BRENDAN WOLFF
(he/him) After leaving his job as a special education teacher in District 75, Brendan Wolff founded Allied Achievement in 2013 to work more closely with the families of students with unique needs after school and in their homes. He created Achievement Unlocked as a school in 2016 when, at the request of several families, he started the program to provide an appropriate educational environment for students who had been underserved in their previous settings. Brendan is heavily involved in students behavioral and social/emotional development, and after being Head of School for 5 years, he created his own behavioral department to better serve the needs and socioemotional development of the students. His favorite part of working at AU is helping students find creative solutions to difficult problems and discovering skills they never knew they had in the process.
Michele lipman
(she/her) Michele is the External Director of Achievement Unlocked. She brings her perspective to the position as a long time teacher and parent. She has a BFA in Fine Arts and a Master’s in Childhood Education. She has many professional licenses and certifications. Some of her credentials include ‘Students with Disabilities,’ ‘Childhood Education,’ and a ‘Gifted & Talented certificate.’ She has been teaching school in NYC for 13 years including the last few at AU. When she is not hard at work she enjoys spending time with her children, cooking vegan meals, traveling, and patting her fluffy cat.
jamie Macfalter
Jamie has served as the Science teacher at AU for several years and currently holds the position of supervisor for the teaching staff, in addition to being one of the Curriculum Coordinators. Over the past nine years, she has taught in various special education settings across all core subjects and has facilitated enrichment programs focused on Anime, Gaming, and Murder Mystery. Jamie holds a graduate degree in Adolescent Special Education for grades 7-12, as well as an undergraduate degree in Criminology.
amy gerstein
(she/her) Amy is the new Social Studies Teacher. Although she is new to Achievement Unlocked, she is not new to teaching. She obtained her M.S.Ed. in Childhood General and Special Education from Bank Street and has taught in a range of educational settings around New York City for over 15 years. She loves learning new things and traveling.
Jenny Barrington
(she/her) Jenny is the Math Teacher at Achievement Unlocked. She is an enthusiastic and dedicated Math Educator with over 30 years of experience. Jenny earned her Bachelor’s in Education from Hampshire College, Amherst, MA and her Master’s Degree in Math Leadership at Bank Street College of Education, New York City. Jenny enjoys learning Spanish, taking walks, and exploring new places.
Emily Smith
(she/her) Emily is the ELA teacher at Achievement Unlocked. She started out in early childhood before moving more recently into Special Ed. She has 15+ years of experience in education, holds a Master’s in Literacy, and truly loves working with children. In her free time she enjoys learning Spanish, finding new Mexican restaurants, and listening to/occasionally playing music.
nicoletta murphy
(she/her) Nicoletta is the Science Teacher at AU. She graduated from Southern Connecticut State University with minors in STEM, Psychology, and Literature and holds a Masters Degree in Elementary Education from Pace University. Nicoletta has been enjoying teaching in a variety of New York City middle schools since 2015. Her favorite season is summer because she is always cold, she has enjoyed racing sailboats since she was 8, and she can recite the entire Hamilton Musical since she saw it live that one time.
jess mannion
(she/her) Jess is the Administrative Assistant/Office Manager for Brendan and AU. Prior to working at the AU, Jess was a freelancer working primarily from her home for 10 years, doing everything from copywriting to remote assistant work to professional cat sitting. She is quite honestly thrilled to be working in an office again with actual people around, and is having so much fun getting to know everyone in the AU community. She has a BA in English Literature and loves creative writing, reading, going to movies with her husband, and showering an embarrassing amount of affection on her two rescue cats, Herbie and Victor.
Khary Louis
(he/him) Khary is the Internal Director at Achievement Unlocked and has been teaching in NYC for 9 years. He specializes in working with students with unusual learning profiles. He received a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Penn State in 2011. Khary believes strongly in differential education, striving to meet each student and their needs individually. In his spare time, Khary loves watching sports and spending time with his two cats.
Meaghan Bloom Fluitt
(she/her) Meaghan has worked at AU since 2016, and is a part of the Executive Team as well as occasional Improv/Drama teacher. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, she is also a working actor with experience in film, tv, and theatre in NYC. Meaghan is a proponent for the arts and how imagination and creativity can build and strengthen socio-emotional skill sets and proactive, positive problem solving. She always loves to see what amazing things come from the creative minds of the students. Fun fact: Meaghan is into anime and other geekery, and when she has some spare time, loves to make soup from scratch - especially when she can use vegetables she grows in her (secret!) rooftop urban garden!
isaac Wood
(he/they) Isaac is the Support Staff Team Lead and Data Manager at Achievement Unlocked, and has worked in the field since graduating from Saginaw Valley State University in 2016. He is perpetually looking for intersections between his passion for this work and his ever-growing list of interests, which currently includes playwriting, video games, making music, refining his rolodex of funny voices, and baking when stressed. (This is not a comprehensive list.) Isaac is excited to share his enthusiasm, broad experience, and generally unshakeable optimism with AU.
John Dhaness
(he/him) John is the Speech Language Pathologist at Achievement Unlocked and has worked at AU since early 2017. Initially a support staff team member and graduate level communication-sciences and disorders student, he graduated in December 2020. John is (not so) secretly a Pokemon master on the sidelines and is (not so) secretly a geek at heart.
Kathryn irwin
(she/her) Kathryn is the Occupational Therapist at Achievement Unlocked. She earned her BS/MS in Occupational Therapy from Ithaca College. She previously worked at a pediatric outpatient clinic, where she utilized a sensory-motor approach to support engagement in meaningful activities. She continuously seeks opportunities to expand her knowledge base, especially in sensory processing and integration. In her free time, Kathryn enjoys traveling, taking long walks, and reading.
Sam Williams
(she/her) Sam is the school Counselor at Achievement Unlocked. She recieved her Master’s of Social Work from Augsburg University and her Master’s of Education from Bank Street College. She is a licensed social worker with nearly ten years of experience working primarily in schools from pre-school to eighth grade. In her free time Sam loves going to the theater and listening to podcasts.
Ben Bond
(he/him) Ben has worked at AU since March 2020. He has been working with people with developmental disabilities since early 2016, first doing Direct Support and Community Habilitation. He has worn many hats at AU and is currently an Executive Assistant. His favorite part of the job is listening to the kids and getting to hear their amazing and unique perspectives. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife, cats, and turtle, playing instruments and recording with his band, and going for hikes in his home borough of Staten Island.
judy lorimer
(she/her) Judy is the General Manager at AU. She works on the administrative team on organizational management and development. She has thirty years of experience in NYC non-profits supporting education equity and organizing. She loves spending time with her three children, two cats, one dog, tending wildflowers, watching bees, and waiting hopefully for the hummingbirds that sometimes come.
jonathan wagner
(he/him) Jon is a member of the support staff at AU. He graduated from the Ohio State University with a degree in journalism, and transitioned into a career as an educator in 2015. He moved from Ohio to Brooklyn in the summer of 2023, and enjoys finding something new about the city almost every day. He enjoys spending time in nature, sports, reading, and history.
Natalya Villegas
(she/they) Natalya is a part of the support staff at AU. Formally trained in design and advertising, she is currently pursuing a master's degree in Applied Behavior Analysis. She is excited to apply her experience working in education with individuals with specials needs and to continue her journey in helping students at AU. Natalya has a steadily growing mineral collection and will talk your head off about rocks if given the chance.
Lucy Holden
(she/her) Lucy has been at AU since fall of 2022. She is the classroom support staff in the ISH. Lucy graduated from Skidmore in 2022 with a BA in Psychology. She likes to read and rollerskate.
chase werther
(She/her) Chase is a classroom support staff at AU for math. She is originally from Gainesville, Florida (Go Gators!) where she studied at the University of Florida. She graduated with a double-major in Philosophy and Political Science in 2019. She has diverse experiences working with children including at an all-girls educational non-profit catered to students with multiple risk factors, as well as substitute teaching K-12. In her previous role as a communications specialist for a municipal utility company, she organized and led community engagement programs and public school outreach among her other responsibilities. Her interests include chess, dancing, and hanging out with her cats, Chickpea and Mango!
jeremiah Merritt
(he/him) Jeremiah is a part of the support staff team at AU. He was a paraprofessional with the DOE for two years and recently received his Bachelor’s degree in Childhood Education. He is a lover of the fantasy genre and loves to consume it in as many forms as possible; his favorite ways being through anime and reading.
josh davidson
(he/him) Josh is a member of the support staff at AU. He obtained his BA in Theatre from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Previously, Josh has worked as a literacy tutor and teaching assistant for neurodiverse learners. In his free time, Josh loves to read, go to the theatre, hangout with friends, and explore the city.
George ciani
(he/him) George is a part of the support staff team at AU. Prior to working at AU, George worked with the DOE as a classroom history teacher in Secondary Education. He is the proud owner of a German Shepard.
Gus Castile
(he/him) Gus is a part of the support staff team at AU. He is from Cambridge Massachusetts and has a degree in English Lit from Clark University. Gus has been working in various roles in schools for the last ten years. He loves to read and write and is an avid movie watcher and music lover. He was a three sport letterman in high school and captain of three varsity sports in high school, and is a big fan of Boston area sports teams, which he is continuously reminded are far less superior to the New York ones.
Karl Fangco
(he/him) Karl is a part of shadow support team at AU. He graduated from State University of NY at New Paltz in Winter of 2019 with a BA in Political Science and a minor in History. He interned for a congressman in New York's 21st district, then worked as a youth educator in the Bronx in 2020. Later, he became a behavior support staff at a school for less fortunate families. Karl likes spending his free time outdoors hiking and camping. His goal is to hike the tallest mountain in the United States.
john ferraiolo
(he/him) John is a new addition to the support staff team at AU. Born and raised in Huntington New York, he received both his Bachelors in History and Masters in Childhood Education at CUNY Queens College. He’s worked as a Special ed teacher, and General ed teacher in NYC for over five years and tens years working in different positions in the education field. Outside of school, John runs a fencing business in Park Slope where he teaches people of all ages the art of sword fighting. En Garde!
Want to join the Team? Send us an email and cover letter to:
office@alliedachievement.com