Faculty and Staff Spotlight

Throughout the year, faculty and staff engage in professional development opportunities, pursue advanced degrees and certifications, serve on boards and conference committees, and share their expertise beyond Town’s walls. Below are just a few examples of the many accomplishments our faculty and staff achieved this year.

Joe Badion (4th-8th Grade Music Teacher) had his debut with Khorikos, a distinguished vocal ensemble in its 20th season, at the Guggenheim Museum in a sold-out presentation by Carnegie Hall. 

Carlos Berihuete Pichardo (Team in Blue) completed the Carmi Heating and Cooling commercial refrigeration training course.

Jason Bossart (Chief Operations Officer) completed a Master of Liberal Arts (A.L.M.) in the Field of Government from Harvard University in DATE.

Douglas Brophy (Head of School) continues to serve as an Officer of the Guild of New York City Independent Schools and as Vice-President of Stephen Wise Free Synagogue. Additionally, he was recently appointed to the Commission on Accreditation for the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS).

Melissa Cassis (Director of High School Placement) joined the Independent Schools Admissions Association of Greater New York’s (ISAAGNY) Board of Trustees in June 2025.

Mackenzie Corcoran (1st Grade Associate Teacher) received a Masters Degree from Hunter College in Early Childhood Development and Learning. She has also received certification from New York State for General and Special Education in Birth - 2nd grade. She was also recently awarded the Shirley Cohen Award in Early Childhood Special Education, which recognizes outstanding achievement in Early Childhood Special Education.

Jocelyn Halikias Davis (Program and Operation Support Staff) completed a Certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from the NYU School of Professional Studies. She is also currently pursuing a Masters in elementary education K-8 at Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation (via Arizona State University).

Lauren Hammonds (5th/6th Grade Writing Skills and Reading Teacher) will join Town’s Board of Trustees on July 1 as one of two faculty representatives. 

Chelsea Koenig-Foster (Nursery-2nd Grade Dance Teacher, Performing Arts Coordinator) and Kristen Pedersen (N3-3rd Grade Learning Specialist) have completed the year-long NYSAIS Justice, Equity, and Diversity Institute (JEDI) — a meaningful and rigorous program that supports inclusive leadership in independent schools. Selected as two of just 12 participants from across New York State independent schools, Chelsea and Kristen represented our community with thoughtfulness, curiosity, and deep commitment throughout the year. As part of the Institute, each participant developed a capstone project reflecting their own learning and leadership growth. Kristen presented Neurodiversity as a Social Justice Issue, and Chelsea shared Creating a Sustainable Cycle for Training Student Affinity Group Facilitators. Both projects speak to the care and intentionality they bring to their work with our students and colleagues every day. 

This Summer on August 8th and 9th, Viorica Morris-Stan (Kindergarten-4th Grade Art)will be once again part of the 24th Annual Saugerties Artists Tour. There will be 45 artist studios open. You are all welcome to come visit! For a map and more information, contact: https://saugertiesarttour.org/

Stevie Rachmuth (Operations Associate) will join the Brandeis University Rose Art Museum Board effective July 2026. He currently also serves on the Town Alumni Council, Harmonie Club Board, Brandeis University Alumni Board, and the Browning School Board of Trustees, where he is also President of the Browning Alumni Council.

As part of his role as a member of NYSAIS EPIC (Equitable Practices and Inclusion Committee), Pierangelo Rossi (Director of Equity and Community Action) co-chaired this year's New York Association of Independent School’s (NYSAIS) Diversity Practitioners Conference at the Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz. The three-day conference focused on navigating the landscape of DEI practitioners in independent schools, and featured keynote speakers, panelists, various workshops, including a pre-conference for Senior DEI administrators. The conference was well attended by almost 90 directors and practitioners from about 40 NYSAIS schools. 

In February, Wendy Rose Sanchez (1st-6th Grade Spanish Teacher) presented at the NYSAIS World Language Conference at Mohonk. The title of the workshop was Weaving Cultural Studies in World Language Instruction.  She presented with her son, Gabe, who is a history teacher at The Brearley School.

Chloë Scott-Giry (Director of Admissions and Enrollment) served on two admissions panels this year—in the fall, SmartCity Kids hosted a virtual K-8 Kindergarten Panel and in April she was one of five panelists on the Parent's League Kindergarten Panel that had over 1000 attendees.

Amanda Smith (2nd Grade Head Teacher) and Ava Collins (N4-4th Grade Math Specialist) presented at the Annual Conference of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics in. Their session, Just Right Games: Equitable Assessment and Instruction for All Learners, presented with Town’s math consultant Michael Cassaro, explored how the Just Right Games routine supports differentiated instruction, fosters opportunities for all students to reach their mathematical potential, and nurtures student independence. This work reflects Town’s ongoing commitment to designing and sharing innovative, research-based teaching practices.

Janie Vance (Academic Dean) presented a case study with colleagues from schools in Pennsylvania and California on Aligning Compensation and Mission in Independent Schools at The National Association of Independent School (NAIS) National Conference in Seattle in February.

This past June, Marjorie Vereen (5th and  6th Grade Science Teacher, Director of Sustainability) graduated from the Master Composter program sponsored by DSNY and the Lower East Side Ecology Center.