Our Leadership

Kevin Morris Jr., Assistant Head of School, Middle School
קווין מוריס הבן , סגן המנהלת – חטיבת ביניים

Kevin Morris Jr. has lived in New York for three years and is going into his second year as Assistant Head of School at HLA, and ninth year as a school leader. Kevin is originally from California, where he taught and served as an administrator for 10 years.

Contact Kevin: kmorris@hlacharterschool.org

Lyvette Robles, Assistant Head of School for Operations
ליווט רובלס , סגנית מנהלת בית הספר – תחום התפעול

Lyvette is entering her fourth school year with HLA. She began as Assistant Director of Operations and became the Director in 2019. Lyvette and the Operations Team work to support all members of the HLA family; students, families, and staff, by ensuring there are proper procedures and protocols in place, and supporting instruction by ensuring adequate access to necessary resources. She has over 15 years’ experience in the nonprofit sector, including over 5 years’ experience working within school settings. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services and will have an MBA in August 2020!

Contact Lyvette: lrobles@hlacharterschool.org

Maria Rosen, Academic Dean
מריה רוזן , רכזת פדגוגית

Maria is excited to enter her tenth school year with Hebrew Language Academy. She began as a second-grade teacher directly following college graduation, gained a strong skill set, and soon moved into the role of Academic Dean for ELA. Maria is a graduate of Adelphi University with a bachelor’s in English and a Master’s in Education. In her role she oversees academic planning for our ELA and social studies curriculum, as well as content implementation and aspects of professional development while ensuring instruction is joyful and rigorous.

Maria is passionate about bringing Hebrew Public’s mission to life and sees herself as a lifelong learner. She is committed to doing her part each day in providing a high-quality education and rich learning experiences. She views HLA as her home and the staff and students as family.

Contact Maria: mrosen@hlacharterschool.org

Ben Coleman, Academic Dean
בן קולמן , רכז פדגוגי

Ben Coleman is excited to start as the Academic Dean of Math at HLA. Over his past 8 years in math education, Ben has focused on introducing inquiry-rich tasks and authentic experiences into the math classroom. He can’t wait to get started working with the talented teachers at HLA.

Before HLA, Ben had various roles. He was a math specialist in Somerville, MA, a middle school math teacher at VOICE Charter School in Long Island City, a math coach for Bank Street Learning Center and an Instructional Coach for Breakthrough New York.

Ben graduated from Connecticut College with an East Asian Studies Major and a minor in Music Theory and Vocal Performance. His graduate degree in Education is from the University of New Haven and he has continued studies in mathematics through Queens College and Southern New Hampshire University.

In his free time, Ben loves to read sci-fi and other good fiction, cook whatever looks good on the latest cooking shows and bake whatever earned a handshake from Paul Hollywood on Great British Bakeoff. He also enjoys playing video games, is a board game nerd and, surprisingly, does go outside and likes to fish and camp.

Contact Ben: bcoleman@hlacharterschool.org

Arleen Danon , Hebrew Department Chair
ארלין דנון , יושבת ראש לימודי עברית

Arleen Danon has been engaged in Hebrew language education throughout her career. She has taught at every age level from elementary school through adults and has mentored and led teachers as Hebrew Department Head at the Raymond and Ruth Perelman Jewish Day School and in the National Ramah Camps movement. Arleen joined the HLA Leadership team in 2010 and has been devoted to growing HLA since its inception. She holds a BA from Temple University and is currently on leave from the Masters in Teaching Hebrew as a Second Language program at Middlebury College. Arleen is a native Philadelphian, and a proud parent and grandparent who loves to travel and to read.

Contact Arleen: adanon@hlacharterschool.org

John Richardson, Dean of Culture
ג׳ון ריצ׳רדסון , רכז תרבות

John Richardson is eager to begin his second year as the Dean of Culture for Middle School. He has been in education since graduating college, spending the early years of his career in the Mississippi Delta and Honduras. John is now entering his fourth year in Brooklyn, NY.

After learning of Hebrew Public’s OLAM values, John became an immediate fan and advocate. He is passionate about equity, accessibility and quality in education for all students. With safety and learning being undoubted priorities in education, John also believes that school is a place where all members of the population should be heard, valued and respected. Additionally – John is always seeking out ways to incorporate fun and passion into the school experience.

John has a Bachelor of Arts in Education from The University of Mississippi and a Masters in Public Management from The Johns Hopkins University. He has also been extensively trained in Responsive Classroom. During his spare time, John enjoys sports, cooking and the outdoors.

Contact John: jrichardson@hlacharterschool.org

Kadidiattou (Kadi) Ouedraogo, Dean of Culture
קיידי אווגראוגו , רכזת תרבות

Kadidiattou Ouedraogo is fired up and ready to go as our new Dean of Culture for K-4. She is coming to us with several years of experience in social services and responsive classroom, most recently as the Dean of Students from Ascend Public Charter School in Brooklyn. She will be working side by side with our families, students, and staff to build strong bonds, create positive school culture, and a love of loving.

Kadidiattou earned her B.S in Human Services with a Minor in Psychology from the University of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, CT.

Contact Kadi: kouedraogo@hlacharterschool.org

Olivia Toomey, Special Education Coordinator
אוליביה טומי , מתאמת חינוך מיוחד

Olivia Toomey is extremely excited to begin her fifth year at HLA. She began her time at HLA as the middle school Literacy Specialist and Testing Coordinator before transitioning into the role of Special Education Coordinator. As HLA’s Special Education Coordinator, Olivia will be overseeing special education, interventions, related services, and multilingual services. She will also remain HLA’s Testing Coordinator, and will be in charge of creating and overseeing testing protocols and procedures for IA’s, MAP testing, and State ELA, Math and Science testing. Olivia will be working closely with staff, students, and families to ensure that the needs of each student at HLA are fully met. She is looking forward to an amazing school year where she can work closely with the HLA community to not only create and foster a joyful learning experience for each student, but create a comfortable and safe learning environment during these trying and uncertain times.

Olivia received her BA in Adolescent Education with a concentration in English from Brooklyn College, and is currently finishing her Masters Degree in Special Education. In her spare time she loves spending time with her 2 year old, Lorelai, and her 6-month old, Emilia. She also loves doing anything crafty and creative (crocheting is her current go-to!), is an avid reader, loves Musical Theatre, and loves baking (especially anything that Chris Morocca from Bon Appetit creates!).

Contact Info: otoomey@hlacharterschool.org