2022-2023 Faculty and Staff
Cynthia Kassell
Gan/Kindergarten
Cindy joined LGA in 2001 to teach the first 5th grade class, where she loved finding creative ways to teach the curriculum. She also worked with students on math placement and enrichment. Cindy has a BA in Journalism and International Relations with a Minor in French from the University of Wisconsin, and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Loyola University, Chicago. She has a busy life outside of school with her two young daughters. She enjoys playing volleyball, hiking, cooking, and renovating houses. Cindy also used to sing with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Andrea Olkin
Gan/Kindergarten Hebrew & Judaics; Kitah Gimel /Grade 3 Judaics
Andrea is in her ninth year as part of the Gan/Kindergarten team and in her sixth year teaching Kitah Gimel/Grade 3 Judaics. Andrea received her BA in History from UConn and her M.Ed. in Secondary History Education from UMass Amherst. Prior to teaching history, Judaics and Hebrew at the Jewish Community of Amherst from 2002–2012, Andrea worked as a costumed historical interpreter and museum teacher at Old Sturbridge Village. She is a 2005 recipient of the Grinspoon-Steinhardt Excellence in Teaching Award and Pioneer Valley Excellence in Jewish Teaching Award. Andrea has three children, the youngest of whom is an LGA alumna. In her spare time she enjoys reading, cooking, playing her guitar and digging in her garden.
Rana Morrissey
Kitah Alef/1st Grade General Studies
Rana brings 20 years of first grade teaching experience to LGA offering a unique approach to educating first grade students. She seamlessly blends artistic expression into her core academic plan, utilizing art, theater, literature,movement, partnership, and so much more. Children are encouraged to expand upon their confidence as students both academically and emotionally.
Rana is a recipient of the Harold Grinspoon Award for Excellence in Jewish Education. She recently received a masters degree in teacher leadership from Brandeis University. She applies these skills in her new teacher leadership role partnering with administration.
Rana’s 2 wonderful children are LGA graduates.
Elanit Weisbaum
Kitah Alef/1st Hebrew & Judaics
Elanit has served as a Hebrew substitute for LGA for several years. She grew up speaking Hebrew at home and spent a number of years living in Israel. She holds a BA in child development from California State University, and an MA in psychology from Antioch University in Los Angeles. She lives in Northampton with her husband and daughter, an alumna of LGA.
Lauren Yamilkoski
Kitah Bet/2nd Grade General Studies
Lauren is entering her seventh year of teaching second grade at Lander Grinspoon Academy. She previously taught second grade at Homer Street School in Springfield and at Leeds Elementary School. Lauren graduated from Westfield State University in 2013 with her BA in Elementary Education and is currently working on her Masters degree. Lauren lives in Northampton with her husband Matt, their daughter and son. She enjoys dancing, hiking, painting and spending time with her family and friends in her free time.
Niamh Sweetnam
Kitah Gimel/3rd Grade General Studies
Niamh joined LGA in 2021, after receiving her Master’s in Reading Education from Boston University. She first discovered a love of education while working as a tutor at Smith College and became certified as an elementary teacher after graduating with a degree in Psychology and Education/Child Study. She spent the past five years working in a Reggio Emilia-inspired early childhood center. Outside of work, Niamh enjoys visiting her family in Ireland and working on (i.e., learning then rarely finishing!) a rotating selection of handicrafts while listening to audiobooks.
Laurie White
Kitah Dalet/4th Grade General Studies
Laurie began her teaching career in 2002 in Birmingham, Alabama where she taught for 15 years before moving to Massachusetts in 2017. She began at LGA as a long term sub in the winter of 2020 and is thrilled to be back this year. Laurie received her BA and MA in Early Childhood Education from The University of Alabama in Birmingham. She has two sons and a daughter in Alabama and a son in California. She loves traveling back “home” to spend time with her family, including two grandchildren. She also enjoys traveling with her wife around New England, visiting places she has never been before.
Hilary Gollis
Kitah Hay/5th Grade General Studies
Hilary joined LGA in 2001 after many years teaching high school students. Her passion for literature and humor are major components of life in her classroom, as are assorted creative student nicknames. Hilary received a BA from Brandeis in English and American Literature, her M.Ed. in Special Education from UMass Boston, and a C.A.G.S. in Social Justice Education from UMass Amherst. Hilary coaches LGA’s Ultimate Frisbee team, she loves many sports and being in the outdoors, and is obsessed with tennis! Hilary has two children who both attended LGA.
Becky Lederman
Kitah Vav/Grade 6 Language Arts, Science, & Math
Becky came to LGA in 2002 to teach the first 6th grade class as the General Studies teacher. Becky received a BS in Biology, as well as her M.Ed in Secondary Science Education, from UMass Amherst. She loves working alongside her students on Abundance Farm and doing service projects that connect LGA students with the surrounding community. Outside of school, Becky enjoys spending time with her husband and three children, two LGA alumni and one current LGA student, playing recreational soccer, running local Harry Potter trivia, and refueling at Bueno y Sano.
Neil Zagorin
Kitah Hay/Vav/Grade 5/6 Judaics & Hebrew; Kitah Daled/Grade 4 Judaics
Neil has taught at LGA since 2002. He studied Anthropology at UMass, Yiddish Language and Literature at The Oxford Programme in Yiddish, and Jewish Education at Hebrew College. Before coming to LGA, he worked at the National Yiddish Book Center helping preserve Yiddish books and literature. At LGA Neil loves learning with our wonderful students about the many things that fall under the umbrella “Judaics.” Neil loves having fun with his family, reading and exercise. He lives next to many acres of woods in Amherst, where he enjoys the greenery and even tries to appreciate the mosquitoes.
Danielle Himi Barbibay
Kitot Bet, Gimel, Dalet, Hay and Vav/Grades 2-6 Hebrew Teacher
Danielle came to LGA as an Israeli emissary in 2019. She holds a BED in special education and Hebrew literature, and has worked as a first, second, and sixth grade teacher in Israel. Danielle also has years of experience working with children with ASD. She likes teaching while using stories, songs, and physical activity. In her free time Danielle likes traveling the world, writing, and photography.
Terri Cappucci
Art Specialist
Kacey Schmitt
Physical Education
Kacey earned her BS in Physical Education at Umass. She joined the LGA staff in 2015, after having been an elementary physical education teacher at Crocker Farm Elementary in Amherst for 22 years. Kacey has directed summer sports camps for the town of Amherst for many years, teaches preschool gymnastics at Hampshire Gymnastics School, and is in her 20th season coaching varsity volleyball at Amherst High School. Kacey has three children and lives in Amherst with her husband Tim and youngest son Brendan. Needless to say, she enjoys lots of different sports (playing, watching, and coaching/teaching), reading, gardening, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
Rosemary Reidy
Director of Student Services
Deborah Bromberg Seltzer
Principal
Deborah joined the LGA staff in 2003 bringing ruach (spirit) and song from her many years of experience working in day schools and summer camps. Her goal at LGA is to instill a sense of curiosity and fun in Jewish learning. Deborah is a 2012 recipient of a Harold Grinspoon1 Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewish Education and a 2012 recipient of the national Grinspoon-Steinhardt Award. She holds a BA in American Literature from Barnard College, Columbia University, a BA in Midrash from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and an MA in Jewish Education with a concentration in Day School Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary. Deborah lives in Northampton with her husband Bruce and four children, all of whom graduated from LGA. She enjoys reading children’s literature, doing arts and crafts, and Israeli dancing.
Bianca Cuperman
Business Manager
Bianca joined the LGA staff in June 2011 after relocating from Florida with her husband. Bianca has spent many years working in general accounting both in and outside of the Jewish synagogue community. She says, “I love what I do, working with people and numbers.” Bianca feels right at home in a Jewish day school. Both of her grown children attended Jewish day school – kindergarten through high school. Bianca enjoys the cooler New England weather and is happy being closer to her children, and her grandchildren who live in Montreal. Bianca is also LGA’s resident chef, preparing tasty hot lunches for our students and staff.
Ashley Hooten
Office Manager
Ashley joined the staff in the fall of 2008 and brings a special mix of professionalism, office experience, and knowledge of young learners to this very crucial position. She is highly committed and excited to help the school succeed and grow into the future. In 2007, Ashley earned a BA in Psychology from UMass Amherst with a minor in Elementary Education. She is a native of Western MA where she lives with her husband and 3 children. Ashley enjoys photography, Pilates, and reading.
Rabbi Debra Kolodny, Executive Director
Debra joined LGA in August of 2021 and brings twenty years of non-profit leadership to the position. Prior to joining LGA they served two national Jewish organizations as Executive Director: ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal and Nehirim, as well as two Portland, OR non-profits and two congregations where they were also the rabbi. They got their undergraduate degree from Cornell University, have a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania and were ordained through ALEPH. Debra is excited to help inspire even more families to benefit from LGA’s remarkable academics, music, art and performance programming, outdoor education and commitment to world repair and civic engagement. Debra lives in Amherst, MA with their wife, Brio and their 13 year-old Border Collie/St. Bernard mix and enjoys hiking, ecstatic dancing, swimming, cycling and Bananagrams.
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Eliza Gouverneur
Librarian
Eliza retired to Amherst in 2008. She had worked as the librarian at the Princeton University Center for Jewish Life/Hillel and the Albert Einstein Academy, a Jewish day school in Delaware, where her two younger children attended. When she came to the Valley she was thrilled to find a new outlet to do what she loves–engaging children with books. She has been Lander Grinspoon Academy’s volunteer librarian since 2010. She lives in Amherst with her husband, Richard Cohen, and loves visiting her four grown children and two granddaughters. Her interests range from space exploration to archaeology, poetry to quilt-making and cooking to photography, but most of all she loves to read.
Nili Simhai
Abundance Farm Director of Outdoor Education
Before moving to Western Massachusetts, Nili served as the Director of TEVA, the country’s leading Jewish environmental education organization, for fourteen years. A recipient of the Covenant Award for excellence in Jewish education, Nili has been recognized for her leadership in training and counseling hundreds of educators in the tenets of Jewish environmental education. One of her current passions is outdoor classrooms in Jewish institutions. Her son is an LGA alumnus.
Board of Directors
Lisa Newman, President
David Kieval, Vice President
Sara Farber, Treasurer
Sarah Barnett, Secretary
Blair Barondes
Trustees:
Rabbi Justin David
Shana Fishel
Erin Kates
Rabbi Riqi Kosovske
Rabbi Yechiael Lander
Joseph Laur
Eitan Mendelowitz
Roslind Torrey
Sonia Wilk
Rabbi Benjamin Weiner