Tell us a little bit about you and your background.

Ever since I was a little girl I always knew I wanted to be an artist and work with children. I went to a private art studio in the mountains in Roxbury, CT, since I was 3 years old until I went to high school. As an undergrad at Manhattanville College I studied Art/Education and had wonderful opportunities such as interning at the MET in their education department and was the CoCoodinator for a program called CETA (Creative Expressions Through Art) that allowed my to teach art to less fortunate children in surrounding cities. Later I received my Masters in Fine Art from College of New Rochelle where I studied printmaking and watercolor. In my professional career I managed many enrichment programs including 10 years at Citibabes in SOHO, NY, where I was the Director of Children’s Programs. I later moved back to CT to start a family, where I was the director of an early childhood school for 3 years, developing a reggio emilia art program for each age group. While pregnant with my youngest daughter I began working for Shine LLC, a boutique enrichment program in the Hamptons, as their Operations Director and Education Consultant, launching a new enrollment platform and building new curriculum.

What attracted you to work at One River School?

I had reached out to One River when I moved back to CT as I drove by the studio so many times and felt our philosophies were very parallel. I had been developing art curriculum for so many years but this was the first time seeing an art school focusing on contemporary art. Finding inspiration from artists that are alive, making art today and creating lessons with beautiful powerpoint presentations was exactly what I needed to see to give new life to art education. I knew I had to reach out whether they had an opening or not to find out more. It wasn’t until a year later that One River said we have a position we think you would be perfect for! And here we are today…

How would you describe your team?

The Team of Talents! We are very well rounded here and it amazes me how talented everyone is. Having so many talented teachers it’s important that we highlight these teachers in classes that showcase their strengths. I am so blown away at the dedication and care our teachers have for their students. We often take for granted that these students come to One River as an outlet, and when I walk through the classrooms it makes me so happy that I really see genuine connections happening with our students and teachers. Students who may be shy at school, find a sense of self here and thats because of the team here at One River!

What do you think we do best at One River?

One River is the best at creating unique contemporary art education for students of all ages thats approachable, fun and compelling. I love seeing what the next projects are going to be and thinking about specific students and how they will approach that lesson.

Who or what motivates you?

I am motivated by my family, the team, the students… pretty much everyone in my life. Growing up I constantly tried to be the best I can and I hope my children see how hard I work and that work ethic rubs off on them and they put that same effort in their studies and career. I feel so accomplished when I know I worked hard, growing as a person. My father has been a huge inspiration for me, starting off as a coin boy at 18 years old in a bank, later putting himself through school, to move his way up the latter to become the COO of a national bank. His determination has definitely rubbed off on me and I can only hope to have a slice of his achievements. I am extremely proud of him, if only he would retire, but I guess we have the same work ethic.

Is there a special One River moment that stands out for you?

Our first Makers Market was a very special moment for me. This was the first event I planned at One River, being here for a couple months, I wanted to get to know the families and bring the community together. That year we had a student participate in the Makers Market who was extremely shy and did not speak much. Because of the nature of the Makers Market, this student has to chat with buyers and other students and I was able to see a completely different side. I later received a long heart felt email from this student’s parent thanking me for the event and how it gave her such a confidence boost she needed. I received several emails thanking me from that event. I was just so happy to help our community that way with such a wonderful event!

What do you enjoy outside of One River?

I of course love spending time with my 6 year old son Oliver and my 20 month old daughter Harlowe. As a family we love hiking on various trails in CT. We try to go out to dinner to try new restaurants although a toddler makes it challenging these days. We live in a little beach community so we often walk to the neighborhood beach to check out the little creatures which actually inspired a recent show I had last summer. My husband and I love going to live music when time allows but we mostly wind down at night and dive into true crime documentaries.