Our Faculty & Staff

Joe Levy joined Usdan’s team in 2021 bringing with him 30 years experience managing, building, and renovating cultural arts organizations, overseeing multi-million dollar operating budgets, extensive physical plant operations, multi-phased construction projects, and safety and security.

Joe’s professional experience includes leading operations and facilities at The National September 11 Memorial & Museum, Harlem’s World Famous Apollo Theater, Kaufman Center, Jack Morton Worldwide, The Public Theatre/New York Shakespeare Festival, and the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia. Levy was also owner and operator of Radiant Construction; a contracting, construction management, and capital project consultancy committed to green-building practices.

Levy is the current chair of the Venue Safety and Security Committee for IAVM, which serves over 7,000 members worldwide. He received the Chair’s Citation at the 2017 annual IAVM conference and his Certified Venue Executive designation in 2018.

Stephen joined the year-round Usdan staff in April of 2021. He has 30 years experience in construction and maintenance; from the Rebirth of lower Harlem, as a project manager, to a classically trained "chippie" (carpenter) in London England. Stephen is the father of two young men, the eldest of which is a Usdan alum.

After attending Usdan as a student, Zach joined the staff in 2017 and has served in Administration and the Music Department. Zach is a multi-instrumentalist, primarily focusing on Saxophone and Clarinet. Zach's favorite styles to perform include Jazz, Rock, and Classical and he regularly performs with Jazz Ensembles and Pit Orchestras. During the school year, Zach is the director of bands at Lynbrook North Middle School in the Lynbrook School District. Zach holds a Bachelor of Science in Music Education and a Master of Arts in Education with Honors from the Hostra University Honors College. Zach is an avid distance runner. 

Lafiya Watson Ramirez is a multidisciplinary artist, web and mixed reality developer, and graphic designer. She began working for Usdan in 2011. Formerly Usdan's Marketing and Communications Coordinator she now brings her talents to Usdan as a consultant. Her work has been used for Vandoren, BET, NPR.org, and countless other publications, websites, and album covers. She has recently begun to pivot to creating Augmented Reality experiences. At the beginning of 2020, she was accepted for the MIT Reality Hackathon and spend a week working with a team to build an AR experience using Nreal glasses. In October 2020, she was chosen for a Snapchat residency and created an AR game based on the game Simon Says. Lafiya continues to work in the realm of Immersive Design focusing on using AR for storytelling in her own work and beyond. 

Courtney Kassinger has spent her summers at Usdan since 2002 when she first attended as a student. She has served as Discovery counselor, transportation staff, and is now Transportation Manager. Courtney is a teacher (and proud alum!) at Harborfields Central School District, teaching band, chorus, and music, as well as director of the annual Variety Show. She is a member of SCMEA and NAfME.

Jillian Greenberg is an artist and educator, and Usdan’s Director of Education. Prior to joining Usdan, Jillian managed Studio In A School’s Artist Residency Program. She has taught visual art in schools, organizations, and museums across New York City. Jillian holds a Master’s in Art Education from Teachers College at Columbia University and an M.F.A. from the Chelsea College of Art and Design in London.

Olivia joined Usdan’s full time staff in 2017. Formerly Usdan's Admissions Counselor and then Enrollment Coordinator, she now brings her knowledge of Usdan's program and enrollment process to her role of Manager of Marketing & Communications. Raised by a professional muralist and actor, Olivia was exposed to the life-changing power of art making and creativity at a young age. While her expertise lies in administration, Olivia’s personal art making practice includes mixed media collage and cooking. Olivia holds a B.A. in Urban Studies from The New School and has worked for arts and culture organizations in the New York City region since 2011.

Diana Crum works at the intersection of dance and education. She currently serves as Program Director for Movement Research’s Dance Makers in the Schools and teaches dance in NYC and NJ public schools with ArtsConnection, Brooklyn Arts Council and New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Her choreography has been presented in New York, Atlanta, Mexico, and across Europe. Recent honors and awards include Brooklyn Studios for Dance Artist in Residence position (2018), Su-CASA artist residency (2017), and Foundation for Contemporary Art Emergency Grant (2015). Diana started at Usdan in 2018, where she enjoys dancing in the woods with young people.

J.T. Harris started his Usdan Career in 2018 as an assistant ceramic teacher. In 2019 he was promoted to a lead teacher position as the Discover Program’s art teacher. He is now returning for his third summer at Usdan as the Art Adventure 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.

Julia Forrest has been working as a lead photography instructor since 2014 at USDAN. Julia is a fine art photographer who prints her own work in a compact traveling darkroom that she brings on various artist residencies. Working in film, she uses mirrors and forced perspective to create illusions in front of the camera. When not teaching at USDAN, Julia teaches classes at the Brooklyn Museum, and receives grants to travel to different locations to make new art. She graduated from the Hartford Art School in 2009 and has worked on using her artistic practice to connect with students in inspiring them to become artists themselves. Julia has received brief fame and recognition for being on Jimmy Kimmel for 3 seconds during a street segment. She still get recognizes for it to this day.

Keyonnia Hallums is not only the founder of ETIER, a sustainable apparel production facility, but also teaches job, life and entrepreneurial skills. As a self-taught member of the fashion industry, she excels at shifting individuals from consumers to creators. She began wanting to expand her horizons, becoming a certified DOE Vendor and MWBE certified business in order to teach Sustainable Fashion/Entrepreneurship workshops to educational facilities like GED Programs, High Schools, Juvenile Centers and more. She has collaborated with other businesses to create PPE Products, Apparel Designs, and other Sustainable products. She welcomed a new journey at Usdan in 2021, where she became the Fashion Director for the camp’s Fashion Department! Fun Fact: her goal is to make sure her business remains a community collaborative, working closely with community-based organizations to encourage individuals about entrepreneurship!

Amalia Drewes is a Mixed Media Artist, a lover of nature, and a spiritual explorer. Amalia graduated from Parsons School of Design, The New School in 2015 with a BFA in Illustration. Over the last few years Amalia has continued to add new creations to her portfolio, operating as a freelancer and graphic designer and one of her biggest joys was becoming a teacher of Reggio and nature-based learning at Spark Elementary. Amalia started online teaching Mixed Media Exploration at Usdan in 2020 and also had the pleasure of attending camp as a young girl, starting when she was in 3rd grade. Her summers at Usdan were some of the best memories of her life. She is very excited to be on the campgrounds this year and can't wait to see what magic awaits us!

Amanda has been with Usdan in some capacity since 1993. Amanda started as a camper, became a counselor, and graduated on to teaching. During the year, Amanda works as a high school art teacher - teaching the art of drawing, painting, and sculpture.  She received her undergraduate degree in Art Education from Buffalo State College and her masters degree in Oil Painting from Long Island University.  In her own work, Amanda works mostly in oil paint and colored pencil focusing mostly on portraiture. She is very excited to be back at Usdan teaching Sculpture for another exciting summer.

Annie has an MFA from Hunter College, and lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. She has participated in solo and group shows at spaces including Elijah Wheat Showroom, NADA FAIR, Orgy Park, Underdonk, GP Presents, AIR Gallery, and Temporary Agency (New York), Zolla/Lieberman (Chicago), Boehm Gallery (San Diego), Current Space, Metro Gallery (Baltimore), The Institute Library (New Haven), Miami University (Oxford), Texas Christian University (Fort Worth), Moncton University (Canada), and Salamanca Arts Centre (Australia). Her oil paintings investigate strange happenings in a supernatural Arctic land of past, present and future, so she has done research in Alaska and Svalbard, Norway. She started teaching at Usdan in 2018, and helped create Usdan’s online programming during the pandemic. She is excited to get back to the woods of Usdan!

Noah has worked at Usdan since the summer of 2015. During the rest of the year, Noah is a character and prop designer working in animation and games. He has studied classical drawing in France and at the London Fine Art Studios, and studied design with the Brainstorm School in California. He lives in Astoria and loves running!

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.

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 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 used to foster hurt wild animals. 

Brian 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 Candidate Master Title. Brian has directed the Usdan Chess program since 1997. Brian founded and conducts chess programs across Long Island as a full time chess teacher, tournament director and organizer. Brian founded and administrates chess groups on social media encompassing over 100,000 members and was hired by IBM to give web commentary during the famous Deeper Blue – Kasparov match.  

Brian was elected by chess instructors from across the United States to the USCF Scholastic Council. This is a five-person body that manages National Scholastic events and regulations involving thousands of children across the United States. 

Brian Received a Masters in Social Work from Fordham University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Syracuse University.

Jessica Blair is a performer and dance teacher based in New York City. This will be her 4th summer at Usdan teaching Broadway Jazz. Originally from Chicago, she received her B.F.A. in musical theatre from the University of Michigan. She has performed in musicals across the country and was last seen in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at Pioneer Theatre Company in SLC, Utah. Jessica has served as choreographer for Young People’s Theatre in Ann Arbor, MI and Plymouth State University’s Educational Theatre Collaborative. She currently teaches at Shuffles NYC in Manhattan.

I am a dancer, choreographer and educator currently living on the land of the Munsee Lenape and Canarsie peoples, known today as Brooklyn. I graduated with honors from Vassar College in 2009, where I studied Geography-Anthropology and was a member of the Vassar Repertory Dance Theatre for four years. I dance, I sing, I make things, I teach. My choreographic work is a collaging of movement, sound and light- sourcing intuition, imagination and our very real world. My dances call for transformation and an undoing of ourselves, inviting us to feel, ask questions, and radically consider what else both imaginatively and constructively. I teach adults and young dancers in the New York area. I have recently been on faculty at Freeskewl, Dancewave, Gibney and Greenwich Country Day Middle and High School. Originally from Riverside, Connecticut, a white Latina with a mother from Caracas and a father born and raised in Ancón (formerly in the US-occupied Panama Canal Zone), I was partly raised in Oaxaca, Mexico, where my parents (both Mesoamerican Archaeologists) do their excavations. I began at Usdan in 2019.

This will be Skye’s first year teaching at Usdan. Skye Montante began studying ballet at Petaluma School of Ballet at the age of 8. In later years as she was introduced to other forms of dance; she found her true calling with Hip-Hop and Contemporary styles. She continued her dance through college and graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA in Dance. While in school in San Francisco, she taught youth and adult classes at ODC School of Dance, City Dance Studios and after school programs and summer camps. Since moving to New York she has taught both youth and adult classes in multiple studios including Brooklyn Arts Exchange, SassClass and Peridance. She continues to work as a freelance choreographer and looks forward to growing with the dance community in New York City.

Megan began her journey with Usdan as a camper in 1996, alongside her grandmother and grandfather who taught Jr. Chorus and Band, and her mother who was the first director and began the Discovery department. She practiced music, dance, and photography during her 11 years as a camper and found joy in these art forms well into her undergraduate years at CUNY Hunter College while pursuing a degree in English Language Arts. Megan transitioned into the Assistant Director position and ultimately the Department Chair position for Discovery in 2016 after graduating from Long Island University with her Masters Degree in Early Childhood and Childhood Education. Megan is currently a Pre-K teacher at Old Dominion University’s Children’s Learning and Research Center, guiding and creating with her students as well as mentoring future childhood educators through the university’s teacher training program. 

Aaron Korn has been teaching at Usdan since 2009. Aaron is an active New York freelancer, playing on Broadway shows and as a member of the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra. Aaron has previously held positions with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, in Israel, as well as the Allentown and Princeton Symphony Orchestras. Aaron has performed with artists of all different genres including Carrie Underwood, Kanye West, MGMT, Frank Sinatra Junior, and many others. He can be heard on many movie soundtracks including the recent releases of “The Joker” and “Gemini Man”. Mr. Korn is on faculty at The Juilliard School Music Advancement Program. Aaron received his BM from the Manhattan School of Music and his MM from the Yale  School of Music. Aaron was a student at Usdan many years ago!

Michelle LaPorte happily joined Usdan as the Flute Lead Teacher in 2019 – her love of nature, animals, and the arts, makes Usdan her perfect artistic  home! She enjoys a global career as a performer, educator, and chamber music  advocate. Michelle is a Miyazawa Flutes Performing Artist, Centaur Records  Artist, and flutist of the international award-winning flute and guitar ensemble,  Serenade Duo. She is passionate about sharing the beauty and diversity of flute  and guitar music by composers from around the world.  

In addition to maintaining an active private teaching studio, she is also an  Assistant Adjunct Music Professor at Suffolk County Community College.  Michelle earned a Master of Arts Degree in Music from Long Island University  and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Performance from the State  University of New York at Stony Brook. 

www.serenadeduo.com

Sam joined the USDAN faculty as Jazz Conductor in 2018.  Previously Sam was a camper at USDAN in the late nineties while he was in high school.  Sam’s soloist and sideman work includes over 20 studio recordings, performances on a global level and international critical acclaim garnering him recognition as one of the defining voices on the tenor saxophone today.  In 2016, Sam received his Artist Diploma from the prestigious Juilliard School as the saxophonist in the A.D. Jazz Program.  Now Sam enjoys bringing his experiences back to students at USDAN while creating a fun environment to learn and explore Jazz.

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.

Chelsea is very excited to make 2021 her first year in the garden with Usdan! She loves all things at the intersection of plants and people, especially farming, public park horticulture, and botanic natural history. Previously, Chelsea worked in horticulture at the High Line and Riverside Park Conservancy, and with scientific plant collections at Boston’s Arnold Arboretum and Harvard University Herbaria. Chelsea’s favorite form of art practice is drawing plant doodles, which utilizes active close looking to counteract “plant green blindness.” When not gardening, she is pursuing a master’s degree in geography investigating how urban forests reflect their neighborhoods, creating site-specific “novel ecosystems.” Fun facts about Chelsea: her work with botany collections includes a 100-year-old tortilla, mushrooms that turn caterpillars into zombies, and Henry David Thoreau’s plants from Walden Pond!

Gráinne A.K.A “G” joined Usdan as a staff member in 2014, first as Swim Coordinator and has now been Usdan's Aquatics Director since 2016.  Raised in Ireland, and an avid lover of fitness and the outdoors, she brings her passion to the pool. G shares her enthusiasm for life and learning as a former youth leader and now full time in the Long Island school district. She is also an accomplished athlete, wellness educator and certified life coach. G holds a Physics and Theology degree along with multiple certifications with the American Red Cross.

Jordan joined Usdan’s teaching staff in 2017 as a lead teacher in the theatre department. During the school year, Jordan is an English and Theatre teacher at Long Beach High School in Long Beach, NY. He holds a BA in Drama and English and an M.S. in Secondary Education from Hofstra University. He is also a graduate of Adelphi’s Educational Theatre program. He has worked in regional, community, and educational theatre in NYC and Long Island since 2001. 

Carl taught at Usdan from 2003 to 2004, and returned to the Theater Department in 2019. A songwriter and composer, he has written two musicals, several songs and choral works. He has been Music Director for theatrical productions and cabarets across Long Island and NYC; including CAP, Broadhollow, Kids 4 Kids and South Shore Theatre Experience.

Carl has been a music educator for close to 30 years. He is an alumnus of the Crane School of Music and SUNY Stony Brook, with degrees in Music Education. He is a member of NYSSMA, SCMEA, and NAfME. Currently, he is teaching in the Amityville School District

Carl has been conductor of the Silver Chords, a community chorus in Smithtown since 2014. This year, they will celebrate their 40th anniversary season. He is also the Music Director for Setauket United Methodist Church, served as Associate Music Director for L.I. Voices, and has sung with the Brookhaven Choral Festival.

Carl loves to grill outdoors during the summer, and is looking forward to relaxing outside in nature.

Having made his Usdan debut in 2013, this will be Chris’ 9th year as a musical director in the theater department. He loves collaborating with young singers, helping them develop a healthy vocal technique, and introducing them to a wide variety of theater music. Chris lives in Manhattan where he works as a vocal coach, pianist and conductor. His professional credits as a musical director include the Public Theater, Classic Stage Company, and Williamstown Theater Festival. Chris taught for many years at New York University and has served as a guest lecturer at Syracuse University and the North Carolina School of the Arts. He received an M.A. in American Studies from the CUNY Graduate Center, his curriculum and thesis focusing on music and theater history. Fun fact: Chris began his professional career as a movie reviewer for a weekly newspaper called The Daily Planet.

WARREN BLOOM (Theater) has been a musical director, sound designer and pit musician at Usdan for 18 (non-consecutive) summers since 1998.  After directing various professional a-cappella groups including Hyannis Sound (Cape Cod) and Minimum Wage (off-Broadway), and spending a year as a composer in the BMI Musical Theater Workshop, he began teaching music in the NYC DOE in 2002, and is currently at P.S. 8 in Brooklyn.  He is also a voiceover artist, music copyist, live sound engineer, pinball wizard and self-taught LEGO organizer.  He regrets not being a camper at Usdan, despite growing up nearby in East Meadow and Woodbury.  He currently lives in the dead-center of Brooklyn with his wife, his two kids and a sibling pair of cats. He holds a B.A. from Brandeis Univ. in music, a M.M. from the Univ. of Miami Frost School of Music in media writing & production, and a M.A. from CUNY Hunter College in music ed.

Liz started at USDAN in the summer of 2014. A professional children’s theater actor at Long Island Children’s Museum during the year, she also performs in community theaters and live radio all over Long Island. With a Bachelors in Fine Arts from Five Towns College she teaches voice and piano to local students as well as voice coaching signed artists at Columbia Records. Liz was never shy about telling people her parents imported her from Chile. This past Christmas, she was contacted by biological siblings telling her that she is, in fact, one of ten. Oddly enough they all work in the arts!  

James joined Usdan’s theater staff in 2017, but in total this will be his 16th collective summer. As an actor James has appeared off-Broadway in Unknown Soldier at Playwrights Horizons & Jasper in Deadland with the Prospect Theater Company. He played Prentiss on the National Tour of Peter and the Starcatcher, and has appeared regionally in Botticelli in the Fire (Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company), The Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare Theatre Company), The Last Ship (Pioneer Theatre Company), and Sweeney Todd (The Rev Theater Company). He is the host and creator of the podcast, Actors: On Process, and is on the faculty of LIU Post’s Musical Theater program. He received his BFA in Theater Arts – Performance from Hofstra University. Fun Fact: his favorite musicals are The Band’s Visit and Fiddler on the Roof!