St. Luke's Welcomes New Faculty and Staff

St. Luke’s welcomes 18 new faculty and staff to the Hilltop this year. Head of School Mark Davis introduced the new colleagues and shared these spoken remarks at the first Faculty/Staff meeting of the 2020-2021 school year:

Sara Aylward, Marketing and Communications Specialist: Sara joins St. Luke’s as our Marketing and Communications Specialist after a decade-long career in communications, marketing and fundraising. Much of that time was spent helping nonprofit organizations across Connecticut and New York fuel their missions by deepening relationships with donors and prospects through storytelling, brand awareness, and a strong online presence. Most recently, Sara worked at a marketing agency in Stamford, where she helped clients reimagine their digital marketing potential through data-driven creative and analytics. When not at work you can often find Sara on her yoga mat, by the lake, or with her nose in a book. She enjoys traveling, strong coffee, and checking things off their bucket list.

Adrienne Banks, US Science Teacher Fellow: Adrienne joins us as the Upper School Chemistry Teaching Fellow. Originally from Oregon, she found her love of teaching through outdoor education, leading youth trips across the country for several years. She recently graduated from Williams College and can be found running, playing ultimate frisbee, adventuring outside, or experimenting in the kitchen in her spare time.

Daniela Burga, Human Resources Manager: Daniele comes to us from New Castle Hotels and Resorts where she was responsible for running Human Resources operations for their company in the U.S and Canada. She has over a decade of experience in Human Resources and recently earned her Master's degree in HR Management from the University of Connecticut. When not working Daniela enjoys handcrafting wooden trays that she decorates with mosaic tiles and epoxy. She also enjoys traveling with her family and going on new adventures. Daniela looks forward to joining the education world as she loves the ability that educators have of making an impact on upcoming generations.

Cindy Dill, Director of Annual Giving: Cindy comes to us from Kids in Crisis where she worked in their Development Office as an Individual Giving Manager. Prior to that she worked in the Development Office at King School for eight years. In her spare time Cindy can be found power walking around her neighborhood, playing tennis, or planning weekend getaways with her friends or family.

Veronica Dimberio, MS Math Teacher (Leave Replacement): Veronica just recently moved to Connecticut from Long Island, New York. While living in Long Island she worked as a teacher for 3 years at a wonderful private school. Veronica adores living in Connecticut and enjoys experiencing the beautiful scenery of the state. In her spare time she loves baking gluten-free desserts, binging Netflix series, doing pilates, and spending time with her family and miniature goldendoodle.

Dawn Fuller, MS & US Theater Teacher: Dawn has taught and directed in Independent Schools for the last 20 years. She served as Theatre Department Head at both Greenwich Academy and the Mandell School in NYC. Most recently, she led the MS Theatre Program at Sacred Heart Greenwich. As an actress, Dawn has “tread the boards” at several US regional theatres, toured with the National Shakespeare Company, produced at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and has sold everything from peanuts to Pampers on radio and television. She has two tiny humans at home who have tempted her palette for “Kid Lit” so much that she wrote a children’s book titled, Twirl. Dawn has read every copy of New York Magazine from cover to cover since 1996 and if 20+ years in Manhattan taught her anything, it is the importance of fabulous footwear.

Matthew Goetz, US Humanities Teacher: Matthew joined the St. Luke's team from Chase Collegiate School where he worked as faculty in both the English and History Departments, in addition to serving as Admissions Associate for grade nine. Prior to that he taught for three years within and was an examiner for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at Beijing National Day School in China after completing ten years as an officer in the US Navy, a masters degree in education at Harvard, and a masters degree in divinity at Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis. When not working, Matt can be found reading, running, rowing, or cooking.

Gavin Immer, MS World Language Teacher: Gavin first fell in love with Mandarin as a sophomore in high school. He went on to study it at Tufts University, where he majored in Economics and minored in Chinese. After college, Gavin received government scholarships from China, Taiwan, and the USA to study Mandarin in Asia. Most recently, Gavin worked in HR at Fortune 500 companies and Chinese startups. He has also appeared on viral YouTube videos and Taiwanese TV, performed viola at an international music festival, and competed in the Irish Dance World Championships.

Jon Jodka, Director of Development: In addition to his long career as a leader in sales and managing teams in the financial services industry, Jon is in his sixth and final year as a dedicated St. Luke’s trustee, where he has served on the Momentum Campaign Committee, the Executive Committee, and as Chair of the Governance Committee. Throughout his distinguished career, Jon has served schools with wisdom, commitment and generosity, including as a trustee at Lawrence Academy and as a member of the President’s Visiting Committee at Bowdoin College. In short, he “gets'' schools. Moreover, after 14 years as a St. Luke’s parent, he not only can tell the St. Luke’s story as well as anyone possibly could, but he also loves doing so. Combined with his love for and longstanding service to St. Luke’s, Jon’s professional experience and gifts as a leader are the perfect complement to our experienced and dedicated Development team.

Shuja Khan, US Math and Computer Science Teacher: Shuja comes from Gulliver Schools in Miami where he worked as the Director of Enrollment for the last three years. Before that, he worked at Schools of the Sacred Heart in San Francisco for 14 years as a teacher, coach, Assistant Dean and Director of Admissions. He's originally from Queens and is glad to be back in the area. In his spare time, Shuja loves to read, play sports, watch movies and hang out with his family as much as possible.

Rachel Lang, MS Science Teacher: Rachel comes to us from Avenues: The World School the NYC campus where she worked as a 1st - 3rd-grade science specialist for the last five years. Prior to that she was a sixth-grade math and science teacher for the Croton Harmon Public School System. In her spare time Rachel can be found spending time with her fur baby, singing, communing with nature, eating, cooking, and traveling.

Katie Mersky, MS Dean of Students: Katie comes to us from Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (SCH) in Philadelphia where she was the Assistant Head of Upper School. Previously to that role at SCH, Katie was the Dean of Student Life, worked in Admissions and was the Upper School Field Hockey Coach. Outside of school she enjoys hiking and outdoor activities, reading mystery novels, and spending time with friends.

Linda Mohr, MS Math Department Chair: Linda has decided to return to her home state after 32 years. She spent the last 21 years teaching at the Pembroke Hill School in Kansas City, Missouri. Most recently she taught middle school math in grades six, seven and eight and was the math department chair. She is excited to be close to the ocean, the mountains and her youngest son who will attend college in Massachusetts. In her spare time you can find her reading, jogging, eating seafood, or skiing in the mountains.

Jacqueline Nelson, Director of Equity & Inclusion: St. Luke’s originally welcomed Jaci last June after a national search in partnership with industry-leading executive search firm Storbeck/Pimentel and many St. Luke’s faculty, parents, students, alumni, and trustees. She joins us from The Hewitt School in New York City, where she served as the Director of Diversity and Inclusivity and led several high impact diversity and equity initiatives. Jaci has a decade of experience in independent schools, as both a teacher and administrator, and also served on the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) Diversity Committee. Jaci believes that inclusion “is not the job of one, but the work of many,” and we look forward to carrying out that philosophy with her.

Kari Olsen, Director of Counseling Services: Kari comes to us from the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, where she worked as a Program Manager for RULER, an approach to social emotional learning, for the past two years. Prior to that she worked as an elementary school teacher, middle and high school counselor, and middle and high school administrator in the Washington D.C. area. Kari enjoys spending time with family, shopping with her daughter, singing, watching the Yankees, and following her fantasy football team.

Jennifer Platek, MS History Teacher, Leave Replacement: Jen is a parent of a 2020 St. Luke’s graduate. Prior to staying at home to raise her children Jen taught fourth grade in New Canaan and fifth grade science in Ridgefield. Over the past two years Jen completed an online professional certificate program in Educational Consulting through UCI, which has helped her become familiar with many Different platforms of online learning. When not working, Jen enjoys spending time with her family and two dogs.

Karen Rolfini-Beckenstein, MS & US World Language Teacher: Karen is excited to return to the Hilltop. You may remember Karen as “Ms. Rolfbeck” or Carrie's “maternity substitute.” In 2015 Karen founded The Language School (TLS) in Ridgefield, Connecticut. She currently manages TLS, now accredited school, offering customized instruction in 22 languages. As an educator, an entrepreneur and a former practicing attorney, Karen brings a wealth of knowledge, passion, and professional experience to St. Luke's School, including teaching at New Canaan Country Day, Wooster School, and Western Connecticut State University. Karen enjoys spending time with her family and golden retriever. In her spare time, Karen likes to travel, go to Broadway shows, play the piano, and paint.

Erika Shevchek, MS English Teaching Fellow: Erica hails from Southampton, a suburb on the outskirts of Philadelphia, PA. A proud University of Michigan alumna and lover of all things literary, Erika is excited to be teaching English 7 this year. Erika surrounds herself by many books, unfinished story drafts, and "How To Play Classical Guitar" videos. When not at school, Erika is most likely running, chatting with friends, watching a documentary, or learning new vocab words.

St. Luke's is a secular (non-religious) private school in New Canaan, CT, for grades 5-12. St. Luke's mission is an exceptional education that inspires a deep love of learning, a strong moral compass, the commitment to serve, and the confidence to lead. St. Luke's Center for Leadership advances our mission by helping students develop exceptional leadership ability. Learn more.