Golda Och Academy welcomes its newest faculty members

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Golda Och Academy welcomes 21 new faculty members to the GOA family this fall:

• Emmy Atlas, Israel educator. Atlas has a Bachelor of Arts in communications from Rutgers University and a post-graduate paralegal certificate from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She has extensive experience teaching Hebrew reading and Judaics, and working with teens and families in a wide variety of positions. She was the first teacher in the community to teach the Yachdav peer-to-peer class, which paired a fifth-grade class in New Jersey with a fifth-grade class in Ofakim/Merchavim in Israel. 
• Sheila Barbach, science faculty, Upper School. Barbach received a Bachelor of Arts from Boston University and a Master of Arts from Kent State University in anthropology. She also has a Master of Education from the Brandeis Teacher Leadership Program. Barbach is a certified meditation teacher and has gone on archaeological digs in the Czech Republic, Utah and Colorado. 
• Nancy Breslin, arts faculty, Lower School. Breslin received a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Skidmore College and a bachelor’s degree in interior design from American College of Applied Arts. Before embarking on a career in children’s art education, Breslin was an interior designer with top Manhattan architectural firms working on all types of projects. She was most recently the head of the art program at New Horizons Day Camp
• Heather Brown, assistant principal, Lower School. Brown received her Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of California, Irvine, and holds a master’s degree in Jewish education. Having worked as both a teacher and administrator in Jewish education for more than 20 years, she is passionate about student-centered learning that allows each learner to realize their unique potential for growth. For the past 10 years, she served as the education director at Congregation Shomrei Emunah in Montclair. Brown has been a parent and lay leader at GOA for the past nine years.
• Joe Candela, physical education/health faculty, Upper School. Following the completion of his Bachelor of Science in health behavior science from the University of Delaware in 2019 and Master of Public Health in health communications and promotion from Boston University in 2021, Candela spent the past year as a third- and fourth-grade assistant teacher at Solomon Schechter Day School of Bergen County. 
• Catie DeSista, office operations manager, Upper School. DeSista joins GOA with nearly 20 years of experience in event planning and five years of school experience.
• Tali Fischer, Lower School faculty. Fischer graduated from Brooklyn College with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and a Master of Social Work from New York University. Fischer was hired at a special education school in Brooklyn as a substitute teacher and ended up working there for 11 years.
• Lauren Gardner, foreign language faculty, Upper School. Gardner started teaching high school Spanish in 2005, first in Massachusetts and then in her home state of New Jersey. She earned a combined Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and economics from Union College in New York and then a Master of Teaching in Spanish from Boston University. She is currently pursuing a second Master of Education at Gratz College with a concentration in Jewish instructional education. For the past four years, she was on the team at the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater MetroWest NJ, working on allocations for endowment funds, donor-advised funds and other legacy giving projects.
• Meegan Gliner, special events coordinator. Gliner has more than 20 years of experience working in independent schools in multiple roles.
• Tara Goldstein, guidance counselor, Upper School. Goldstein received a master’s degree in school counseling at Kean University. She has worked with children of all ages for more than 20 years as a volunteer, educator and counselor. Goldstein still works part-time at LifeTown, working with special needs students.
• Eric “Rick” Grey, instrumental music faculty, Lower School. Grey received his Bachelor of Music in music education from Mason Gross School at Rutgers University, and he is halfway through his Master in Music Education through the University of Florida. He has been teaching and instructing bands since he was in high school and over the years he has received many accolades and awards, even winning a couple of world championships. Along with his wife and two others, he has created a nonprofit competitive performing arts association that continues to thrive 25 years later.
• Lilach Gur, Hebrew faculty, Upper School. Gur received her bachelor’s degree in science and Hebrew from Kaye Academic College and received a master’s degree in special education from the Center of Academic Learning. She earned a teaching certification from the Israeli Ministry of Education. Gur has more than 20 years of experience teaching middle and high school students in both the United States and Israel, and most recently served as a Hebrew teacher at Solomon Schechter Day School of Bergen County.
• Bar Guzi, Hebrew/Judaic studies faculty, Upper School. Guzi is a teacher of Hebrew and a scholar of modern Jewish thought and history. He received a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Tel Aviv University and a Ph.D. in Jewish studies from Brandeis University. He joins Golda Och Academy having taught high school and college students in both the United States. and Israel.
• Deborah Haas, guidance counselor, Lower School. Haas holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from SUNY–Binghamton and two master’s degrees in counseling from Teachers College at Columbia University. She is certified as an anxiety and stress management specialist, as well as a mental health specialist. She is joining GOA from the Bridge, which provides school-based counselors in Caldwell and West Caldwell. 
• Kate Hymowitz, Lower School faculty. Hymowitz received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Rhode Island School of Design. For the last nine years, she has worked at Temple Ner Tamid in Bloomfield as a pre-K teacher and, prior to that, she worked at the Geyer Center Y in Montclair. 
• Spencer Leeds, learning support coordinator. Leeds has a bachelor’s degree from SUNY–Cortland and a master’s degree from Lehman College with advanced certificates in both special education and school administration. During the last 10 years he has held a variety of roles within the New York City Department of Education, including as special education teacher, IEP coordinator and assistant principal.
• Juliana Lynch, arts faculty, Upper School. Lynch holds a degree in music education from NYU Steinhardt. She is a classically trained vocalist and sings with several choirs. She is a four-time North American Jewish Choral Festival Fellowship recipient and has taught music in public schools, synagogues and at summer camp.
• William Ruhl, science faculty, Upper School. Ruhl will be fulfilling his lifelong dream of becoming a high school physics teacher. He earned a
  Bachelor of Arts at Dartmouth College and continued his studies at Dartmouth’s Thayer School of Engineering, earned a Bachelor of Engineering and a Master of Engineering. After several years working in corporate America, Ruhl earned an MBA at the NYU Stern School of Business. 
• Sue Shapiro, arts faculty, Upper School. Shapiro graduated from The College of New Jersey in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in art education. She has more than 10 years of experience working as an art teacher, having taught nearly every grade level. 
• Anna Shpilsky, Lower School faculty. Shpilsky graduated this past May from the University of Maryland with a degree in early childhood education and special education. She is an alumna of Golda Och Academy from the Class of 2018. This past year, she completed her student teaching at Greencastle Elementary School in Silver Spring, Md., in a second-grade classroom.
• Michael Yeshion, arts faculty, Upper School. Yeshion has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting from the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University, and he has more than 15 years as a professional equity actor and 10 years managing a private photography studio in New York City. He has also sung with the Muppets at Carnegie Hall.

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