Our Faculty & Staff

Javan joined Usdan’s full time staff in 2017. Year round hip hop and poetry are his modes of survival and inspiration. A Bronx born creative that hails from the same high school as James Baldwin, he spreads love one word at a time. He truly believes that the lived experience is the ultimate teaching tool and uses poetry as a social forum to foster discourse about love, culture, and identity. He was named a 2022 Aspen Words Emerging Writer Fellow. He also suffers from severe milk chocolate withdrawals and has been diagnosed with a case of the New York Knicks.

Emily (they/she) is an arts administrator and flute instructor based in Brooklyn, NY. Emily first joined Usdan’s seasonal staff in 2021, supporting the Marketing, Enrollment, and Transportation departments. They joined Usdan’s Education department in January of 2023 as Education Coordinator, and rejoined the Enrollment department as the Enrollment Coordinator in May of the same year. Emily brings with them eclectic administrative experience in from a variety of roles, including a summer as Chamber Coordinator for the Spoleto Festival, USA. Emily holds a BA and MA in Flute Performance from SUNY Fredonia and SUNY Purchase respectively, and in addition to their work at Usdan, teaches private flute lessons to flute lovers of all ages and skill levels. When not teaching, working, or fluting, Emily can be found knitting, listening to e-books, or learning how to play a new instrument.  

Lauren Brandt Schloss joined Usdan in 2015. With her appointment, she became Usdan’s third leader in a half century and the first woman to hold the position. Bringing 20+ years experience in arts education, at the Queens Museum, MoMA, and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Lauren is committed to ensuring that Usdan is at the forefront of educational and artistic practices. 

Victoria joined Usdan in 2022 and has more than 10 years experience working in nonprofit organizations in HR, Finance, and Administration. She earned a bachelor's degree in Accounting from St John's University and since then has worked with NYC organizations such as Seeds of Peace, Harlem's World Famous Apollo Theater, and the Children's Museum of Manhattan. She currently resides in Brooklyn with her partner and maintains a great appreciation of arts and culture, as an avid cellist and a regular patron of live performances, art houses, and museums. 

Lauren Kinane is a clarinetist, educator, and currently serves as the Manager of Special Projects at Usdan. Prior to becoming the Manager of Special Projects, Lauren served as the Enrollment Coordinator and Student Supervision Coordinator, and she spent four summers as a camper at Usdan. Her summers at Usdan inspired her to pursue her passion for clarinet further. Throughout the year Lauren can be heard performing with the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra and the Atlantic Wind Symphony. She can also be heard on the Massachusetts Chamber Players' album Frank Martin: Music for Winds. Lauren is currently pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Stony Brook University. She also received her Master of Music from the University of Massachusetts - Amherst and her Bachelor of Music from SUNY Fredonia. 

Kyra Leeds is an actor and arts administrator from Queens, NY. Kyra was a student at Usdan for ten glorious summers, a Discovery Counselor for three summers, and has worked in Usdan’s administrative offices for the past five years. Kyra has also done some development and fundraising work for DCM, Inc. and, most recently, for the Off-Broadway MCC Theater in NYC. As an actor Kyra has been a part of Royal Caribbean’s CATS (Jennyanydots), Argyle Theatre’s FULL MONTY (Vicki), Hangar Theatre’s A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Christmas Past), and the REV Theatre Company’s PARADE (Ensemble/Dance Captain).  Kyra holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Ithaca College. 

J.T. Harris started his Usdan career in 2018 as an assistant ceramics teacher. In 2019, he was promoted to a lead teacher position as the Discovery Program’s art teacher. He is now returning for his fourth summer at Usdan as the Discovery Art lead teacher. Outside of Usdan, J.T. is a NYS Certified Teacher in art, general education, and special education. He is currently working as an elementary art teacher in the Central Islip School District on Long Island, where he has been for the last three years. J.T. is also a frequently commissioned illustrator based on the south shore of Long Island.

Miracle Bennett is a returning staff member for the summer of 2023 at USDAN. Last year she was one of two T.A’s for the fashion and sewing department and this year she will be a Lead painting and drawing teacher! A little background about her is that she attended USDAN as a child herself as a painting and drawing major for a few years and she is currently an upper elementary school art teacher on Long Island. Her favorite medium to use is paint and she is very excited to be a lead teacher this upcoming summer. USDAN is a place of expression and creative freedom and she can not wait to help campers unlock their abilities and express their interest throughout the summer!

As excited to teach as he is to learn, Noah Packard has been teaching comic art at Usdan for 3 years. After earning his BFA from MICA in 2017, Noah has taught music and art at libraries all over Long Island to people of all ages. He also works in video production on music videos, short films, commercials and live events. He attended Usdan as a teenager where he took painting, drawing, and animation classes that helped build his portfolio and his deep love for the arts and story telling. Noah discovered he enjoyed video production because of his passion for story telling and comics and how they relate to story boards and planning for video.

Jodie joined us at Usdan in 2008. Her role has evolved from assistant, to teacher, to art chair representing her dedication to Arts Education and her love of Usdan.  She holds a BFA in Painting and Drawing from SUNY Purchase College and a MSEd in Art Education from CUNY Queens College.  Jodie’s personal work consists of paintings depicting abstract architectural designs with sculptural elements. On the off-season, Jodie is a visual arts teacher in a public school on Long Island. Her favorite experiences at Usdan include working with teachers and children as they reconnect with nature and funnel their creative energy into building a better community. A fun fact about Jodie is that she used to foster hurt wild animals. 

Jacklyn started at USDAN in 2011 and this will be her 11th summer. Her personal art form is Mixed Media arts. She does have a passion for painting, photography, ceramics, drawing, and jewelry making. During the rest of the year, she is an art teacher here on Long Island. She has a BFA in Studio Art, a MFA, and a MS in Art Education. A fun fact about Jacklyn is that she have a cat named Jasper, who acts like a dog.

Chris Vivas joined Usdan’s Art Department in 2010.  Lead Art Teacher, he brings his interest in art, culture, travel, literature, and ceramics to his teaching philosophies.  His artwork, influenced by existential writers such as Nietzsche, Sartre, and Camus, explores the duality of strength and fragility found within human existence.  Exploring how strength synthesizes to weakness and vice versa has led him to working in ceramic during his initial studies at Stony Brook University followed by receiving his MFA from SUNY New Paltz.  Art residencies have also been an important aspect of his artistic development and growth as an educator.  Residencies include; Shigaraki Ceramic Culture Park in Shigaraki, Japan, Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York, NY, AIR Vallauris in Vallauris, France, Babayan Culture House, Ibrahimpaşa, Cappadocia, Turkey.  He currently teaches at Suffolk County Community College and St. Joseph’s College along with various workshops and lectures throughout Long Island.

Melanie is the Comic Art Instructor for Seniors at Usdan. Known for introducing Usdan, Comic
Con, this is her 10 th year at Usdan. Melanie attended Usdan as a sculpture Major from 1999-2003.
Melanie is big into quantitative data! Her 2015 research study, B.A.T.M.A.N ( Benefits and Academics
through Making and Narrating Comics) saw the positive correlation between reading fluency/vocabulary
and reading graphic novels. A long time educator, Melanie holds New York State Teaching certification
in Visual Arts, Special Education pre-K-6 th , General Education pre-k-6 th , as well as certification in School
Building Leader and School District Leader. Melanie holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Child Study and a
Master’s in Education Administration and Leadership. She’s currently in the St. John’s Education
Instructional Leadership Doctoral Program where she is researching the best practices of Social
Emotional Learning in order to effectively design and implement into the New York Public School
Curriculum. Melanie has an extensive background of work in education and social justice that includes:
Educational Curriculum Coordinator,Special Education Teacher and Art Instructor at the Nassau County
Juvenile Detention Center 2015-2019, Brentwood Special Education Teacher 2019-present, Mindful
meditation facilitator at Oak Park Elementary, Art Instructor at Usdan Art’s Camp, and Guidance
Counselor at Central Nassau Guidance. Through education her philosophy is “if the child’s is not socially
and emotionally present, than academic work can’t be done”. In 2018, her progressive research best
and effective practices effectively helped decrease the amount of juvenile detention violent outbreaks
as well as helped students retained attention in the classroom setting through instruction in: restorative
practices, mindfulness, and yoga. In 2019, Melanie joined the Brentwood School district where she
currently is a special education teacher for students with emotional disabilities. Melanie’s Social
Emotional Learning furthers with Project Presence and Kids at Hope. Her lifelong mission is to educate
the importance of putting the student’s mental health and well-being first. Her hobbies include:
collecting Comics, Art, Hiking, Yoga, and hanging with her dog Butter.

Taylor joined USDAN in 2019 as an Assistant Painting and Drawing Teacher and evolved into a Lead Painting and Drawing Teacher in 2022, continuing into 2023. She earned a BFA in Art Education and a minor in Art History from UMass Amherst. In her free time, Taylor enjoys painting landscapes, exploring digital art and learning new mediums. She is currently a visual art teacher in a Middle School in Newton, Massachusetts. A fun fact about Taylor is that she enjoys making homemade guacamole and salsa!

Brian Karen is ranked within the top 3% of tournament chess players by the United States Chess Federation (USCF) and Federation Internationale Des Échecs (FIDE). Brian has been awarded the FIDE Candidate Master Title. Brian has been the co-director of the acclaimed USDAN Chess program since 1997. He founded and conducts chess programs in Classes across Long Island. Brian was elected by chess instructors from across the United States to the United States Chess Federation Scholastic Council. This is a five person body that manages National Scholastic events and regulations involving thousands of children across the United States. Brian was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the Internet’s most established chess club (www.chessclub.com) and was hired by IBM to give web commentary during the famous Deeper Blue – Kasparov match. Brian received a Masters in Social Work from Fordham University and an undergraduate degree from Syracuse University.

Doug Shankman began working with USDAN in 2022 as a Lead Tap Dance Instructor. He is the Artistic Director of Contemporary Dance Arts and dedicated to creating new works for Theater, Film, Television and Web based series. Since 2000, Doug has been teaching the art of tap dancing at Broadway Dance Center and various Universities, performing arts schools and Dance Conventions. Doug is currently workshopping a new contemporary ballet with song and text inspired by the Tales of the Sovereign Plumed Serpent.

A proud native of Long Island, New York, Jacqueline was introduced to dance at the tender age of seven. She became well versed in all styles including but not limited to ballet, modern, jazz, latin, tap, and hip hop. She graduated from Montclair State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance Education. Jacqueline has performed elite choreographed pieces by Bill T. Jones, Martha Graham, Jose Limon, David Parsons, Larry Keigwin, and Frederick Earl Mosley. She was the lead soloist in Martha Graham's Daughters of the Night, performed at The Joyce Theatre, NYC and she performed in the musical Prime Time in Keywest, FL. Jacqueline spent three seasons with Asha Dance Company, and is currently on her fifth season with Dance Key West, and was the lead actress in The Truth Urban Theatre Group’s production of Viva Africa in Long Island, NY. Jacqueline appeared on Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It Netflix series as well as a dancer on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Good Morning America, and Live with Kelly and Ryan. Some of her commercial credits include performing with Cardi B, Demi Lovato, Rita Ora, and G-Eazy. She walked in Brooklyn Fashion Week and performed in New York Fashion Week. Being represented by Bloc Agency,  has afforded her the opportunity to be casted in commercials such as Ultimate Ears Headphones and a Nutrafol Hair commercial. Jacqueline is grateful to be able to travel the world and share her expertise at dance competitions as an adjudicator. This is Jacqueline's fifth year teaching Hip Hop Dance at USDAN and is excited to have a fun-filled summer of dancing in the sun! 

Rachel was a camper at Usdan for three incredible summers from 1999-2001, and then a counselor in the Discovery program from 2007-2009. She is thrilled to be returning to the Discovery program as a theater teacher! In addition to being a K-3 classroom teacher for the last 15 years (NYC and Great Neck Public Schools), she has worked with students of all ages to create, imagine, and explore on stage in theatrical productions, and in drama programs and classroom settings as well. Rachel holds a Master's degree in Educational Theatre from NYU Steinhardt, and a Master's degree in Educational Leadership from Bank Street College of Education. She is passionate about the value of arts experiences for young people, and can't wait to work with Usdan's youngest campers this summer. Rachel loves to write, act, sing, and dance, especially with her four year old son, who is also very musical...and dramatic :).

Sadie started working at Usdan in 2008 as a Discovery Counselor and has loved the Discovery program ever since! She currently teachers Elementary School General Music in the Three Village School District. She also teaches Early Childhood family music classes. Her main instruments are voice and piano.

Taty is very excited to be coming back to USDAN this summer to create some more magic with the Discovery campers! Taty is a half Brazilian half Argentinian performer who moved to NYC in 2013 to attend the American Musical and Dramatics Academy. Some theatre credits include Legally Blonde, Brigadoon and Into The Woods. She also produces, directs and performs a monthly Cabaret Series called "Let's Broadway". When not teaching or performing, you can find Taty training for, acro-pilates, eating ice cream or reading a book at the park. 

Kate Stocker is delighted to return to USDAN to teach violin! USDAN has been a formative part of her music education, as she was a student at USDAN from 1999-2003. She worked as the Manager of the Orchestra Program from 2004-2015, and piloted the Beginning Strings program in 2019. Kate is the 6th and 7th grade Orchestra Director at Hommocks Middle School in Mamaroneck, NY, and has also taught in the Briarcliff School district in Westchester, and the Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn. She has had the privilege to conduct many All-County Orchestras, as well as her own groups on the stage of Carnegie Hall. Kate also performs throughout the NY Metropolitan Area with the Meadowlark Quartet, and the band 8Track. She received her Bachelor of Science in Music Education from the Sunderman Conservatory at Gettysburg College in 2007, and her M.S. in Music Education at Western Connecticut State University in 2011. When not playing the violin, Kate is either practicing some yoga, spending time with her family and friends, or brushing up on trivia by watching 'Jeopardy!'.

Jason's main instruments are piano and clarinet and he has been involved in music for over 20 years. During the school year, he is an Elementary Band Teacher for the Patchogue-Medford School District. Jason is also a private lesson instructor, NYSSMA Piano Adjudicator, All State Accompanist, and Church Music Director. While he enjoys performing and teaching my students, he also likes playing with his cats, watching anime, and cooking. He looks forward to working with his students over the summer!

Sue Lehr joined Usdan as the cello instructor in 2000. Cello ensemble is her passion and she loves working with her Usdan students. Sue retired as the orchestra teacher at the Waldorf School of Garden City in 2009. She continues to freelance, teach in her private studio and perform and teach in school residencies with the Classical Strings Ensemble and Orchestra Long Island during the school year. Sue has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in performance from the New England Conservatory. She is an enthusiastic participant in the Covid Cello Project. Check it out on YouTube for some wonderful cello ensemble performances!

David started at USDAN in 1986 and is a practicing musician. He performs and teaches the rest of the year. Fun fact: He's been a vegetarian for 48 years!

Mark Bligh is the director of the Denton Ave Elementary Band (Herricks UFSD, New Hyde Park, NY) where he teaches winds, brass and percussion for grades 3-5.  The Denton Ave Band regularly attends NYSSMA Majors and consistently earns Gold and Gold with Distinction honors.  

Mark Bligh is a graduate of the Esther Boyer College of Music at Temple University where he received a Bachelor of Music in Music Education with Honors. He received a Master of Arts from Stony Brook University.  Mr. Bligh was published in Scholastic for his contributions in an article entitled, “10 Best Musical Apps for Kids”. Mark has been honored to conduct the Winds, Brass and Percussion sectional for the NYSSMA All-State Symphonic Orchestra.  Mark was privileged to conduct the 2018 SCMEA Division 1 Central All-County Band and the 2019 WCSMA All-County Elementary Band.  Mr. Bligh has performed with the Long Island Wind Ensemble, Atlantic Wind Symphony, Northwinds Symphonic Band as well as various chamber ensembles.  Mark is the current Music Department Chair at Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts where he has worked since 2005.

mbligh@usdan.org

Gerry Saulter is glad to be a part of Usdan’s Music Department this summer! He is a distinguished Alhambra Guitars and RC Strings Performing Artist, Centaur Recording Artist, and guitarist of the award-winning flute and guitar ensemble, Serenade Duo. As a performer, educator, and chamber music advocate, Gerry has toured extensively throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. In addition to maintaining an active private teaching studio, he is also an Applied Instructor of Classical Guitar at Suffolk County Community College. When not playing guitar, Gerry enjoys playing tennis, cooking, and spending time with his family and his dog! Gerry earned a Master of Music Degree from Five Towns College and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Performance from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. www.serenadeduo.com

Jess is excited to return to USDAN in her new role as senior vocal director! Prior to starting her career as an educator, she had a career of 8 years at sea working for Carnival Cruise Line performing as a showband pianist, music director, piano bar entertainer, and finally, teaching the shows on board as a vocal supervisor. Jess also music directed and stage directed shows outside of Chicago and New York in between cruise ship contracts. Moving back to New York, she taught a large private studio with approximately 50-60 piano and voice students while completing her teaching certification and Master's Degree. She also had the opportunity to work as a piano accompanist for multiple school choral ensembles, sparking her desire to become a school music teacher. She is currently an elementary music/chorus teacher in Lindenhurst, NY. Fun Fact: When she's not creating music, she loves playing video games, especially the Legend of Zelda!

Dave began teaching at Usdan in 2005 as the Tennis Instructor and is pleased to begin a new role in 2022 as the Chair of Recreation. During the school year Dave is a 5th Grade Teacher in the East Islip School District. Fun fact: Dave juggled a soccer ball 12,600 times when he was 17.

Jim began teaching at Usdan in the summer of 1991 and after more than thirty summers in the woods, he is still as excited as when he first started. Jim is an actor, director and producer who has overseen more than three hundred shows in Usdan’s three theaters. He began his professional work in the arts at the age of five as a commercial model. He was bitten by the acting bug for good in high school. Jim obtained his B. A. and his M.S. in Education at Hofstra Univeristy and studied for his M.F.A. at Columbia. He is the founder of the OnStage Strategies Group, a theater consulting firm assisting educational and local theater programs as they work to grow and re-imagine their student offerings. Jim believes that art has the power to break down the barriers that divide us.

Jeffrey Hoffman has been a member of the theater faculty at USDAN since the summer of 2011. A composer and conductor based in New York City, he works year-round as the organist and director of music at Christ Church, the Episcopal parish of Pelham, New York, where he leads a children’s choir, an adult volunteer parish choir and the parish’s professional choral artists; he also administers Concerts at Christ Church, a mostly classical concert series, as artistic director. Positions he previously held include founding artistic director of the acclaimed Music at Saint Alban’s concert series on Staten Island and organist for the Rossmoor Jewish Congregation in New Jersey. He is an alumnus of Manhattan School of Music and the BMI Lehman Engel theater workshop. In addition to his full time career as a liturgical musician and choral conductor, he has served as musical director for several musical theater productions in New York City and with Barrington Stage Company’s youth theater program, and for several high schools around suburban New York and New Jersey.

Brian Sweeney is a Long Island-based pianist, composer, and musical director. Recent production credits include Mamma Mia, Forever Plaid, The Mad Ones, and A Chorus Line. He has had multiple original works presented as part of the New York Theater Festival, one of which received a nomination for Best Musical. Brian has also contributed music and lyrics to Turkeys Go On Strike, A Big Bad Wolf Story, and Butterfly: The Story of a Life Cycle. When he’s not writing or directing, Brian coaches aspiring musical theatre actors at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Manhattan. He also sings and arranges for an amateur a cappella group called Tacoppella.

Joseph P. Janover is primarily a music educator, multi-instrumentalist, theatre music director, and actor, statewide, with over 160 theatrical credits, including Off-Broadway. He graduated with both his B.M. and M.M in music education from the Crane School of Music. Since relocating from LI two years ago, he is now based in Rochester, NY, where he teaches high school music and performs as a freelance pit musician/accompanist. He looks forward to his debut at USDAN! Fun fact, he's a musical instrument collector -with 275 instruments (and counting)!

Gene Rossi is a 22 year-old art teacher, graphic artist, photographer, sculpture major, and backstage director. He started at USDAN in 1999, and his personal art forms are sculpting and bronze casting. Gene is a full time, public middle school teacher. He is actively a landscape photographer and fishes year-round, and he's an avid surfer!

Marie is best known for her star turn as Christine in the Broadway and National Touring production of The Phantom of the Opera, having worked with director Hal Prince. She has performed Christine in the Yeston/Kopit Phantom at Paper Mill Playhouse and appeared in the National and International Tour of The Fantasticks with Robert Goulet. She acted Off-Broadway with the Manhattan Theater Club and on Television on As The World Turns. Across the country she has played leading roles in A Chorus Line, Company, The Mikado, Brigadoon, Lend Me a Tenor, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Nunsense, Guys and Dolls and Cyrano de Bergerac to name a few. She holds an AAS in Acting, a BFA in Dance and an MFA in Dramaturgy from Stony Brook University. As a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association for over 30 years, she has performed with the Broadway by the Year Series at Town Hall, Broadway Pops International, and The City Center Encores in Manhattan. Marie is happy to be returning to USDAN this summer. During the school year she has been teaching at Momentum School of Music in West Islip, directing musicals at Suffolk County Community College and teaching private voice.
 

Dennis Creighton is happy to join the USDAN staff for his first season. A graduate of the Crane School of Music, Mr. Creighton is a singer and actor who is becoming well known to Long Island audiences. Favorite roles include Bruce (Fun Home), Zoser (Aida) Mr. Hawkins (The Prom) and Bud (Bridges of..) When not onstage he teaches choir and directs dramatic productions at Shoreham-Wading River High, and is a sought after choral guest conductor. He is a resident of Miller Place where he lives with his wife, two kids, two cats, one dog and a very extensive (and expensive!) collection of LEGO.

Dan has been at Usdan since the summer of 2003. During this time he dedicated his time to the Theater department building sets and props, running lighting and sound, working stage crew, and teaching students. Dan has been working as an Actor, Director, and Performer for the past 36 years. His philosophy in performing is based on a combination of Stanislavski and Meisner methods of approaching characters and performance. Dan holds A.A. in Acting from NCC and a B.F.A in Acting, Directing, and Technical theater from Binghamton University. During the school year Dan works as a teacher in the Sachem Central School District. His 3 biggest comic influences are Buster Keaton, Gene Wilder, and Andy Kaufman.