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MATCH 6-12 Faculty and Staff

Ken Akiha Life Science Teacher, Middle School	Mr. Akiha was born and raised in Oakland, CA. He graduated from Bowdoin College where he majored in Biology and Asian Studies. He was a member of MATCH Corps VII and graduated from the Teacher Residency Program. In his free time, Mr. Akiha enjoys running, studying Japanese, cooking, and playing basketball.
Kristen Bonstein Director of Operations, Middle School	Ms. Bonstein was born in New Jersey and moved all over the East Coast, including Atlanta and Brooklyn, before she decided that Boston felt the most like home. She earned a B.A. in Theatre Arts and Sociology from Drew University in 2001 and a M.A. in Theatre Education from Emerson College in 2004. Most recently, she was on the founding staff of an all-girls' grade 6-12 NYC public school, where she taught drama, managed daily operations and ran a comprehensive after-school program. Ms. Bonstein lives in JP with her husband and son, and enjoys drawing, baking, exercising, watching movies and listening to nerdy podcasts.
Colin Bottles Director of Recruiting, MATCH Corps	Mr. Bottles grew up in Narberth, PA and earned a BA in Political Science at Carleton College. He served in MATCH Corps VI at the High School.
Liz Buerger Academic Resources Director, Middle School	Ms. Burger grew up in New York and graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2008. She was a part of MATCH Corps V and was a graduate of MATCH Teacher Residency.
Jin Camillo Writing Teacher, Middle School	Ms. Camillo hails from New York and Dallas, TX. She attended Southern Methodist University, where she majored in Political Science and Religious Studies. Ms. Camillo was a member of MATCH Corps V, and a graduate of the MATCH Teacher Residency Program.
Matt Collins Mathematics Teacher, High School	Mr. Collins graduated from Boston College in 2003 with a degree in Mathematics. This will be his fourth year as a math teacher at MATCH, and prior to that, he was a member of the inaugural MATCH Corps. He is excited to continue being a part of the fantastic academic community at the MATCH School.
Sara Colón MATCH Corps Director, Middle School	Ms. Colón graduated from Princeton University in 2006 with an A.B. in English. After teaching high school English in N.J. public schools for a year, she joined MATCH Corps IV where she helped teach Spanish, assisted the coordinator of the SAT program and participated in AmeriCorps, in addition to tutoring. She was a founding member of the MATCH Middle School team.
Ashley Danoff Deputy Executive Director	Ms. Danoff graduated from NYU in 2002 with a BA in International Relations, Italian, French, and Japanese. MA in Sociology of Education from Boston University in 2004. Ms. Danoff was a member of the inaugural 2004-2005 MATCH Corps.
Tara Davidson Mathematics Teacher, Middle School	Ms. Davidson grew up in Concord, Massachusetts. She graduated from Colby College in 2010 with a major in Mathematical Science and a minor in Environmental Education. This past year she was a member of MATCH Corps VII and of the MATCH Teacher Residency program.
Joanna Davis English Teacher, Middle School	Joanna Davis was born and raised in Los Angeles CA, but left the west coast for Tufts University where she graduated in 2008 with an English major. She began her time at MATCH as a member of the 2008-2009 MATCH Corps and is a graduate of MATCH teacher Residency.
Gina Divito Academic Resources Director, High School	Ms. Divito is an alum of MATCH Corps VI and is beginning her first year as Academic Resource Director at the high school. She is a hopelessly caffeine-addicted Boston native and a graduate of Emmanuel College. Now working on her master’s in Special Education at Simmons, she chose to stay at MATCH because she loves working with students and honestly believes that they can do anything if we support them in the right way.
Richard Dragon Controller	Mr. Dragon serves as the school’s controller. A 1990 graduate of Bryant University, his practical accounting and auditing background comes from working in the Providence office of Ernst and Young LLP from 1991 through 1995, and at a local Providence firm from 1995 through 1997. He then became self-employed in order to self-publish a book on R.I. history, and remained on his own until becoming involved with Boston charter schools in 2004. Mr. Dragon is a Boston native who has been a CPA since 1992 and joined MATCH in 2006.
Emily Duncan Academic Resources Director, Middle School	Ms. Duncan graduated from Carleton College in 2005 with a BA in Art History. She was a member of MATCH Corps II and a Senior Corps member during the 2006-2007 school year. As part of the Senior Corps, she also assisted the Special Education Director. She is a founding member of the MATCH Middle School team and a graduate of BU’s School of Education with a degree in Special Education.
Jahfree Duncan Director of Technology	Mr. Duncan graduated from Brandeis University in 2009 with a degree in Sociology. He loved being a member of MATCH Corps 6, working closely with students daily as he was a teacher's assistant for 10th grade history as well as an after school tutor.
Kirsten Ecker Mathematics Teacher, High School	Ms. Ecker is a graduate of Colorado State University where she got her BS is Mathematics with a concentration in Education. She grew up in Fort Collins, CO and recently moved to Boston. Before joining MATCH, she taught in a rural high school in Keenesburg, Colorado.
CJ El-Dahr Leadership Fellow, Middle School	Mr. El-Dahr is originally from New Orleans, LA, and graduated from Wake Forest University in 2010 with a degree in economics. He was a member of MATCH Corps VII at the middle school and will be returning this year as the Leadership Fellow. In his free time, he enjoys playing and watching sports, reading, and spending time with friends.
Brent Ellis IT Consultant	Mr. Ellis holds a BA in Philosophy from Boston University, 1999; Graduate Certificate in Web Technologies from Boston University, 2005; MS in Computer Information Systems from Boston University 2006. He currently works with 3 schools, assisting them with their Information Technology needs. He enjoys learning new things and is constantly reworking things to try to make them better.
Angelica Gibbs Spanish Teacher/Director of School Culture, High School	Ms. Gibbs is originally from New Haven, Connecticut and majored in Hispanic Studies and Education at Connecticut College. While there she studied Latin American literature, history, and culture. During her junior year she had the privilege of studying abroad in Cholula, a small town in Puebla México where her interest and understanding of the ubiquity of the cultural, historical, and social issues that impact western civilizations emerged. After teaching Spanish I and II for two years, she is pleased and excited to come back as the school's first full-time Spanish teacher and bring the mysteries of language and culture to life for her students.
Sara Gussin Mathematics Curriculum Coach	Ms. Gussin graduated from Harvey Mudd College with a degree in mathematics. She was a member of MATCH Corps V.
Andie Hernandez School-Based Clinician, Middle-School	Ms. Hernandez, LCSW, EdM, attended the California State University of Sacramento where she received a BA in Psychology. She moved to Boston in 2002 and earned graduate degrees in both Social Work and Special Education. Ms. Hernandez has worked in both public and therapeutic school settings providing clinical services for students ages 3-18 years. Ms. Hernandez joined Children’s Hospital Boston in 2006 and began working with the Family Connections Program.
Sarah Higgins Director of Special Projects	Ms. Higgins attended the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where she received a Chemistry degree. She was a member of MATCH Corps VI.
Bob Hill Director of Alumni Support	Mr. Hill holds a BA from UMass, Amherst, 1992; MAT from Simmons College, 1996; M Ed from Providence College, 2000. Mr. Hill loves to play basketball and to play the piano. He was raised in a small town in Massachusetts called Stow. He lives in Attleboro with his wife, Jen. Mr. Hill was a founding teacher at MATCH High School.
Emily Hueber Mathematics Teacher, Middle School	Ms. Hueber recently moved to Boston from Washington, DC. After completing college at the University of Delaware with degrees in Economics and Political Science, she began teaching as a member of DC Teaching Fellows New Teacher Project. She taught math and business for three years at a 6th-12th grade public school in DC and served as Math Department Chair during the most recent school year. While living in DC she received her Masters in Education from American University.
Lisa Hwang Principal, Middle School	Ms. Hwang earned degrees from UCLA in 1999 in English Literature and International Development Studies, and from the Stanford School of Education in International Education Administration and Policy Analysis. She is dedicated to creating a safe and caring school environment where students, teachers, corps and staff thrive as learners and do great things. Ms. Hwang is the founding principal of the MATCH Middle School.
Tobey Jackson Chief Academic Officer	Mr. Jackson is originally from Providence, RI. He has a Bachelor's degree from Brown University and a Master's degree from Harvard University's Graduate School of Education. After teaching middle school science and math in independent schools, Mr. Jackson joined Boston Collegiate Charter School as a founding science teacher. He later served as the school's middle school director/principal for seven years. Most recently, Mr. Jackson has been an educational consultant, including working with Boston Collegiate Charter School and MATCH on facility acquisition and renovation.
Min Ji External Relations Coordinator	Mr. Ji received his B.A. in Communications and International Studies from Boston College in 2009, and received his M.Ed. in Student Affairs from UCLA in 2010. He was a member of MATCH Corps VII and is excited to be returning.
Rachel Johnson Director of Enrollment and Student Records	Ms. Johnson graduated magna cum laude from Rutgers University in NJ, with a concentration in Sociology and Anthropology. She loves being active and shares a love of Ultimate Frisbee with her family and close friends.
Eddie Jou Mathematics Teacher, High School	Mr. Jou is the Algebra I and Algebra II teacher. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Applied Mathematics and was a member of MATCH Corps VII.
Joanna Khalil Chemistry and Health Teacher, High School	Ms. Khalil graduated from the University of RI in 2004 with a degree in biology. She taught chemistry for two years in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas as a member of Teach for America. She loves teaching and enjoys traveling, drawing, and martial arts.
Hannah Larkin Humanities Teacher, High School	Ms. Larkin attended Stanford University, where she earned a degree in Anthropological Sciences. She was a member of MATCH Corps V.
Michael Larsson Executive Director	Mr. Larsson received his B.A. from Boston College in 2004 and was in the first MATCH Corps. He has worked as Director of Development at City on a Hill Charter School, and as Director of the Annual Fund for Boston College High School. Most recently, Mr. Larsson was Deputy Executive Director at MATCH.
Emma Liliedahl-Allen Mathematics Teacher, Middle School	Ms. L-A grew up in the East Bay of San Francisco but her family now lives in Bend, OR. She left the West Coast for Macalester College in St.Paul, MN and graduated in 2010 with a BA in Geography. She continued her trek East when she joined MATCH Corps VII for the 2010-2011 school year.
Jonathan Liu Physics Teacher, High School	Mr. Liu was born in the widespread city of Dallas. From there, he has moved to Singapore, Taiwan, and then Boston. After receiving a BA in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Boston University, Jon joined MATCH Corps VI at the middle school where he tutored 5 great seventh graders. He is now at the High School teaching Freshmen Physics and is excited to teach his students what a force actually is.
Nedra Massenburg MATCH Corps Director, High School	Ms. Massenburg graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Economics. She was a member of MATCH Corps IV and a member of the MATCH Corps Staff for Corps V. She is a graduate of MATCH Teacher Residency and most recently the Algebra II teacher at MATCH.
Cassandra Marcelin Executive Assistant to the Principal, High School	Ms. Marcelin attended Spelman College where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a minor in Comparative Women's Studies. This year is Cassandra's 3rd year at MATCH. She was a MATCH Corps V member from 2008-2009 and a MATCH Corps VI Corps Staff Member from 2009-2010.
Diana Martinez Front Office Manager, Middle School	Ms. Martinez is from Puerto Rico. Two of her daughters have attended the MATCH School, and she is excited to work as a part of the MATCH community.
Meg McDonough Principal, High School	Ms. McDonough attended Clark University for both undergraduate and graduate study. She has degrees in Urban Education and History. She is a traveler at heart who loves to bring the global world to life for her students.
Mike McGregor Leadership Fellow, High School	Mr. McGregor earned a B.A. in American History and English from the University of Pennsylvania in 2010. He served in MATCH Corps VII and is thrilled to assist Mrs. Massenburg in directing the future MATCH Corps and work at the high school.
Dan Mirsky Ancient World History Teacher, Middle School	Mr Mirsky earned a BA with Honors in History from Wesleyan University in CT, and a Masters in Education in Instructional Leadership from the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. He has been a classroom teacher since 1998, and has taught grades 6-12, while also coaching soccer and lacrosse. Mr. Mirsky grew up in nearby Newton, and now lives in Brighton with his wife Claire and their cat Peter. For fun, all three of them like to cook elaborate meals for themselves and their friends, and watch movies while they eat.
Carolynn Molleur- Hinteregger English Teacher, High School	Ms. Molleur-Hinteregger is the ninth grade English teacher. She was born in Massachusetts and went to college at Yale where she graduated with a degree in English in 2007.
Crystal Nieder Bookkeeper	Ms. Nieder received her B.S. in Economics/Finance from Southern New Hampshire University in 2007 and is in the process of obtaining her Master’s in Accounting at Southern New Hampshire University. She worked as an undergraduate and graduate business tutor for two years while at S.N.H.U. and a GED tutor for one year in Nashua, NH. She worked at Fidelity Investments as a cash and settlements analyst from 2007 until 2010 when she began at MATCH.
Bisi Oyedele Assistant Principal, High School	Mr. Oyedele, a native of Nigeria who grew up in Roxbury, received his formal education training at Boston College where he received a BA in Political Science, an M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction, and is on track to receive his Ed.D in education administration in May 2012. He spent the last 7 years working at Nativity Preparatory School as a teacher as well as principal. Mr. Oyedele will be the assistant principal at MATCH High School.
Jillian Pace Mathematics Teacher, Middle School	Ms. Pace earned her B.S. in Mathematics in 2008 and her Master’s in Education in 2009 from Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Most recently, she worked as a middle school math teacher at Park City Prep Charter School in Bridgeport, CT.
Christie Paul Director of Operations, High School	Ms. Paul received her bachelor's degree from Boston University in May 2006 in Ancient Greek and Latin and Classical Civilization. After being a part of MATCH Corps III, she returned as a member of the MATCH Corps Staff, coordinating the MCAS tutoring program, and has also served as the Director of Alumni Support.
Kyle Quadros Dean of Students, Middle School	Mr. Quadros earned a BA from Providence College, 2008, and a MEd from Arizona State University, 2011. He spent two years working as a teacher in Phoenix while completing his corp commitment with Teach for America. While teaching, he also coached soccer and basketball. In his spare time, Mr. Quadros enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter. He is eager and excited to begin his career with MATCH.
Sara Parr HS Recruitment Manager, Middle School	Ms. Parr graduated from Villanova University in 2010 with a degree in Communication. She grew up in Columbia, Maryland and moved to Boston last year to serve in MATCH Corps VII at the high school. After becoming incredibly attached to her students, she stayed at MATCH and is now a Recruitment Coordinator for the MATCH Corps.
Vatana Phy Assistant to the Principal and Assistant Principal, High School	Mr. Phy has lived in Boston his entire life and graduated from MATCH High School in 2010. He will be attending Fisher College in the fall. Vatana enjoys playing tennis and volleyball.
Christine Ranney English Teacher, Middle School	Ms. Ranney is from Manchester, NH. She attended St. Lawrence University where she majored in English and Philosophy. She also has an M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Christine was a founding member of the MATCH Middle School team.
Mary Ripple Academic Resource Coordinator, High School	Ms. Ripple graduated from Wake Forest University in 2009 with a degree in Sociology and Women and Gender Studies. She was a member of MATCH Corps VI.
Taylor Rhodes U.S. History Teacher, Middle School	Ms. Rhodes grew up in Atlanta, GA and attended the University of Georgia where she majored in History with a focus on American and Classical studies. She comes to MATCH from Houston, TX, where she taught social studies for two years as a Teach for America corps member. She loves being challenged by her students to think about history in new ways.
Elys Rodriguez History Teacher, High School	Elys comes to MATCH after teaching History at Lawrence High School. When she's not watching the History Channel, you can find her reading in the backyard or traveling to interesting places to look at old and historical things and chatting up the locals. Born and raised in Lowell, she graduated from UMass Lowell with Bachelor's degrees in History and English. She lives in Brighton with her fiance and Camber, their Pembroke Welsh Corgi.
Alan Safran President, Tutors Inc.	Mr. Safran has served as the Executive Director of the MATCH School since July, 2002. Prior to MATCH, he served 9 years at the MA Department of Education as Administrator for Public Affairs, Executive Assistant to the Commissioner, Chief of Staff, Deputy Commissioner for Administration and Policy, and Senior Associate Commissioner for Student Achievement. Prior to this, Mr. Safran worked as a lead staff member of the MA Republican State Committee; as an SAT tutor; as an Assistant District Attorney in the Queens, NY District Attorney's office; as a Washington DC lobbyist on tax, environmental and trade matters; and as Spokesman for two committees of the United States Senate-the Senate Arms Control Observer Group (1985) and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (1981-1985). He worked for the International Rescue Committee on the Thai-Cambodian border (1980). He holds a law degree from George Washington University (1987) and a B.A. in Public and International Affairs from Princeton University (1980). Mr. Safran is certified as a Superintendent in MA, and is a member of the Bar in the States of New York and MA. Most recently Alan spent nine years leading the MATCH School as Executive Director.
Joanna Sanborn Director of College Counseling	Ms. Sanborn grew up in Texas and attended the University of Texas at Austin for her undergraduate degree. After spending time as a Corps Member both in Teach For America (Phoenix) and the Peace Corps (Belize), she earned a master’s degree in Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Bess Thaler Science Teacher, High School	After majoring in biology at Wesleyan University and doing ecological research in Connecticut and Scotland, Ms. Thaler returned to her home state of Massachusetts to pursue a career in science education. She has taught in Boston and Cambridge, and she recently completed her Master’s of Education at UMass Boston. She is excited to be here at MATCH surrounded by terrestrial isopods, drosophila, philodendrons, hamsters, and a wonderful community of humans.
Angelene Thompson English Teacher, High School	Ms. Thompson holds a BA from Boston College where she was an English major and a MA in English Lit from Northeastern University. She is currently in her thirteenth year of teaching, and she is looking forward to a fantastic year at MATCH!
Jenna Weber Associate College Counselor / Summer Programs Coordinator	Ms. Weber studied Psychology and Spanish at Colgate University and graduated in 2010. She was a member of MATCH Corps VII, and especially loved coordinating and chaperoning the freshmen and sophomore class trips.
Samantha Weiss English Teacher, Middle School	Ms. Weiss is from Berkeley, CA. She attended Bowdoin College, where she majored in Anthropology. She was a member of MATCH Corps VI and completed the Teacher Residency Program.
Raquel Allah Nurse, Middle School	Mrs. Allah grew up in Lynn, MA. She graduated from UMass Boston with a BA in Psychology and then went on to get her MS in Nursing from MGH Institute of Health Professions. She worked at Childrens Hospital Boston before joining MATCH. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her husband and son, cooking, reading, doing yoga and watching movies.
Marilyn Yorgey Physical Science Teacher, Middle School	Ms. Yorgey is originally from Oregon and moved to Boston last year. She graduated from Goucher College, where she double majored in Dance and Biology. She then went on to graduate from Oregon State with a Masters in Science. In her free time Ms. Yorgey enjoys quilting and sewing, cooking, playing with her cat, working on crossword puzzles, and spending time with family and friends.

MATCH Teacher Residency Faculty and Staff

Stacy Birdsell Director of Training	Stacy received her B.A. in English from Tufts University and her M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education (and a Master’s degree in Library Science from Queens College just for fun). She taught middle school English for nearly a decade in New York and was most recently in the role of founding principal at Democracy Prep Blackstone Valley, a no-excuses middle school in Rhode Island.
Veronica Gentile Executive Assistant to the CEO	Ms. Gentile graduated from Boston College in May of 2008, where she earned a Bachelor's degree in Biology and Italian. She was a member of MATCH Corps V.
Michael Goldstein Founder, MATCH School CEO, MATCH Teacher Residency Program	Mr. Goldstein designed the MATCH School as his senior thesis project at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. He also founded and is now leading the MATCH Teacher Residency program. He serves on the advisory board for the National Council on Teacher Quality, and is a non-resident Senior Fellow at Education Sector, a non-partisan Washington think tank. He's a former journalist, Duke grad, and basketball junkie.
Orin Gutlerner Director, MATCH Teacher Residency Program	Mr. Gutlerner received his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin ('96) and M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education ('01). He entered the teaching profession through Teach for America, and then later went on to direct the Massachusetts Institute for New Teachers and Harvard's Undergraduate Teacher Education Program. He loves coaching and playing basketball and hanging out with his two kids.
Randall Lahann Director of Curriculum and Assessment	Randall is an alumnus of Teach For America who spent five years teaching Special Education in San Jose, CA and Boston. He has worked as a teacher educator for TFA, Teach First (UK version of TFA), and Boston College. He started as a coach for MTR, and transitioned to a full-time role after earning his doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction at Boston College. He's obsessed with the idea that first-year teachers can be truly awesome difference makers and loves the bottom-line efficiency of teacher education at MTR.
Laura Schwedes Director of Coaching	Ms. Schwedes hails from Wilmette, Illinois and Edina, Minnesota.  She attended Princeton University, graduating in 2003 with a degree in history.  Her first job was a fellowship with a Chicago non-profit that provided job training for adjudicated criminal offenders.  In 2004, she was accepted into the first year of the MATCH Corps.  Next, Ms. Schwedes attended a master’s program in the Teaching of Social Studies at Teacher’s College, Columbia.  After graduating from the program, Ms. Schwedes taught fifth and sixth grade social studies at KIPP:STAR College Prep Charter School in Harlem, New York.