finance and operations. Prior to her work at NBOA, Sarah spent five years as the Business Officer at Friends School of Baltimore and four years as the Business Manager at Bryn Mawr School for Girls. For eight years Sarah was the President of the Board of Trustees of Madeira School in Virginia where she chaired their Capital Campaign. She still serves on that board as well as the board of the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools and has served on the Board of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). Sarah has a Master’s Degree in Professional Accountancy from Loyola College in Baltimore as well as an A.B. from Middlebury College in Vermont.

Jay P. Heubert

Jay P. Heubert is professor of law and education at Teachers College and an adjunct professor of law at Columbia Law School. He serves as faculty chair of the School Law Institute and as faculty adviser to the Cahn Fellowship Program for Distinguished New York City principals. He teaches courses on education law and policy. His J.D. cum laude and Ed.D. are from Harvard, where he taught from 1985-98. He has also been chief counsel to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, a civil-rights lawyer with the U.S. Department of Justice, and a high-school English teacher. In 1997-98, he directed a Congressionally-mandated study of high-stakes testing conducted by the National Academy of Sciences. From 2000-2002, he was a Carnegie Scholar, studying how promotion testing and graduation testing affect student learning and dropout rates, particularly for students of color, students with disabilities, and English-language learners. In June 2001, he received the Harvard Graduate School of Education's Alumni Award for Outstanding Contribution to Education.

Megan Laverty

Megan Laverty received her Master of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Melbourne. She received her Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of New South Wales. She taught in the Philosophy Department at the University of Melbourne before taking up the position of Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Foundations at Montclair State University (MSU) in 2000. She is a Fellow of the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children (IAPC) at Montclair State University. She is a Fellow of Sophia, the Center for Critical Thinking and Philosophical Practice at Bergen Community College (BCC). Ms. Laverty is an Honorary Fellow of the Australasian Center for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics (CAPPE) and spends a few weeks of every year as a Visiting Professor to Gyeongsang National University, South Korea.

Victoria Marsick

Victoria Marsick is professor of education and co-director of the J.M. Huber Institute at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her scholarly focus has been on informal workplace learning, team learning, action learning, strategic organizational learning and knowledge management, learning organizations and international models of management. Selected publications include: Informal and Incidental Learning in the Workplace, Sculpting the Learning Organization, Team Learning Survey, and Facilitating Learning Organizations: Making Learning Count. She earned a master’s in International Public Administration from the Maxwell School and a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley.

Kevin Mattingly

Kevin Mattingly is an adjunct professor at Teachers College where he teaches courses on learning theory and its implications for curriculum design and instruction. He was a master teacher in science for 17 years in the Klingenstein Summer Institute for young teachers and now teaches in the Leadership Academy master’s degree program in educational leadership. Mattingly has presented numerous workshops and training sessions for public and private high schools on interdisciplinary curriculum development, classroom teaching strategies linked to learning theory, and student assessment methods. He is also the Dean of Faculty at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey overseeing hiring and faculty development in addition to working on curriculum design, development and implementation. Mattingly holds a Ph.D. in Zoology and a B.A. in Biological Sciences from Indiana University.

Michael Rebell

Michael Rebell is executive director, Campaign for Educational Equity, Professor of Law and Educational Practice, Teachers College, Columbia University and adjunct Professor of Law, Columbia Law School. Previously he was a Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School, and for many years, a Visiting Lecturer at the Yale Law School. Mr. Rebell is an experienced litigator, administrator, researcher and scholar in the field of education law. Previously he was the co-founder, executive director and counsel for the Campaign for Fiscal Equity. He is also the author of five books, and dozens of articles on issues of law and education. Among his most recent works are Courts and Kids: Pursuing Educational Equity through the State Courts; Moving Every Child Ahead: From NCLB Hype to Meaningful Educational Opportunity Equal Opportunity and the Courts, and Professional Rigor, Public Engagement and Judicial Review: A Proposal for Enhancing the Validity of Education Adequacy Studies. In addition to his research and litigation activities, he is a frequent lecturer and consultant on education law.

Kennisha Austin

Kennisha Austin is an Associate at the civil rights law firm of Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady LLP in New York City.  Prior to joining the firm in 2006, Ms. Austin clerked for the Hon. Damon J. Keith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit after graduating from Columbia Law School.  Ms. Austin received a double B.A. in psychology and African American studies from UCLA.  During law school, Ms. Austin was the special features editor for the National Black Law Journal and won best brief in the northeast regional Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition.  Ms. Austin spent her law school summers as a human rights intern at the Sough African Human Rights Commission in CapeTown, South Africa and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.  Ms. Austin also worked throughou law school at a variety of civil rights organizations, includign the Civil Rights Bureau of the New York State Attorney General's Office, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, and Cochran Neufeld & Scheck LLP.

Sarah J. Brazaitis

Sarah J. Brazaitis, PhD, has been a member of the faculty at Teachers College, Columbia University since 1998 and is currently the MA Program Director and a Lecturer in the Social-Organizational Psychology Program. Dr. Brazaitis teaches courses on group dynamics and small group interventions to masters and doctoral-level students. As part of her group dynamics course, Dr. Brazaitis runs an experiential group relations conference (based on the Tavistock model of human relations training) which provides students with opportunities to learn in real time about covert processes affecting leadership and power in groups and organizations. Dr. Brazaitis has written articles and book chapters on conducting groups in education and health care settings. She maintains a private practice of organizational consulting with a focus on improving group and team performance, executive coaching, talent management, and leadership development.

Bill Bullard

Bill Bullard is currently the Academic Dean at Collegiate School in New York City after serving for sixteen years at the Academic Dean and Dean of Faculty at San Francisco University High School. In San Francisco, Bill served on the faculty of the Bay Area Teacher Development Collaborative and ran a program for several years supporting new and developing administrators. Bill’s interest in the professional growth of faculty really began with the Klingenstein Institute; he enjoyed a year as a Klingenstein Fellow in the early 80’s and stayed associated with the program in various capacities throughout that decade. Bill received his B.A. from the College of Letters at Wesleyan University and his Ph.D. in English from Boston College.

Alyce Hachey

Alyse Hachey's background centers around elementary and early childhood education.  She holds a B.S. in Elementary/Early Childhood Education from Eastern Michigan University, a M.A. in Education from teh University of Michigan-Dearborn, a M.A. in Computing and Education and a M.Ed. in Instructional Design from Teachers College and a doctorate in educational psychology from Columbia University.  She has worked as a Head Start Center administrator, a research assistant for the preschool TV show Blues Clues, a coordinator of distance learning at Teachers College, an assistant professor of psychology at John Jay College and is currently an associate professor in the Teacher Education Department at BMCC, CUNY.  Her research interests include:  early cognitive development related to mathematics and science, preschool curriculum design and distance learning.

David T. Hansen

David T. Hansen is professor and director of the program in Philosophy and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. He has taught at several levels, and before his present position was director for ten years of an urban secondary teacher education program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Hansen's scholarship has focused on the philosophy and practice of teaching. He has been particularly interested in the moral dimensions of educational work – for example, the ways in which teachers and the curricula they employ can assist students in deepening rather than rendering shallower their sense of humanity. Hansen’s published work in this area includes books such as The Call to Teach (1995), Exploring the Moral Heart of Teaching (2001), and Ethical Visions of Education: Philosophies in Practice (2007). Hansen has also written on John Dewey’s philosophy of education in works such as John Dewey and our Educational Prospect (2007). In recent years he has focused on the relations between cosmopolitanism and pedagogy, and has published articles on the topic in The Journal of Curriculum Studies and Teachers College Record. Hansen is a Past-President of the John Dewey Society and a recipient of the Society’s Outstanding Achievement Award. He has recently completed his term of office as President of the Philosophy of Education Society.

Mark Neustadt

Mark Neustadt is the founder of Neustadt Creative Marketing, a firm that provides a full range of marketing services to colleges, universities, and independent schools.  He holds a B.A. from the University of Chicago and a PhD from Johns Hopkins University.  Prior to forming Neustadt Creative Marketing in 1997, Mark served as vice president of North Charles Street Design Organization.  Previously, he worked at the Johns Hopkins University and the Maryland Institute College of Art.  He has taught marketing for the Klingenstein Center since 2006.

Phil Peck

Phil Peck is in his tenth year as head at Holderness School, a coed, day and boarding school in Plymouth, New Hampshire.  A Klingenstein Fellow in 1991-1992, Phil also earned an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies in Education from Teachers College where he is currently a doctoral student. 

Lisa Tsuei

Lisa Tsuei graduated with a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology adn a M.A. in instructional technology and media from Columbia in 2004.  Her research interest is in using diagrams and computer simulations to facilitate people's reasoning about complex systems.  In addition, she has a B.S. in psychology and a M.Ed in education from the University of Washington.  After graduating with her doctorate, she spent some time in the financial industry working at Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs respectively.  She is also an adjunct assistant professor of psychology at John Jay College where she taught part-time in the evenings.  Two years ago, she left the financial world to teach undergraduate psychology courses at John Jay College and graduate psychology courses at Teachers College.

Summer Institute

Noureddine El Alam

Noureddine El Alam, (mathematics lead teacher) joined Sage Hill in 2000 and serves as the Chair of the Mathematics Department and Head Coach of the varsity boys soccer team. From 1994 to 1999 he taught mathematics at Northfield Mount Hermon School in MA. Noureddine has taught courses through Multivariable Calculus including AP Statistics and Financial Literacy Seminar. He was a participant in the Klingenstein Summer Institute in 1999 and has served as an instructor at the KSI since 2005. Noureddine is a frequent speaker at national and regional mathematics conferences. He also has the distinction of playing first-division professional soccer for the city of Fes in Morocco.

Richard Messina

Richard Messina (elementary lead teacher) teaches fifth and sixth grade at the Institute of Child Study Laboratory School at the University of Toronto (OISE). He is a mentor to new faculty and student-teacher interns, a contributor to the teacher education program and he is the principal designate. Richard is involved in research initiatives (Japanese Lesson Study, Knowledge Building). He has presented at AERA and at conferences in Canada, the U.S. and Asia. He is the co-author of a chapter in the book Teaching for Deep Understanding: What Every Educator Should Know. Richard and a colleague were the charter recipients of the Teach Tech Award presented by Columbia University for most creative use of technology to enhance learning in the classroom. Richard’s previous experience includes teaching first to eighth grade in Ontario public schools.

Donald Morrison

Donald Morrison (institute co-director and history co-lead teacher) teaches history, coaches bowling and baseball, and serves as dean of faculty at Tampa Prep. His horizons were forever broadened after participating in a Klingenstein Summer Institute and receiving a Klingenstein Fellowship. He is very grateful for the opportunity to contribute back to the Center's programs. When not absorbed either by his work or by the allure of a cherished dog's life, he is a fervent gardener and an avid traveler.

Kelley Nicholson-Flynn

Kelley Nicholson-Flynn (science co-lead teacher) is the coordinator of teaching and learning and former chair of the science department at the Lawrenceville School, where she has taught for ten years. Though primarily a biologist, she has taught bioethics and several interdisciplinary courses that involve physics and chemistry. Though she is currently not living in a dorm or coaching, she has been a housemaster and softball coach in the past. Kelley lives on campus with her husband, Greg, and their two children, Nolan and Jillian.

Liz Perry

Liz Perry (institute co-director and English co-lead teacher) teaches high school English and is the director of educational design and innovation at The Berkeley Carroll School in Brooklyn, NY. A native New Yorker, Liz’s passion for teaching and travel took her away from New York for ten years—she taught at a Jesuit school on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota; an independent school in Boston; and an international school in São Paulo, Brazil. She holds a B.A. in English literature with a concentration in women's studies from Swarthmore College, and an M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She was a participant at the Summer Institute in 1999.

Josh Pretzer

Josh Pretzer (science co-lead teacher) is the assistant academic dean and a chemistry instructor at Culver Academies, a Midwest boarding school surrounded by a picturesque lake and miles (and miles…) of Indiana corn. During his tenure at Culver, Josh has profited from a number of professional development opportunities, including summers researching the ecology of Lake Erie, serving on Culver's program design and evaluation committee, participating in a NSF grant developing project-based chemistry curricula, attending the 2004 KSI, and graduating in the 2006 Klingenstein PSL cohort.

Eder J. Williams

Eder J. Williams (English co-lead teacher) began her teaching career at Mmabatho High School in the Northwest Province of South Africa when Mandela first came to power. She is currently teaching high school English at the Westminster Schools in Atlanta and a course called School for the Common Good, which combines English and history in order to address American democracy, citizenship, and social justice. She also runs an exchange program with a sister school, Mount Kenya Academy. For the previous seven years she taught English at Albuquerque Academy in New Mexico. Eder received an M.A. in English from Middlebury College. A KSI student in 2000, she was a Joseph Klingenstein Fellow in 2003-2004 and developed a global literature project while completing an Ed.M at Teachers College, Columbia University.