Our Faculty & Staff

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. 

After attending Usdan as a student, Zach joined the staff in 2017 and has served in Administration, the Music Department, and now as Dean of Students. 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. 

Kerry Barnhart is a proud alum of Usdan. Here is where she discovered her passion for music and theater as a child, going on to study vocal performance at The George Washington University. After several summers spent in the Usdan administrative office during college, she became part of the year round staff in 2005 as Registrar. Following her work as Registrar, Kerry oversaw student admissions as Director of Admissions, and has now added student affairs and operations as Senior Director of Student Affairs. She is happy to share the magic of Usdan with her son who attends as a student.  

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.

Lauren Kinane is a clarinetist, educator, and currently serves as the Enrollment Coordinator at Usdan. Prior to becoming the Enrollment Coordinator, Lauren worked with the Leadership Institute and Supervision team, 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 she can be found teaching masterclasses and coaching clarinet sections at schools throughout Long Island. 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. 

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.

Amalia Drewes is an 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 and started her own business called Visual Remedies, providing various forms of art for those who in need of healing. Amalia operates as a freelancer and graphic designer, but 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 "Art Adventure/Painting and Drawing" in 2021. Amalia 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 again this year to share in the celebration of art, music. and nature coming together.

Caryn is thrilled to join the Usdan staff this summer. Caryn is a jewelry designer, part-time nanny, sometimes actress, and wanna-be world traveler. Caryn has an MFA in Speech and Theater Arts and studied for five years with jeweler, Mary Beth Rozkewicz. Fun fact: Caryn is in the February 9, 1987 issue of People Magazine.

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.

I first began at Usdan as an Art Assistant teacher in 2013 and have worked every year since. Then, in 2021, I became a Lead Teacher. I attended Usdan for 7 years as a student. As a kid, I moved homes every year and Usdan was the one place that really felt like home to me.

My personal art form is primarily digital illustrations. 

I hold a B.A in Education from SUNY Geneseo.

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.

Jillian Neve has been both teaching and creating art for as long as she can remember. Now out of college and a certified art teacher, they meshed both of their passions together for a fulfilling career. 

Jill has moved up at USDAN from being an assistant photo teacher for summers 2018 & 2019, to being a lead in 2022. She is always excited to be a support system for her students. She aims to create a fun environment to learn about art, each other, and themselves! 

When not at work, she enjoys bike riding, watching true crime videos, creating/viewing poetry & art, going to music venues and enjoying nature.

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. 

Hawley Hussey is an artist who is working between the visual, the written word, and the performing arts. Throughout her career she has engaged in diverse mediums including painting, printmaking, small press publications, artists books, sculpture and installation. Hawley got her BFA from The University of Massachusetts in Amherst and her MFA from Vermont College of Fine Art where she has presented as Workshop Faculty for the Masters Program in Art and Design Education. Hawley served as Education Coordinator and Director of Contemporary Art Education at BRIC Arts Media and as an Art Education Mentor for the New York State Council on the Arts. Hawley is proudly a co-founder of the arts integrated high school, Bronx Envision Academy and she is also a founding member of the Park Avenue Armory Artists Corps where she remains active as a Teaching Artist. Hawley is a contemporary art education activist engaging recent immigrants and special needs students in immersive art laboratories that she builds and calls the HH:ArtLab. 

Hawley has been working as Usdan's Curriculum Specialist since the beginning 2020 and played an integral role in the development of Usdan Online. 

Joel is a Professional Chess Master from Oceanside, New York.   A FIDE Master and USCF National Master, Joel has been teaching Chess full-time since 1994, joining the faculty of Usdan in 2003, where he co-chairs the Chess Department. Joel also has a wealth of experience as a tournament director and organizer, including State, National and International competitions for all levels of players from young children to International Grandmasters. Joel has a BA in Mathematics from The Johns Hopkins University (1987).

Fun Fact:   In addition to Long Island, Joel has played/taught Chess on the islands of Bermuda, Curacao and Hawaii.

Taty is very excited to be joining the USDAN team for the first time this summer! She moved from Sao Paulo (Brazil) to the US in 2013 to pursue her Musical Theatre career. She got a degree in Performing Arts from AMDA and been performing in musicals, TV and commercials since. Some of her credits include: "Legally Blonde - The Musical", "Brigadoon" and a Brazilian online TV show called "Grandes Pequeninos Broadway", where she brought some of the best of musical theatre to children all over Brazil. When it comes to teaching, Taty started teaching dance and creative movement to children/teenagers ages 2-13, fifteen years ago back in Brazil. When not teaching or performing, you can find Taty traning aerial silks and lyra.

Eilish Henderson (she/her) is an movement artist, educator, choreographer, student, and advocate based in Queens, New York. She is currently a graduate student in NYU Steinhardt’s Dance Education Program, anticipating a M.A. of Teaching Dance in the Professions by 2023. She also holds a B.S. in Dance Education (2018) from Hofstra University. Eilish began teaching at Usdan in 2021. Her studies have included: contemporary, breakdance, Qi Gong, modern, ballet, Capoeira, and house dance. Eilish’s interests are grounded in poetry, deeply rooted emotion, visceral movement, and transporting the viewer into a place beyond the stage. She engages with many NYC public schools as a teaching artist for Dancewave, Brooklyn Arts Council, and Notes in Motion. She is constantly searching for ways to enhance her practice as an educator, and value new perspectives to contribute to how she translates the landscape of movement to her students.

Johanna Taylor is a performing and teaching artist. She is a Long Island native and grew up dancing locally. Johanna is a graduate of both the Long Island High School for the Arts and the University at Buffalo, where she obtained her BFA in Dance. When the pandemic hit, she was on the road performing in the Broadway National Tour of A Bronx Tale. She has also had the pleasure of performing in regional theater productions directed and choreographed by Emmy Award Winner Al Blackstone and legendary Fosse veteran Lloyd Culbreath. In addition to dance and theater, Johanna also teaches yoga. She completed her 200 hour yoga teacher training with Awakened Spirit Yoga. This will be her second year at Usdan!

Dr. Patrick Armann has been a member of the Usdan music faculty since 2003. He is a graduate of the Boston Conservatory and Stony Brook University, where he completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Percussion Performance. An active performer, Dr. Armann has worked as a percussionist with many performing ensembles and organizations on Long Island. Dr. Armann is an active educator year-round. Although his primary passion is all things percussive, his journey as a teacher has included working with bands, orchestras, chamber ensembles, and jazz bands. When not enjoying summers at Usdan, he teaches orchestra in the Sachem Central School District and serves as a co-chairperson of the SCMEA Day of Percussion.

Alina joined Usdan's Music Department as a faculty member in 2021. Alina is a professional concert pianist and chamber musician best known for her innovative approach to presentation of classical music and superb command of her instrument. Alina has performed in over a dozen countries with venues and collaborations including the Kharkov State Philharmonic and State Opera Theatre Orchestras, The Imperial Valley Symphony Orchestra, the New York Symphonic Ensemble Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, the Morse Recital Hall, the Concerto Takes Manhattan Series at Yamaha Hall, the Smithsonian Museum and Library of Congress. 

Alina has released two albums including “Sonatas” and “Moving Pictures”. She is one of few classical pianists that completed both Bachelor and Master degrees at The Juilliard School of Music on full scholarship; and was also awarded the Fannie Gottlieb-Harkavi Scholarship and Susan Rose Piano Scholarship. Her awards include top prizes in Senigallia International Competition, the Grace Welsh International Competition and the California Young Artist International Competition. Kiryayeva has been honored by Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk, with the State Award for Achievements in Arts. 

In addition to her performing and teaching career, in 2020 she a Doctoral degree from The City University of New York upon completion of research on the relationship between classical and popular music. 

Emily Kenyon is thrilled to be joining the Usdan team as an Orchestra Lead Teacher for the summer of 2022. Ms. Kenyon is a high school orchestra director in the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District, where she teaches the 9-12 ensembles at Kennedy and Mepham High Schools. Previously, she has taught middle school orchestra and college-level music theory and aural skills courses at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the Eastman School of Music. Ms. Kenyon also serves as a chair for the LISFA 11-12 Festival and the NMEA Division 3 Festival. As a violinist, Ms. Kenyon has performed in prestigious ensembles such as the Eastman Philharmonia, Eastman Opera Ensemble, the Brevard Festival Orchestra, and the National Orchestral Institute, where she performed on the album Ruggles, Stucky & Harbison: Orchestral Works, nominated for Best Orchestral Performance at the 2018 GRAMMY Awards. In her spare time, Ms. Kenyon enjoys baking, geeking out about Broadway shows, and performing as a violinist with the South Shore Symphony Orchestra. Kenyon holds a B.M. in Music Education from Ithaca College and an M.M. in Music Theory from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Grace Wu Hsu is thrilled for 2022 to be her first summer teaching at USDAN. Grace is a graduate of The Juilliard School Pre-College program and Carnegie Mellon University (B.F.A. in Cello Performance). During the school year, Grace is the String Teacher and Conductor at The Hewitt School in NYC. She also maintains a private cello studio, teaches cello lessons at The Waldorf School of Garden City and freelances throughout NYC and Long Island. Former faculty teaching positions include: The Children’s Orchestra Society, The School for Strings (Suzuki cello), Director of HS Orchestras at Kellenberg Memorial HS, The Brearley School, The Portledge School, Teaching Artist for Elemental Strings (Los Angeles), Strings Specialist in the Santa Monica-Malibu USD, and lower strings coach at Pacific Blue Summer Music Camp (Santa Monica, CA).

This is Jessica’s first year at Usdan! A native of Maine, Jessica earned her Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance from Western Connecticut State University. She attended graduate school at the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford. She is a veteran private voice teacher who works with students of all ages, an experienced high school choir director, and an early childhood music specialist. Currently, she is on the music faculty at Rye Country Day School. Jessica concertizes throughout the country, performing art songs and oratorio repertoire. She is currently directing a concert series titled “She Said”, which highlights female composers.

Fun fact:
My first opera role was a COOKIE in Hansel and Gretel!

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.

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!

This is Cindy's second year at Usdan, and will be her first year as a Nature lead teacher. Cindy is an artist and environmental activist based in Rockaway, Queens, where she lives on a houseboat made from converted shipping containers. She has a BFA and a Certificate in Art Therapy from School of Visual Arts. A painter and printmaker, Cindy is five years into a daily drawing practice that has made her a firm believer in the power of making art every day. When she’s not teaching, Cindy spends portions of her year volunteering in the field for environmental organizations – from monitoring buffalo migrations to working on ocean-going conservation ships, Cindy believes that life is best lived outdoors.

Lindsay Robbins (she/her) is an artist and educator originally from Philadelphia, PA. Lindsay joined Usdan in Spring 2022 and is helping lead the Organic Garden and Sustainable Design programs for 4A this summer. Lindsay got her start with community organic gardening and food justice programs during the pandemic in her neighborhood of Ridgewood, Queens. Currently, Lindsay is currently a full-time Middle School Art Teacher at the Village Community School. In addition, Lindsay keeps up an active studio art practice in painting, drawing and printmaking. Lindsay has also taught at The Whitney Museum of American Art (New York, NY), The Museum of Arts and Design (New York, NY), City Art Lab @ CCNY (New York, NY), Fleisher Art Memorial (Philadelphia, PA) and University City Arts League (Philadelphia, PA)

Berkeley Rousseau is excited to be joining Usdan for the first time this summer! His focus is primarily music, however, he has a huge love for musical theater and has music directed many shows. He can be found teaching private voice and piano lesson in Huntington and online. He is a recent graduate of the music education Master's program at Long Island University and is currently on the job hunt. In his free time, Berkeley loves hiking and cannot wait to start exploring more of the Northeast United States.

Carolyn began in Usdan’s Theater Department in the summer of 1997. She had a few gap years when her children were young and returned in 2013 making this her 16th summer. During the year she is a NY based teaching artist, director and performer. She brings her love of theater to students throughout Long Island and Brooklyn directing school musicals and incorporating theater arts into class curriculums. Carolyn began her theater education at Brooklyn College and then studied arts administration at NYU. This eventually led her to acceptance in the professional acting program with the British American Drama Academy in Oxford, UK. She has toured the US with the National Theatre for the Performing Arts and has appeared in numerous east coast, regional, and Off-Off Broadway productions. Carolyn is the proud mom of two teenage girls who loved taking classes in Usdan’s Dance Department.

Christina has been at Usdan since the summer of 2008, where she has both choreographed and directed, and is thrilled to be back this summer. She holds a BFA in Dance from Texas Christian University, and choreographs both corporate and private events. Her career path has taken her through Europe and Canada dancing and singing in musicals, singing and acting in Pop Opera's with composer Mikel Rouse, and as an actor in the play Tantalus with the Royal Shakespeare Company, a unique opportunity with a combined British and American cast. Christina has performed on Broadway in Meet Me in St. Louis, Roundabout's revival of Cabaret at Studio 54, and S. Pacific at Lincoln Center as a trumpet player. She has taught at Broadway Dance Center, the Lucy Moses School in Manhattan, and coaches dancers from around the country. Fun fact, she loves peanut butter chocolate ice cream!

James joined Usdan’s theater staff in 2017, but in total this will be his 17th 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!

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.

Stephanie Martinez (she/her) is a teaching artist, stage manager, and director from Long Island, New York. She received her BFA in Stage Management from Hofstra University and is currently pursuing her M.S.Ed in Educational Theatre at The City College of New York. Stephanie is the resident director of the West Hempstead Middle and High School drama clubs. She also teaches improv, devising, and acting classes for Mainstages, Queens Theatre, and the Hofstra University Continuing Education Program. Stephanie is particularly passionate about providing culturally responsive and trauma-informed theatrical education to New York students and schools. A fun fact about Stephanie is that she’s a major Shakespeare nerd, and even has a ferret named Puck! This is Stephanie’s first summer at Usdan, and she can’t wait to get out there and play!

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. 

Joshua Z. Kant is delighted to be returning for a fourth summer as a musical director for the USDAN Theater department. He has dedicated himself to more than two decades of service in public education, directing choir, teaching general music and, of course, making theater in Suffolk County. Josh holds an MFA from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts' Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. He was in the inaugural class of the Dramatist Guild Fellows Program (2000-01). Evenings of Josh's work have been performed in multiple NYC venues. He began writing for the theater at Hofstra University, where he earned his B.S. in Music Composition. There, he also studied piano, voice, and conducting. As a book writer/composer/lyricist, his work includes Anna Sharpe Versus the Cyberbully, a piece for young performers which will receive its second full production right here at USDAN this summer! For more: www.joshuazkant.com

Amelia Dombrowski has over twenty years of professional costume experience designing with top NYC costume shops, operas and theaters. She has worked on the Broadway tour of South Pacific and as the Associate Designer on Xanadu and 33 Variations on Broadway. Amelia has a BS in Film from Northwestern University, a MFA in Design from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and a Masters in Educational Theater from City College. Amelia also is the Costume Shop Director in the Technical Theater Department of Laguardia High School of the Performing Arts.