ADMINISTRATION & FACULTY

Administration

Christopher Herman, Head of School (2020)

M.Ed Leadership, University of Pennsylvania; Post-grad Educational Psychology, Temple University; M.A. Dual Special Education & Elementary Education, Chestnut Hill College; B.A. Media Arts, Long Island University; CSP, SPEOS Photographic Institute of Paris; Adjunct Professor, GSE St. Joseph’s University.

William Vogel, Lower Division Head and Admissions Director (1977) 

B.A. Mathematics/Secondary Education; M.S. Elementary Education; P.D. Educational Administration and Supervision; doctoral coursework in Administration, St. John’s University.

Brad Battaglia, Upper Division Head and Director of College Counseling (2017) 

B.A. Sociology, Boston College; M.A. Education, Columbia Teachers College.

Mary Maisano, Director of Finance (1992) 

B.A. Business Administration, CUNY Hunter College.

Kat Sullivan, Director of Enrollment Management & Marketing (2020) 

B.S. Fashion Design, Syracuse University; Global Executive M.B.A., Georgetown University and ESADE Business School.

Lisa Sohmer, International SEVIS Agent, College Counseling Associate (1996) 

B.A. English/Government, Connecticut College; M.A. Journalism, New York University. Past President of NYSACAC, NACAC Board of Directors, and advisory panel member for The City University of New York and The College Board.

Mary Petruso, Executive Assistant to the Head of School (2004) 

B.A. Italian, CUNY Queens College; M.B.A. Finance, Fordham University.

Christine Haddad, Senior Accountant (2013) 

B.B.A. Accounting, Berkeley College, President’s List; NYS Notary Public; Certified Nonprofit Accounting Professional (May 2020).

Faculty

Kristen Ahlfeld, First Grade (1995) 

B.S. Elementary Education, SUNY New Paltz; M.S. Special Education, CUNY Queens College.

Michelle Bruzzese, Mathematics and Science (2016) 

B.S. Health Science, Drexel University, Dean’s List.

Philip D’Anna, Dean of Grades 4-6; Language Arts (2013) 

B.S. Elementary Education (Grades 1-6), Math Certification (Grades 5-7), St. John’s University; M.A. Literacy and Language Acquisition (Grades B-6), CUNY Hunter College; School Building Leadership Certification, St. John’s University.

Flance Dervishi, Athletic Director (2008) 

B.S. Physical Education, University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. M.S. Education, School Building Leadership, Administration and Instructional Leadership, St. John’s University

Amira Esposito, English (2016) 

B.A. History of Art and Visual Culture, UC Santa Cruz; M.A. Teaching of English, Teachers College, Columbia; NYS Initial Teacher Certificate, Classroom Teacher.

Michelle Ferreira, Physical Education (2017) 

B.S. Physical Education, College of Mount Saint Vincent, NY.

Gabriel Gomis, French (2005) 

B.A. African Literature; M.A. English, University of Dakar, Senegal; Brevet de Technicien Superieur en Tourisme, Vocational School of Tourism and Hotel Management, West Africa; Berlitz Teaching Training Program.

John Hale, Science (1997) 

B.S. Environmental Biology, Ohio University; graduate studies in Secondary Education, CUNY Queens College.

Thomas Heineman, Music (2008) 

B.M. Jazz Performance, New York University; additional coursework, CUNY Queens College, Aaron Copland School of Music.

Paula James, Second Grade (2009) 

B.A. Literature, Ramapo College of NJ; Certificate in Book Publishing; M.A. Early Childhood Education, New York University; NYS Certified Birth-Grade 6.

Rich Kruczek, History and English; Academic Advisor for Grade 11 (2002) 

B.S. Finance, Boston College; M.A. American History, Fordham University.

Lauren Little, Mathematics (2017) 

B.A. Mathematics, Columbia University, NY; M.A. Pure Mathematics, Hunter College.

Nancy Massand, Dean of Grades 7-8; English (1985) 

B.A. English, Gordon College; M.S. Secondary Education/English, CUNY Queens College. Winner of 3 National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Fellowships/Seminars.

Agustin Melara, Chair of Foreign Languages Department (2000) 

B.A. Spanish and French; M.A. French, CUNY Queens College. Adjunct Lecturer, CUNY Queens College (1996–2006).

Edward Orlowski, Fine Arts (2020) 

A.A. Art, Nassau Community College; B.A. Art History, Hunter College; M.A. Art Business, Sotheby’s Institute of Art.

Jacquelyn Renner, Social Studies (2001) 

B.A. History/Secondary Education, Hofstra University; M.S. School Building Leadership, St. John’s University.

Eileen Reyes, Dean of Grades N-K; Pre-Kindergarten (1986) 

B.A. Early Childhood Education, CUNY Queens College; M.S. Multilingual, Multicultural Education, College of New Rochelle; M.S. School Building Leadership, St. John’s University.

Marlene Schultz-Dapice, Chair of Science Department; Academic Advisor for Grade 9 (1989) 

B.S. Biology; completed graduate courses in cell biology and microbial genetics, and research on Lysly-TRNA synthetase activity in E. coli, St. John’s University. Licensed instructor of Medical Assisting & General Academics. Teacher of courses in EKG use and interpretation, phlebotomy, and urinalysis.

Greig Roselli, English Language Department (2016) 

B.A. Philosophy and the Liberal Arts, St. Joseph Seminary College; B.A., Philosophy, K.U. Leuven; M.A. English, Southeastern Louisiana University; M.A. Philosophy, The New School for Social Research; Adolescent English (Advanced Certification), CUNY Hunter College (In Process)

Joanne Simeone-Vogel, Nursery (2014) 

B.S. Education/Special Education, SUNY College at Geneseo; M.S. Education/Early Childhood Education, CUNY Queens College; graduate coursework in Curriculum & Instruction, CUNY College of Staten Island and Long Island University.

Sarah O’Sullivan, Language Arts, Social Sciences and History (1999) 

B.A. History/Secondary Education, Towson University; pursuing M.A. History, CUNY Queens College.

Rachel Vidal, Third Grade (2017) 

B.S. Economics, California Polytechnic State University; Art History, Mass. College of Art and Design and Harvard University School of Continuing Education.

Lily Volpe, Nursery Assistant Teacher (2004) 

LaGuardia College Business Program.

Blair Wright, Science (2019) 

B.S. Organismal/Environmental Biology, SUNY New Paltz; M.S. Biochemistry/Immunology, Trinity College Dublin; M.Ed Elementary and Lower Middle School Gen Ed, Hunter College.

Lauren Yandow, Kindergarten (2014) 

B.A. Early Childhood/Childhood Education and Psychology, Hofstra University; NYS Certified Birth-Grade 6; M.A. TESOL, Queens College.

Jie Yang, Mandarin (2011) 

B.A. Chinese Language and Literature, CUNY Hunter College.

Owen Zach, Mathematics (2020) 

B.A. Psychological Science, University of Vermont; M.Ed Secondary Mathematics Education, Vanderbilt University.

Garden School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, creed, religion, ethnicity, age, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation in its hiring and promotion of administrators, faculty and staff, and in its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and financial aid programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.