Welcome New Faculty and Staff

Welcome New Faculty and Staff

The Bryn Mawr School welcomes 24 new members of our faculty and staff this fall. Our new faculty and staff cohort includes tap dancers, movie makers, athletes and musicians—together, they bring a wealth of talent to all of our divisions. Read more about them below.

Kelly joins Bryn Mawr as the Theater Director and is already hard at work on the fall musical, The Addams Family. Kelly spent over 15 years at Mount De Sales Academy where she was a theater, PE and health teacher.  She also served as a department chair, class sponsor and initiated the school’s first independently operated musical theater program. Kelly earned her B.A. in theater from Marymount Manhattan College and post-secondary certificates in secondary education and creative teaching through theater from Notre Dame University of Maryland and Catholic University respectively.  She also recently completed her master’s thesis in theater education from Catholic University. 

 

Rance joins the Upper School to teach English and support seniors as Convocation Advisor.  He comes from Maryvale where, over the past decade, his roles have included Upper School English teacher, department chair, advisor, class dean, public speaking teacher, debate and speech support and more. Rance earned his B.S. in English from Towson and is working on his master’s thesis in humanities.  

 

Shanae started this past spring as College Counselor and Internship Coordinator and is already hard at work with Bryn Mawr families. Prior to Bryn Mawr, she served as the Assistant Partnerships Manager at Shorelight, a recruitment agency for international students pursuing college in the United States.  Shanae also brings experience as an Employer Relationship Manager at University of South Carolina, where she helped employers recruit students. She earned her bachelor’s from Francis Marion University.  Outside of Bryn Mawr, she loves hiking, horror movies and learning to roller skate.

 

Catalina joins the World Languages Department as a French and Spanish teacher, and will serve as the Global Programs Coordinator for the Upper School. She has held numerous roles in independent schools including Director of Enrollment at IND, Upper School Head and Assistant Head of School at St. Paul’s School for Girls, department chair and Director of Global Initiatives at Madeira and she has taught French and Spanish at Madeira, Morristown-Heard, Haverford, Hotchkiss and Blair Academy.  She holds a bachelor’s from Bryn Mawr College in French literature and a master’s in French studies from Middlebury, with an advanced certificate in business French. 

Haneen joins Bryn Mawr as the long-term substitute for Physics while Monia Cheikh is on maternity leave. She has served as a substitute teacher at Bryn Mawr and private tutor for physics and math for the past two years. Haneen loves cycling and swimming and has three young daughters. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Southern California. 

 

Molly returns to Bryn Mawr as the Assistant Athletic Director and Varsity Lacrosse coach. In addition to recent work in marketing, Molly served as the Pennsylvania Regional Director and Goalie Director for Ultimate Lacrosse and was the Girls’ Program Director for Boston MetroLacrosse, serving underrepresented students.  She has also been a part of Athletes Unlimited and the Women’s Professional Lacrosse League.  Molly has coached in Baltimore and Australia.  She earned her bachelor’s degree from Loyola University, where she was the starting goalie for their Division I team for four years. 

 

Imani is a graduate of Bryn Mawr and Towson University, where she earned a bachelor’s in English. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in content writing.  Imani has worked in the Lower School office since 2020.  Last year Imani spent a great deal of time in the classroom, including as a long-term fifth grade substitute, developing and teaching a poetry intensive for the first grade, and helping with the third grade’s Great Myth Plays.  Imani will be working in the fourth grade this year as one of the inaugural Dorothy Clayborne Fellows. She has also been named the 2021-2022 Wilgis Teaching Fellow. 

 

Aaron is a graduate of Swarthmore College with a bachelor’s in film and media studies and holds a master’s degree in media arts from Temple University.  Aaron spent the 2020-2021 school year serving as a Teaching Assistant in the Lower School, where he supported students from pre-k through fifth grade filling in as needed in nearly all subjects. A natural problem solver and lifelong learner, Aaron hopes his experience as a Dorothy Clayborne Fellow will advance his dual career in instructional applied technology collaborations, world languages and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. 

 

Sydnee is a graduate of Morgan State University, where she earned a bachelor’s in elementary education.  Sydnee joined the Bryn Mawr Little School in the fall of 2019 working in both the two- and three-year-old rooms. She also serves on Bryn Mawr's Equity and Inclusion Council as a divisional liaison.  As a Dorothy Clayborne Fellow, Sydnee will be working in the Lower School with art and music, as well as in the Office of Institutional Equity and Inclusive Practice.

 

Katie is joining the Bryn Mawr community as the Lower School Administrative Assistant.  Katie holds a bachelor’s in theater performance from Marymount Manhattan College.  Most recently, Katie was the Administrative Assistant at the St. Louis School in Clarksville, MD. 

 

William will be the long-term art substitute for Kelsey White while she is out on maternity leave this fall. William joined the Bryn Mawr community last year as an Upper School Teaching Assistant.  William graduated from Eckerd College and spent two years as the Associate Director of Innovation and Exploration at St. Paul’s School in Clearwater, FL, where he taught computer science to students in kindergarten through eighth grade.  In his free time, William writes and produces his own music and creates multimedia and visual art to accompany his music label.

 

Allen joins the Middle School team full time after serving as a Teaching Assistant last year in multiple divisions. This year, as one of our new Dorothy Clayborne Fellows, Allen will use his many artistic talents to co-teach a variety of arts classes and co-advise a group of sixth grade students.  Allen has passion and talent for music, he graduated from Johns Hopkins Peabody Conservatory of Music with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance and studied at Baltimore School for the Arts.  Allen is a multi-instrumentalist playing piano, percussion and electronic music production and has performed in a variety of venues including Carnegie Hall and the Berlin Music Hall.

 

Kimberly returns to Bryn Mawr in the World Languages Department to teach French and will advise a group of seventh grade students.  She previously taught in our Lower School and is pleased to return and join her daughter who is a member of the Class of 2022.  Kimberly earned her Master of Arts in Francophone Literature from the University of Louisiana and her bachelor’s degree in French from the College of New Rochelle.  She has spent the past 10 years teaching Spanish and French at an independent school in Virginia.  During her time away from school she enjoys watching international films, traveling with her husband and daughter and learning about a variety of artistic projects.

 

Nickole joins the Middle School History department as a part-time consultant and lecturer, as well as director of the Dorothy Clayborne Fellows Program.  Nickole received a B.A. in Black studies and women’s studies from Virginia Tech and an M.A. in history at St. John’s University.  She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in cultural anthropology at American University in Washington DC, focusing her research on girlhood studies and identity development.  Nickole currently serves as a diversity consultant to independent schools.  As a history teacher, she has taught a range of courses including A.P. European history, modern world history, and A.P. U.S. history.  She has also served as the director of diversity and inclusion at Georgetown Day School and Georgetown University School of Medicine.  

 

Jill will join Bryn Mawr as an eighth grade science teacher and advisor. She comes to Bryn Mawr from Gilman where she was a middle school science teacher and science department coordinator. Jill earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Virginia Tech, a Master of Teaching in Secondary Science Education and her Post Master’s Certification in K-8 STEM from Notre Dame of Maryland University.  

 

Tonia brings more than 20 years of experience to the Middle School Arts Department as a talented teacher, director and coordinator.  Tonia received her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Howard University and her Master of Arts in Theater Arts at California State University.  An accomplished playwright, actor and director, she has been a part of productions in a variety of locales including The Kennedy Center and The Atlas Theater in Washington D.C. 

 

 

Laura has a combined 12 years of early childhood and elementary teaching experience. She holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from Notre Dame of Maryland University.  Three of her years in teaching have been with special needs students. Laura loves horseback riding, traveling and spending as much time outside as possible.

 

Sumayyah holds a Preschool and Infant Toddler Child Care Certification and has over three years of early childhood teaching experience. She is working toward her bachelor's in Early Childhood Education. She comes from a long line of educators and is passionate about making a difference in young children’s lives.  In her spare time, she runs her own crafting business.

 

Sandie has more than 10 years of early childhood teaching experience and holds certifications in Preschool and Infant Toddler Child Care, as well as Childhood Directors. Sandie is currently in school working to obtain her bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education.  Photography brings Sandie joy and in her spare time, she enjoys photographing friends and family.  When not behind the lens, she enjoys music, concerts and traveling.

 

Originally from Costa Rica, Belen Moved to the United States in 2004.  She has been working in education since 2015 and holds a Preschool and Infant Toddler Child Care Certification.  She loves working alongside children and witnessing their personal growth.  She believes in teaching independence, open-mindedness and taking risks in learning.  Belen enjoys nature, food, Jane Austen books and movies and family time