Our Team of Educators
Anna Rita joined Battery Park Montessori – a Green Ivy International School – from Del Mar Academy, an independent, bilingual Montessori and International Baccalaureate school located in Nosara, Costa Rica. She has a B.A. in Russian Studies and Sociology/Anthropology from Middlebury College, an American Montessori Society administrator’s credential from West Side Montessori School’s Teacher Education Program, and an Ed.M. in Educational Leadership Studies from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Gabriela was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and is an alum of Prep for Prep. She speaks English, Spanish, and French and is currently learning Portuguese in her quest to become a polyglot. Gabriela received a Bachelor's in Sociology with a minor in Fine Art from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania.
Ana Chico was born and raised in Ciudad Real, Spain, a city located in the center of her mother country. Ana pursued her Bachelors in Hospitality and Tourism management in Seville. Continuing her education, she obtained a Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics of Teaching Spanish as a foreign language in Nebrija University in Madrid.
Stephy was born and raised in Suzhou, China. As a native Mandarin speaker, she also has a rich experience of studying abroad – she studied and worked in Canada for eight years. While there, she obtained an Associate Degree and subsequent licensure in Early Childhood Education, with a concentration in infant/toddlers and special needs.
Maria has a Masters degree in Early Childhood Education, a Montessori certification for children ages 3-6 and a New York State Teaching Certification in Early Childhood Education (birth-2nd grade).
Claire was born and raised in Taiwan where she received her Bachelor’s in Chinese Literature and Foreign Languages and Literatures. Claire graduated with a Master’s in General Education from Elmira College, where she also taught Mandarin courses to undergraduate students.
Marien earned her Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education from Universidad Católica Andres Bello, in Caracas. She also holds a Spanish teacher Certification from Instituto Cervantes-London and a Montessori Certification for infants and toddlers from the North American Montessori Center.
Naysia was born and raised in Maryland and currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. She has received her master's degree in Early Childhood Education (Birth-2nd grade) from Relay Graduate School of Education. Naysia is in the process of receiving her Montessori Certification for infants and toddlers from West Side Montessori School Teacher’s Program.
Kasia was born in Warsaw, Poland, where she received her bachelor's degree in documentary film production. While still in school, she simultaneously worked as an English language teacher in both public and private school settings. She is currently enrolled at West Side Montessori School's Teacher Education Program, working towards her 3-6 yo Montessori certification.
Emily has a B.A. in Psychology, a B.A. in Theatre from Converse College, and her Montessori certification for children ages 3-6. She's been working with Primary-aged children since moving to New York in 2015.
Cyndi comes from Shaanxi, China, and has been in New York for six years. She has a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and holds a New York State teaching certification (birth to 2nd grade). Additionally, she will complete her Montessori credential in early childhood in 2022.
Mariela joins the team with more than five years of teaching experience as a Spanish teacher in Montessori Education. She has a Masters in Early Childhood with Special Needs at Concordia University and completed her B.S. in Psychology and Childhood Development.
Wendy Quero | Facilities Manager
Green Ivy Schools Team
Dr. Jennifer Jones | Founder
Dr. Jennifer Jones is the founder and visionary behind New York City's Green Ivy Schools network and a lifelong entrepreneur and advocate for evolved learning experiences for children from birth to high school and beyond. She has developed 24 schools and draws from a rich background as school developer, international policy consultant, and teacher.
Erin Miller | Chief Financial Officer
Erin received undergraduate and graduate degrees in Anthropology from Emory University and the University of Chicago, respectively. After leaving academia, she pursued an MBA at UCLA and has been working in Operations and Finance ever since, in a variety of industries ranging from dotcoms, to after-school programs, to independent schools.
Gary Mouton | HR Manager
Gary Mouton joins the Green Ivy Team with 15 years of experience in the education sector. In that time, he's served in the roles of Teacher, Office Manager, HR Generalist, and HR Manager. His goal is to provide the best HR services to all Green Ivy employees so they can focus on being the best in their role.
Rosa Núñez | Admissions Director
Rosa leads Green Ivy School's Nursery 2s to 6th Grade Admissions, building the community by sharing our unique and forward-thinking programming. Prior to Green Ivy, she worked at the Chinese Cultural Studies Program for Children at Columbia University as their Admissions and Operations Lead.
Carina Szabo | Director of International Admissions
Carina relocated to New York 15 years ago from England. She has a BA.HONS in Education and a PGCE in Primary Education. Through her passion for travel, she has been lucky enough to teach elementary students in England, Budapest, as well as New York City. It was in New York City that Carina advanced her career and entered the admissions field.
Austin Lopez | Assistant to the Admissions Director & Social Media Coordinator
Originally from Miami, Austin has enjoyed traveling around the world since he was quite young. Austin has been working in Admissions for over 3 years now and has cultivated over 4 years of social media management. Austin obtained his BA in History and minor in Art History from Manhattanville College in 2018 and acquired his TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate last year.
Michael Springthorpe | After School & Summer Camp Coordinator
Michael brings 12 years of experience across camp and school programs, having served as a camp director, program developer and counselor as well as a drama and history teacher. From NYC day camps to outdoor challenge courses in his native state of Florida, he believes that one of the most important things for any child is having a safe, enriching space for play, creativity, exploration and personal expression.
David Castro | Facilities Manager
David is a seasoned Property/Facilities Manager. He loves the problem-solving and hands-on aspects of the field; each day is different and presents various opportunities to exercise his skill set. But most of all, he loves the fact that he's part of a great team that gets to see our future leaders learn and grow at the Green Ivy Schools.
Johnny Gutierrez | Facilities Coordinator
Johnny joined the Pine Street School facilities Team in 2019. Johnny is very passionate at his job as the Pine Street Facility Coordinator. Johnny has a great deal of experience in customer service, asset protection and project management.
Malik LeTellier | Facilities Crew Member
Malik is a native New Yorker, raised in Flatbush, Brooklyn. He was born on a military base, which would set the foundation for his professional life. After his military career, he worked in corporate security with Allied Universal at the World Trade Center. During this time Malik began working at the Browning School and now he's happy to be part of the Pine Street School team!
Eddie Burgess | Facilities Crew Member
Eddie joined GI Facilities in 2019 as a member of the security team and handyman. When he is not keeping the schools beautiful, he is doing beautiful things. For the past 25 years, Eddie has supported people with disabilities, working with groups such as AHRC and The Lighthouse Guild.