Christina Reyes

Christina founded Inwood Academy for Leadership in 2009. She successfully lobbied for a change in New York State law allowing the school to give preference in the application lottery to students who speak English as a second language. Today, the school continues to reserve 50% of enrollment each year for English Language Learners, and she and her co-founders have built a differentiated learning environment and community-based school culture that serves the distinct needs of each and every member of the student body. Christina holds a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary English and a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Columbia University’s Teachers College and has four years of classroom experience teaching 6th through 8th grades in Inwood and Washington Heights. She has worked as an educational specialist for World Vision, an international non-profit organization working towards community development in New York City. Christina lives in Rockland County with her husband, Edward Reyes, a New York City Police Officer, and their children, Anne and Seth.

Jenny Pichardo

Jenny joins Inwood Academy from the International Leadership Charter High School (ILCHS). At ILCHS she secured a $17.5 municipal bond financing for a new facility, becoming the first NYC charter school to secure funding through Build NYC. Prior to joining the charter community, Jenny worked in the financial sector for over 14 years. She began her Wall Street career in 1997, working at Muriel Siebert & Co. Inc., in the firm’s retail division. In 1999, she joined Siebert Capital Markets, working directly with the managing director and assisting the sales force and traders with equity, fixed income and mutual fund trades. From 2001 to 2009, she was Vice President—promoted from AVP in 2005—of the Institutional Equity Sales and Trading Division and developed and managed institutional relationships at Utendahl Capital Partners, LLC. Jenny graduated Magna Cum Laude and received her BA in Economics from Lehman College. She previously held FINRA Series 7, 24, 55, 63, 65 and NY State Insurance Licenses. Jenny is a Washington Heights Native and is married to Zoilo Pichardo. She is the mother of two children, Ethan and Abigail.

Bianca Mercedes

Bianca was a founding faculty member of Inwood Academy. During her time at IAL, she served as a Math Teacher and Dean of Students. She started her career in education in 2003. Since then she has worked in the private, public, and charter sectors serving in various capacities including, General and Special Education Teacher, Dean of Students, Assistant Principal, and most recently Principal of a private school. Bianca holds a Masters’s Degree in Special and General Education and is certified in Special Education. Bianca is a first-generation American, born and raised in NYC, and has been serving in the Inwood community for close to 20 years. She is married to Smil Mercedes and has two children, Isaiah and Ianna.

Mary Hackett

Mary began working at Inwood Academy in 2012 as a fifth-grade special education teacher. She transitioned into teaching History and English and was a founding member of Inwood Academy High School. Mary is impassioned working with the students and teachers at Inwood Academy. Her focus on student growth has been based on close collaboration with her peers. She is grateful to continue to work with exceptional faculty as their instructional leader of the High School. Prior to joining Inwood Academy Mary worked in New York City’s District 75 Schools where she served students with special needs and is a Cohort 20 New York City Teaching Fellow.

Lyann Arias

Lyann comes to this role with over six years of experience within the college access field. She began her tenure within college access as a College Counselor within the NYU College Advising Corps, transitioning into institutions such as Bank Street College of Education, Pharos Academy Charter School, and most recently KIPP New Jersey. Lyann has partnered closely with folks servicing the South Bronx, Upper West Side, and Newark, NJ communities. Lyann was born and raised in the Washington Heights/Inwood area of New York City. Her primary goal as an educator is to support the creation of systems and programmatic structures that will allow adolescent youth to maximize access and opportunities that will enable them to reach their professional and educational goals by tapping into their full potential. Lyann obtained her Bachelor’s of Business Administration from Lehman College and her Master’s of Science in Higher Education Administration from Baruch College. She is currently pursuing an additional degree; a Master’s of Science in Mental Health Counseling from Manhattan College. Joining the IALCS community is a full circle experience for her, and she is passionate about working with youth and their families in Washington Heights and Inwood.

Ana Rodriguez

Ana is entering her 6th year at Inwood Academy. During her time here, she has served as a teacher, dean, and most recently Director of School Culture before entering the Assistant Director role. She has years of experience in the public and charter sectors as well as having worked for several education-centered organizations. Before her teaching career began, Ana completed a bachelor’s and Master’s Degree from Fordham University and recently returned to the school to complete her Master’s in School Building Leadership. Ana was born in the Dominican Republic but has the privilege to also call herself a New Yorker having been raised in, and currently residing in the Bronx.

Claire Riccardi

Claire began her teaching career in 1996 as a high school social studies and humanities teacher in midtown and East Harlem. She then spent eighteen years in school design, development and support. As a core member of CUNY K-16’s Early College Initiative, she developed and supported multiple early college schools, grades 6-12. In 2012, she helped to develop and launch the PTECH early college and career model in New York City for grades 9-14. After serving as the Associate Director of the Early College Initiative, Claire went on to design a progressive high school model for another charter school in New York City.

She now serves as the Director of Curriculum & Instruction for Inwood Academy for Leadership. Claire believes that rigorous, engaging and creative curriculum is at the heart of excellent schools, and that collaborative learning communities transform young people’s lives.

She is married to James Ford and has one daughter, Madeleine. Claire holds a Masters in the Teaching of Social Studies from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Hoek Choi

After graduating from Emory University in 2003, Hoek was recruited by Teach For America and started his teaching career as a Language Arts teacher at a South Bronx middle school during which he also earned his Masters in Teaching. After taking a year to help establish a non-profit organization as its executive director in 2006, Hoek returned to teaching at a South Bronx High School where he taught global history as well as serving in various leadership capacities most notably as the department leader coordinator, lead instructional teacher, model teacher, and AVID Program Coordinator. After earning his Masters (EdM) in Education from Columbia University, Hoek became the Assistant Principal at the high school in 2013 and was instrumental in turning it around to be an award-winning, high-impact school in the South Bronx. He now serves as the High School Director of Inwood Academy for Leadership High School. Hoek passionately believes in the transformative power of strong and caring learning communities and in the potential of all students to learn, thrive, and lead. He is married to Purim Choi and has two daughters, Joy and Faith.

Alyssa Strykers

Alyssa Strykers joined Inwood Academy in 2019 as a High School Math Teacher. She is making this transition to the Director of Academic Intervention Services during her 9th year in Education. She is very passionate about making sure all students receive the support they need to be and feel successful at school and beyond. Before joining Inwood Academy, Alyssa taught Math in the South Bronx as well as ELA and Math for a small group of students in Boston, MA. Alyssa is a 2015 Citizen Schools Americorp alumna. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Education from Davidson College and a Master’s of Education in Moderate Special Needs from Boston College. She is an Inwood native and current resident and is glad to be working in the neighborhood.

Karena West

Karena was a founding member of Inwood Academy as an English as a second language specialist (ESL). In 2015 she was promoted to Director of Academic Intervention Services and advanced to her current role in 2017. As an ESL specialist, she worked to develop students’ English skills through pull-out and push-in support, the co-teaching model, and self-contained classes. She also contributed to curriculum development and served as both Middle School Scheduler and Testing Coordinator. Prior to joining Inwood Academy, Karena was an ESL teacher at a high school in Philadelphia. She graduated Cum Laude with a B.A. from Dickinson College and received her M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from Teachers College, Columbia University. Karena and her husband, Shaun, live in Yonkers with their children, Ainsley and Connor.

Steven Brady

Steve began his career at Inwood Academy in 2013, as a seventh and eighth grade social studies teacher. He also served as the Social Studies Department Head and Content Specialist before moving into his current role. Steve believes a quality education involves a blend of content knowledge, critical thinking, and literacy skills. He comes to Inwood Academy with more than five years of nonprofit and higher education experience, working as an academic program manager. He received dual degrees from Boston University’s School of Education: a Bachelor’s of Secondary History Education and a Masters of Policy, Planning and Administration with a focus on Community Education.

Giselle Tejada

Giselle joined Inwood Academy in 2015, as the Middle School Social Worker before transitioning into her current role as the Director of Academic Intervention Services for the 2020-2021 academic school year. Giselle has over 10 years of experience serving our communities and youths. Giselle has worked in various nonprofit organizations providing college access and resources to youth in NYC public High Schools across the five boroughs. Giselle is a strong believer in that providing access, resources, and social/emotional support contributes to catapulting students in achieving their academic and vocational goals. Giselle obtained her Bachelors of Arts in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Giselle currently holds two masters; a Masters of Social Work (LMSW) from Adelphi University and a Masters in Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health from the University of South Florida. Giselle was born and raised in the Washington Heights area of New York City.

Catherine Jaworskyj

Catherine Jaworskyj started at Inwood Academy in 2017 as a 5th grade ELA and Literacy teacher before moving into her current role as Literacy Director. Prior to moving to NYC, Catherine served as a middle school ELA and Social Studies teacher in New Jersey. Catherine believes that all students deserve a rigorous, engaging, and culturally responsive curriculum that is rooted in the science of reading and best practices. She strives to help teachers create a love of reading and writing in all students while providing them the direct support and instruction they need. Catherine received her B.S. in Education from the University of Delaware and her M.A. in Curriculum and Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University. In August 2020, Catherine completed her M.Ed. in School Building Leadership as a member of the 2019 cohort of the Summer Principals Academy at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Kevin Garcia

Before joining Inwood Academy, Kevin was working in operations for five years at both traditional NYC public schools and public charter schools, and most recently as an operations manager for KIPP NYC College Prep. He chose the field of education rather than the corporate industry route because he felt he would make a bigger impact in life by helping children in troubled communities. Kevin received a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Accounting from Fordham University. He was born and raised, and currently still lives, in The Bronx.

Erica Reyes

Erica was formerly employed at Gap Inc. for 13 years, spending the last 10 as a store manager for the highest volume store in NYC’s North Market. She spent much of her time leading the store team in meeting sales goals, customer service targets, and Operating and Human Resources objectives through execution, coaching, and accountability. Erica is a native of Washington Heights and is the mother of two, Jonelvis and Adel.

Tatiana Mahoney

Prior to joining Inwood Academy in 2018, Tatiana worked for Operation Exodus, a nonprofit that provides children with tutoring and faith-based mentoring. For eleven years, she helped to ensure that every Operation Exodus family received support based on their individual needs, to empower them to become positive role models at home and strong advocates for their children at school. She served as the Chair for the English as New Language Committee for the Community Education Council at District 6, worked for CBS News as a web producer, and at Parents Magazine as an assistant editor.  As an immigrant from Columbia, Tatiana was an English Language Learner at nineteen and can relate to the challenges students and their families face when they come to this country willing to excel yet unable to communicate.  She lives in Washington Heights with her husband Matt and their children, Lily, Patrick and Matteo.

Jason Marchena

Jason joined Inwood Academy in 2013 and served as a teacher for Physical Education and Health and the Director of Enrichment for the middle school before taking on his current role as head of athletics for the middle and high school. Prior to joining the team, he worked as a Physical Education Teacher at Inwood’s Manhattan Christian Academy. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Sports and Exercise Science at Cedarville University and his Master’s in Business Administration at Jones International University. Jason was born and raised in northern Manhattan. He and his wife, Laura Marchena, live in Washington Heights.

Denise Hykes

Denise comes to this role with over thirty years of working with youth and their families in Washington Heights and Inwood. She enjoys helping youth find their unique gifting in life and seeking ways to empower them to accomplish their goals. Her experience includes teaching Middle School Math and English, initiating youth service projects (locally, nationally, and internationally), coaching basketball teams of all ages, coordinating youth ministry at a local church, directing summer camps, developing and empowering current young leaders in our community and school, and networking with other youth service providers in the Heights. She has her Masters in Urban Youth Culture and seeks to build on the solid foundation that has been laid by the previous Inwood Academy afterschool directors.