Our Team

Paula Fleshman brings over 20 years combined experience in instruction, supervision, and education/youth development research and evaluation. She has enjoyed teaching elementary and secondary mathematics curriculum and methods courses for general and special education pre- and in-service teachers at Hunter College and Brooklyn College. She has supervised pre-service elementary and secondary teachers in mathematics at various public schools throughout New York City. She has had the privilege of supporting student interns as they prepare to enter the classroom, new teachers as they gain their footing in their first years, and veteran teachers developing and redefining their craft. These experiences have given her a nuanced perspective on teacher preparation, needs, and support from K-12, especially around inquiry-based and student-centered instruction in mathematics. She enjoys helping teachers to develop a mathematical mindset for themselves and with their students to allow all classroom members to enjoy and successfully engage in mathematics. Dr. Fleshman also provides job-imbedded coaching for mathematics teachers and teams, and professional development on STEM problem-based learning and numeracy integration to schools and educational leadership organizations.

Jessica Chen has worked as a science and STEAM educator at the elementary, secondary,
and graduate levels. Her focuses include providing science professional development, developing
STEM/STEAM programs in schools, and promoting equity, diversity, and social justice in
science education in urban spaces. Along with her consultancy work, she currently is an
Assistant Adjunct Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, Queens College, and
Lehman College. She teaches science methods courses for elementary and secondary pre-service
and in-service teachers, preparing them to teach science to diverse student groups in underserved
communities. Previously, she was a secondary science teacher for eight years and taught
chemistry in both public and private high schools in New York City. As a chemistry teacher, she
utilized the flipped classroom to address the learning needs of her diverse students.

Brigid Dunn designs innovative educational experiences that expand the way both students and teachers think, learn, and grow. Her career in public education has spanned working inside and outside the classroom as a teacher, coach, curriculum writer, and consultant. Brigid’s approach to curriculum design invites adults and young people alike to explore their own ideas and make meaning of them through storytelling and connection. Her work emphasizes culturally responsive and inquiry-based pedagogical approaches as key to facilitating learning that is empowering and most importantly, joyful.

Laura Rigolosi has taught English at the middle school, high school, college and graduate school level and continues to find joy in teaching and learning! She began her teaching career nearly twenty years ago, and is passionate about finding ways to help students access texts at all levels. She has facilitated workshops nationwide on content- area literacy, and approaches to teaching reading and writing to heterogeneously-grouped secondary students. Laura loves working with schools on how to increase student participation and engagement, and looks forward to continuing her work this year!

Mallory brings a passion for designing and teaching inquiry-based science in both elementary and middle school contexts.  With 12 years of classroom experience, Mallory strives to center students’ innate curiosity and make science culturally relevant, hands-on, meaningful and fun.  She believes that when students grapple with puzzling scientific phenomena and construct their own understanding, they become better equipped to make sense of and critically engage with the world around them. As head of the science department and new teacher mentor, Mallory supported teachers in growing their instructional practice and developing NGSS-aligned, collaborative, student-centered learning experiences that use the Universal Design for Learning framework.

Rob Menken taught social studies and English. He founded two schools, the second of which, The New York City Lab School for Collaborative Studies, he served as principal for twenty years.  His many years of experience provided him ample opportunity to develop skills in the areas of developing leadership capacity, collaborative teaming, and instructional focus. Menken feels most strongly about helping principals come to the realization that quality instruction is the goal; test scores will follow that achievement.

Coaching work in Louisiana and Detroit, as well as in multiple schools in New York City, have provided Menken with multiple perspectives on how to be sensitive to schools’ and leaders’ needs.

Sheila Breslaw has been a school coach since 2006. She was an English teacher, reading teacher and the founding and co-principal of New York City Lab School for Collaborative Studies, where she led for twenty years. Breslaw also worked with new and upcoming principals in both new and already established schools during her time with the Office of New Schools in New York City’s Department of Education. Breslaw’s areas of expertise include developing school leadership, curricula and pedagogy.

Having coached in Baton Rouge, Point Coupee, Detroit, and New York’s five boroughs has provided Breslaw with a variety of approaches to draw from.

Tanya Wiggins has over 25 years of experience as an educator, focused on supporting equitable opportunities and outcomes for historically underserved and/or marginalized youth through middle school instruction and nonprofit leadership. Through her work providing professional development to schools across New York City, she has supported teachers in a wide range of areas, from integrating technology to culturally responsive pedagogy. In higher education, Tanya is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Foundations and Adolescent Education in the School of Education at Pace University, where she works to make teaching candidates aware of the inequities in the system, and their role in promoting social justice. Her writing is featured in Afterschool Matters, The SAGE Handbook of Youth Work Practice, and she has a chapter in the book, At Our Best: Building Youth-Adult Partnerships in Out-of-School Time Settings. Tanya’s research seeks to bridge the worlds of research and practice by exploring the triumphs of community-based youth organizations as well as challenges they face. In this work, she also examines the role of these organizations as educational spaces.

Usha Kotelawala focuses on working with teachers to motivate recognition of nonroutine problem solving alongside the essential variations of logic and algorithmic fluencies.  She has become dedicated to raising teacher’s recognition and tools for improving student mathematical thinking in productive and positive classrooms.

In 1993 Usha began her career as a high school mathematics teacher in Seattle and then for New York City.  She worked and trained under Lucy West as a lead mathematics coach beginning in 2003 in Region 9.  She received her doctorate in mathematics education from Columbia University in 2007.  She taught elementary and secondary math teachers at Fordham while also serving as a principal investigator for an NSF Noyce grant.  Recently, she was selected by CUNY to write the LINCT curriculum for struggling 12th grade students through a grant funded by New York State entitled the Transition Course Initiative.  This curriculum along with her 10-day professional development sequence is currently used by over 80 high schools.  She also edited and provided professional development for the Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications.

Her research has focused on attitudes toward proving, mathematical modeling, teacher collaboration, and lesson study.  She has had the opportunity to share her work at both national and international mathematics education conferences.

She currently directs the Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival’s Math On the Border program in NYC and works as an educational consultant with high need schools.  She also continues professional development for teachers and adult educators.

Stephen is a passionate, veteran leader in STEM and maker education who has established over 100 STEM makerspaces in public and private schools nationwide. Stephen is a father, former inner-city public school teacher, veteran, activist and champion of student-centered, hands-on learning that fosters joyful, autonomous, and inventive lifelong learners at the earliest ages. Stephen and his son, Ben, started MakerState to bring fun STEAM (science, tech, engineering, arts, math) building and learning projects in robotics, coding, game design and more to all kids, schools and communities. Stephen is a founding board member of the Urban Assembly Maker Academy, a founder of the Carnegie Learning Center, a founding teacher and dean of Bronx Collegiate – a public school based in Outward Bound experiential learning – and a founding board member of the volunteer network, UlsterCorps. Stephen enjoys historical fiction writing, game design, geocaching, hiking, biking around NYC, and creativity of all kinds, especially if it’s with Ben and his partner, Laura.

Jami Craig has over 20 years of experience as an elementary school teacher, literacy coach, and administrator. She began her career as a special education teacher, where she learned to see every challenge as an opportunity to be creative, and to reimagine the ordinary. As an instructional coach, she has supported the growth of teachers and schoolwide systems that are self-sustaining and rooted in the true needs of the students and school communities they serve. As a founding administrator of the Brooklyn Urban Garden School, Jami developed sustainable systems for creating instructional and leadership teams, developing curriculum, and supporting diverse learners. Jami also has a passion for literacy education and is also a trained Orton Gillingham reading specialist.

Abeda is an educator with over 25 years of experience in teaching, mentoring, and educational leadership. Recognized throughout her career for her commitment to hands-on learning and in-depth knowledge of educational standards, including the Common Core, she has achieved exceptional outcomes, including consistently high passing rates on the Biology Regents Examination and commendations as a highly effective teacher by the New York City Department of Education. 

An expert in curriculum design, student assessment, and content training, Abeda excels at creating engaging learning environments and managing classrooms effectively. Her impact extends beyond the classroom; as a department chair, she provided professional development to teachers across various departments and trained thousands as a UFT Teacher Center Facilitator. In this role, she delivered citywide professional development workshops and has been a seasoned facilitator at the Middle College National Conference’s Summer Professional Development since 2007.

With over a decade of school leadership experience, primarily leading school turnaround as a New York City Principal, Liz Rawlins is a social justice advocate with a deep commitment to student and teacher success. Liz’s background as a K-5 teacher has profoundly influenced her approach to school transformation, often prioritizing the integration of literacy instruction across all content areas as a means to boosting the overall reading capacity, confidence and voice of the student body, as well as the school’s academic achievement results. Passionate about working side-by-side with teachers and leaders, Liz employs a blend of innovative curriculum design, targeted coaching, and comprehensive professional development to ensure the best outcomes for all stakeholders. She firmly believes that a high-quality learning experience should serve to both affirm and transform students, and she endeavors to cultivate this experience for every student and teacher she engages with.

Gerald Ardito has been working in Education for over three decades. His experience includes adult education, adolescent Biology, and most recently higher education. He is the Assistant Chair and Assistant Professor of STEM-D Education at Pace University’s School of Education. His research interests include the development of self-directed, technology-enhanced learning environments.

Paula McMillan-Perez is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Psychotherapist, Social Work Systems & Workflow Strategist, and Host of the “Why Don’t We Talk About This?” Podcast. She was raised and currently resides in the Bronx, NY. Paula received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Mt. Saint Mary College as a dual Psychology and Human Service major. She is also a graduate of Adelphi University earning a Master of Social Work degree. In addition, also obtained certification in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). She has a diverse area of expertise serving all ages for over 10+ years. Though she has varied experience in the areas of child welfare, forensic social work, and school social work she specializes in Anxiety, ADHD, and trauma-informed care.

During her work in the many communities in New York City, she saw a gap that needed to be filled.  Creating equitable access to supportive coaching services in communities of color in founding Personalize Your Coaching, LLC (PYC.) PYC partners with emerging educators and mental health professionals. She and her team work to support growth using a mental wellness lens.

Denise Mahfood originates from Kingston, Jamaica and has always been curious about how the world works.  Her teaching experiences are strongly engrained in the sciences and education, which spans over an 18 year period. She continued on a science track from her studies at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad, and New York University in NYC where she earned Master’s Degrees.  After teaching in the NYC public schools for 8 years, she went on to do her doctoral studies at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Her educational philosophy seeks to enhance science curriculum and science teaching methods, which involves developing engaging lessons to motivate student learning by building confidence and exploring with them what they know, how they learn and the value of scientific knowledge.  Currently, she is a full-time lecturer at Teachers College, Columbia University, and she continues her work in STEM education by working with teachers and students in New York City and New Jersey doing professional development.

Molly is an enthusiastic lover of mathematics, problem solving, mathematical games, and all things teaching and learning. She has been working as an instructional coach in NYC Public Schools since 2018 and is currently working toward earning a PhD in Mathematics Education from Teachers College at Columbia University. Molly has extensive experience teaching mathematics at a secondary level, developing inquiry-based curriculum, leading math departments in instructional work, collecting and analyzing student data, supporting teachers to improve mathematics instruction, and supporting school administrators to develop a vision for mathematics learning in secondary schools. Molly believes that mathematics can and should be taught in a way that fosters interest, confidence, excitement, and moments of insight and that anyone can enjoy and succeed at mathematics. She is committed to working towards greater equity in educational experiences and outcomes for students in public education and believes that all students should have opportunities to do engaging, meaningful, and rigorous mathematics.

Leah Tillman began her career with the NYC Department of Education as a Lab Specialist in a middle school and twenty years of teaching biology at the high school level. For almost ten years, she worked at Walton High School as the Assistant Principal, supervising a large science department. Leah’s NYCDOE tenure culminated in becoming a middle school principal for the now defunct Chancellors District where she utilized best instructional practices in two “failing” schools. All of her experiences have been working with Bronx teachers and inner-city students to make learning accessible. After retirement, Leah continued her educational endeavors through several partnerships that Fordham University had with the NYCDOE. She looks forward to continuing working with science teachers in their own classrooms.

Carolyn is an early literacy expert who works with preschool and elementary educators, families, and children to improve reading outcomes. She taught first grade in Los Angeles and Compton, California for 8 years before becoming a Reading Specialist in New York City. She is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor at NYU, instructional media developer, and speaker.

Kiah Johnson is a Master’s student at Teachers College, Columbia University and is studying developmental psychology with a focus in children’s media. In addition to her current studies, she holds a B.A. in English and Political Science from Tulane University and a M.Ed. in Elementary Education from Delta State University. Before coming to New York, Kiah lived in Atlanta, Georgia; New Orleans, Louisiana; Clarksdale, Mississippi; Accra, Ghana; and Washington, DC, and has used her skills as an educator and professional development coach to make a unique contribution to each setting. Kiah’s areas of expertise include curriculum development, data analysis, unit and lesson planning, literacy strategies, classroom culture, character development, differentiation, and culturally-relevant pedagogy.

Joshua Cabat is Director of English Teacher Education at Stony Brook University. Prior to his appointment at SUNY, he taught English and Film Studies at Roslyn High School in Roslyn, New York and began his teaching career in the New York City Public School System teaching high school English. Joshua is a founding member of both the Folger Shakespeare Library National Teacher Corps and the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Education Advisory Panel, and for nine years was the Teaching Artist for the Young Film Critics program at BAM.  In addition he is currently serving on the Secondary Steering Committee of the National Council of Teachers of English. He was the co-founder of the New York City Student Shakespeare Festival, and has been awarded three fellowships by the National Endowment for the Humanities. He has been a featured speaker at several national conferences, and has published many articles on Shakespeare and Film in publications such as the English Journal. He earned an MA from the University of Chicago and a BA from Columbia University.

Sarah Creider is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Multilingual Multicultural Studies at New York University. With an EdD in Applied Linguistics from Teachers College, Columbia University, Sarah specializes in preparing teachers for multilingual classrooms in urban settings and has supervised pre- and in-service ESL and bilingual teachers at NYU, Teachers College, and Hunter College. Sarah is particularly interested in developing teacher skills for content-based language instruction, working with SIFE students, teacher-student interaction in multilingual settings, and teaching in multi-level classes. She also offers courses and coaching in second-language pedagogy for adult students with limited first language literacy. As a researcher, Sarah uses conversation analysis to look at talk, gesture, and body position in educational environments, asking how close analyses of interaction can inform teachers’ moment-by-moment choices in the complex world of a classroom.

Her work has been published in the Journal of Contemporary Foreign Language Studies; Learning, Culture, & Social Interaction; Discourse Studies; Language and Information Society; the Journal of Applied Linguistics and Professional Practice; and Working Papers in TESOL & Applied Linguistics. She was co-chair of the first and fourth annual meetings of the Language and Social Interaction Working Group (LANSI) at Teaches College, Columbia University.

Deirdre Hollman is an avid educator with over twenty years of experience engaging youth and teachers in the study of black history, art, and culture. She served as Director of Education and Exhibitions at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture for fifteen years where she engaged teachers and learners of all ages with the Schomburg’s collections through year-round programming for youth and teens; professional development workshops for teachers; school day programs for K-12 students; and curriculum development partnerships with schools and community organizations. A graduate of Princeton University with a bachelor’s degree in art history, Deirdre earned her master’s degree from Bank Street College in museum education and ed leadership. She earned an EdM in social studies at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she is now pursuing a PhD. Her research interests include historical and racial literacy, community education, critical and visual literacy, transmedia literacies of comics and graphic novels, youth identity development, artivism, speculative civics and afrofuturism in education.

Abby C. Emerson is an Assistant Professor in Elementary Special Education at Providence College.

Dr. Emerson’s work considers the possibilities and tensions when teachers learn about race in school settings. Her interests include: antiracist and abolitionist education, teacher education, critical whiteness, professional development, curriculum, and restorative justice. Dr. Emerson also engages in work related to critical race parenting and arts-based methods.

After nearly 15 years teaching in New York City at the elementary and higher education levels, Abby received her education doctorate (EdD) in 2023 from the Curriculum & Teaching department at Teachers College, Columbia University.

She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her partner and three children.

María Luisa García Underwood has over 30 years of education experience, having worked as a teacher, instructional coach, staff developer, and program/district administrator. María previously worked in the New York City Department of Education Central Offices, and as Director of the Multicultural Education Center, María oversaw the development and oversight of diversity education. She currently works with K-12 educators on literacy, second language acquisition, student engagement, rigorous instruction, and standards alignment.

María’s motivation for coaching stems from her desire to enhance teachers’ pedagogical competencies. She has designed a culturally responsive curriculum that enables K-12 teachers to integrate anti-racist pedagogy and social justice principles into literacy instruction. María’s dedication to professional growth is clear in her role as a Head Start program reviewer across the US, including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. She has presented at national conferences for the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), ASCD, and NABE. María has contributed to recent papers in the Chief Learning Officer and Urban Perspectives journals, and  NCTE/Routledge Publishing will publish Practicing Civic Futures Through Teacher/Adult Learning in late 2024, and she is preparing a chapter for inclusion.

María’s academic trajectory shows her commitment to study and professional development. Her degrees include a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Fairleigh Dickinson University, a Master of Science in Education in Learning Sciences from the University of Pennsylvania, an Education Master in Reading and Bilingual Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Master of Arts in Special Education with a specialization in Learning Disabilities, also from Teachers College. As a doctoral candidate at the University of Pennsylvania, María pursues her passion for anti-racist pedagogy and learning design in teacher training programs. Besides academics, María enjoys dancing, traveling, and family activities.