Downtown Elementary Faculty & Staff

Jumaane Saunders

Principal

Macalester College, B.A., Columbia University, Teachers College, M.A.

Before joining our team as founding elementary principal, Jumaane Saunders served as Director of External Programming for the The School at Columbia University. There he worked closely with both the head of school and parents association to grow a number of programs within the vision and mission of the school. Prior to that, Jumaane worked with the New York City Department of Education as a program manager helping schools craft and adopt assessment procedures and support mechanisms in anticipation of New York’s adoption of the national common core standards. An alumnus of the prestigious Teach for America program, Mr. Saunders spent many years at Kaplan, developing their science offerings and training teachers. For six years Jumaane taught biology and chemistry in New York and California.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Jumaane attended the Hackley School, earned his B.A. in biology from Macalester College, and his M.A. in Educational Politics and Finance and M. Ed. in School Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University. He and his wife, Mónica, also an educator, have three young children.

Alexandra Copeland

Lead Teacher

George Washington University, B.A.; Relay, M.A.

Amber Brown

Resident Teacher

State University of New York, B.A.

Anabel Rivera

Operations Coordinator

Binghamton University, B.S.

Andrea Gashi

Spanish Teacher

CUNY York College, B.A.; Mercy College, M.A.

Andrea Khan

Head of Operations

Montclair State University, B.A., New York University, M.A.

Andrea Molina

Program Manager

Pace University, B.A.

Andrene Robinson

Learning Specialist

Hunter College, B.S.; Hunter College M.S.

Angela Park

Lead Teacher

SUNY Stony Brook, B.A., Columbia University, Teachers College, M.A.

Anita Walsh

Artist-in-Residence

Parsons School of Design, B.A., George Washington University, M.Ed.

Ashley Pinckney

Resident Teacher

Queen's College, B.A.; Queen's College, M.A.

Avery Williams

Registrar

SUNY, College at Westbury, B.A.

Brittany Parker

Learning Specialist

Baylor University, B.S.; Teachers College, M.A.

Deanna Perez

Lead Teacher

Hamilton College, B.A., Charles Sposato Graduate School of Education, M.A.

Diana Wangerin-Foster

Musical Theater/Instructional Support Teacher

SUNY Purchase College, B.A., Hunter College, M.A.

Doreen May-Davis

Program Aide

Boricua College, B.A.

Drew McCann

Learning Specialist

Cornell University, B.S.; Bank Street College, M.A.

Drew Pallas

Classroom Aide

Drew St. Lawrence

Lead Teacher

Harvard University, B.A.; Relay Graduate School of Education, M.A.T.

Emily Auchincloss

Lead Teacher

Yale University, B.A.; University of Massachusetts, M.A.

Emily Vandehey

Head of Academics

University of Oregon, B.A.; Lewis and Clark University, M.A.

Erin Shadowens

Lead Teacher

St John's College, B.A.; Relay GSE, M.A.; Columbia University Teacher's College, M.A.

Folake Akinola-Pinard

Successor Principal Fellow

Wellesley College, B.A.; Columbia University, Teachers College, M.A.

Jacob Kramer

Music Teacher

Northwestern University, B.M.; San Francisco Conservatory of Music, M.M.

Jasmine Best

Culture Assistant

Jasmine Thornton

School Aide

Jennifer Choi

Lead Teacher

Stony Brook University, B.A.; Columbia University, Teachers College, M.A.

Jessica Snyder

Lead Teacher

Temple University, B.S.; Temple University, M.S.

Jillian Kuhn

Social Worker

Hobart & Wiliam Smith College, B.A.; Columbia University, M.S.W.

Joseph Yun

Resident Teacher

William Paterson University, B.A.

Kara Lesondak

Learning Specialist

Northwestern University, B.S., Fashion Institute of Technology, B.F.A., San Francisco State University, M.A.

Kate Nugent

Lead Teacher

SUNY at New Paltz, B.A.; City College of New York, M.S.

Keeli Davis

Head of Student Support Services

Trinity College, B.A.; Teachers College, Columbia University, M.S.

Kendra Thomas

Lead Teacher

Delaware State, B.A.

Kishan Singh

Lead Teacher

City College of New York, B.A.

Kristin Schaumleffel

After School Program Manager

San Francisco State University, B.A.

Lusdymer Pichardo

Lead Teacher

Yale University, B.A.; University of New Haven, M.A.

Mandy Ip

Lead Teacher

SUNY Binghamton, B.A.; Hunter College, M.S.

Margaret Henderson

Lead Teacher

College of Charleston, B.S.; Teacher's College, Columbia University, M.Ed

Matthew Lazarus

Resident Teacher

Bard College, B.A.

Melina Garcia

Lead Teacher

City College of New York, B.A., Touro College, M.A.

Monica De Jesus

Classroom Aide

Bronx Community College

Monique Sierra

Director of School Culture

UC Santa Barbara, B.A., Columbia University School of Social Work, M.S.

Nicholas "Chris" Pappas

After School Program Coordinator

City College of New York, B.A.

Nicole Cheah

Resident Teacher

Brooklyn College, B.A.

Nicole Cimoch

Science Teacher

Grand Valley State University, B.S.; University of Chicago, M.A.

Peyton Clune

Resident Teacher

University of Kansas, B.A.

Paul James

P.E. Teacher

New York Institute of Technology, B.A.

Sahil Mehta

Spanish Teacher

University of San Diego, B.A.

Samantha Joseph

Operations Coordinator

Lehman College, B.A.

Sarah Heffernan

Resident Teacher

Hampshire College, B.A.; Smith College, M.A.

Tanael Booker

Program Aide

Bowie State University, B.A.

Tasha Edwards

Program Aide

Victory Calixte

Special Education Teacher

City College of NY, B.A.; Touro College, M.S.

Yolande Tyrell

Lead Teacher

Touro College, B.S.

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