Faculty

Born and raised in Queens, Alicia Santiago received her B.A. in American Studies with a concentration in Latino Studies from Williams College. Ms. Santiago pursued a career in teaching because of summers during college as the TA for an adolescent enrichment program. She joined the New Visions-Hunter College Urban Teacher Residency earning her M.S. in Special Education in 2011. In her free time she enjoys reading, cooking, and traveling. She loves the performing arts, having previously been on a step team and Latin dance team, and continues to take a variety of dance classes. At ACTvF Ms. Santiago teaches mathematics.

Andrew Lassman received a B.A. in Theater from Rider College in New Jersey. To pay for his classes, he worked in the school’s theater as a stage technician. After graduating from Rider, Mr. Lassman moved to NYC and tried to start a career in modern dance. When this proved unsuccessful, he went on to work as an apprentice in a scenery building shop and a prop maker at the New York Shakespeare Festival. This brief stint in theater led Mr. Lassman to the television and film business where he spent twenty years as a union prop master. His work ranged from music videos, industrials and commercials to feature films and television shows. At ACTvF, Mr. Lassman teaches production classes.

Ariel Lindorff received her B.S. in Mathematics Education from Temple University after engaging in intensive physics and math coursework at Oxford University. She previously taught at a detention center, a middle school, and Brooklyn Preparatory High School. She has also taught SAT prep courses for The Princeton Review, weekend classes in Mandarin and Hebrew, and coached physical activity sessions for autistic young adults. Her free time is occupied by boxing training, playing guitar and piano, and writing poetry and prose. Ariel currently teaches mathematics and Mandarin.

Cary Riina grew up in Brooklyn, NY. Mr. Riina received his B.A. in Mathematics and Physics from Rice University. Recently, Mr. Riina graduated from the New Vision's Urban Teacher Residency Program and earned an M.A. in Adolescent Mathematics Education from Hunter College. Mr. Riina is also an Early Career Fellow at Math for America, an organization devoted to improving the quality of mathematics education throughout the country. At ACTvF, Mr. Riina teaches mathematics!

Charles Healy received his bachelor's degree in Physical Education from Cortland State and his master's degree from Mt. St. Vincent. For fifteen years he taught middle school physical education before coming to ACTvF to teach and oversee the development of a competitive sports program. Mr. Healy has experience coaching girls and boys basketball, soccer, baseball, softball and volleyball.

Chris McLaughlin holds a B.F.A in Theatre Arts from the University of Connecticut, a M.A. in Radio, TV & Film from the New York Institute of Technology, and a M.A. in Storytelling from the Graduate Institute. Previously, Mr. McLaughlin has worked teaching video production in public schools, constructing sets, props and puppets for the Connecticut Repertory Theatre, and producing independent films. Mr. McLaughlin teaches production classes at ACTVF.

Clayton Dowty pursued her graduate studies at New York University and is certified in both English and Theater Education. For seven years prior to beginning her career in teaching, Ms. Dowty worked as an actress and went to Drama school in London. Ms. Dowty has traveled extensively throughout her life, having lived in Kenya, Malaysia, France, and England among other places. She has taught at private schools, charter schools and public schools and currently teachers humanities and acting at ACTvF.

Daniel Abse holds both an M.L.A in English, Comparative Literature and Theatre, and an M.S.Ed from the University of Pennsylvania. He also works as a professional actor and voiceover artist. Mr. Abse studied acting under George DiCenzo for nine years, and received additional training in Acting and Directing at Yale Drama School. He has appeared onstage and in independent film. Mr. Abse teaches humanities and acting at ACTvF.

Deb Lin earned her bachelor's degree in science at Michigan State University where she earned a graduate assistantship award. Upon deciding to pursue a career as a high school educator instead of one in research, Ms. Lin moved to New York City and entered the Teaching Fellows Program. Her high school teaching career began in Harlem where she worked for two years prior to coming to ACTvF in 2008.

From the time Eli Ess graduated high school, he knew that he wanted to be a mathematics teacher. To achieve this goal, he majored in math at Middlebury College and took math classes at the University of Washington. During that time he also took jobs helping children develop academically and emotionally such as camp counselor, paraeducator and tutor. Mr. Ess' first full time teaching job was at Emerson Preparatory School in Washington D.C. where he lived prior to relocating to NYC to pursue his M.A. at Columbia's Teachers College. At ACTvF, Mr. Ess teaches mathematics.

Emily Pierce is originally from Des Moines, Iowa. She earned her B.A. in history and later an M.A. in secondary education from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Ms. Pierce has experience teaching and tutoring in Washington D.C., Chicago and New York City public schools. In her free time she enjoys reading, traveling, cooking and frequenting museums. Ms. Pierce teaches social studies at ACTvF.

Eric Portales grew up in North Plainfield, NJ in a bilingual household and is fluent in Spanish. He majored Government at Harvard University with a minor in East Asian studies, and is currently pursuing a Master's degree of Science in Education at St. John's University. Mr. Portales is a fan of the performing arts and enjoys to ballroom dance. At ACTvF, Mr. Portales teaches mathematics.

Jim Meaney began teaching in 2007 at Jamaica High School before moving to Francis Lewis High School where he taught prior to joining the faculty at ACTVF. Mr. Meaney earned both his master's and undergraduate degrees in Biology from Stony Brook University. At ACTvF, Mr. Meaney teaches science and health classes in addition to coaching soccer.

Jared Beloff is a graduate of Rutgers University and Johns Hopkins University where he earned a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature respectively. For the past three years, he taught 7th and 8th grade English Language Arts at I.S. 145 in Jackson Heights, as well as Introduction to Writing and Introduction to Literature courses at Queensborough Community College in Bayside, Queens. He writes poetry, literary reviews and blog posts about education in his free time.

After graduating from SUNY Stony Brook with his bachelor's and master's degrees in History and Social Studies Education respectively, Jeremy Matuk taught social studies at Thomas A. Edison High School in Jamaica. In September 2009, Mr. Matuk joined the faculty at ACTvF where he co-created an innovative one-year global history curriculum.

Jessica Tuohy received her B.A. in Psychology and Political Science from George Washington University in Washington DC. In 2006, she joned the NYC Teaching Fellows earning her M.S. in Special Education from the City College of New York. Prior to joining the faculty at ACTvF, Ms. Tuohy worked at Life Sciences Secondary School and The Facing History School. At ACTvF, Ms. Tuohy teaches a wide range of subjects including humanities and mathematics.

Joel Kirkhart graduated with a degree in history from Carleton College in Minnesota and earned his master's degree at Columbia's Teachers College. Mr. Kirkhart has also taught at Mott Hall High School in Harlem. Prior to his career in teaching, Mr. Kirkhart lived for nine years in China where he worked as a reporter, an editor at English-language publications and an English teacher while studying China's language and culture. Mr. Kirkhart is originally from Bethesda, Maryland and teaches both social studies and Mandarin at ACTvF.

Kelly Diaz has always been interested in the intersection between fine art, fashion, and pop culture. A film enthusiast with a background in fine art and passion for visual story-telling, production design became a natural extension of Kelly’s skills and experiences. She has designed and assisted on short films, features, commercials, music videos, and print work. A certified art teacher with experience teaching students ranging in age from five years old to sixty-five, including high school and college students, Ms. Diaz joined ACTvF's production department in September 2010.

Kristin Sherlock received her B.A. in Telecommunications from Indiana University. After graduating from college, she bought a one-way ticket to New York City. She accepted a job in advertising that included stints in media planning as well as media buying. She found her true professional passion seven years ago when she left advertising to teach mathematics in the NYC Public School system. Kristin completed her Master's Degree coursework at St. John's University. She is thrilled to be joining the staff at ACTvF this school year.

After receiving her B.A. in Literary and Critical Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Lisa Miller initially moved to New York City to work with foster care youth. She began her career in education with the NYC Teaching Fellows in 2004, working at both the middle and high school levels and completing her M.S.T. at Pace University. Currently, Lisa is working on an Advanced Certificate in School Building/District Leadership at Hunter College. At ACTvF, Ms. Miller teaches English language arts.

Originally from California, Maggie Flattery has been teaching in New York City since 2004. She received her bachelor's degree in Social Theory from Hampshire College, and her master's degree in Teaching with a focus on Academic Support Services from Mercy College as part of the New York City Teaching Fellows. Although her teaching experience in New York began in 2004, Ms. Flattery has spent nearly ten years working in schools and homes with students in need of academic and social support. When she is not teaching, she loves to be outdoors, travel, and spend time with friends and family. Ms. Flattery teaches a wide range of subjects at ACTvF ranging from English language arts to mathematics.

Mariel Liebman was born and raised in New York City and has been teaching in our public school system for 7 years. A graduate of Vassar College and City College of New York, Ms. Liebman has also studied abroad in Italy and Scotland. Recognizing the significance of the relationship between cinema and culture, Ms. Liebman incorporates film into her curricula using it as a tool to illustrate the ideas, values, and aesthetics of a foreign culture. Ms. Liebman currently teaches Italian and English as a second language at ACTvF.

Peter Hillman is originally from the United Kingdom. Peter received his B.S. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from SUNY-Purchase College and his M.A. in Secondary Science Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Peter teaches living environment and health.

Rahsheda Smith grew up in Brooklyn, New York where she proudly attended public school from kindergarten through high school. She graduated Valedictorian from Talent Unlimited High School where she majored in theater. Following high school, she attended Vassar College graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Political Science. After spending four years working in the non-profit field for various organizations (Crown Heights Youth Collective, NYC ACT-SO, Double Discovery Center at Columbia University, and Prep for Prep), Rahsheda began her teaching career as a special educator at the Brooklyn School for Global Studies while earning her Masters of Science in Special Education at Brooklyn College. Rahsheda is a performance poet and mixed media artist. In her spare time, she enjoys long distance running and biking. Rahsheda is also an active member of the Vassar College Alumni Association volunteering each year to interview candidates for admission to Vassar. At ACTvF, Rahsheda teaches a wide range of subjects ranging from social studies to science.

Sam Blackwell enjoyed a 25-year run as a Hollywood screenwriter before joining the faculty at ACTvF. Prior to that he worked professionally in the theatre for many years as an actor and director. He is a graduate of Stanford University and London’s Central School of Speech and Drama.

Sarah Cohen began her work as a social worker at ACTvF in 2009. Prior to this, she was a social work intern at The Facing History School in Manhattan, and the Cumberland Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Brooklyn. She completed her undergraduate degree at Washington University in St. Louis, where she majored in Art History and minored in Psychology. She received her master's degree in Social Work from Columbia University.

Thea Dimopoulos attended Queens College where she initially majored in English with aspirations to become an author and an English teacher. Her interests soon turned to film, however, which she pursued as a second major. Upon graduating college, Ms. Dimopoulos moved to Los Angeles where she started as a production assistant and quickly moved into casting and talent management. In the years that followed, she worked writing, producing, and shooting for a wide range of production companies in Los Angeles, New York and Greece. With these diverse experiences, Ms. Dimopoulos once again turned her attention to education by entering the NYC Teaching Fellows and teaching English Language Arts at IS 145 in Jackson Heights. Ms. Dimopoulos came to ACTvF in 2008 where she teaches in the production department.