Familiar Faces in New Places

Delaney Beaver Mike Cesario Derek Chimner ’04 Clay Deutsch ’99 Dave DeNardo

Delaney Beaver

Interim Summer & After School Program Director, formerly Lower School Specialist and After Ours Coordinator Delaney started with SA as a substitute teacher before joining us full-time last year as an atelierista in the Early Childhood building and directing the after-school program, “After Ours.” She has a bachelor’s degree in interior design from LaRoche College as well as a bachelor’s in visual arts education from Chatham University. She has had a great impact on the lives of our Early Childhood students and their families, and we’re excited to have her spread her talents in further developing our summer and after school programming.

Mike Cesario

Manager of Special Projects, formerly Interim Head of Senior School After serving SA as a teacher and as Interim Head of Senior School, Mike is now supporting the school in implementing special projects, identifying and monitoring metrics associated with key priorities, and creating strategic plans for a growing list of initiatives. He will be involved with launching new programs and establishing external partnerships as well as evaluating and managing the implementation of new opportunities for the Academy and our community. Mike has an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University and will rely on his years of experience as a consultant with SAP Ariba where he developed broad and deep sourcing expertise in numerous relevant categories.

Derek Chimner ’04

Continuing as Interim Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Derek has graciously and eagerly agreed to carry on as the Interim Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the 2022-23 academic year. As it is essential to offer stability, particularly to our students, and establish and maintain trust, we are excited to have Derek work with the administration and the DEI Task Force to institute a vision and foundation for the success of an ongoing DEI Director. It is not unusual for searches such as these to take time and, as a result, our search will continue into the 2022-23 academic year.

Clay Deutsch ’99

Alumni Engagement Officer, continuing as Senior School Art History Teacher, Campbell Art Gallery Manager, and Boys Lacrosse Coach After graduating from SA in 1999, Clay matriculated to Yale University, earning a B.A. in art. He then completed a post-baccalaureate program in studio art at Brandeis University prior to completing his M.F.A. in painting from Colombia University. Over the years, Clay has exhibited his own art as well as served as a gallery director in Miami and LA. Clay began volunteering with SA’s boys varsity lacrosse team in 2019 and became head coach in 2021 before returning to the Academy full time as a studio art and art history teacher as well as the Campbell Art Gallery Manager. He is now serving as our Alumni Engagement Officer building connections with our alumni and revitalizing our Alumni Council.

Dave DeNardo

Chief Financial & Operations Officer, formerly Director of Finance & Operations Dave has been with us for a year, and though his role is not changing, his title has been revised to suit our naming conventions going forward. Dave oversees our financials, facilities, human resources, and technology. Most recently, he’s been drawing on his many years of experience in higher education overseeing construction projects as we invest in our campus spaces.

Karen DiMaio

Grade 2 faculty, formerly Kindergarten faculty This year is a big change for Karen after teaching Kindergarten for 28 years at SA as well as earlier in her career in Greenwich, CT. She is excited to work with the second graders as she enjoys their senses of humor, curious nature, and developing reading skills. In her time with SA, she has directed summer programs, served as Early Childhood curriculum leader, worked in Admissions, and traveled to Reggio Emilia, Italy for professional development. She currently leads the Garden Committee and serves on the NEMP Steering Committee. Karen earned a bachelor’s in early childhood/elementary education from Connecticut College and a master’s in early childhood reading from Fordham University. She is the mother of twin 15-year-old girls.

Karen DiMaio Dave Fortna Carrie Lanza Matt Michaels Christy Mulhollem

Jessica Ohr

Dave Fortna

Chief External Relations Officer, formerly Director of Enrollment Management Going forward, Dave will more fully utilize his skill set by overseeing Advancement, Communications/ Marketing, and Admissions. Prior to joining SA in January, Dave worked with institutional advancement developing sponsorship programs at the University of Pittsburgh, managed the marketing of 13 programs within Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, and implemented communications strategies and marketing plans, including social media tactics, for seven of the nine schools at Duquesne University. Dave’s master’s thesis focused on alumni council building. He is currently pursuing an EdD in Educational Leadership.

Carrie Lanza

Lower School Learning Specialist, formerly Grade 2 faculty After 12 years teaching Grade 2 at SA, Carrie accepted the role as learning specialist providing support for small groups throughout the Lower School in reading and math as well as math enrichment. She came to SA after teaching for four years in Maryland. Carrie earned a bachelor’s in elementary education from Slippery Rock University and a master’s in education and reading specialist certification from Edinboro University. When she’s not in the classroom she enjoys experimenting with new recipes, bike riding with her family, and taking her dog on adventures.

Matt Michaels

Coordinator of Data Analytics, continuing as Senior School Mathematics Teacher In this new role, Matt will identify key areas of data analysis and report gains, losses, and patterns to the SA administration. He will also work with teachers and department chairs in tracking essential data. Matt will continue to teach but will have one less class in order to allow time for these additional responsibilities. He was selected for this position given his experience and expertise in analyzing data and using it to answer questions and solve problems. He has taught AP Statistics and taken students to compete in the Big Data Jam where they researched and analyzed large data sets. Additionally, he is pursuing an online Data Analyst certification offered by Johns Hopkins University.

Christy Mulhollem

Coordinator of Professional Learning, continuing as Middle School History Teacher Though she will continue to teach, Christy will have one less class in order to take on the new responsibilities of serving as the Global Online Academy site coordinator and assisting in the development and coordination of all in-house faculty professional learning experiences. Christy has served in many capacities outside of the classroom, including Grade Dean, Department Chair, Varsity Coach, and currently Director of the New Employee Mentoring Program. She believes strongly in the tremendous value of professional development and is eager to promote GOA as an enrollment driver for SA. She is currently pursuing doctoral work with Vanderbilt University in Leadership and Learning in Organizations.

Jessica Ohr

Kindergarten faculty, formerly Grade 3 faculty Jessica earned a degree in elementary and special education from St. Joseph University and a master’s degree in education from Robert Morris University. Early in her career, she worked as an emotional support teacher then eventually taught preschool for many years. She first came to SA as a long-term substitute in Grade 4, then Grade 1, before being hired full-time in Grade 3. With the kindergartners this year, she is particularly enjoying their enthusiasm and teaching them to read. Outside of the classroom, Jessica is a fanatic for Disney, Star Wars, Marvel, and Halloween. Her son is a recent SA graduate and her daughter is a junior.