BRENDAN
(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
(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 many years, including the last 7 at AU. When she is not hard at work she enjoys spending time with her daughters, cooking vegan meals, traveling, and her two cats.
jamie
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.
Dimitry
Social Studies teacher - profile TBD!
Kira
(she/her) Kira is the Science teacher at AU. She has a Master’s in Elementary Education from Mercy University. One of Kira’s favorite things to do is watch nature and wildlife documentaries. She also knows some Finnish.
Jennifer
(she/her) Jennifer is the Math Teacher at Achievement Unlocked. She brings six years of experience in special education across both charter and public schools. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys going to the gym and exploring new foods.
Johanna
(she/her) Johanna is the ELA teacher and new to the AU team. This is her 17th year of teaching ELA and communication courses across a wide range of grade levels & needs. She has a B.A. & M.Ed. in English, and has had steady experience not only as a content lead in ICT classrooms, but also directly as an ELA learning specialist, directing small groups (and the occasional zombie skit). Her geeky passion is going to New York Comic Con every year, and spoiling her two little dogs: Zeke Lovemuffin Peanuthead, and Ripley Dynamite Tuesday (yes, their actual names). Also, playing volleyball, 'Top Gun' beach style, but definitely not as cool.
nicoletta
(she/her) Nicoletta is the Independent Studies teacher. 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
(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
(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
(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
(they/them) Isaac is the Shadow Support Staff Supervisor 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
(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.
Raina
Counselor - profile TBD
Patrina
(she/her) Patrina is the Occupational Therapy Assistant at AU. She has19 years of pediatric experience supporting children in building the skills they need to succeed in everyday life. Her work has focused on fine motor development, sensory processing, and school-based interventions, and she enjoys collaborating with families and educators to make sure progress carries over beyond therapy sessions. Patrina is especially passionate about creating supportive environments where every child feels capable, confident, and included. In addition to her pediatric background, Patrina holds the Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) credential, which reflects her commitment to accessibility and safe, functional spaces for individuals across the lifespan.
Judy
(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.
Tim
(he/him) Tim is an Executive Assistant & Music Enrichment Teacher at AU. Tim has been with the AU community since the 2020-2021 school year. His journey began as the music enrichment teacher, then transitioned into a classroom support staff role, and currently he is an executive assistant. Tim holds an associates degree in childhood education from the Borough of Manhattan Community College and a bachelor's degree in English from Hunter College. Tim is currently enrolled in the Master of Education program at Hunter with a focus on Adolescent English (grade 7 - 12). Tim has been working with children since 2018 and plans to continue pursuing his passion for education.
Noah
(he/him) Noah is an Executive Assistant and Computer Science Enrichment Teacher at AU. Noah joined the team in 2025 as Classroom Support Staff, and worked as an IT Support Technician before coming to AU. Noah Enjoys Photography, Karaoke, and Video Games in his spare time.
Lindsay
(she/her) Lindsay joined the AU Shadow Support Staff team in 2025. She grew up in the Bronx and currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. Lindsay earned her BA and MA in Psychology in 2024, with a concentration in behavioral research. Much of her work involves helping children develop transferable skills in school, at home, and in the community. Lindsay loves the outdoors, road trips, and listening to music!
Elijah
Shadow Support Staff - profile TBD!
Thomas
(he/him) Thomas is part of the Shadow Support team at AU. Originally from North West England, Thomas has been an English language teacher since 2014. Thomas has also worked as a teaching assistant in the music department of a special needs school in the UK. Prior to this he ran the performing arts department at a Youth Centre in East London for over a decade. He studied Media Production at Newcastle College of Art. Thomas moved to Brooklyn in 2018 and loves travel, riding his bike, movies and (obviously!) music, especially the many free concerts and shows in the parks across NYC in Summer - which is also his favorite season.
Lucy
Lucy has been at AU since fall of 2022, and is Support Staff Lead. Lucy graduated from Skidmore in 2022 with a BA in Psychology. She likes to read and rollerskate.
chase
(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
(he/him) Jeremiah is a part of the Classroom Support Staff Supervisor 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
Support Staff - profile TBD!
Adriane
Support Staff - profile TBD!
Gus
(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
(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.
Patrick
Support Staff - Profile TBD!
Julian
(he/him) Julian is a part of the support staff team at AU. He does not like mayonnaise.
Want to join the Team? Send us an email and cover letter to:
office@alliedachievement.com