Our Team

Cajal Academy was co-founded by a mom to two “twice exceptional” kids who is also a social entrepreneur and former litigator, together with the occupational therapist who has transformed both her kids. Soon they were joined by Dr. Steven Mattis: a neuropsychologist and medical school professor who has been recognized as a leading figure in the development of modern neuropsychology in the United States, who shares their passion to turn neuroscientific research into new educational practices empowering kids.

Find out more about the educators and multi-disciplinary clinic at the heart of our program, and contact us to find out how you can join our mission.

Cajal Academy is hiring educators, licensed therapists and administrators; apply today to join our team!

Cheryl

Cheryl Viirand, B.A., J.D., Co-Founder, Head of School, Member of Board of Directors

Cheryl is the visionary behind Cajal Academy, and a “mom on a mission” to empower kids by leveraging modern neuroscientific understandings of how children learn, socialize and grow to remove obstacles to their learning and give them agency and transferable skills that will enable them to thrive independently in college and beyond.

Cheryl is a social entrepreneur, a generalist problem solver and a former corporate litigator at the esteemed firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell. As such, Cheryl brought a keen eye for detail and fresh perspectives to the field of education. Not held back by “how it’s always been done,” Cheryl built an expert team and, with them, resolved to dig into what scientists know today that could help to remove the learning, social emotional and chronic medical barriers that stood in her own children’s way. Being a systems thinker, Cheryl built systems for applying those approaches to a broader array of kids, within an educational environment. This jumping off point is what led to the creation of a whole new approach to education, that is already raising the bar on “what’s possible” with transformative results for kids having a range of different learning, social-emotional and neurophysio needs.

This mission started out as a problem that is all too common for parents with atypical strengths and weaknesses (let alone complex, chronic medical conditions like her own family’s Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome). Connective tissue is the “stuff” that holds a body together, so in connective tissue disorders the leverage to be found is in the intersections between different systems. This led Cheryl and the expert team she had assembled to support her children in the community to be looking at the intersections between different aspects of neurology, immunology and other physiologic systems on the one hand, and their learning and social-emotional experiences on the other. 

Each time Cheryl returned with new science from leading research clinicians in the EDS field, she brought them to Heather Edwards, the visionary occupational therapist who had jumped in with both feet to problem solve how she could re-purpose well-established OT strategies and knowledge to use these physio levers to improve Cheryl’s kids’ focus and attention, train them in how to monitor and report their hidden neurophysiologic experiences and absorb academic content at a visceral level that could withstand body assaults on the learning system. And then they both marveled as their learning and social experiences hit new plateaus they hadn’t thought possible before.

After each such breakthrough, the two consulted with Steven Mattis, PhD, A.B.P.P.: the internationally renowned and extensively published neuropsychologist who had provided evaluations for both her children. Each time, he consulted the literature and returned to report that in fact, good published research suggests that if you do what Cheryl and Heather had trialed, you should get these same, powerful results. In other words, by striving to create ways for her own kids to thrive, Cheryl and her team had tapped into universal human truths—and had found a way to turn those connections into powerful levers we all can learn to use to improve our access to our cognitive and social-emotional skills.

Within a few weeks, Cheryl and Heather saw the power of the approach, and co-founded Cajal Academy in February, 2019 as a non-profit organization with a two-pronged mission. The first is to fill the gaping hole in our region’s outplacement environments by providing a school for students with complex profiles that include high analytical reasoning abilities paired with an area requiring licensed therapy services, including kids with highly complex profiles, chronic medical conditions and twice exceptional kids, among others. Cheryl and Heather had been shocked to discover that there was no outplacement school anywhere in Connecticut or Westchester County that provides both appropriate academics and licensed, expert therapies for this cohort of kids—and vowed to create one.

The second prong, however, goes broader than that. Cheryl, Heather and Steve—and the team they have assembled around them—are big believers in the value of mainstream, high quality public education. Cheryl was privileged to attend an experimental public high school in Columbia, MD with a “gifted and talented” program where extraordinary educators emphasized that intellectual gifts come with an obligation to apply them to help others. (Go Wildecats!). Heather is passionate about her work within a local public school district where she gets to work with kids having a wide array of abilities and skills. So we included in Cajal Academy’s corporate charter a commitment to not only developing but disseminating our findings, so they can benefit kids across the spectrum of educational settings. With our move to our beautiful new cameo setting in the heart of South Norwalk, we are thrilled to have a home in which we can now begin this important next phase of our work.

A quest to make a big impact on the world

Until she was a sophomore in college, Cheryl was convinced she would be a professional flutist—until she realized that she wanted to dedicate her life’s work to using the strong analytical skills that made digging into a sonata by J.S. Bach satisfying to making the world a better place for others. Cheryl spent that summer on a college fellowship in Tallinn, Estonia, where she was blown away by the spirit of possibility and entrepreneurship that pervaded this small country next door to a large and often agitated neighbor in the mid-90’s. One week after graduating from Barnard College, Cheryl was on a plane to Ukraine, where she worked with the Crimean government to help them catalog their hulking post-Soviet tourism assets in preparation for privatization—and then got her first taste of startup work creating the first restaurant guide to the city of Kiev. Returning to the states, she plunged into “dot com bubble” era startups Internet Trading International and Juno Online Services, where she learned the principles of lean startup, and what it means to be part of an organization dedicated to innovation and constant iteration towards your own standard of excellence. Unable to set aside her passions for civil rights, Cheryl went back to school to get her J.D. at New York University School of Law, with a focus on international human rights.

Cheryl left the practice of law in 2008 to dedicate herself to building businesses and non-profit organizations that apply science to increase social inclusion and empowerment for vulnerable populations. Prior to Cajal Academy, Cheryl was the founder, creator and CEO of Freedible, Inc.: a social sharing platform where families with dietary constraints can find and share the recipes, life hacks and community they need to thrive.

Cheryl lives in Connecticut with her husband, dog and younger child, and finds that the joy of seeing her older son thriving in college, back on the path he was always met to travel, far outweighs the ache of an empty chair at the dinner table.

Heather

Heather Edwards, MSOTR/L, Director of Therapeutic Services  

Cajal Academy is founded on Heather’s core philosophy that children of all abilities should be empowered to optimize their own experiences through an understanding of the science behind their differences, how this fits into the broad spectrum of what it means to be human, and personalized strategies they can use to self-monitor, self-regulate and self-advocate.

Heather came to this philosophy through over a decade of experience with children across the full spectrum of physical, intellectual and social abilities. Heather has deep expertise in sensory integration disorders, including how carefully-sequenced sensory inputs can be used to re-balance neurochemical imbalances affecting learning and emotional regulation. She connects deeply and authentically with children from across the full spectrum of intellectual and physical abilities, finding and fostering the spark that motivates and empowers them each to live their best lives, while deftly identifying practical steps their teachers and caregivers can take to help take challenges out of the way while work proceeds to address them. She is often found commando-crawling through a kid-sized obstacle course of her client’s creation, hoisting a sensory-seeking child through flips in the pool or quietly lying on the floor playing a visually-challenging board game. In short, she meets each child where they are and is a consummate cheerleader for their abilities.

Heather received her Bachelor of Science, Health Sciences, and her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from the University of New England. She has extensive training in sensory integration, visual perceptual development, oral motor/feeding, fine motor/handwriting and motor development. Heather has provided occupational therapy in numerous settings including Birth to Three / Early Intervention, elementary and middle school, and out-patient pediatric services. Currently, she contracts with Angelfish Therapy (Aquatic Therapy) and has a private practice providing pediatric therapy in homes, at schools and other natural environments.

Together with physical therapist Elizabeth Upton Tynan, Heather is also the co-founder of Upwards Pediatric Therapy. Upwards Pediatric Therapy provides Physical and Occupational Therapy services to children of all ages, empowering them to achieve their maximum potential and making a positive difference in their lives, their families and the community at large. Based in Fairfield and Wilton, Connecticut, they provide services for children (infants to 18 years of age) who have physical, neurological and developmental challenges that affect core strength, coordination, learning, motor planning, movement and sensory planning. 

Dr. Mattis

Steven Mattis, PhD, A.B.P.P., Director of Programs and Member of Board of Directors

Dr. Steven Mattis is an internationally known neuropsychologist and licensed psychologist who has been recognized as a leading figure in the development of the field of clinical neuropsychology in the United States. He is also a highly-experienced psychologist.

Dr. Mattis brings this depth of knowledge to developing innovative models for integrating academic and therapeutic programming for our school as a whole and for individual students, as our Director of Programs and as a member of our Board of Directors. He also provides direct psychological counseling services, social skill development through co-taught classrooms and guides our efforts to identify the specific cognitive, physiologic and emotional elements driving a given child’s learning, social and emotional experiences and behavioral presentations.

Dr. Mattis has over 80 articles in peer reviewed journals, multiple chapters in edited books, and is the author of the Dementia Rating Scale. Dr. Mattis has been a reviewer for six professional journals and served on the Research Review Board for the Human Development section of the National Institutes of Health. For the last 10 years, Dr. Mattis has focused his research and clinical interests on the neurogenic components of mood, executive function, and learning disorders—work that directly informs our programs and interventions at Cajal.

Dr. Mattis has been on the Board of Directors and President of the International Neuropsychological Society; on the Board and President of the Clinical Neuropsychology Division of the American Psychological Association and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association. Dr. Mattis was a founding member of the Board and President of the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology, the Specialty credentialing agent of the American Board of Professional Psychology; and on the Board and President of the American Board of Professional Psychology.

Dr. Mattis received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University and his Postdoctoral training in Neuropsychology in the Department of Neurology at Albert Einstein Medical College, eventually becoming the Director of Clinical Neuropsychology. In that role, he founded and co-directed a multidisciplinary learning disability center in the South Bronx. He was subsequently recruited by Cornell and served as the Director of Clinical Neuropsychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Weill-Cornell Medical Center. He is currently Clinical Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center and in private practice at Mattis & Luck Center for Neuropsychological Services.

Deb

Deborah Faulkner Crowell, PT, Physical Therapist  

Deborah Faulkner Crowell has over 32 years of experience as a physical therapist. She treats both adults and children with a specialty in manual therapy.

Deborah has a passion for helping others and values the power of physical therapy to improve quality of life.  Her treatment approach is one to one individualized care, ensuring the well being of her client and adjusting to their specific needs.   Deborah utilizes manual therapy techniques such as myofascial release, soft tissue mobilization, craniosacral therapy, visceral mobilization and muscle energy techniques to address the body’s imbalances. She uses a holistic approach to the whole body, understanding the mind body connection.  Addressing these issues allows the whole body to function properly. 

Deborah has extensive experience working with individuals with autism, neurological dysfunction, learning disabilities, headaches and facial pain, joint hypermobility, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and chronic pain issues and dysfunctions. Deb also has extensive experience with constipation, incontinence, digestive issues (including the dysmotility associated with EDS and other connective tissue disorders) and women’s health, and issues associated with breast cancer and lymphedema. 

Deb graduated from Boston University in 1990 with a BS in Physical Therapy. Deb has extensive education in numerous manual therapy techniques including  lymphatic work, craniosacral therapy, myofascial release and visceral mobilization. Deb has a private practice with locations in Fairfield and Stamford.

Jim

Jim Debowski, PhD in Anthropology; Social Studies Teacher

Jim is a social scientist with diverse experience in teaching, research and professional practice. He is a well-rounded educator with experience teaching in higher education, delivering corporate training and facilitating workshops for corporations, government and community groups, and teaching martial arts to students of all ages.

Originally from Australia, Jim has substantial experience working with marginalized populations and community organizers in Australia, Europe and America. His academic and prior professional work uses project design to empower marginal populations. Jim is excited to bring this expertise to our students as a new curriculum, aligned to Connecticut state social studies standards, empowering Cajal Academy’s innovative students to become social change agents. In the classroom, this translates into a focus on teaching his students to think critically and conduct original social sciences research—and ultimately to shape their communities.

Jim holds a doctorate in cultural anthropology. He comes to Cajal with experience conducting and publishing qualitatively-driven, interdisciplinary research. He is excited to contribute to Cajal’s innovative educational model, and to bring his experience as a social scientist to developing new models for community engagement that leverage and support this unique school.

Outside of his life at Cajal, Jim loves martial arts and the outdoors. He runs a martial arts school in New Haven and volunteers as a search and rescue K9 handler.

Kenneth

Kenneth Moore, M.A., Elementary Education; M.A., Foreign Affairs

Kenneth comes to Cajal as an experienced elementary English Language Arts teacher. Kenneth holds children at a high regard and loves using his educational platform to empower them. In the classroom, Kenneth helps children establish a positive relationship with reading and writing through his enthusiasm, optimism and general aura. 

Kenneth grew up in upstate New York. He attended the University of Bridgeport where he received a B.A. In Criminal Justice/Martial Arts Studies and a M.A. Foreign Affairs as well as Southern Connecticut State University where he received his M.A. In Elementary Education.

Kenneth is also an accomplished, fourth degree black belt in martial arts and has competed internationally in Asia and Europe. He marries this grit and determination with a genuine gift and enthusiasm for connecting with students for whom things don’t come easily, who have experienced academic or other traumas or who struggle socially, making him a popular role model outside the classroom and “Pied Piper” within it!

Kathy

Kathy Gannon, Licensed Physical Therapist

Kathy has been a dedicated and treating physical therapist for 46 years, with focus on manual therapy for the treatment of pain and disability. Kathy’s manual skills include craniosacral therapy, myofascial release, soft tissue mobilization, visceral mobilization and muscle energy techniques that facilitate tissue repair and modeling. Kathy has certification in Upledger and Barnes craniosacral therapy. Her manual therapy approaches include Cyriax, Kaltenborn, Maitland, McKenzie and Mulligan techniques. She is a certified orthopedic therapist with a concentration in spine and chronic pain. She has additional certification and expertise in vestibular and lymphatic treatment. She is an aquatic therapist. Kathy is a certified case manager in the State of Connecticut and has extensive experience in workers compensation, functional capacity testing, job analysis and has acted as an expert witness for worker compensation.

Kathy graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1977 with a BS in Physical Therapy. She has been a licensed provider in New Jersey, California and Connecticut. Kathy is an adjunct teacher for UCONN and NVCC and she is an APTA Clinical Instructor. She has been owner/ administrator since 1983 and recently joined Faulkner Crowell Physical Therapy.

Liza

Liza La Grange, MS-OTR/L, Licensed Occupational Therapist

Liza is passionate about using her creativity to help children succeed in all of their endeavors. She has training in Ayres Sensory Integration, visual perceptual development, oral motor/feeding, fine motor/handwriting, executive functioning, reflex integration, and strength based approaches. She seeks opportunities to apply the full occupational therapy “toolbox” to her work with individual students, and is excited to contribute to Cajal Academy’s work to develop innovative new educational and treatment approaches.

Liza has provided occupational therapy in numerous settings including birth to three/early intervention, schools, homes, teletherapy, and outpatient sensory integration clinics. Liza helped launch New York City’s Pre-K for all program in a Brooklyn public elementary school. She has experienced running parent training and support groups.

Liza received her Bachelors of Science, Health Sciences, and her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Quinnipiac University.

MaryBeth

MaryBeth Vientos, PT, Manual Physical Therapist Specialist

MaryBeth comes to Cajal Academy with 30+ years of experience in physical therapy. She has treated a variety of diagnoses across the spectrum of care including acute care, short term rehab, long term rehab, home care and outpatient centers. She has experience working with clients having a range of musculoskeletal needs and abilities, including with Ehlers- Danlos Syndrome clients of all ages.

Through these experiences, MaryBeth has gained a passion for manual therapy and cranial sacral therapy. Her focus on skill building over the past 20 years has led her to create extensive manual therapy skills with emphasis on cranial sacral therapy, muscle energy, strain/ counterstrain, visceral mobilization and lymphedema techniques. She has utilized manual therapy skills to treat all ages infant, school age through adult. Her passion for cranial sacral therapy is driven by her desire to improve the quality of life for each and every one of her patients.

MaryBeth graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1987 with a BS in Physical Therapy.

Mayra

Mayra Recine, DPT, Licensed Physical Therapist

Mayra has over a decade of experience working as a physical therapist, primarily in a hospital-based acute setting, treating deficits stemming from neurological to orthopedic conditions. Her extensive training and experience in the management of neuromuscular conditions with a heavy medical knowledge and understanding of the pathophysiology of diagnosis, has allowed Mayra to implement a more comprehensive and holistic approach to achieve the best outcomes. Mayra came to Cajal with extensive experience treating patients requiring neuromuscular education in the NICU and in geriatric populations: information she draws on to further our work to empower kids with a range of gross motor, learning and social-emotional needs that are exacerbated by atypical neurodevelopmental histories. This work includes working in the neonatal intensive care unit, treating newborns with a myriad of developmental challenges with focus on facilitating developmental milestone alongside the medical team. Mayra has also provided rehabilitative physical therapy within hospital settings, which includes work with patients having Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

Drawing on this background, Mayra is excited about her work as part of Cajal’s multi-disciplinary clinical team to “connect the dots” between these developmental stages and their impacts on learning and social-emotional experiences, integrating together neurological issues such as retained reflexes, core foundational gross motor skills and strength and conditioning.

Mayra is a believer in empowering everybody to use their capabilities and strengths to achieve their goals. Mayra is passionate about imparting knowledge about the connection between mind and body, providing individualized assessments and construct the most suitable intervention that meets each individual's capacities to grow at their own speed. And we’ve never seen someone so naturally “slide” into the groove with even our most complex learners.

Mayra received her doctorate in Physical Therapy at Quinnipiac University and successfully completed clinical training in the NICU, PICU and pediatric outpatient clinic at Yale Hospital. Mayra has provided physical therapy in a variety of different settings including post acute, intensive care unit, and Birth to Three. 

Meredith

Meredith W. Vickery, Admissions, M.A., English Language Arts

Meredith pioneered became our first dedicated Admissions professional after three years as an ELA teacher at Cajal. Meredith brings deep experience as an educator, teaching kids across a wide range of ages, backgrounds and learning profiles—and a passion for doing so through project-based learning. This includes experiences as a high school English teacher, a middle school  ELA teacher, and a college composition instructor, over a span of 13 years in the academic field.

Meredith has devoted her professional career to enriching the lives of her students. She has a passion for Projected-based learning, a method that she has successfully implemented with varying ages and grade levels. Her experience in a heterogeneous teaching environment has provided her with years of experience differentiating curriculum and instruction to accommodate intellectually-gifted children, “at risk” youth, English language learners and refugees.

Much of Meredith’s experience in the classroom has revolved around college readiness, including the college application process. In order to develop a community invested in academic achievement, Meredith designed curriculum and team building experiences with colleagues for incoming at-risk freshmen to gain credit toward graduation. She furthered the development of the program by creating various engaging courses using Project-Based Learning competency assessments for students who were unsuccessful in traditional English classes. 

The experience of teaching other teachers through the National Writing Project also allowed Meredith to collaborate extensively  with teachers of all grade levels with an emphasis on writing across the curriculum. 

Meredith graduated from Plymouth State University with a degree in secondary English education and a masters in the teaching of writing. She now lives in her hometown of Norwalk, CT, after many years in New Hampshire with her husband and son.

Nidhi

Nidhi Vishnoi, PhD, Science Teacher and Clinical Project Manager

Nidhi Vishnoi is a solution-driven and ACRP-certified clinical professional with extensive expertise in molecular biology, assay development, and clinical research. Nidhi brings this background to Cajal both as our science teacher and as Project Manager overseeing our research activities.

With a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and over a decade of experience spanning academia, biotech, and pharmaceutical industries, Nidhi has made impactful contributions to vaccine R&D, diagnostics, and translational research. As a lead scientist at Pfizer, Nidhi led the development and clinical validation of laboratory assays for vaccine development, advancing molecular diagnostics with innovative automation and optimization techniques. At Ancera, she spearheaded the development of in vitro diagnostics for pathogen detection, enhancing assay specificity and sensitivity. During her academic tenure at Yale School of Medicine, she conducted groundbreaking research in gene transcription, protein interactions, and cellular engineering, publishing in high-impact journals. In both roles she took joy in mentoring junior scientists and leading clinical research teams.

Nidhi brings this extensive knowledge and real-world experience to Cajal Academy students in the classroom. There, she is a natural mentor and powerful role model with infectious enthusiasm and deep expertise. Throughout her professional career, Nidhi has sought out opportunities to engage with and mentor students, such as by serving as a New Haven Science Fair Judge and Mentor, where she actively participated in evaluating and guiding young students through their science projects, providing constructive feedback, encouraging scientific inquiry, and fostering a deeper understanding of complex concepts. She is excited to further enhance student outcomes by leveraging Cajal Academy’s science-driven methodologies to reach students in the classroom, regardless of their prior level of knowledge, learning differences or social-emotional needs.

Nidhi also serves as our first Clinical Project Manager. Known for her dedication to advancing healthcare, Nidhi applies this commitment to scientific rigor and strategic insight to contribute to Cajal Academy’s innovation efforts and improve student outcomes. In this role, Nidhi spearheads our efforts to broaden the impact of these innovative approaches through strategies focused on structured data capture, comprehensive analysis, and operational excellence, in preparation for scaling our cohort and publishing our innovative techniques.

Nidhi holds a PhD in Biochemistry from Mumbai University, a MS in Biotechnology from Guru Ghasidas University and a BS in Biology from Rani Durgawati University, each of which is located in India. When she isn’t at Cajal Academy, Nidhi enjoys spending time with her husband and kids.

Odingo

Odingo Mitchell, M.A. in Physics; Director of Talent Development and Physics, Math and STEM Teacher

Odingo plays a critical leadership role at Cajal Academy both as a classroom STEM teacher and as our first Director of Talent Development. A natural leader, Odingo is adept at mentoring his fellow faculty members and students alike.

Odingo joined Cajal Academy in the fall of 2021. In the classroom, Odingo is an experienced math and physics teacher who is passionate about empowering bright kids with learning differences from the elementary to the high school level. He couples this with a dedication to the scientific process that is borne of his lab experience as a theoretical physicist, and a love for project-based learning as a means to ignite kids’ love of learning. His energy, enthusiasm and positivity helps kids connect to math and science through hands-on experiments and real world applications ranging from engineering to sports.

A former professional table tennis player and Captain of the Jamaican Men’s National Table Tennis Team, Odingo uses athletics as a tool to develop executive function skills and looks for opportunities to integrate sports and leisure to teach science and math curricula—like learning about momentum in a bowling alley! Odingo integrates table tennis into his work with Cajal students, developing important visual tracking, executive function and social skills while promoting healthy physical activity as a means to connect with peers.

Odingo also serves as our first Director of Talent Development. In this role, Odingo mentors his fellow faculty mentors in how to understand and apply Cajal Academy’s unique teaching and student growth methodologies, and aids the Management Team in developing training materials that can be used to foster a next generation of educators both within Cajal Academy and far beyond its walls.

Odingo grew up in Jamaica and has a Master of Arts in Physics from CUNY Brooklyn college.

Stephanie

Stephanie Niles, Visual Arts and Operations Manager

Stephanie joins Cajal with a dual role as our Visual Arts Teacher, and as our first Operations Manager. Stephanie holds a degree in Studio Art, with a focus in art education and photography, and vast experience as a Teaching Artist. She is always eager and ready to meet students where they are–whether that be their first creative discoveries or learning college-level drawing techniques and portraiture. In the classroom, Stephanie’s hope is to give her students the opportunity to discover more about themselves through the art that they create. She brings an intuitive nature, patience and creativity to all she does, and is passionate about creating opportunities for her students to develop their skills in a safe space. 

Stephanie is a lifelong learner who has taken joy in learning alongside her students in both traditional and non-traditional learning environments, including Workspace Academy. She is a devotee of project-based learning and naturally a multi-disciplinary thinker, so she is very much in her element integrating visual arts into Cajal Academy’s interdisciplinary projects. 

Stephanie also has extensive experience facilitating project and community based learning, teaching archery as an USA Archery certified level II instructor, and helping kids to discover and foster connections to nature through close to a decade of teaching both adults and children in nature based education and outdoor survival skills.

Stephanie was Program Director for educational non-profit Two Coyotes Wilderness School and assisted in navigating upwards of 350 children and a staff team of 30 through the pandemic. This has given her a deep understanding of what goes into the heart of a school; knowledge she is excited to bring to Cajal Academy as its first Operations Manager. She also is passionate about diversity and equity work and continues participating in programming with CEIO, Co-Creating Effective and Inclusive Organizations, and is a past participant in the Teaching Artist Training Institute.

As a professional artist, Stephanie continues to enjoy expanding her experience creating art through natural mixed media, sculpture, and a love of fiber arts. Stephanie lives in Easton with her two kids (and her daughter when she’s home from college) and their cat, rabbit, guinea pig and five chickens.

Robin

Robin Marcus, MS (Mathematics), Member of the Board of Directors

Robin Marcus is an expert in math and STEM education, competency-based education, and school transformation; an experienced educator, instructional coach, curriculum writer, and facilitator of professional learning; an accomplished program designer from vision through implementation, evaluation, and refinement; and a respected change agent known for hard work, competence, passion, listening, and reflective thinking.

Robin comes to her role as Advisor on Mathematics and STEM curriculum more than two decades of experience improving teaching and learning, particularly for students traditionally under-served in our educational system, to consulting work with the Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM (TIES), the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), and other educational organizations. Current work focuses on building the capacity of school districts to implement, scale, and sustain powerful teaching and learning practices grounded in formative assessment to achieve college and career readiness math standards.

At NC New Schools, Robin led the turnaround of ten chronically underachieving high schools through a focus on inquiry-based teaching and learning and formative assessment. She went on to oversee the design, facilitation and continuous improvement of the organization’s professional learning offerings for a network of 150+ schools and, later, to launch and lead a new Research & Development department, growing the organization’s capacity to both improve its current approaches, as well as innovate to design future approaches.

Prior to joining NC New Schools, Robin served as an instructional coach and teacher in an innovative high school in Baltimore, where she increased the school’s pass rate on the state math test for AYP from 11% to more than 80% in just one year through a focus on inquiry-based teaching and learning and formative assessment. Robin has provided thousands of hours of professional development for district, school and classroom leaders in national, regional and local workshops and served on the development team of Core-Plus Mathematics, an innovative high school math curriculum.

ABD, Robin completed coursework for a PhD in curriculum and instruction at the University of Maryland. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Drake University and a master’s degree in mathematics from Michigan State University. She and her husband have four children spanning preschool to college and live in Durham, NC.