Our Team

Jeremy Abarno, PAVE’s Principal, knows that great teaching is the key to academic achievement for our students. He will work closely with PAVE teachers and PAVE scholars to make sure the learning is at the highest level it can possibly be. Mr. Abarno has worked in public education in New York City for ten years both as an elementary school teacher in district schools and as an administrator in Charter schools. He has seen the capability of students and families to succeed in the South Bronx, East Harlem and The Lower East Side, and is very excited to work with the children of Red Hook on their way to college. Jeremy earned his Bachelor’s Degree in education from New York University, his Master’s Degree in special education from City College and his Certificate in School Building Leadership from Baruch College. Jeremy lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two children.

Sarah Alper is PAVE’s Social Worker. Ms. Alper holds a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from The University of Rhode Island and a Master of Social Work from Hunter College School of Social Work. While studying at Hunter, Ms. Alper interned at another elementary school in Brooklyn, where she developed a love for school social work. She joined PAVE during the 2011 school year.

In May 2008, Roseanne Baker graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. During her Junior year of college, she had the privilege to travel to England and spend a semester studying at Oxford University. Throughout high school and college, Roseanne worked with children in a variety of capacities. In high school, she spent 2 years teaching music theory, while in college, she worked at a variety of enrichment camps and programs in the cities of Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and Santa Barbara. It was while planning and implementing reading lessons at a camp called Fun In The Sun (FITS) in her hometown of Santa Barbara in Summer of 2006 that she witnessed firsthand the devastating effects the achievement gap had on her amazing group of 4th-6th grade girls, and she wanted to be actively involved in changing this. After college, Roseanne moved to New York to join PAVE in its founding year as part of the Teach for America program. In June 2010, Roseanne graduated with a Masters in General Childhood Education from Hunter College- Teacher U.

Denise Barilar graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2007 with a bachelors degree in psychology and Russian and a minor in music. During her time at Notre Dame, Denise worked with the students in the South Bend community as a mentor and tutor and participated in research on non-violent conflict resolution in schools and student motivation to learn mathematics. She also studied for a semester at International University in Moscow in the spring of 2006. After graduating from college, Denise moved to Washington, D.C. to join the Teach for America Metro DC corps. Denise taught fourth grade in Prince George’s County Public Schools for four years and earned her Masters in Teaching from American University in 2009. She is very excited to join the PAVE community this year as a third grade teacher!

Sabrina Bedward graduated from Duke University in 2008 where she studied psychology and Elementary Education. During her undergraduate studies, she served as a teaching assistant for Duke University’s Program in Education, worked as a fundraiser for the Women’s Institute for Secondary Education and Research in Muhuru Bay, Kenya, mentored in Durham public schools and participated in service learning. Sabrina also completed her student teaching internship in a local Durham public school, where she worked in a first grade classroom and received her license in Elementary Education from Duke University’s Program in Education Elementary Teacher Preparation Program. Sabrina also attended the University of Cape Town in Cape Town, South Africa. Her experiences as a mentor teacher working to increase community awareness of AIDS fortified her belief in the ethos that education is not only a tool for social change. In addition, education is a life sustaining provision that should be of high quality and enduring substance. She is looking forward to pursuing a career in Education and obtaining a doctorate in Educational Psychology.

Nicki Bodner, a New Jersey native, graduated Magna Cum Laude from New York University’s Stern School of Business in January 2007 with a degree in both Economics and International Business. After two years of working as an economic consultant, she decided to pursue her interest in nonprofit education service by working for Jewish Heart for Africa, an organization that raises funds to provide solar energy to schools and orphanages in Uganda, Ethiopia and Tanzania. Nicki is thrilled to now shift her focus to New York City and join PAVE as a member of the 2010 Teach for America Corps while concurrently pursuing a Master’s degree in Elementary Education at Hunter College-Teacher U.

Jessica Boston is a 2008 graduate of Spelman College, an outstanding historically Black college for women located in Atlanta, GA. The Plainsboro, New Jersey native majored in child development while at Spelman, and received numerous honors. Some of her honors include being inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, Kappa Delta Epsilon (education honor fraternity), Golden Key International Honour Society, and graduating Magna Cum Laude. While studying at Spelman, she interned with the Breakthrough Collaborative in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Through this experience, Jessica developed a passion for education and a desire to work in a school which not only inspires the young minds of the future but also empowers and uplifts the community. Jessica believes that the key to success for all students is quality education and high expectations. She is extremely enthused to be teaching first grade at PAVE.

Kara Brockett is a 2008 graduate from Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, MN, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Literature and Creative Writing. After fighting for education equality in high school and college, Kara joined Teach for America to make a direct impact in the lives of children in New York City. Kara comes to PAVE after teaching for two years in Harlem with extensive experience in reading and math intervention. In 2011, Kara graduated from Hunter College with a Master’s in Special Education with an emphasis on inclusion and literacy intervention. She is very excited to join PAVE and looks forward to teaching her students to love learning.

Caitlin Cahill graduated from Wellesley College with a degree in French in 2006. During college, she spent her junior year abroad in Aix-en-Provence, studying at a French university. After college, Caitlin was accepted to the New York City Teaching Fellows program through which she received her masters from City College in 2008. Caitlin had been teaching first grade at a public school in Washington Heights, Manhattan for four years before joining the PAVE community. She is from Brooklyn and is eager to teach in her home borough. Caitlin is thrilled to join the PAVE team!

Marjorie graduated from Boston University with a BS in Special Education. During her undergraduate studies, Marjorie worked on a research grant aimed at teaching underprivileged youth and youth with disabilities how to develop self-determination and self-advocacy skills. Upon graduating, Marjorie teamed up with a juvenile justice-centered law firm in Philadelphia where she worked with older youth in foster care, educating them on their educational rights. In addition, Marjorie educated professionals in the justice system on child development and worked with local legislators on a bill that would afford students in foster care a tuition waiver for state colleges and universities. Marjorie then moved to New York City to join Teach for America. She earned her Masters degree in Childhood and Special Education from Pace University. Marjorie has been a Special Education Coordinator in the Bronx for the past three years and is thrilled to join such an intelligent and positive group of people here at PAVE!

A native of New Jersey, Rosaleen D’Angelo graduated from Vassar College in 2005 with a Bachelors of Arts in mathematics. After serving two years in New York City public schools with the non-profit group City Year New York, Rosaleen was inspired by the work of the Harlem Children’s Zone’s Geoffrey Canada. Believing firmly that a quality education is the right of all children, she began to pursue a career in teaching. Rosaleen was a founding faculty member and lead teacher at North Star Academy Elementary School in Newark, New Jersey, where she taught Kindergarten for two years. In 2010, Rosaleen joined the faculty at PAVE and this year will teach Kindergarten and serve as PAVE’s Math Content Specialist.

Kimberly Davidson graduated in 2007 from Chapman University in Orange, California where she studied public relations and political science. After working with a U.S. Congresswoman on education issues, she was inspired to work toward improving our nation’s education system. This led her to become a Teach For America corps member. She spent the last two years teaching second grade in Harlem while completing her Masters in Teaching at PACE University. Kimberly is thrilled to be teaching 4th grade at PAVE!

Ali Donovan graduated from UNC – Chapel Hill with a degree in International Studies and Economics. While at UNC, Ali was named a Public Service Scholar – a recognition awarded to a select group of students who made significant contributions to their community. As a leader of the largest student fundraising organization at UNC, she began to realize the extraordinary things that can happen when you combine resources and ideas. Her experiences as a tutor in downtown Durham, NC and as an iMentor in New York City intensified her passion for quality public education, and she is thrilled to be at PAVE!

Daniel Dowd began working as PAVE’s Operations Manager during the summer of 2011. He believes that operational efficiency and competence play an important role in allowing teachers to devote more of their time and energy to student instruction. Mr. Dowd has worked in operations in the government and private sector for the last six years. He served five years in the Armed Forces as an intelligence analyst and Arabic linguist during which he spent a year overseas in Baghdad. Daniel earned his degree in the service at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA. Daniel lives in Brooklyn and is currently pursuing a second degree in computer science from NYIT.

Andrea graduated from the University of San Diego in 2007 with a BA in English and Spanish. Upon graduating, Andrea joined the 2007 Teach For America corps and taught sixth grade Language Arts in Phoenix for several years. While teaching in Phoenix, she earned her Master’s degree in Elementary Education from Arizona State University. Afterwards, Andrea moved to her hometown of Seattle, Washington and taught third grade for a year. Upon her recent move to New York, Andrea sought out a rigorous school dedicated to student success and was thrilled to find a new home at PAVE. She feels so fortunate to serve as an Intervention Specialist with such a phenomenal group of scholars and teachers.

Bill Franks graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2007 with a degree in Psychology. He then went on to join Teach for America and began teaching at a middle school in Brooklyn. He received his Masters in Education from Pace University in 2009. Bill is excited to continue to educate and work with students from Brooklyn and looks forward to meeting all the families and scholars here at PAVE. When Bill is not teaching he likes to play chess, read, watch movies, and to play at the park with his two little boys.

Katherine, a native of Fanwood, New Jersey, graduated in 2008 and 2009 from the Maryland Institute College of Arts with, respectively, a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a Master of Arts in Teaching degree. During her graduate study at MICA, Katherine served as a teaching intern and student teacher at Midtown Academy, Cecil Elementary School and Booker T. Washington Middle School, all located in the heart of Baltimore. Katherine also worked at Millennium Arts Academy in The Bronx and served as an occasional substitute teacher at the prestigious Dalton School. Katherine joined PAVE as its art teacher in January 2010 and is thrilled to be opening the world of visual art to its students. She believes that teaching young people to use their eyes and hands to create art using a visual medium to express their thoughts and emotions will help make them confident, inspiring, creative adults.

Christie Jones graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature. The Cincinnati native immediately began working at a local charter school where she developed her passion and love for the field of education. From there, Christie joined The New York City Teaching Fellows, earning her a Masters degree in Special Education from Hunter College and providing her the opportunity to teach in public and private schools around the city. Christie has seven years of teaching experience, working with both general and special education students, and she is extremely excited to be teaching 1st grade at PAVE!

Ariana Kanwit is thrilled to be joining PAVE as the Instructional Coach. Ariana began her career as a bilingual teacher with the New York City Teaching Fellows in the Bronx. She has since taught and served in leadership roles in Peru, California, and North Carolina. Ariana, a native New Yorker, is a graduate of Bennington College in Vermont (B.A.) and Mercy College (EdM) in the Bronx. She is a part of the New Leaders for New Schools program and is currently working on a Certificate in School Building Leadership from Baruch College. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and son. Ariana is honored to collaborate with the staff and to serve the students of PAVE on their way to college!

Telia Kapteyn graduated from New York University with a degree in Media, Culture and Communication and a minor in Education. Born in Portland, Oregon and raised in Georgia, Telia held multiple internships in the public relations field, where she dreamt of transforming apathy into activism by working for an educational non-profit organization. However, upon spending time in schools, she became impassioned by the formative nature of the classroom and soon realized that she needed to lobby for educational equity in the classroom, not behind a desk. As a result, Telia joined Teach For America as a 2009 New York City corps member. She recently received her Masters degree in Education from Hunter College-Teacher U, and is thrilled to be teaching another group of joyful, curious Kindergarten scholars at PAVE.

Christina Matias graduated from John Jay College with a B.S. in Criminal Justice in May 2010. Before joining the PAVE family she worked with inner city youth as a campus assistant for Harlem RBI – a baseball/softball non-profit organization in East Harlem that focuses on sports and literacy. Her two passions are working with youth and administration. She is currently fulfilling her passions by pursuing her Masters in Public Administration at John Jay College with a specialization in management and operations.

Adam Merten graduated from the University of Connecticut with a degree in English. Immediately after graduation in 2007, he moved to Brooklyn, NY to work in educational publishing at Pearson Education in Manhattan. Rather than market textbooks for college students, Adam followed a growing desire to serve the students of New York City directly and began substitute teaching and tutoring throughout Brooklyn. In 2009, Adam joined Teach for America to help end educational inequity in US public schools. He taught third grade in a summer school program at Bronx Lighthouse Charter School in the summer of 2009. He then went on to teach first grade at East NY Preparatory Charter School, where he received a NY State Assembly Citation Award for Exceptional Educator. In the summer of 2011, Adam finished his Masters Degree in Education from Hunter College-Teacher U. He considers himself blessed and honored to teach 3rd Grade at PAVE.

Steve graduated from the University of Bridgeport in 2007 with a degree in communications. He played three years of collegiate baseball at a Division II school, one year at a Division I school, and has coached at the community college and Division II levels. Steve comes to PAVE after serving as a Program Coordinator with Americoprs and the Youth Sports Director at the Garfield YMCA. While at the YMCA, Steve started many new programs including teen fitness, nutrition, after school programs; he also coached youth soccer, baseball and basketball teams. He is currently pursuing his Masters degree in Family Nutrition and Exercise Science – Physical Education.

Hannah Prussin graduated Summa Cum Laude with High Honors from New York University in 2009 with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Political Science. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. During college, Hannah tutored students in NYC public schools and studied the daily routines of ethnically diverse NYC families. These experiences helped intensify her interest in urban classrooms and public education reform. Hannah joined Teach For America in 2009, teaching first grade for two years in West Philadelphia. She was blessed with a supportive and talented team of teachers and remarkable students whom she will always hold dear to her heart. During these two years, Hannah worked to earn a Masters of Science in Education from the University of Pennsylvania. Hannah is excited to move back to New York and join the culture of hard work, high expectations, and joy at PAVE.

Spencer Robertson, Founder and Executive Director, is responsible for overall management of PAVE. Before launching PAVE, Mr. Robertson worked at North Star Academy Charter School of Newark. Mr. Robertson completed the Building Excellent Schools Fellowship, which provided him one year to study the highest performing public schools in America. Mr. Robertson holds an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, with a focus on the non-profit sector. His education career includes three years as a seventh and eighth graders language arts and Spanish teacher and co-founder of the school’s running club. He then served as a program officer at the Tiger Foundation, supporting after-school programs and early child development initiatives throughout New York City. He graduated from Duke University in 1998. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and four children.

Cori Salmeron graduated in May 2009 from Rice University with a Bachelors of Arts in History with Honors. Since high school, she has wanted to pursue a career in education. She spent two years volunteering at an academic enrichment camp for students from low income communities and also student taught at a high-need summer school in Baltimore. Throughout college, Cori taught English to the Housing and Dining staff at Rice University. Her senior honors thesis focused on the the Mexican American community’s struggle for equal education in Houston, TX. In May of 2009, she joined Teach For America and is excited to be teaching First Grade at PAVE.

Matt Salvatierra graduated from Harvard University in 2005 with a major in Religious Studies and a Minor in Spanish. During his undergraduate years, he did a significant amount of traveling, including a semester abroad in Spain and a summer working with orphaned children in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Upon graduating, he moved to New York City to work as a 7th and 8th grade teacher at Nativity Mission Center, an independent middle school serving low-income families. In addition to teaching, he also served as the director of the school’s residential summer program in Lake Placid, NY. While at Nativity, he earned his Masters in Teaching from Fordham University. After four years as a full-time teacher, Matt spent a year as the director of after-school programs at Citizens Committee for Children, a non-profit child advocacy organization in New York City. This past year, he returned to graduate school and earned a Masters in Educational Leadership from New York University. Having visited many different schools as part of this program, he was particularly attracted to the incredible group of educators at PAVE, and he is thrilled to join the team as a 2nd grade teacher. In his spare time, Matt loves to play music, ride his bike, cook, and hang out in Brooklyn with his wife.

Elizabeth Sherry graduated in 2010 from the Lynch School of Education at Boston College with a BA in elementary education and human development. She spent her undergraduate career student teaching in all elementary grades across different areas of Boston, and spent a semester traveling and teaching abroad in Melbourne, Australia. Upon graduation, Elizabeth joined Teach For America’s New York City 2010 Corps and was quickly introduced to the incredible mission, school culture, and talented staff of PAVE. She is thrilled to be beginning her first year of teaching at PAVE in second grade!

Kesete arrived at PAVE in December 2010 after spending six years in Maryland and Pennsylvania as a lead teacher and teacher coach focusing exclusively on elementary education. He earned his Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education from The University of Maryland, College Park and his Masters Degree in Administrative Studies and Policy Leadership from the University of Pittsburgh. After teaching for one year at a public school in Maryland, he moved back to give back to the place and people that inspired him to work hard towards his goals by teaching at charter school in the neighborhood he grew up in. He is enthusiastic about working in Red Hook at PAVE to ensure that all students and families realize their dreams. During his down time, Kesete likes to read, shop, play basketball, and travel.

Elizabeth Von Felde graduated from Syracuse University in 2007 with a B.S. in Elementary and Special Education and a B.A. in English and Textual Studies. During her undergraduate studies, she focused on teaching students with learning differences through multiple and varied instructional approaches. Elizabeth worked in the Philadelphia suburbs as a behavioral therapist for children with autism, ADHD, emotional disturbance, and oppositional defiance disorder, implementing behavioral plans and interventions in the school setting. She received a Masters of Science in Education from the University of Pennsylvania in May of 2009 where she studied Reading, Writing, and Literacy and obtained her Reading Specialist certification. Elizabeth also worked as a Kindergarten and First Grade emotional support teacher at a charter school in North Philadelphia. She grew up in Long Island, New York and currently resides in Manhattan. She joins PAVE as the school’s Learning Specialist and is responsible for special education support and coordination.

Cooper Westendarp graduated from Wake Forest University where he studied English and financial accounting. After working in finance, Cooper transitioned to teaching through the Johns Hopkins Masters in Teaching program. Cooper then moved to South Florida to help found a high school as an English teacher and later moved to New York City in order to study the growing charter school movement. While finishing his Masters in Education Leadership at Columbia University, Cooper began working on PAVE’s startup team and has since acted as the school’s founding Director of Finance and Operations. Cooper lives in Manhattan with his wife and is an active member of Redeemer Presbyterian Church.

Chrissy graduated from Fairfield University in 2007 with a BA in Psychology and a minor in sociology. Her years spent volunteering in the public schools of Bridgeport, CT confirmed her desire to work for educational equality. Upon graduating, she joined the Teach for America 2007 Corps and moved to New Orleans. In New Orleans she taught second and third grade, then served as a reading intervention teacher for kindergarten and first grade students. She is thrilled to be back in her native Brooklyn and bringing literacy to life for the students of PAVE.