Meet Season 3's award-winning team of mentor teachers.

Caroline Roth

Now in her third year as a Mentor Teacher, Caroline began with Teach for America in Los Angeles, teaching high school English as a second language. After teaching middle school history and English, she returned to her hometown of New York City, where she taught seventh-grade English with Achievement First Endeavor Middle School and was named a Distinguished Teacher. As the school's ELA and history academic dean and principal-in-residence, Caroline led her team through the transition to Common Core standards and a 25 percentage point increase in student proficiency on the state’s ELA assessment. She then served as the school’s principal for five years; the school posted double-digit proficiency gains in both ELA and math. Today, Caroline is an educational consultant, specializing in school leader and teacher coaching and professional development. She earned her B.A in English from Dartmouth College and her M.A from Loyola Marymount University.

Carrie Roby

Now in her third year as a Mentor Teacher, Carrie began her career teaching second- and third- grades for Teach for America in the South Bronx. Her students averaged 1.7 grades of growth in reading and 84 percent were proficient in math each year. Carrie was a founding second-grade teacher and leadership resident at Success Academy's flagship school, before becoming founding principal of Success Academy Upper West. Her school received the Blackboard Award for Rising Star Grade Schools and was ranked first in math and eighth in ELA, based on student performance on the state assessments. Carrie was a cognitively guided instruction math consultant for schools across the country and currently coaches the implementation of research-based strategies to enhance student learning. Carrie earned a B.A. from Harvard University in psychology and a M.S. from Pace University.

Corey Coleman

Corey began her career teaching at Success Academy in Hell’s Kitchen, New York, where she taught the first through the fourth grades and was a lab site teacher and grade team leader. Her classes ranked in the top 10 percent in the network, and the strategies she deployed resulted in 100 percent of her students passing the state math exam. Later, Corey was principal of WeGrow, a private elementary school. She was then associate director of ELA for Achievement First’s Greenfield initiative. Currently she serves as an education consultant and instructional coach working across the east coast and virtually. Corey earned her B.A. from George Washington University in psychology and sociology and holds a M.S. from Touro College.

Christina Gellos

Now in her third year as a Mentor Teacher, Christina began her career teaching seventh-grade math as a Teach for America corps member at Achievement First East New York Middle School in Brooklyn. Over three years, she increased student proficiency on the New York Common Core mathematics exam by 43 percentage points. She then joined the school’s leadership team as academic dean for math, coaching and developing teachers and managing the math department. The following year her school achieved 92 percent proficiency across all grades on the New York Common Core math exam. Currently, Christina works as an education consultant specializing in teacher coaching and development. Christina earned a B.A. in public policy with a minor in education and political science from Duke University and an M.A. from Relay Graduate School of Education. She is pursuing a M.Ed. in education leadership from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education.

Evan Emenegger

Evan began his career with Teach for America in Yazoo City, Mississippi, where he taught tenth-grade English and was named Yazoo City Teacher of the Year in 2015. Since then he has served as grade-level chair, associate academic dean, and seventh-grade literature teacher at the Achievement First Apollo Middle School in Brooklyn. In 2018, Evan’s students posted the highest growth on the New York Common Core English Language Arts exam in the network. Evan earned Achievement First’s Stage 5 Distinction, the network’s highest distinction, awarded for student achievement, student character development, quality of instruction and planning, and contribution to team achievement. Evan earned his B.A. in political science with a minor in Russian at the University of Washington and an M.A. from Relay Graduate School of Education.

Griselda Garcia

Griselda began her career with Excellence and Justice in Education Academies in San Diego, where she taught third-grade dual immersion classes. As a founding member of the school’s math committee, she identified and implemented new math curricula, supported teachers with its implementation, and planned math nights for families. Griselda then taught a combined third- and fourth-grade class at the San Diego Cooperative Charter School. Today, Griselda teaches at Hawking STEAM Charter School 2 in San Diego, where she is the sixth-grade math teacher. Griselda received her B.A. in psychology from the University of California, Riverside and an M.Ed. from the University of California, San Diego.

Henry Melcher

Henry began his career with Teach for America in Phoenix, Arizona, where he taught seventh grade English and raised the passing rate of his students on Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards state test in writing from 41 percent to 71 percent in 2008. At Brooke Charter Schools in Boston, the highest-performing network in the state, Henry served as a mentor teacher, supervising the on-boarding, training, and year-long coaching of first-year teachers. At Achievement First Charter Schools in New York City, Henry was a grade-level chair, mentor teacher, and dean of students. He has been with NSSI since its inception as a teacher coach and mentor teacher. Henry earned his B.A. in English from the University of Vermont and his M.Ed. from Arizona State University.

Ifrat Syeda

Now in her third year as a Mentor Teacher, Ifrat began her career as a founding fifth-grade humanities teacher at Success Academy in New York City, and has since taught both humanities and STEM classes. On Success’s content design and management team, Ifrat was middle school content lead. Her students consistently ranked in the top three percent in the network, and 100 percent passed both the New York State math and ELA assessments. Ifrat was a finalist for the New York City Big Apple Award for exceptional teaching. She served as assistant principal for a Success kindergarten through eighth-grade labsite school showcasing exceptional teaching in the network. Ifrat currently supports schools and districts in the tri-state area in developing students’ language and literacy skills through digital learning solutions. She earned her B.A. in biology from Hunter College and M.S. from Touro University.

Jeremiah Pickert  

Jeremiah’s teaching career began as a sixth- through eighth-grade English Language Arts and social studies teacher with Teach for America at Dodge Renaissance Academy in Chicago. While there, he raised grant money to found the first debate and poetry slam team. Jeremiah then joined the Noble charter network, where he taught AP English and composition; the eighteen young men he mentored in advisory all went on to college. Jeremiah moved to New York and joined Uncommon Schools’ Leadership Prep Canarsie, where he is the seventh-grade level lead and writing teacher. His students have consistently earned some of the top essay scores across the Brooklyn region of Uncommon Schools. Jeremiah holds a B.S. in political science and psychology from the University of Illinois and earned his teaching certificate at Dominican University.

Jo Dominique

Jo began her teaching career teaching kindergarten, third-grade math, and social studies at the elementary academy of Achievement First Hartford. As a third-grade math teacher, her students attained some of the highest scores in the network on the Connecticut Common Core exam, and she was named grade-level chair. 79 percent of her students were found proficient, with 47 percent found advanced. Jo then became a dean of students and STEM at the middle academy. During the pandemic, students in several grades in the middle academy were still able to produce top scores in math on network weekly quizzes. Today, Jo is a humanities dean in the school’s high school academy. Jo earned a B.A. in psychology from the University of Connecticut, an M.S. from Southern Connecticut State University, and an Ed.D. from the University of New England.

John Kaczorek

A veteran Mentor Teacher, John began his career with Teach for America as an eighth-grade math teacher in a district school in the Bronx. Later, at KIPP’s Rise Academy in New Jersey, 86 percent of his fifth-grade math students were found proficient on the state exam. After moving to Minnesota, John joined Hiawatha College Prep, where he was a founding teacher, and for six years, principal. Under his leadership, Hiawatha Prep was recognized by Teach for America as a “School to Learn From" and was designated a Reward School by the Minnesota Department of Education. Following his tenure as principal, John served as seventh-grade teacher for three years and is currently Hiawatha’s director of curriculum and assessment. John earned his B.A. from St. John’s University in economics and a M.S. from Pace University.

Jonathan Laven

Now in his third year as a Mentor Teacher, Jon taught math at Western High School in Las Vegas, before enrolling at the Yale Divinity School, where he served as program manager of the school’s leadership development program. Jon was then the founding math teacher and department chair at Hiawatha Collegiate High School in Minneapolis. Pursuing his interest in educational leadership, he led Teach for America summer institutes for high school math teachers and wrote curriculum in math and culturally responsive pedagogy. Jon is now the dean of instruction for the Hiawatha Academies. He graduated with a B.A. in math and philosophy from St. Olaf College and earned an M.Ed. from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and an M.A. from the Yale Divinity School.

Jordan McNiven

Now in his third year as a Mentor Teacher, Jordan began his career leading youth development and after-school programs in his hometown of Minneapolis. As a program coordinator and instructor at the YMCA, he oversaw experiential learning and led trips to New York City, Sweden, Russia, and Peru. Jordan taught fifth-grade social studies and coached soccer at the Achievement First Endeavor Middle School in Brooklyn. Returning to Minneapolis, he joined Hiawatha Academies, where for six years he has taught ELA at the elementary and middle schools. In 2020, he was awarded the National University Teacher Award for the state of Minnesota. Jordan earned his B.A. from the University of Minnesota in psychology and comparative literature and a M.A. from the Relay Graduate School of Education.

Kendrick Torbey

Kendrick began her career in 2009 with Teach for America in Thoreau, New Mexico, where she taught special education for kindergarten through fifth grades and was department chair of the special education department. In 2013, she became a founding kindergarten teacher at KIPP Austin Leadership Elementary, and later, an assistant principal and math curriculum coordinator for the district. She has also worked for the Texas Education Agency as the quality review and adoption lead, supporting districts in their work to adopt high-quality instructional materials. Currently, she is the director of advocacy and education for the Allo Hope Foundation. Kendrick earned her B.A. in sociology and history from Boston University and her M.A. from Western New Mexico University. 

Mallory Morris

Now in her third year as a Mentor Teacher, Mallory Morris began her career as a seventh-grade English Language Arts teacher in Champaign, Illinois, where she was named Outstanding Beginning Educator in 2007. In 2014, Mallory transitioned to the role of assistant principal, where she continued to support students by supporting teacher growth. In her most recent role as a district coordinator of data, design, and inquiry, Mallory co-led the strategic planning process, led three schools through whole-school redesign, and supported curriculum development. Currently, Mallory serves as the associate director of learning design for Digital Promise. Mallory attended the University of Illinois, where she earned a B.S. in elementary education, a M.Ed in curriculum and instruction, and a M.Ed in educational organization and leadership. Mallory is currently a doctoral candidate at Drexel University.

Mary Elizabeth Taylor

Mary Elizabeth began her career teaching kindergarten in Bridgeport, Connecticut. In 2006, she joined Achievement First, where she was a teacher, team leader, and math curriculum fellow for the network. As a classroom teacher, more than 85 percent of her students achieved a score of 90 percent or better on network math assessments. Mary Elizabeth continued to grow at Achievement First, becoming a curriculum designer on the Greenfield team, creating content for self-directed learning and cognitively guided instruction (CGI) math. She is now the math instructional specialist for Excellence Community Schools, where, in 2021, 93 percent of her students were found proficient in math on the Connecticut state test. Mary Elizabeth earned a B.A. in education at Elmira College in New York.

Melanie Green

Now in her third year as a Mentor Teacher, Melanie began her career with Teach for America teaching eighth-grade math in Newark. She then joined Achievement First Voyager Middle School in Brooklyn as a founding fifth-grade math teacher. She went on to teach sixth-grade math, and was named grade-level chair and math dean. Melanie's fifth- and sixth-grade students increased their proficiency on the New York State Common Core math assessment by 28 and 26 percentage points, respectively. As dean, she led her math faculty to make the highest student growth of Achievement First’s ten schools for each of the past four years. Achievement First named Melanie a Distinguished Stage 4 Teacher and a principal fellow. Melanie earned a B.S. in economics and public policy from Duke University and a M.A. from Relay Graduate School of Education.

Melissa Monaco Phillips

Melissa began her career teaching third through fifth grades in Chicago and Boulder. She then became an instructional coach, school leader, and national consultant with a focus on distributed leadership, equity-focused design, and instructional quality in both charter and traditional public schools. In the wake of the pandemic, Melissa partnered with several Texas communities and nonprofits to redesign their schools through state and federal grants. She has been a middle school ELA curriculum reviewer for the Texas Education Agency and supported ELA teachers implementing new curricula. Melissa earned a B.A. from Wheaton College, an M.S.Ed. from Chicago State University, and an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Mirella Sales

Mirella began her career as a middle school math fellow in Houston. She joined KIPP, first in Houston and then later in Austin, to teach middle school math. In 2015, Mirella moved to KIPP Connect in Houston to be the founding sixth-grade math teacher, rising to course leader, instructional coach, and math department chair. She was the school’s founding algebra teacher and then the dean of math instruction. Mirella then became the director of social-emotional learning for a community development non-profit in Houston. Currently, Mirella is a manager of district and school support for Good Reason Houston. The KIPP Foundation awarded Mirella the Harriett Ball Excellence in Teaching Award and the Kinder Foundation their Excellence in Teaching Award. Mirella graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. from the University of Houston in interdisciplinary studies, where she is pursuing her M.Ed.

Natalie Stevei

Natalie began teaching as an New York University teaching fellow at Great Oaks Charter School in Manhattan. Natalie continued to hone her practice as a sixth-grade English teacher at Success Academy Charter School in Harlem. In 2016, 96 percent of her students passed the New York state ELA Exam in 2016. Subsequently, she joined the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore as a teacher and instructional coach; Natalie secured a grant to develop a new writing curriculum. Currently, Natalie works as an assistant principal at Rocketship Public Schools in the Bay Area, California. Natalie earned her B.A. in English from UCLA and her M.Ed. from New York University. 

Nina Weisling

Nina’s career began at Roosevelt Middle School in Philadelphia teaching special education. She was then the special education teacher, case manager, fifth grade-level chair, and math problem solving and writing teacher at KIPP: Ascend Charter School in Chicago. During her time in the classroom, Nina’s students' academic performance grew 1.5-2.5 years each year on the MAP assessment. Nina became an instructional coach with the Academy for Urban School Leadership, supporting early career special educators across 33 Chicago public schools; she went on to co-manage the team of 25 such coaches. She is currently an assistant professor of education at Carthage College, Kenosha, Wisconsin. Nina earned her B.A. from Lawrence University in Wisconsin, her M.S. from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, and her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Sarah Brickley

Now in her third year as a Mentor Teacher, Sarah began her career teaching third-grade bilingual special education inclusion with Teach for America in the Bronx. As a fourth-grade classroom teacher at Success Academy, 100 percent of her students passed the New York State exams. She went on to lead the Success network’s elementary math program, whose results consistently ranked in the top one percent of New York State schools. Sarah then became director of the Achievement First middle school math program, where she spearheaded a shift to culturally relevant curricula. Sarah has also taught at an American school in Morocco, trained NYC teaching fellows, and consulted with a number of charter networks. Currently, Sarah is a math coach at Lowell Community School in Massachusetts. She holds a B.A. with a double major in journalism and Spanish from New York University and a M.Ed. from Lehman College.

Suzie Zapoticzny

Suzie began her teaching career with Success Academy Charter Schools in New York, where she taught the first, second, and fourth grades. In 2017, 100 percent of her students passed the math and ELA New York State Common Core assessments with proficient or advanced scores; her scores consistently ranked in the top ten classrooms across Success’s 30 elementary schools. Suzie was invited to join Success’s central team as senior associate of advocacy, where she planned and implemented advocacy workshops to empower staff and parents to foster relationships with decision makers in their communities. She created an advocacy website which offers tutorials to help staff maintain relationships with local officials. Suzie holds a B.A. from Rutgers University in American Studies and an M.S. from Touro College in education and special education.

Tiffany Delhagen

As a Teach for America corps member, Tiffany taught middle school ELA in the New York City schools. She then became part of the planning committee and founding staff of The Eagle Academy for Young Men in Ocean Hill, Brooklyn, where she headed the English department and facilitated professional development. Tiffany took a sabbatical from the DOE in 2014 to conduct an educational research project in India. When she returned, she led interdisciplinary, project-based curriculum design at a small, progressive school in Brooklyn before joining an independent school, Avenues: The World School. Currently, Tiffany teaches ELA at a charter school in Asheville, NC. Tiffany holds a B.A. in English literature from the College of Wooster, an M.A. from Middlebury College, an M.S. from Pace University, and an M.A. from Bank Street School of Education.

Tinnae Hamilton

Tinnae began her career as an early intervention program teacher for at-risk students in a district school in Atlanta. After teaching at a charter school in Decatur, she joined KIPP Texas Public Schools. There, Tinnae was a general education teacher and team leader. At KIPP Legacy School in Houston, the school’s third graders made the third-highest growth on the MAP assessment of all KIPP schools nationally in 2013-14. Moving to New York City, Tinnae’s students at KIPP NYC made double-digit annual growth on the Common Core state assessments. Subsequently, she served as the humanities instructional specialist at Excellence Community Schools in the Bronx. Currently, Tinnae is specialist assistant to the CEO of Prospect Schools in Brooklyn. Tinnae earned graduated her B.A. in journalism from Grambling State University.