SENIOR STAFF
| Madaha Kinsey-Lamb | Founder/President |
| Natasha Richards | Assistant Executive Director for Finance and Operations |
| Juliana Cope | Assistant Executive Director for Development and External Affairs |
PROGRAM STAFF
| Melvada Hughes | Dance Department Director |
| Esther Grant-Walker | Dance Department Assistant |
| Waldo Chavez | Music Department Director |
| Thomas Bennett | Martial Arts Program Teacher/Director |
| Lavonda Elam | Theater Arts Instructor |
| Haydil Henriquez | Dr. Beverly J. Robinson Community Folk Culture Director |
| Wahanga Gakere | Assistant Director Folk Culture Program |
| 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
| Opal McCalla | Executive Administrative Assistant and Community Relations Manager |
| Karen Seymour | Coordinator of Enrollment and Family Outreach |
| Aliza Rodriguez | Bursar |
| Anyi Rodriguez | Receptionist & Administrative Assistant |
| Andrea Marano | Youth and Family Support Specialist |
| Joey Vega | 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
-
Omari Contaste -
Zuri Foreman -
Jocelyn Gutierrez -
Veronica Jaio -
Kimberly Jones -
Kanzada Juste -
Noelani Love -
Qwadasia Lovett
Music Instructors
-
Timothy Barrus -
Andy Bassford -
Charles Carrington -
Hsinwei Chiang -
Agustin Grasso -
Stella Siwon Hwang -
Lon Ivey -
Andrew Lamb -
Christopher Palmer -
Jairo Quinonez -
Nina Riley -
Luca Santaniello -
Amir Small -
Robin Small -
Eric Zolan
| Dance Department | Title | Credentials |
|---|---|---|
| Omari Contaste | Ballet, Modern, and Young Dancers Instructor | B.A. Goucher College |
| Zuri Foreman | Ballet, Tap Instructor | B.A. St. John's University; American Musical and Dramatic Academy - Dance Theater |
| Jocelyn Gutierrez | Hip Hop Instructor | Bronx Leadership Academy Dance Performer and Instructor |
| Keny Guzman | Zumba Instructor | Crunch Norwood Zumba Instructor |
| Veronica Jiao | Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Tap Instructor | BFA in Dance, Florida State University, Teaching Artist and Performer |
| 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 |
| Noelani Love | African and Modern Instructor | B. S. Mercy College. Program director at Boy's & Girls club, Dance Instructor at Mosholu Montefiore Community Center |
| Qwadasia Lovett | African, Modern, Ballet and Jazz Basics Instructor | Millenium Dance Company |
| Music Department | Title | Credentials |
|---|---|---|
| Timothy Barrus | Suzuki Violin Instructor | B.A. Baylor Univ.; M.A. Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music; Performer and Instructor |
| Andy Bassford | Guitar Instructor | BA Trinity College; Grammy Winning Recording Artist; Performer; Instructor |
| Charles Carrington | Piano Instructor | B.A. Ithaca College; Professional Musician and Recording Artist |
| Agustin Grasso | Guitar Instructor | Escuela de Musica Contemporanea in Buenos Aires , Argentina |
| Stella Siwon Hwang | Piano Instructor | B.A. Berklee College of Music; Composer, Instructor |
| 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 |
| Christopher Palmer | Brass Teacher, Jazz Ensemble 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 |
| Luca Santaniello | Drum Instructor | B.M. L. Perosi Conservatory, Italy; Artist Diploma Jazz, The Julliard School; Professional Musician, Instructor at Julliard School |
| Amir Small | Piano Instructor | B.M Berklee College of Music; Recording Artist, Professional Musician |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Lavonda Elam | Theater Arts Instructor | B.A. Goodman School of Drama; Professional Theater Artist and Educator |
| Martial Arts Program | Title | Credentials |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas Bennet | Martial Arts Coordinator and Instructor | Martial Arts Master, 8th degree black-belt "Goju Ryu" |
| Dr. Beverly J. Robinson Community Folk Culture Program | Title | Credentials |
|---|---|---|
| Haydil Henriquez | Folk Culture Program Director | |
| Wahanga Gakere | Folk Culture Program Assistant Director |
| Arts Passage XPress | Title | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Carlton | Drama/Spoken Word Instructor | |||
| Andrea Marano | Youth and Family Support Specialist | |||
| Ivan Velez | 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 |
