Welcome to the Hilltop!

Sherine Collins joins the Lower School faculty as an Assistant Teacher in fourth grade. Sherine is a recent graduate of Dartmouth College where she majored in Psychology, with a minor in Education. While at Dartmouth, she was a member of the Varsity Women’s Soccer Team, a passion that she pursued for a number of years while living in California. Sherine worked as a Teaching Assistant at Stanford University for a summer and she served as a mentor for several years for a sixth grade student in Thetford, Vermont.

Roni Kanter comes to Hackley this fall as a Leader Teacher in our third grade. Roni most recently taught third grade at Dwight-Englewood School. In addition to her classroom teaching at Dwight, Roni also designed and implemented a very successful community service program for third graders. Roni also created and developed a school-wide program entitled Literacy Exploration and Discovery Day. A former lawyer, Roni decided to change careers and has been teaching for nine years. Roni received her Master of Arts in Childhood Education from Manhattanville College.

Olivia Lappas, who joined us last March as a leave replacement in our third grade, is now an Assistant Teacher in our third grade.. Olivia completed her Master’s in Elementary Education from Marist College this past May. Olivia is the assistant to the head swim coach at New York Sharks Aquatics, an active volunteer at “Backpack for Kids” and also has served as a tutor and mentor locally. We are very pleased to welcome her on a full-time basis this fall.

Amanda LeTard joins us as a full time Lower School Psychologist and a member of the Support Services Department. Prior to joining Hackley, Amanda was working as a Cognitive-Behavioral Psychologist at CBT in Westport. Amanda received her B.A. from the University of Virginia, her Masters of Arts in Clinical Psychology and her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Connecticut. Amanda has been getting to know Hackley’s Lower School since she was offered the position and we are very happy to have her expertise to share with students, parents and teachers.

Dr. Ellen Ferguson joins Hackley’s English Department as a seventh and ninth grade English teacher this year. “Doc Ferg,” as her students affectionately call her, taught at Montclair Kimberley Academy for ten years prior to joining Hackley’s faculty. She has also served on faculty at the Summer Boarding School in Wolfeboro, NH and Kent Place School in New Jersey. She holds a B.S. from Cornell University, a Master of Philosophy in Anglo-Irish Literature from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, and a Ph.D. in English from Washington University.

Adrian Grant (not pictured) joins Hackley this year as Squash Facilities Manager and Head Professional. A squash player since the age of six, Adrian went on to play professional sqaush, achieving the ranking of number nine in worldwide competition and, representing England, winning World and European titles. Adrian brings exciting new vision and energy to the Hackley Squash program in our wonderful new facility. 

Michael Keating joined the Buildings and Grounds team last spring and provides valuable support to the wide range of services our B&G team delivers to keep Hackley running smoothly -- thank you, Michael!

Tuo Liu joins the Modern Languages Department to teach middle and upper school French this year. A graduate of Harvard University’s graduate program in romance languages and literatures, Tuo is excited to begin his career teaching middle and high school students at Hackley. Prior to earning his Ph.D., Tuo studied French, Spanish, and Italian at the University of Pennsylvania.

Ann Moore joins the Admissions team as our new Admissions Associate. After college, Ann worked as an associate and then executive in Foreign Exchange Sales at Goldman Sachs. She left this position in order to raise her two boys, both of whom attended Ethical Culture Fieldston school – which means Ann comes to us with a first-hand appreciation of what it means to apply to independent schools in our area. More recently she has been involved with a non-profit organization offering college and career guidance and support for students in New Rochelle.

Debra O’Lunney joins the Lower School team as an Associate Teacher in our Kindergarten. Debra received her B.A from Iona College and her Master’s of Science in Teaching from Fordham University. She has been a full time lead teacher for the past 10 years and has taught a variety of elementary grades at St. Ignatius Loyola in NYC as well as at St Joseph School in Bronxville.

Renée Pabst has joined Hackley as Department Chair of Health Education. In this newly created position, Renée will oversee our health education curriculum and wellness programs, serve as a conduit for and champion of best practices in health and policy for the Hackley community, and work closely with faculty, administrators, staff, and health professionals to promote personal and institutional wellness at Hackley. Director of Health Education at Vassar since 2008, Renee holds a BS in Psychology and an MA in Psychology with a concentration in Counseling. At Vassar, Renée oversaw the development of health curriculum and wellness programming to address health promotion and prevention among the student body. Prior to working at Vassar, Renée was an adjunct professor of Personal and Community Health at Marist College and a Community Educator at the Council on Addiction Prevention and Education. She holds certifications and licenses in Critical Incident Stress Management, Sexual Assault Violence Prevention, Suicide Risk Assessment, Alcohol Screening and Intervention and she is a NY State Licensed Mental Health Counselor.

Gerri-Ann Passerelli has joined the Hackley administrative staff as Receptionist, and the friendly first face to greet visitors when they arrive through the "Enter Here to be and Find a Friend" doorway.  Gerri-Ann will also be managing the mailroom. Please stop by to say hello!

Sam Patierno has long been a familiar face on the campus through his role as a strength and fitness coach.  He has now joined the faculty full time as Director of Exercise Science and Programs.  In this role he will expand his work in guiding programs in the Johnson Center for Health and Wellness.

Lucy Roemer taught as a leave replacement at Hackley for five months in both fourth grade and first grade and now joins us as a full time Assistant Teacher in our second grade. Lucy received her Bachelor of Arts in English from Tulane University. She worked as a substitute teacher in the Rhinebeck School District as well as at Dutchess Day School, where she also coached field hockey. We are delighted that she was able to return to us this year.

Teresa Weber has joined Hackley as Director of Advancement. Teresa served most recently as Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Manhattanville College, where she served in the President's Cabinet and successfully built programs and developed relationships throughout the alumni body. She developed and implemented the first operational plan for the office, wrote and secured a Mellon Foundation grant, and directly solicited and secured a number of significant gifts from trustees and major donors. Prior to Manhattanville, Teresa served in leadership capacities in the development offices at Lycée Français de New York, Yale University, and Ethical Culture Fieldston School. A graduate of Georgetown with a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service, Teresa earned her Master of Science in Leadership and Strategic Management from Manhattanville while working full time. Teresa will report directly to Michael Wirtz, serving on the Leadership Team. With this change in leadership, which accompanies a departmental restructuring designed to create closer alignment between the School’s development, communications, and marketing functions, the office has been retitled as the "Advancement Office."