Our Team

Nancy Acuna joined Boston Collegiate in September of 2021 as the accounting manager. Born in Bronx, New York, but raised in Boston, Nancy attended Curry College, where she studied business management. Nancy enjoys spending time with her daughters, reading, watching and playing sports.

Bridget Adam joined Boston Collegiate in 2003 after completing her education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She currently serves as the 6th grade mathematics teacher.

Dora Anghelina graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2024 with a degree in Neuroscience and Spanish. After college, she taught English in Spain through a Fulbright Scholarship. She is now completing her Master’s in Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is excited to join the BCCS team!

Emily Arlauskas joined Boston Collegiate in August of 2019 as an 8th grade mathematics teacher. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Northeastern University, where she majored in mathematics and cultural anthropology. She grew up in South Boston and graduated from Boston Collegiate in 2014.

Greg Arthur was born, raised, and lives in South Boston. He received his bachelor’s degree in English language arts secondary education from Bridgewater State University in 2018 and earned his mater’s degree from Fitchburg State University in 2021. Before Boston Collegiate, Greg was an instructional aid at the Eliot K-8 School in Boston.  He loves listening to music, making people laugh, and keeping a positive attitude for his students.

Melissa Aybar taught English and served as Department Chair at the Epiphany School before joining Boston Collegiate in 2022. She was born and raised in Boston and enjoys warm days and good books.

Caleb Balderston joined Boston Collegiate in 2022 after ten years at the Academy of the Pacific Rim (APR) in Hyde Park. During his time at APR, Caleb taught math, coached STEM teachers, and served as the high school principal. Prior to APR, Caleb taught math in Chicago during his time as a Teach for America corps member there. He lives in Cambridge with his family.

Maura Bennett joined BCCS in 2021 as a Rules-Based Reading Teacher. She is a certified educator specializing in elementary education, special education, and reading, and is a Wilson Certified Practitioner. Maura brings a wealth of experience from her work in various roles across public schools, where she supported students with diverse learning needs. Before pursuing her passion for teaching, Maura built a successful career at Verizon, where she honed her professional skills. Her dedication to helping students unlock their potential through structured literacy instruction has made her a valued member of the BCCS community.

Johanna Bogard is a 2010 Boston Collegiate alumna. Johanna brings five years of teaching experience and more than 10 years of community service and community involvement. Johanna has worked with a wide variety of children in Boston, serving many schools and communities in the neighborhood. Johanna has worked in Roxbury, Mattapan, and Jamaica Plain. Johanna graduated from Clark University in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in history and a concentration on race and ethnic relations.

Lauren is from Colorado and is excited to be back in Boston after earning her Bachelor’s degree in Education and Human Development from Boston University. Before joining Boston Collegiate, she served with AmeriCorps at Colorado Youth for a Change, supporting high school students in reaching their academic and personal goals. Lauren loves dogs, spending time in nature, exploring the city, going to concerts, and being with her friends and family. She is looking forward to getting to know her students and helping them feel empowered in their learning.

Leah Charles earned an associate’s degree in early childhood education and is currently working on her bachelor’s degree at Boston University.  She has worked in the education field under a host of different roles, from teacher to education supervisor and, most recently, as an applied behavior analyst.

Claudia Chavez joined Boston Collegiate in 2018 as a Teach for America corps member. She received a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Connecticut. Claudia earned a master’s degree in curriculum and teaching from Boston University.

Prior to joining Boston Collegiate, Jonathan Clark spent four years as the assistant director of admissions at Bentley University, where he focused on minority recruitment and special event planning.  Prior to that, he spent three years teaching fourth grade in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, before spending six years at Lawrence Academy in Groton, where he worked in the offices of admissions and student life. Jon devotes a part of his summer to a local day camp and during his free time, he speaks to junior high and high schools students about college admissions.

Rodney Coleman joined Boston Collegiate in 2002 as the health and physical education teacher before becoming athletic director and then the middle school dean of students. Rodney spent a year teaching K-5 physical education in Milton Public Schools and also worked as a teacher and teaching assistant at Health Careers Academy Charter School.

Sarah Currell received her bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education from Providence College and a master’s degree in reading education from Boston University. She is very glad to be a part of the Boston Collegiate community!

Nadia Cyprien returned to the Boston College after 10 years of serving as special education administrator and principal in Boston. Prior to that, Nadia began her career at the Boston Collegiate as a teacher and special education administrator.

Kathryn Downes’ first introduction to the charter world was the summer of 2009, when she spent the summer as an intern with Boston Collegiate. Katie then trained with the MATCH Teacher Residency and taught 7th grade ELA at Salem Academy Charter School. After earning a master’s degree in literacy and a reading specialist license, she joined Boston Collegiate in 2015.

Jenny Dubuisson originally joined Boston Collegiate in 2005 and returned in 2015 as a high school art teacher. She has taught art and design to students of all ages throughout her career. In her own art, she explores drawing and building objects that examine physical and abstract spaces.

Donyka joined Boston Collegiate in Spring 2023 after spending time as a Data Associate for the East Harlem Scholars Academy charter school network in New York City. She has a bachelors degree in Sociology and holds a MA in Education and Social Policy from NYU.

Michael Eder is an accomplished artist who has also taught art in an afterschool program through Massachusetts College of Art. Michael joined Boston Collegiate in 1999 and founded both the art club and the arts council. Previously, Michael taught art to high school students in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Courtney joined the Boston Collegiate community in the fall of 2019 as a paraprofessional for the middle school after realizing that working with youth, the future leaders of our world, is his passion. Previously, he worked as a therapeutic mentor and department coordinator for a child welfare program in Boston for three and a half years. He considers himself extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to, not only work closely with the youth, but more specifically, the youth of the community he’s always called home, having been born and raised in Dorchester, Massachusetts. This year he will be starting his new role as a 6th-grade History teacher and is looking forward to fostering curiosity, creativity, and self-esteem and more, as he teaches about the great civilizations of our ancient world.

Brian rejoined Boston Collegiate Charter School in 2023 after a two-year teaching stint in San Francisco Public Schools. Before teaching in San Francisco, Brian taught 6th-grade math at the lower school for three years. He got his start in education in Jacksonville, Florida, in 2011; he spent three years teaching high school math and four years as a high school assistant principal. Brian attended Bates College as an undergrad and has an M.A in educational leadership from Columbia University.

Kim Everett joined Boston Collegiate in 1999.  Kim previously taught English and Social Studies at the Tobin Community Middle School for five years. Kim also worked as an ESL instructor both at Roxbury Community College and in Namibia, Africa.

Euridio Evora was born and raised in Dorchester and has spent the last 16 years in education and the last 3 as an Assistant Principal, most recently at Boston Prep Charter School.

Pete Ferrara joined Boston Collegiate in 1999. In addition to serving as Dean, Pete taught English and coordinated the school’s athletics and Saturday School programs. Before joining Boston Collegiate, Pete spent 11 years teaching at St. Peter’s School in South Boston.

Marcial Flores is a native of Honduras and a Brighton High School graduate. He attended to Boston College where he obtained a B.A. after completing a double major in English Literature and Spanish Literature.  He was accepted to Boston College’s the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures graduate program and was awarded a Teaching Fellowship which granted him the opportunity to pursue and complete his M.A. in Spanish American Literature and Culture. Marcial has been teaching Spanish for many years; he has taught at Needham High School, Boston College and Northeastern University.  He joined the Boston Collegiate’s World Languages Department in 2017.

Katie has spent much of her career starting and developing school music programs– both here in Massachusetts and in the Middle East. Holding Masters degrees in both Music Education and Educational Leadership, she is excited to bring her experience to Boston Collegiate and looks forward to making music with all members of the Boston Collegiate community.

Judi Ann Gaine joined Boston Collegiate after previously working for Quincy Public Schools as a special education paraprofessional for seven years.

Max George joined Boston Collegiate Charter School in 2004 as our 9th and 10th grade Global Studies Teacher. After serving as Head Soccer Coach and a Grade Level Leader, Max transitioned to being our Director of College Programming in 2009. Prior to working at Boston Collegiate, Max served as the Assistant Director of Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement Program in Boston. Originally from California, Max relocated in order to complete a Master’s of Divinity Degree at Harvard. He also earned a Bachelor’s Degree in History and Religion and a Master’s of Teaching from Willamette University, in Salem, OR, where he did his first teaching before moving to Massachusetts.

Soon after earning his B.A. in English & Film Studies from Boston College, Mr. Gilbert became a teaching intern in Grade Five at the Chestnut Hill School. Searching for more leadership opportunities, he then became a curriculum developer for the King School in Stamford, Connecticut. Over the span of three years, he created various courses in filmmaking, graphic design, and web development for his Computer Science & Digital Applications Department. After returning to the Boston area, Mr. Gilbert has invested his time and resources giving digital literacy consultation for multiple academic institutions. A filmmaker in his spare time, Mr. Gilbert frequently collaborates with other artists in the area to produce creative work.

Tatiani Gomes-Carvalho joined Boston Collegiate in 2024. She graduated from the University of Bridgeport with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Services in 2019. As a former social worker with the Department of Children & Families, Ms. Gomes continued her love for working with teens and joined the Boston Collegiate team this year as the Upper School Operations Manager.

Lauren Gonzalez joined Boston Collegiate after teaching at Franklin Academy in East Haddam, Connecticut. There she taught a self-contained high school humanities class as well as other student support services. Lauren earned her master’s in special education with a focus on autism spectrum disorders at University of Saint Joseph in Connecticut.

Jed Graboys joined Boston Collegiate in August 2023 as a 6th grade science teacher. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Colby College where he majored in Sociology. He grew up in Chicago but decided to move to Boston after enjoying his time working as a Patient Care Technician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Erica Hafferkamp originally joined Boston Collegiate as the librarian in 2011 and has taught 5th grade ELA since then. Before coming to Boston Collegiate, she worked at the MATCH Charter Public Middle School and completed an M.A. in Teaching and Children’s Literature at Simmons College. She loves children’s and young adult literature and is always happy to provide a book recommendation (or two, or three…).

Emma Han joined Boston Collegiate in 2025 after earning her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Tufts University. She is currently pursuing her Ed.M. at Harvard University.

Shoshanna is an FAO Schwarz Fellow and a recent graduate of Williams College. She majored in Political Science and has a deep commitment to equity and education. She was born in Manila, grew up in Iowa City, and has lived all over the world. She enjoys running, reading, cooking vegetarian meals, and mushroom hunting with her mom!

Peter Herbst has taught high school math in Massachusetts for more than 15 years. He enjoys integrating arts and technology into his lessons. He received his teaching certification from Boston University. When not teaching, Mr. Herbst enjoys drawing, cooking, and painting.

After earning her Bachelor’s degree in English and Secondary Education from Emmanuel College, Ayanna went on to teach 6th-8th English Language Arts for 6 years in Boston. In 2023, she graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a Masters of Art in Teacher Leadership. She is passionate about fostering collaborative and supportive learning spaces that allow students to be their authentic selves.

Uzma Issa joined Boston Collegiate in 2025 as a Middle School STEM Explorations Teacher. She recently graduated from Harvard with a major in Neuroscience and a minor in Earth and Planetary Science. She is currently also pursuing a Master’s at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is so excited to be teaching at BCCS!

Susanna Kittredge came to Boston Collegiate after nine years as a special educator Medford. She loves learning how people learn and helping all students access the curriculum. Before becoming a teacher she earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University with a focus on poetry and is active in the Boston area poetry community.

Sarah Kronisch has her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Connecticut. Sarah has been passionately teaching theater since 2012. She has instructed in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Connecticut, Washington, and Greece! Sarah believes the skills naturally taught through theater education directly correlate with vital life skills today’s students need to be successful. She feels honored to do this work.

Rachel Langer joined Boston Collegiate in July of 2021 after serving as the Codman Academy Charter Public School Director of Development for seven years. She graduated in 2013 from Denison University with a B.A. in psychology, English, and education. In 2018, she received her M.B.A. from Boston University’s Questrom School of Business, where she focused on social impact and leadership and organizational transformation. She was born and raised in the Boston area and has volunteered with many nonprofits, including serving on boards for Girls In Tech and Bottom Line.

Desi LaPoole joined Boston Collegiate in 2025 after teaching English in Japan for two years. In Japan, she taught both Middle School and Elementary School students as an Assistant Language Teacher. Prior to her time in Japan, Desi served as a Teacher’s Assistant at a Montessori School in Georgia. In 2020, Desi graduated from The College of Wooster with a B.A. in Journalism. Desi brings four years of experience in education, as well as a passion for reading and fiction writing to the Boston Collegiate community.

Abner joined Boston Collegiate upon graduation from Merrimack College. At Merrimack, Abner had various volunteer experiences in middle schools throughout the Merrimack Valley along with community services in homeless shelters, nursing homes and preschools. Additionally, he has provided behavioral and instructional services to young individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) on the principles of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA). He enjoys watching and playing baseball, exploring different places, reading and sleeping!

Yiriam Lopez joined Boston Collegiate in 2014 after completing her Bachelor’s degree in Speech Pathology, Education, and Psychology at Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts. Prior to Boston Collegiate, she worked with children in various settings such as youth groups, recreational camps, and the Boys and Girls Club of Brockton. She has served in the roles of In-House Substitute/Office Assistant, Operations Coordinator, and Middle School Operations Manager before becoming the Lower School Director of Operations.

Amanda Kay Loring joined Boston Collegiate in 2013 after completing a Masters in Education Policy degree at the University of Washington in Seattle. Amanda Kay brings two years of teaching and community relationship building experience through a rare Teach for America opportunity in rural Louisiana. She has served in the roles of executive assistant, operations manager, and director of operations at Boston Collegiate before landing in her current role as chief operating officer.

Bio forthcoming.

Daelyn Marrow joined Boston Collegiate in 2021 as a Teach for America corps member. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Suffolk University, where she majored in Psychology and Education. Daelyn earned a Master of Education in Curriculum and Teaching from Boston University.

Heather joined Boston Collegiate in 2021, previously having worked in independent schools where she coached baseball, field hockey, and tennis, and focused on curricular development for a variety of new courses. Her goal as an educator is to provide students with opportunities to engage with a wide range of topics to build their personal understanding and investment in their future and be better informed about their goals, and how to achieve them.

Bio forthcoming.

Kim Misci joined Boston Collegiate in 2003. Previously, Kim worked at North Shore Music Theater in both Group Sales and the Education Department, where she did choreography work for summer education workshops.

Rhode Moise joined Boston Collegiate in the Fall of 2021. She recently obtained her Master of Science in Exercise Science at Concordia University Irvine. In the past, she has worked with children in various settings such as camps, local youth groups, and most recently as a director of a Boys & Girls Club.

Sarah Morland joined Boston Collegiate in 2003 and has served as Science Department Chair, Science Coach, Director of Data Analysis, and Science Teacher to grades five through nine prior to becoming High School Principal. As a Director of School Support at the Achievement Network, Sarah coached school leaders and teachers to understand and use formative assessment data to improve instruction. Prior to joining the Boston Collegiate staff in 2003, Sarah taught Science in Reading, Massachusetts and at the Kent School in Connecticut.

Beth Newhall joined Boston Collegiate Charter School in July 2021 as the Director of Development Communications and Operations. Previously, she worked in fundraising at GBH, the largest content producer for PBS. She began her fundraising career at a small nonprofit working to build the grassroots climate movement. Prior to fundraising, Beth worked for nearly ten years in educational publishing.

Angela Nelson joined Boston Collegiate in 2023 as a 7th grade Mathematics teacher. She received her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Maine in Farmington. She has also received two graduate level degrees from the University of Maine in Orono; one in Middle Level Education and the other in Educational Leadership. Angela has 20+ years of experience teaching/supporting middle school Mathematics.

Megan Noyes has been the Middle School Principal since 2016 and has been working at Boston Collegiate since 2009. She taught 7th grade ELA at BCCS for five years before transitioning into school leadership in 2014 when she held the role as Director of Instruction for Humanities and World Languages for two years. Prior to Boston Collegiate, Megan served as a Teach For America corps member and taught 7th grade ELA for two years at Markham Middle School, located in Los Angeles, California.

Sean O’Brien is a new educator, stepping into the field after finishing his Masters at the University of Connecticut. Having grown up around UConn, he moved to Boston for the exciting opportunity to work at Boston Collegiate.

Nicole O’Hern joined Boston Collegiate in 2015 after teaching adult English language learners for six years at the YMCA International Learning Center in Boston. At the YMCA ILC, Nicole also served as a program coordinator/education counselor for a federally funded program that provided free English classes for immigrants. Prior to her work experience in Boston, Nicole earned her certificate to teach high school English in Missouri, and lived in Indonesia for a semester as part of her Intercultural Studies degree. She later volunteered to teach English with St. Louis’s Immigrant and Women’s Refugee Program while earning her Master’s degree in Teaching English Language Learners from Northwest Missouri State University.

Jenna Ogundipe joined Boston Collegiate in 2002.  She has taught history to grades six through eight, served as History Department Co-Chair, Dean of Administration, High School Principal, and Chief Academic Officer. Before coming to Boston Collegiate, Jenna taught history at the Metropolitan Treatment Center in Roslindale.

Ellie joined Boston Collegiate as an Associate Teacher in 2025. She graduated from Wesleyan University with a BA in Neuroscience and Education Studies. Outside of school, she enjoys reading, swimming, doing puzzles, and cooking.

Charbra Parkman is the current Upper School Director of Operations, having started in Fall 2024. She brings 12 years of experience with Capstone on Campus Management (COCM) at Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt), where she served as an office coordinator, assistant director, and most recently director. As director, Charbra provided oversight of the college’s student housing community, campus parking, and summer conference housing programs. Passionate about supporting students from behind the scenes, Charbra combines her experience in operations and facilities management to enhance the student experience at Boston Collegiate.

Bio forthcoming.

Ashley Polonia is a BCCS Alumni of the 2018 graduating class. She joined as the Lower School Paraprofessional in 2023. She enjoys writing and spending time with her dogs.

Michael Purvis grew up in Boston and attended Boston Collegiate Charter School, from which he graduated in 2017. He enjoys playing chess, poker, and other table-top games.

Alice Quarantello joined Boston Collegiate after teaching at Believe Southside Charter High School in Brooklyn, New York, where she taught academic literacy and tenth grade English. Prior to teaching, Alice worked at the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., in New York City.

Caroline Rose is joining Boston Collegiate after earning her Ed.M. from Harvard Graduate School of Education. Previously, she taught Latin at Washington Latin Public Charter School in Washington D.C. In addition to teaching, she coached cross country and track and taught yoga. She also completed a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Indonesia.

Bio forthcoming.

Jen Ryan joined Boston Collegiate in 2013 after working as a substitute school nurse in the Revere Public School district. Prior to going back to school at Simmons University to earn her BSN, she spent seven years working as an academic administrator in the departments of Biology and Marine Science at Boston University. In addition to her nursing and education experience, Jen also has a bachelor’s degree in Television from Boston University and spent time working in theater administration.

Jan Saglio joined Boston Collegiate as Senior Financial Advisor in 2014.  Jan has been a Chief Financial Officer in innovative social ventures in housing, healthcare and technology.  She has an M.B.A. from the Yale School of Management and attended Stanford University as an undergraduate. Jan serves on the board of the Boston Public Market Association.

Sony returns to Boston Collegiate after spending the first year at the High School campus. His hobbies include basketball, board games, and quality time with loved ones. Sony is looking forward to building positive relationships with the students here in his new role as the Physical Education and Health Teacher at both the Lower School and Middle School!

Mark was born and raised in the Boston Metro and joins Boston Collegiate as High School Math Support Specialist. He loves his students, basketball, sports analytics and poker!

Brendan Shea joined Boston Collegiate after two years of being a Teaching Fellow through Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education and teaching middle school science at Little Flower Catholic School in Mobile, Alabama. While in Mobile, he spent time coaching basketball, soccer, and ultimate frisbee, as well as being an advisor for the school’s Scholar Bowl team.

Annika Sheehan received her Masters in School Counseling from Boston University in 2023 and completed her undergraduate degree at Lafayette College. She interned at the Newton Academy of Physical and Social Development where she worked with students of various ages on behavior management, social skills and emotion regulation. She is excited to build strong relationships with students and help them reach their full potential.

Anna Simon joined Boston Collegiate in 2025 after completing her B.A. degree in English from Princeton University. She was born in Boston, but spent most of her childhood in New Haven, CT. She teaches Ninth Grade ELA.

Courtney Smith has been the Lower School Principal at Boston Collegiate since 2010. Prior to school leadership, Courtney has previously taught 8th grade ELA in our middle school, and high school English in Baltimore, MD. Courtney has been a Boston College Lynch Leadership Academy Fellow (Cohort IV), and is currently engaged in a Certificate in School Management and Leadership through Harvard Business School and Graduate School of Education.

Zachary Sutton-Giglia comes to BCCS with a Bachelor’s degree in Physics and a Master’s of Engineering in Energy Systems. He grew up in western Massachusetts where he developed a passion for Physics and soccer. Zach currently teaches High School Physics.

Laule’a joined Boston Collegiate in 2018, and has been working in Boston schools since 2011. Prior to moving to Boston, she taught in Dhaka, Bangladesh as a Fulbright Fellow and taught hands-on science to 6th graders at outdoor school in her home state of Oregon.

Machai Thompson joined Boston Collegiate in 2025 after recently graduating from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications. Machai is passionate about guiding youth and finding their way in their journey to success.

Caterina Tomassini joined Boston Collegiate as a Teach for America corps member in 2025. She did her undergraduate degree at Boston University and in her free time enjoys cooking, baking, reading, and yoga.

Tatiana Torres joined Boston Collegiate as Director of Finance in September 2019. Prior to joining Boston Collegiate, Tatiana worked as the controller for Bay State Physical Therapy for 12 years.

Meaghan Townsend studied English at Harvard and is excited to teach American Literature at Boston Collegiate. Through the Harvard Teacher Fellows program, she is now earning her Masters in Education. Her hope is to connect all students with a type of reading and writing that they love. Meaghan enjoys biking, hiking, and good surprises.

Leslie Valentin joined Boston Collegiate after working in the hospitality industry for over seven years. Leslie’s background and experience include operations management and customer service.

Maisie Veeder returned to Boston Collegiate in 2007 after four years away. Maisie taught high school English at BCCS for three years and served as English Chair. Prior to joining the Boston Collegiate staff, Maisie taught English in Dartmouth, Massachusetts.

Lauren was born, raised, and currently resides in Dorchester. She graduated from Boston Collegiate in 2013 (go, Hurricanes!), and received her bachelor’s degree in English Language Arts Secondary Education from Bridgewater State University. Before Boston Collegiate, she was an executive director at Project D.E.E.P. in Dorchester. She loves traveling, yoga, and helping her students be the best versions of themselves!

Bio forthcoming.

Jim White joined Boston Collegiate in 1999. Previously, he spent three years teaching middle school math and science at Boston Renaissance Charter School. Jim has completed graduate courses in Inorganic Materials Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Sarah Winn is excited to join the team at Boston Collegiate after serving as an Assistant Principal at Belmont High School for the past five years. Before that, Sarah taught high school English in Dorchester and Philadelphia at the Cristo Rey Schools in both cities. She loves a good weekend hike at Blue Hills with her wife, daughter, and dog.

Dorie joined Boston Collegiate 2016 after working as an Art Teacher, Artist and Special Needs Assistant for many years.  She is an enthusiastic maker with experience in adaptive technology and the intersection of art and technology through laser cutting and 3D printing.  She holds a Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy from Tufts University and a Masters of Art in Teaching from Rhode Island School of Design.