We're pleased to introduce a number of new faculty and staff members across divisions and departments. Welcome to Calhoun!

Administration/All School

Celeste Herrera, Head of School, previously served as the assistant head of school at The Dalton School. During her tenure at Dalton, Celeste also held positions as the assistant head for academics, high school director, and director of college counseling. She earned a dual degree in English and anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and she holds an M.S. Ed. in psychological services from the University of Pennsylvania.

Lindsay Sisson, Dean of Enrollment Management, joins Calhoun after more than a decade leading enrollment and operations teams in higher education and preschool-12th grade independent schools. Most recently, she served as the director of enrollment management at Roland Park Country School in Baltimore, Maryland. Lindsay holds advanced degrees in both business administration and couple and family therapy. Prior to joining Roland Park Country School in 2017, she worked as a couple and family therapist in Chicago, Illinois.

Alison Herold, Director of Technology, will be starting at Calhoun on September 9. She was most recently the director of technology and student data at Bristol Public Schools in Connecticut, where she supported over 8,000 students in 14 buildings. Alison is a strong advocate for integrating technology into teaching and learning. She believes that technology can empower students to become active, engaged learners and provide educators with valuable tools to personalize instruction. In her personal time, she enjoys cooking, running, and spending time traveling with her family.
 

Penny Walsh, Development Associate, previously worked in social media and public relations. Penny attended Loyola University Chicago, and graduated in 2020 with a BA in English and marketing. She also served as a founding executive council member of her sorority, Kappa Delta! Penny enjoys reading, needlepointing, and traveling. She looks back on her time in school fondly, as it is where she made lifelong friends.
 

 

Mark Ng is Calhoun's new Assistant Business Manager. Mark comes to Calhoun from a professional background in banking. Outside of work, he is a photography, computer and sneaker/streetwear enthusiast.

Chef Jose Roman is the Interim Director of Food Services. He has been at Calhoun for 22 years, since the early days of our innovative lunch program under Chef Bobo. He has served in almost every role in the kitchen, including Chef de Cuisine. 

Lower School

Kamille Acevedo Davis is excited to join the Calhoun community as the Lower School Counselor. She graduated from Princeton University with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, from Columbia University with a master’s degree in social work, and from the CUNY School of Professional Studies with a master’s degree in youth studies. Kamille began her career as a counselor at various alternative high schools in Brooklyn. This work laid the foundation for her passion in both trauma-informed practices and supporting/incorporating student voice. More recently, Kamille worked as the school counselor at Metropolitan Montessori School. Outside of working with young people, her interests include singing, traveling, volunteer work, and petting all the dogs she encounters in the city. 

Alyssa Talamo is excited to join the Calhoun community as our Lower School Learning Support Coordinator. Born and raised in New York, Alyssa graduated from Hunter College with a master's degree in TESOL education and has been working as a literacy interventionist for over eight years. She is passionate about supporting young learners on their academic and social-emotional journeys to become confident, intellectually curious community members. When she is not teaching, you can usually find Alyssa cuddling with her two cats or quilting blankets on her sewing machine.

Erika Brinzac is delighted to return to Calhoun as the K-4 STEAM/Science Teacher. She is passionate about hands-on learning and continuously strives to create enriching classroom environments accessible to all children. After graduating from Calhoun, she earned her BA, MSEd, and certification in general and special elementary education from Wellesley College and Bank Street, and she now has over a decade of experience in teaching. Outside of school, Erika loves to sing, walk around the reservoir, and try out new restaurants with her family.

Grace Lee, who brings valuable experience from her Elementary Montessori education background, will join our student support team as a Lower School Learning Specialist. Additionally, Gabriella Montes has not only completed but excelled in Calhoun's Associate Teacher program, demonstrating exceptional dedication and skill. She will continue to be a part of our community this year, stepping into her new role as a Lower School Lead Teacher.

Middle School

Sabrina Jen joins the Middle School team as our 5th Grade Humanities teacher. Sabrina attended Fordham University, where she earned her BA in new media and digital design and her master’s in ethics and society. She previously taught at The Dalton School and brings experience in constructing dynamic curricula and creating equity and belonging programming. Sabrina’s passions include working on social justice/equity advocacy projects. This summer, she collaborated with other Humanity in Action fellows on a documentary film project about reproductive laws around the world! 

Jilian Ohikuare joins the community as a Mandarin teacher this year. Jilian holds a BA in Chinese language and literature (with a minor in Japanese) from Middlebury College. Jilian most recently taught at The Chapin School, where she was also a badminton coach and a speech/debate coach. She also works with Prep for Prep to create interactive Mandarin materials for students. Jilian’s interests include rock climbing, board games and baking! 

Victor Diaz joins the Middle School team as our 6th grade Humanities teacher this fall. Victor earned his BA in English (with a minor in history) from Queens College, and is pursuing an MA in educational policy and leadership at the University of Albany. He joins us from Winston Prep and taught humanities at Grace Church School before that. Victor is a Mellon Mays Fellow and enjoys hiking, traveling and photography!

Zhangguyi Dong joins the community as a Mandarin teacher. Zhangguyi earned a BA in teaching Chinese as a foreign language from Beijing International Studies University, and an MA in East Asian languages and cultures from Rutgers University. Zhangguyi has worked with elementary students, as well as college students, and most recently taught at Bergen Catholic High School. Zhangguyi plays the French horn and is a certified yoga instructor!

Chete Enunwe, LMSW joins us as our new Middle School Counselor. Chete holds a BS in applied psychology from New York University with a specialization in child and adolescent development and a Master of Social Work with a specialization in child welfare from UCLA. Chete brings a wealth of experience and expertise from her work in both educational and nonprofit sectors. She supports young people in individual and group settings as a psychotherapist and most recently worked with the Henry Street Settlement as a community school social worker and liaison. 

We’re thrilled that Muna Atwa and Liz Mavis will be making the shift to Middle School along with the 5th graders! Muna will teach 5th grade math and science, and Liz will be an additional MS Learning Support Coordinator and our 5th Grade Dean. Also, Molly Cohen will extend her role as a Math Coordinator working with grades 5 & 6 in addition to Lower School this year.

Upper School 

Maeve Vitale will be teaching 10th-grade Modern World History and 11th-grade US History at Calhoun. Maeve is a graduate of Wesleyan University where she received a BA in history. She taught at independent schools in New Jersey and Connecticut before recently earning her MA in teaching social studies from Teachers College at Columbia University. Maeve grew up in Georgia and lived in Connecticut before relocating to New York. She played basketball in college, and is a big sports fan.

Jeanah Hong joins us to teach 9th-grade Active Physics. Jeanah was recently the director of the makerspace and STEM integrator, science teacher, chair of the science department, and DEI coordinator for the middle school at Rodeph Sholom School. Born and raised in Michigan, Jeanah earned her master's of education in science education from Teachers College at Columbia University, and has both a BS in biology and an MBA from the University of Michigan. In her spare time, Jeanah loves travel, exercise, teaching yoga, singing, and her position as an advisory board member for a new Korean heritage camp in New York called Camp Naru.

Performing Arts

Will Lacker is joining us this year to direct our Upper School play, Middle School musical (new offering), and Upper School musical. Will is a director, playwright, and professor who has called NYC home for the last 20 years. His work has been seen at venues such as New World Stages, Symphony Space, The Flea, NYC Fringe, and regional theaters around the world. Will holds a BA from Marymount Manhattan College, an MFA from Queens College, and is an Upright Citizens Brigade Improv School graduate. In addition to his theater work, Will teaches English and creative writing at Queens College. Having previously worked as an after school teacher at Calhoun, Will is thrilled to return to the community as the Upper/Middle School Theater Director.