Kristy Borak, Health Teacher
Hugh Chen, Dean of Academics and Counseling
Karioki Crosby, Visual Art Teacher
Barbara De Pesa, Dean of Instruction
Harley Givler, Music Teacher
Mary Godwin, Spanish and Special Education Teacher
David Hanna, Social Studies Teacher
Kevin Harris, Dean of Students
Jeff Imwold, Spanish and Special Education Teacher
Ramón Javier, Counselor
Juliet Koko, Health Teacher
Tessa Kratz, Director of High School Operations
Jason Leon, Mathematics Teacher
Anthony Lifrieri, Mathematics and Science Teacher
Terron Miller, Counselor
Jerome T. Myers, Advisor to Leaders
Tammy Myers, English Teacher
Renee Nelson, Mathematics Teacher
David Noah, Speech and Composition Teacher
Nicky Ortiz, Music Teacher
Joy Osborne, English Teacher
Jesus Powell, Office Manager
Charlie Randall, Music Teacher
Natasha Rothwell, Theatre Arts Teacher
Natalie Webb, Principal
Evan Weinberg, Science Teacher
Erica Woda, Physical Education Teacher
Anne Woods, Social Studies Teacher
Kristy Borak, Health Teacher
Ms. Borak recently graduated from University of California Berkeley, where she was a high performing cross country and track athlete. She is a member of the HealthCorps program, which has partnered with our high school to provide extensive health education to our students.
Hugh Chen, Dean of Academics and Counseling
Mr. Chen helped launch KIPP to College in 2001 and currently serves as the High School Alumni Dean. Prior to joining KIPP to College, Mr. Chen taught social studies at the High School for Environmental Studies in Manhattan. Mr. Chen received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 1992 and his Master of Arts in Teaching Social Studies in 1994, both from the University of Rochester.
Karioki Crosby, Visual Art Teacher
Mr. Crosby is a teaching artist with ten years of experience working as an arts educator. Prior to joining KIPP NYC College Prep , he served as the After-School Program Director and Visual Arts Instructor at Oasis Children Services, teaching fundamentals of visual arts technique to high school students. Mr. Crosby is thrilled to teach our visual arts elective and after-school arts program.
Barbara De Pesa, Dean of Instruction
Ms. De Pesa served as the Assistant Principal of Mathematics at Lehman High School in the Bronx for seven years before joining KIPP NYC College Prep. Prior to this role, she worked as a math teacher for ten years. Ms. De Pesa grew up in the Bronx and attended public school for her K-12 education. She graduated from Pace University with a degree in Math and Education and then went on to earn a Master's in Education from Iona College and an administration degree at the College of New Rochelle. She now shapes curriculum and instruction at KIPP NYC College Prep.
Harley Givler, Music Teacher
Mr. Givler serves as our music teacher and founder of our band and orchestra program as well. He graduated from Eastman School of Music with a Bachelor of Music, and Yale School of Music with a Master of Music. Mr. Givler has over five years of experience instructing students in Winds and Brass.
Mary Godwin, Spanish and Special Education Teacher
Ms. Godwin graduated Summa Cum Laude from Arizona State University in 2002 with a degree in English Literature. Upon graduation, Ms. Godwin joined Teach for America and taught Spanish at Cardozo Senior High School in Washington, D.C. for three years. She then taught in her hometown of Phoenix, Arizona before moving to New York City to work with KIPP NYC College Prep.
David Hanna, Social Studies Teacher
Mr. Hanna earned a Master’s degree in 1996 at New York University’s School of Education and then began his teaching career at the High School for Environmental Studies where he was a recipient of the New York Times Teachers Make a Difference Award. Since 2000, Mr. Hanna has taught higher level history classes at two prestigious international schools in Brazil and Japan.
Kevin Harris, Dean of Students
Mr. Harris attended the KIPP Leadership Program in 2005 and served as the Alumni Dean for college alumni at KIPP to College before becoming our Dean of Students. Mr. Harris received his Bachelor of Science degree from Boston University in Mass Communications and Public Relations. In 2003, Mr. Harris received a Master’s in College Student Development and Counseling at Northeastern University.
Jeff Imwold, Spanish and Special Education Teacher
Mr. Imwold graduated from the University of Maryland with Bachelor's degrees in Marketing and Spanish. He then joined Teach for America and taught 6th grade bilingual in the Bronx, where he significantly raised standardized test scores for his class of English Language Learners. Mr. Imwold received his Master's from the School of Education at Pace University.
Ramón Javier, Counselor
Mr. Javier earned his Master’s and Ed.M in Psychological Counseling from Teachers College, Columbia University in 2009 and his Bachelor's degree from Williams College in 1999. From 2003 to 2006, Mr. Javier supported students as a Post-Placement Counselor at Prep for Prep, and prior to that, worked in admissions and recruitment for the organization. Most recently, Ramon was the Associate Director of Admissions at the TEAK Fellowship. Mr. Javier is fluent in Spanish and enjoys working with the wonderful students at KIPP as School Counselor.
Juliet Koko, Health Teacher
Ms. Koko received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Tufts University School of Liberal Arts and Sciences. In 2009, Ms. Koko earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and is now a Registered Nurse. She is also an alumnus of KIPP Academy.
Tessa Kratz, Director of High School Operations
Mrs. Kratz came to KIPP from Teach For America, where she successfully led the campaigns to matriculate and place over 1,000 corps members into New York City’s public schools. Prior to this role, she taught at an elementary school in Los Angeles. Mrs. Kratz received her Bachelor’s in Psychology from Georgetown University and her Master’s in Public Administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.
Jason Leon, Mathematics Teacher
Mr. Leon graduated from Yale University in 2003 with a degree in Economics. Upon graduation, he joined the NYC Teaching Fellows program and returned to his alma mater Herbert H. Lehman High School in the Bronx. He taught mathematics at Lehman for six years before joining KIPP NYC College Prep. Mr. Leon was a finalist for the 2009 NYC Teaching Fellows Award for Classroom Excellence.
Anthony Lifrieri, Mathematics and Science Teacher
Mr. Lifrieri graduated from New York University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts in History. Shortly after graduation, he joined Herbert H. Lehman High School in the Bronx. He taught mathematics at Lehman for eight years before joining KIPP NYC College Prep. Mr. Lifrieri received the Teachers Who Make A Difference Award from the New York Times in 2007 and 2008.
Terron Miller, Counselor
Mr. Miller graduated from Morgan State University with a degree in Communications and earned his Master of Counseling from St. John’s University. Before joining KIPP, Mr. Miller served as a Brooklyn Bridge Program Counselor at W.E.B. Dubois High School. He used individual and group counseling to assist at-risk students in overcoming their challenges, improving their academic performance and social skills, and helping them to graduate on-time. He now enjoys working with our students to ensure their success in high school and beyond.
Jerome T. Myers, Advisor to Leaders
Mr. Myers has been an educator and administrator for 39 years. He started his career as the health teacher at Gorton High School in Yonkers, New York. He then spent fifteen years as a middle school teacher of math, health, and science at IS 166 in the Bronx. He then served as the Director of Project Prep at an alternative program for at-risk students. Mr. Myers joined KIPP as a founding teacher at KIPP Academy, and held positions as Dean of Students and KIPP to College Dean. He took a two year stint from KIPP NYC to serve as the COO of Andre Agassi College Prep in Las Vegas, NV, and then came back to help KIPP NYC College prep open its doors.
Tammy Myers, English Teacher
Ms. Myers graduated from the State University of Binghamton in 1998 with a degree in Literature and Creative Writing. She then obtained her Masters from Hunter College in English and Secondary Education. She was a pre-school teacher in the Bronx for two years, a middle school English instructor for seven years in the Washingtonville, NY, and a high school English instructor at Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy in Las Vegas for two years, before joining KIPP NYC College Prep.
Renee Nelson, Mathematics Teacher
Ms. Nelson came to KIPP NYC College Prep after working as a high school mathematics teacher at Thurgood Marshall Academy in Harlem. Ms. Nelson began teaching at Thurgood Marshall upon completion of her undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Mathematics Education from Boston University.
David Noah, Speech and Composition Teacher
Mr. Noah began his teaching career at Brooklyn's MS 442, where he taught 8th grade mathematics and coached basketball. He left New York to complete his degree at Yale Law School, where he continued to teach part time at several Connecticut high schools, and in Yale's history department. After finishing law school, he decided to return to the classroom full time at KIPP NYC College Prep.
Nicky Ortiz, Music Teacher
Mr. Ortiz graduated from KIPP Academy Middle School in 1999 and was an original member of their first orchestra. He has been working with music engineering for seven years and has experience with music recording, editing and mixing. He is now assisting in teaching our music elective courses and helping to develop our band program.
Joy Osborne, English Teacher
Ms. Osborne received Bachelor's degrees in English and Women's Studies from Pomona College and a Master's in Education from Claremont Graduate University. Before joining KIPP, Ms. Osborne taught middle school English both in Southern California and the Bronx, then served as the assistant director of a well-regarded religion and diversity education program in New York City.
Jesus Powell, Office Manager
Mr. Powell graduated from the University of Virginia in 2002 with a degree in Government and Foreign Affairs. After graduation, Mr. Powell co-founded and ran a roofing company with his father in Washington, D.C. and also substitute taught in Virginia public schools. After moving to New York, Mr. Powell worked as a paralegal for the Bronx Defenders and then managed the offices of both the Bonjean Law Group and Harrison Trading Group, before joining our faculty.
Charlie Randall, Music Teacher
Mr. Randall graduated from Florida A&M with a degree in Music. Mr. Randall is highly regarded in our KIPP community for creating excellent band and orchestra programs. He started KIPP Academy’s String and Rhythm Orchestra in 1995, and then moved on to create band programs at KIPP Infinity and KIPP AMP, while consulting for KIPP schools across the country. He joined our high school to help lead the formation of our band and orchestra programs. We are thrilled to have his expertise!
Natasha Rothwell, Theatre Arts Teacher
Ms. Rothwell graduated as a Creative and Performing Arts Scholar with honors from the University of Maryland in 2003 with a degree in Theatre Performance. Upon graduation, Ms. Rothwell became the Director of Education for Washington Improv Theater, and a principal Teaching Artist for Arena Stage Community Engagement. She also taught at the Academy for Learning Through the Arts in Washington, D.C. before teaching Improvisation and English in Tokyo, Japan. Ms. Rothwell now teaches our dramatic arts elective and runs our after-school dramatic arts program.
Natalie Webb, Principal
Ms. Webb graduated from the University of Virginia and began her professional career teaching 9th grade English at Cardozo Senior High School in Washington, D.C as a Teach For America corps member. Ms. Webb was awarded the First Year Teacher of the Year Award from D.C. Public Schools and was a national finalist for the Sue Lehman Award for Excellence in Teaching. In 2004, Ms. Webb attended Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs for her Master’s in Public Administration, while also working as a curriculum specialist and a program director for Teach For America. Upon graduation, she was awarded Columbia’s Harvey Picker Prize for Dedication to Public Service. Ms. Webb then served as a 2006 KIPP Fisher Fellow, after which time she joined KIPP NYC and taught 7th grade English and 8th grade writing, while planning for the opening of our high school in 2009.
Evan Weinberg, Science Teacher
Mr. Weinberg graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from Tufts University. He taught mathematics and AP Physics for six years at Herbert H. Lehman High School in the Bronx, before joining our faculty. He has also worked to support school robotics programs in the Bronx and around New York City since 2004 and now leads our robotics team!
Erica Woda, Physical Education Teacher
Ms. Woda graduated from Columbia University in 2004 with a degree in Political Science. Ms. Woda captained Columbia’s women's soccer team in 2003. Upon graduation, Ms. Woda joined the NYC Teaching Fellows and taught in the South Bronx at PS 79 and the Bronx Lighthouse Charter School. Ms. Woda left the classroom to pursue her Master’s in Public Administration at NYU. In 2008, Ms Woda launched Level The Field, a nonprofit with the mission of building children’s social skills through work, play and interaction with collegiate athletes. Ms. Woda now teaches and manages the physical education and athletics programs at KIPP NYC College Prep.
Anne Woods, Social Studies Teacher
Ms. Woods has been teaching history in the classroom for the past fourteen years. Her first years of teaching required extensive travel around the United States. She has been teaching in New York City now for eleven years, the past seven of which have been at PROGRESS High School in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Ms. Woods graduated from SUNY Oneonta with a dual degree in US History and Secondary Education Social Science. She earned a Master’s in Education from Queens College and a Master’s in Educational Administration from the College of St. Rose.
