New Year, New Faces

 

Morgan Acheson joins us as our new Visual Arts Teacher. She holds a BFA in Illustration from Parsons School of Design and recently accepted her MAT in Art Education from the School of Visual Arts. Prior to joining the Friends community, she worked as a freelance illustrator.

 

Lindsay Allen joins us as our new Director of the Academic Center and Writing Instructor. She holds a BFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of New Orleans. Prior to joining Friends, she was Assistant to the Head of the School at Village Community School.

 

May Bayer joins the Advancement Office as Special Events Manager and Advancement Associate. She holds a BA degree from Colgate University and previously worked in development at Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

 

Cooper Browning joins the First Grade as an Assistant Teacher. She has a BA in Global Studies from Long Island University and is studying for a Masters in Early Childhood and Childhood General Education from Bank Street College. Before Friends, Cooper taught English and Nutrition in South Africa, Hong Kong, Philippines and India.

 

Jaclyn Greenman joins the Friends' community teaching Grade 9 World History and Grade 12 history electives Power, Politics and Citizenship and Ethnic New York.  Jaclyn received her BA in History from Trinity College, her MBA from Johnson and Wales University and her MAT from Northeaster University. She has taught US History, World History, Economics and Business/Management at St. John's Preparatory School in Danvers, MA and The Dwight School in New York.

 

Collin Kather joins us as our new Communications Assistant. He holds a BA from Hunter College, where his studies focused on the integration of media with modern computing and technology. Prior to joining us at Friends, he worked as a web and media research assistant at the Silberman School of Social Work, and in digital media at Starz Entertainment.

 

Sarah Lewinger joins us as the new Admissions Office Assistant. She holds a BA in Africana Studies and Comparative American Studies from Oberlin College. Prior to joining Friends, she worked in communications for VentureWell, a non-profit in Massachusetts.

  

Alfred Lissade joins us as one of our new Technical Support Specialist. He holds a BA in New Media Design from SUNY Cortland. Prior to joining our team at Friends, he worked for Apple as a technician.

 

Sarah Johansson Locke will teach middle school (and some lower school) dance, joining longtime Friends dance teacher Barry Blumenfeld. She holds an MA in Dance Education from NYU and a BA from Reed College. Prior to coming to Friends, she taught dance, yoga, kinesthetic anatomy and somatics to children and adults in a variety of settings, most recently in NYC public schools.

 

Andrea Lockinger joins us as the new assistant in Christine Cincotta's Kindergarten classroom. She holds a master's degree in elementary education and a BS degree in psychology. Prior to joining us at Friends, she worked as a kindergarten teacher at an independent school in Raleigh, North Carolina.

 

Kristin (Bamberger) Marchilena joins Friends as the new LS (K-2) Music and US Chorus teacher. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from NYU, a Master of Science in Education from Bank Street College, a Kodály Certificate from NYU, and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education in Music Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Prior to Friends, Kristin taught at Bank Street School for Children and more recently worked with elementary, middle, high school, and community college students in Burlington, Vermont.

 

Elizabeth Messinger will be teaching Grade 9 and 10 World History at Friends. She earned her self-designed BA in International Political Economics from Stanford University, and holds advanced degrees from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and New York University. Prior to joining us, she worked as a journalist with National Public Radio and The Economist, and taught Humanities and World Languages in Westchester independent schools.

  

Deirdre A. O'Brien joins us as our new Director of Annual Giving. She holds a BA degree in Political Science from University of Albany, JD from City University of New York Law School and LLM in International Human Rights Law from Irish Centre for Human Rights at National University of Ireland, Galway.  Prior to joining Friends, she worked as Director of Annual Giving and Alumnae Relations at School of the Holy Child in Rye, New York.

 

Chris Shahgholi joins us as our new Operations Associate. He is currently working toward an Associates Degree in Biblical Studies. Prior to joining us at Friends, he worked as a General Manager for Boston Market Corporation as well as a Security Officer for various clients including Hofstra University, LIU, and the US Open.

 

Vessy Shestorkina is joining Friends as the new Auction Director and Stewardship Manager. She holds a MPA degree from the School of Public Affairs at Baruch College. Prior to Friends, she has experience fundraising at an independent high school in Manhattan and a social services organization in the Bronx.

 

Katie Shushtari joins us as a new Assistant Teacher in Jennifer Wittmer's First Grade classroom. She holds a BS in Print and Multimedia Journalism from Emerson College and a Master's degree in Early and General Education from Bank Street College of Education. Prior to joining the Friends' community, she worked as an Associate Teacher at The Brearley School.

 

Amy Smith will be joining us as an US Math Teacher. Her classes will include AP Calculus AB, Geometry: Algebra Apps, and Algebra I Part 2. Amy holds a BS degree in Mathematics from Fairfield University and she received her MAT in math education from Manhattanville College. Prior to working at Friends, Amy taught high school mathematics at New Canaan High School in Connecticut.

 

Jessica Soto joined the Advancement Office this August as a Database Coordinator. She holds a BA degree in Business Administration from Emmanuel College. Prior to joining Friends, Jessica worked at Catholic Guardian Services as a Secretary.