SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

One of the best parts of a brand new school year is welcoming new students and families to Nightingale. Equally as delightful, is welcoming our new faculty and staff members into our community. This year, Nightingale has made a conscious shift in language, and our faculty and staff are now referred to as our “professional community.” The former delineation of “faculty and staff” carries with it the possible implication that those who are not in the classroom do not need to be directly involved in our community-wide conversations. Since every adult in the building is an active contributor towards building community and ensuring an inclusive school for our students, it is important that we address all colleagues in the same way. Every adult member at Nightingale is responsible for the care and well-being of our students and for furthering the mission of the school.

Each spring, Associate Head of School Claire du Nouy collaborates with department chairs, division heads, and the HR director to recruit and hire new professional community members. A true partner in these efforts is Johara Sealy. Ms. Sealy's title has changed from Director of Diversity and Equity to Assistant Head of School for Diversity and Equity. This change in title honors the centrality of Ms. Sealy's mission-critical work and also makes more evident her supervisory responsibility over Nightingale's community-wide inclusion efforts.

We are thrilled to introduce you to our newest cohort for the 2021-2022 academic year. Hailing from a variety of backgrounds, our new professional community members bring with them years of classroom and real-world experience, each sharing their own unique perspective and expertise with our students and the school. Please join us in welcoming this wonderful group!

###STEFAN BINDLEY-TAYLOR

English Department

Stefan joins the Nightingale community as an English teacher in the Middle and Upper Schools. Stefan received his bachelor’s degree at Pitzer College and his master’s in education from Harvard Graduate School of Education. Before joining Nightingale, Stefan was the diversity, equity, and inclusion facilitator at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School in Washington, DC where he also taught language arts.

###DANIELLE COGGIN

Science Department

Danielle Coggin joins Nightingale as a Middle School science teacher. Danielle received a BS from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in plant biology and an MS in education from SUNY New Paltz. She has worked as a science/STEAM educator in New York City for over a decade and collaborated with several organizations such as the Cary Institute, Black Rock Forest Consortium, Gowanus Conservancy, and the Billion Oyster Project to deepen her student’s curricular experiences.

###ALEJANDRO COTE

Music Department

Alejandro joins the Nightingale community as a music/guitar teacher in Middle and Upper Schools. Originally from Curaçao, Alejandro began studying guitar at age 11 and moved to the United States to further pursue his passion for music. He received a bachelor of music at the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University and a master of music at Manhattan School of Music. With 20 years experience teaching, Alejandro has been a longtime faculty member of the Bloomingdale School of Music and has held various teaching positions at community schools and public schools in New York City. Additionally, he held a position as adjunct professor in guitar at Emory University in Atlanta.

###STEPHANIE CROOKS

Classics Department

After serving as a leave-replacement for the classics and English departments last year, Stephanie returns to Nightingale as a full-time Latin teacher in the Middle and Upper Schools. She holds a BA in classical studies from the University of Pennsylvania, a MA in classics from Villanova University, and a PhD in classics from New York University.

###COLLEEN C. DEALY

Office of Institutional Advancement

Colleen joins the Nightingale community as the director of major gifts. With more than two decades of experience in fundraising for non-profit and for profit institutions, she previously worked at an all-boys’ boarding school, where she was the director of major gifts. She also ran a dorm, which was home to as many as 46 students. Before becoming a full-time fundraiser, she co-hosted a nationally syndicated radio talk show.

###LADANE DU BOULAY

French Department

Ladane joins Nightingale as a French teacher. Previously, Ladane worked at The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, NY, where she taught all levels of French for ten years and developed and implemented new curriculum, including capstone projects, coached tennis, and advised the French Club. Prior to that position, Ladane worked in IT/Telecommunications for Verizon. She completed her BA in Human Resources at L' Institut Supérieur de Gestion in Tunis, Tunisia, her master’s in network management at L'institut National des Télécommunications in Paris, France, and her MEd at Pace University.

###EMILY EFFREN

Communications Department

Emily joins the Nightingale community as the Communications Associate. After graduating with a BA in journalism and a BA in electronic media & communications from Texas Tech University, she went on to work for a local health and fitness publication based out of Austin, Texas.

###MICKEY FIELD '14

Faculty Fellow

After graduating from Nightingale in 2014, Mickey attended Wheaton College where he graduated with a BA in psychology. Prior to returning to Nightingale, Mickey spent the last three years working with children who have autism in school and home settings in Portland, ME and Brookline, MA.

###PHYLLIS HEITJAN

Library Department

Phyllis joins the Nightingale community as the library associate. She is in her final semester of the MLIS program at Queens College. In her undergraduate career at Princeton, she majored in Spanish and Portuguese languages and cultures and minored in translation and Latin American studies. During the previous five years, she provided education support to middle school through college aged students and contributed to departmental training, equity, and program development efforts at one of New York City’s oldest foster care service organizations.

###KAT HICKEY

Physical Education Department

Kat returns to Nightingale this fall as a leave-replacement in the physical education department. She joined the Nightingale community in January 2020 and also works as one of the varsity soccer and softball coaches. Coming from a personal training background, some of her certifications include youth fitness, pre/postnatal, and sports-specific training.

###CASSANDRA HILAND

English Department

A native New Yorker, Cassandra attended Brearley for 13 years, graduating with her BA from William’s College and her master’s in English literature from the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College. She joins the Nightingale community as a Middle and Upper School English teacher. After a teaching internship at an international school in Caracas, Venezuela, she taught at Riverdale Country School, St. Anne's Belfield School in Charlottesville, VA, Dana Hall in Wellesley, MA, and North Shore Country Day School in Winnetka, IL, where she was also English department head. Since moving back to New York CIty, she has taught at Collegiate and Brearley.

###ASHLEY HOBAN

Computer Science Department

Ashley joins the Nightingale community as the Middle School computer science teacher and technology integrator. She comes to us from Leman Manhattan Prep School where she was a Middle School technology teacher and integrator. A native of Pittsburgh, she was an elementary school classroom teacher there for nine years. Ashley received her BS in elementary and early childhood education with an emphasis in mathematics and science at Grove City College and her MS in instructional technology from Duquesne University.

###DEANNA IOVINE

Science Department

A graduate of Seton Hall University with a degree in biology and secondary education and a certificate of informational technologies, Deanna joins Nightingale as a Middle School science teacher and lab technician. She is currently enrolled in a master of education in school leadership degree at St. John's University. Prior to Nightingale, Deanna has taught biology, chemistry, and anatomy to Middle and Upper School students at Xavier High School and the Spence School.

###CAMILLE JONES

Math Department

Camille joins the Nightingale community as a Middle and Upper School math teacher. After receiving her BA from the University of Rhode Island in mathematics and French and secondary education, she went on to pursue her MA in French from New York University. She has taught in both the Middle and Upper School at Poly Prep for the last four years.

###STELLA LIBERMAN

Lower School Groups Teacher

Stella joins the Nightingale community as a groups teacher in Classes III and IV. She graduated from Bank Street College of Education with a master’s in the science of education. Since then she has taught 2nd grade in Brooklyn, 5th grade in Manhattan, and most recently 3rd grade for three years on the Upper West Side.

###LUCY LOBBAN-BEAN

Lower School Reading Specialist

A native New Yorker, Lucy attended Village Community School, Trinity, and Barnard. She received her master’s from Hunter College in childhood general and special education with a focus in learning disabilities. She has worked at a number of independent schools in New York City, including Village Community School, LREI, St. Luke's, and the Gateway School. In addition, Lucy has worked for a decade as a private tutor, helping students understand themselves as learners and giving them the tools they need to become self-advocates within the classroom.

###LISA NERO

Human Resources Department

Lisa joins the Nightingale community as the director of human resources with over 23 years of experience in developing and implementing the human resources function throughout many organizations, both in the non-profit and for profit sectors. Prior to Nightingale, she spent the last 11 years building and creating a formal human resources department at the King School, in Stamford, CT. She holds a BS in psychology from and a master’s degree in education specializing in counseling and personnel services, both from Fordham University. She is also a certified Worksite Wellness Program Manager from the National Wellness Institute.

###SARAH NÍ MHÁIRTÍN

Counseling Department

A native of Ireland, Sarah grew up speaking fluent Irish-Gaelic. She received a BA in psychology at University College Dublin, a master’s in ethnic relations, cultural diversity and integration, with a focus on social psychology at the University of Helsinki, and a master’s in school counseling at St. John’s University. She has worked as a TEFL teacher in Cambodia, Mongolia, and Hong Kong, as a cohort coordinator for the social justice scholarship program at St. John’s, and interned at IS 10 Horace Greeley in Astoria and at the International High School Union Square. Sarah joins the Nightingale community as a leave-replacement for our Middle School counselor this fall.

###ARJAN PEROVIC

Physical Education Department

Arjan joins the Nightingale community as a physical education teacher. Arjan is the founder of The City Basketball, a non-profit organization to benefit inner city youth promoting excellence in academics and basketball. Prior to Nightingale, he taught at Success Academy High School and LREI. He received his BA in sports management and business management from Adelphi University.

###EMELEE PINEDA

Lower School Groups Teacher

After spending the last year at Nightingale as a faculty fellow, Emelee joins the Nightingale community this year as a Lower School groups teacher. Emelee received her BA in psychology from Pitzer College and has worked in a number of educational settings, such as the Ontario-Montclair School District and the Oliver Scholars Program.

###MARTHA ST. JEAN

Associate Head of Middle School

Martha joins the Nightingale community as the associate head of Middle School. Prior to joining Nightingale, she worked as a Special Educator within the New York City Department of Education, with a focus on inclusive practices and developing culturally relevant and responsive curricula. She has also worked as a Senior Program Manager, for a national non-profit focused on college and career readiness, utilizing the power of mentoring. She holds a master’s in educational leadership from Bank Street College of Education and a master’s in secondary inclusive education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She also holds a MS in journalism from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and a BS in communication studies from New York University.

###DAPHNE SELLIN '16

Kindergarten Associate

After graduating from Nightingale in 2016, Daphne attended George Washington University in Washington, DC, where she majored in sociology and double minored in psychology and communication. Last year, Daphne served as a faculty fellow at Nightingale and returns this year as a Kindergarten associate.

###NIA SMITH

Office of Institutional Advancement

A native of Brooklyn, Nia joins the Nightingale community as the manager of advancement services. She brings with her a decade of non-profit experience, after transitioning from media. Nia received a BA in media and English language arts from Hunter College and is currently finishing her MS in arts administration at Drexel University.

###SAMANTHA C. SPIRIDELLIS

Music Department

A native New Yorker, Samantha received her BA in piano studies from Ohio Wesleyan University. Starting locally in Harlem and traveling internationally to teach music in Hanoi, Vietnam, Samantha returned in 2016 with the desire to study more, ultimately receiving her MA from NYU Steinhardt, with a focus on alternative music education practices and participatory music. Samantha will be teaching Lower School music.

###PAUL WEAVER

Science Department

Paul joins the Nightingale community as a Lower School science teacher. Prior to teaching, he owned and operated a record store called Disc Connection for about 4 years in his hometown of Midland, Michigan. He received his bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Eastern Michigan University. With over 20 years of teaching experience, Paul has taught science throughout the country in New York City, St. Paul, Miami, and Ann Arbor.

###KRISTIN WEBSTER

Classics Department

Kristin joins the Nightingale community as a Latin teacher in the Middle and Upper Schools. She has been teaching Latin for the past fourteen years to students of all ages, from elementary to undergraduate, including at the Marymount School of New York, the Berkeley-Carroll School, and the Springside School for Girls. In addition to receiving her BA from Bucknell University and her MA from Columbia University, she also studied classics at King’s College London. Kristin comes from Saint Andrew’s Episcopal School, where she taught Upper School Latin, served as a technology integrator, and created the schedule master for the school.