SENIOR STAFF
| Shirley C. Taylor | Executive Director |
| Juliana Cope | Assistant Executive Director for Development and External Affairs |
| Julia L. Gutiérrez-Rivera | Assistant Executive Director for Programming and Productions |
| Natasha Richards | Assistant Executive Director for Finance and Operations |
PROGRAM STAFF
| Melvada Hughes | Dance Department Director |
| Esther Grant-Walker | Dance Department Assistant Director |
| Waldo Chavez | Music Department Director |
| Chris Palmer | Music Department Assistant Director |
| Willa Bost | PYT Director |
| Thomas Bennett | Martial Arts Program Coordinator & Instructor |
| Dr. Jametta Davis | Folk Culture Program Assistant Director |
| Desrine Charlton | Pre-K Teacher and Education Director |
| Brittany Scott | Pre-K Program Assistant Teacher |
| Gilanyi Batista | Pre-K Program Family Outreach Coordinator and Administrative Assistant |
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
| Kathryn Frances | Executive Manager |
| Lynsey Tuthill | Marketing and Communications Manager |
| Sakia Hussain | Fiscal Manager |
| Aliza Rodriguez | Bursar/Office Manager |
| Karen Seymour | Operations Manager |
| Melanie Cabreja | Administrative Assistant |
| Leny Cabrera | Facilities Manager |
| Elvin Hernandez | Custodian |
ARTS FACULTY
Mind-Builders’ instructors are not only expert musicians, dancers, or actors, they are also dedicated coaches who share their passion and skill with our students, encouraging them to hone their own creativity. We believe it takes a special kind of teacher to be a “Mind-Builder”.
Faculty List
Dance Instructors
-
Jocelyn Gutierrez -
Kimberly Jones -
Kanzada Juste -
Michele Lee -
Noelani Love -
Chandni Rodriguez -
Monica Short -
Funmi Sofola
Music Instructors
-
Andy Bassford -
Charles Carrington -
Agustin Grasso -
Lon Ivey -
Andrew Lamb -
Christopher Palmer -
Jairo Quinonez -
Nina Riley -
Robin Small -
Eric Zolan
| Dance Department | Title | Credentials |
|---|---|---|
| Ronald Belger | Ballet, Modern and Jazz Instructor | |
| Darleen Carr | Fit4Life Stretch Instructor and Costume Supervisor | |
| Monica Celeste | Ballet and Jazz Instructor | BFA City College Leonard Davis Center for the Performing Arts, Dance Department Founder of Denzel Washington School of the Arts |
| Boubacar Diabate | African Dance Drummer | |
| Jocelyn Gutierrez | Artist in Residence; Hip Hop Instructor | Founder and Instructor of A.R.E.A. Dance Co. |
| Keny Guzman | Fit4Life Zumba Instructor | Crunch Norwood Zumba Instructor |
| Monica Johnson | Ballet, Choreography | |
| Kimberly Jones | Tap, Modern, and Adult Praise Instructor | BFA in Dance, Marygrove College; MFA in Dance, Ohio State University |
| Kanzada Juste | Creative Movement, African and Hip Hop Fundamentals Instructor | B.A. SUNY Potsdam |
| Aicha Konate | African Dance | |
| Michele Lee | Ballet and Tap Instructor | BFA in Pedagogy |
| Noelani Love | African and Modern Instructor | B. S. Mercy College. Program director at Boy's & Girls club, Dance Instructor at Mosholu Montefiore Community Center |
| Natasha Richards | Fit4Life Soca Instructor | |
| Chandni Rodriguez | Fit4Life Yoga Meditation Instructor | RYT 200hr Registered Yoga Instructor, Yoga Alliance |
| Gabriel Roxbury | African Dance Drummer | |
| Funmi Sofola | Tap Instructor | BFA in Commercial Dance with a Minor in Arts and Entertainment Management, Pace University |
| Maurice Whyte | Fit4Life Zumba Instructor |
| Music Department | Title | Credentials |
|---|---|---|
| Andy Bassford | Guitar Instructor | BA Trinity College; Grammy Winning Recording Artist; Performer; Instructor |
| Ryan Burvick | Production and Studio Director in Residence | |
| Charles Carrington | Piano Instructor | B.A. Ithaca College; Professional Musician and Recording Artist |
| Charles Duke | Music Department Artistic Director in Residence | |
| Agustin Grasso | Guitar Instructor | Escuela de Musica Contemporanea in Buenos Aires , Argentina |
| Lon Ivey | Drum Instructor | Carnegie Hall Institute; Berklee School of Music. Professional Musician and Recording Artist |
| Andrew Lamb | Woodwind Instructor | SUNY Old Westbury; Professional Musician and Recording Artist |
| Janet Lucy | Suzuki Violin Instructor | |
| Christopher Palmer | Music Department Assistant Director, Brass Teacher, Stage Band Conductor | B.A. Berklee College of Music; Composer, Instructor |
| Jairo Quinonez | Violin Instructor | M.A. Lehman College; B.A. Queens College; Teacher with Multicultural Music Group; Professional Musician |
| Nina Riley | Voice Instructor | B. A. Manhattan School of Music M.A. Manhattan School of Music in Vocal Performance; Professional Singer |
| Robin Small | Piano and Voice Instructor | B.M. Berklee School of Music; Recording Artist; Performer; Vocal and Piano Instructor |
| Eric Zolan | Guitar Instructor | B.M. William Paterson Univserity |
| PYT Theater Department | Title | Credentials |
|---|---|---|
| Willa Bost | Director | |
| Hilda Willis | PYT Artistic Director In Residence | |
| Malik Beckford | PYT Instructor |
| Martial Arts Program | Title | Credentials |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas Bennet | Martial Arts Coordinator and Instructor | Martial Arts Master, 8th degree black-belt "Goju Ryu" |
| Evan Berry | Martial Arts Assistant Instructor |
| Dr. Beverly J. Robinson Community Folk Culture Program | Title | Credentials |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Jametta Davis | Folk Culture Program Director | |
| Melinda Gonzales | Folk Culture Program Instructor |
| Arts Passage XPress | Title | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Burvick | Digital Music Production Instructor | |||
| Darnell Hannon | Digital Music Production Instructor | |||
| Brittany Murray | Youth and Family Support Specialist | |||
| Michael Tudor | Anime/Visual Arts Instructor |
| Pre-K Program | Title | Credentials |
|---|---|---|
| Desrine Charlton | Teacher/Education Director | B.A. SUNY Purchase; M.A. Early Childhood Education Grand Canyon University |
| Brittany Scott | Pre-K Assistant Teacher | A.A. Bronx Community College |
