Our Team

K-1 Educator

Minhee is a creative and enthusiastic educator who has taught grades 1 and 2 in New York City. She brings her toy design and arts background to the classrooms. Seeing first-hand how play and creative elements can help to enrich learning opportunities and foster exploration, Minhee is passionate about integrating her past art and design experience into the learning environment. Minhee earned a Master’s degree in Childhood Education from Hunter College.

K-1 Educator

Maida is a dedicated and enthusiastic early childhood educator with an abundance of experience in shaping the minds of early learners. For over 5 years Maida has had experience teaching in both public and private school settings with children in groups as young as preschool through first grade. Maida holds a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Hunter college where she delved into the importance of play based learning, child psychology and best teaching practices. As an early childhood educator, Maida holds a commitment to instilling a passion for learning and providing children with a supportive environment that allows them to flourish through their formative years.

K-1 Educator

Jane began her teaching journey in Westport, Connecticut working in Intensive Resource, helping students manage behaviors and cope with life's tricky problems. She spent time teaching 3rd and 5th grade at Children's Academy NYC in Manhattan, a school for Speech and Language development, followed by co-teaching K/1 at Portfolio School, a project-based learning school in New York City. She loves creating spaces where students can dive deep, discover their unique talents, and thrive on their own terms. Jane is a proud alum of Saint Michael's College and holds a Master of Science in Teaching from Pace University. Seeing students find their spark and succeed is what keeps her excited to come to work every day. Jane loves coffee, art, and a good podcast! Outside of school, you can find Jane painting, skiing, or seeing a good Broadway show.

Gr 2-3 Educator

Laura has been an educator for more than ten years in both Philadelphia and New York City. She began her teaching career helping English Language Learners find their voices and tell their stories. She has taught all grades K-5 but has a special love of lower school. She has a passion for any words between covers, but especially for Elephant and Piggie. She also learned to love math from Maren Genow. When not at school, Laura sews, knits, runs and listens to podcasts. She lives with her husband and two sons, who claim that she is their "second-favorite teacher." They also have at least two cats and live next to a giant park. Originally from the Midwest, Laura studied everything not tied down at the University of Minnesota and worked in book publishing for several years. She returned to school at the University of Pennsylvania to bring that love of books to kids. She is currently pursuing another Masters in Literacy at Touro University. Laura is eternally inspired by the courageous creativity of her students and loves "learning by doing" alongside them.

Gr 2-3 Educator

Rachel is a passionate educator who loves learning. She has over ten years of teaching experience and has taught 1st-3rd grades at The Town School and LREI (Little Red School House). Rachel strives to build a strong classroom community by having students share and explore their diverse backgrounds and interests. She brings her deep love of children’s literature and appreciation of silly puns into the classroom every day. Rachel is a native New Yorker with a BA in Psychology from Cornell University and an MA in Elementary and Gifted education from Teachers College Columbia University. When she isn’t teaching, she’s often exploring new neighborhoods, gardening, crafting, biking, or chasing her two young children around.

Gr 4-5 Educator

Shanté joins the HLS team with 15 years of teaching experience in New York City public schools teaching grades 3-8 as well as serving as a mentor and model teacher. Shanté believes that representation matters and is passionate about creating a culturally responsive and inclusive classroom where students develop a strong sense of identity and belonging. She enjoys crafting learning experiences that encourage risk taking, bring joy and cultivate the GENIUS in all students! With a deep love for the arts, Shanté incorporates dance and movement as a way to convey ideas, thoughts, and feelings in her daily class routine. Outside of the classroom, Shante loves to spend time with her husband and daughter traveling, cooking, swimming, dancing and exploring new landmarks in NYC. Shanté has a masters degree in Science and Urban Education as well as Educational Leadership from Mercy College. Her passion for continued growth in her craft has driven her to be an active member of multiple professional educational societies including the National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET) and Educators for Excellence (E4E).

Gr 4-5 Educator

Valerie joins the HLS team with 32 years of experience in education in Los Angeles and New York schools. Having taught on the elementary, middle, and college level, Valerie has served in several roles, including teacher, instructional coach, and curriculum director. With a specialization in literacy, Valerie strives to develop stronger readers, writers, and thinkers. She is inspired by children’s curiosity, self-efficacy, and empathy towards others. She also greatly appreciates a good sense of humor. Valerie earned a MS in Literacy Education from Alfred University and a BA in Liberal Studies from California State University Northridge. Her interests include hiking, baking, and gardening.

MS Educator

Alison brings a passion for teaching and learning to HLS' middle school English classes. She has dedicated her life as an educator to grades 5 - 8 and is always looking for better and better ways to inspire a love of reading and writing while building curiosity, confidence, capability, and compassion. Before coming to HLS, Alison worked at The Hewitt School, serving as department chair, a student advisor, and a Humanities teacher. She especially enjoyed helping middle schoolers create newspapers and movies based on their research. Recently, Alison worked at The Masters School and continued to tutor middle and high school students as she has for many years. Alison received her BA in English from Wesleyan University and her Masters in Education from Bank Street College. Outside of school, Alison likes hiking with her husband, two sons, and their labrador mix and going to CrossFit. You’ll also find her curled up with a book, a magazine, or a newspaper, or listening to podcasts.

MS Educator

Kennon is an educator, tinkerer, and constant learner. Before coming to HLS he worked as the coordinator of the STEAM program at the Rockland Country Day School while also teaching some of his other favorite subjects, Algebra and Physics. Kennon loves working with his students to build projects that explore new ideas and he is inspired by watching students gain confidence from finding a solution to a challenging problem. Originally from a tiny little town in the Colorado Rockies, Kennon gradually worked his way eastwards, obtaining a BA in Computer Science from Grinnell College and then finding his way to New York for a masters in Mathematics Education from Fordham University.

MS Educator

Tony is a multifaceted artist and educator, renowned for his work as an actor, choreographer, director, and teacher hailing from Detroit, Michigan. Tony holds a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre Performance from Western Michigan University, a M.F.A. in Acting from Rhode Island College and is a Graduate of the Trinity Repertory Conservatory in Providence, Rhode Island, and is a long time member of the Actors Equity Association. He has served as the Director of Musical Theatre programs at Drake University and the University of Missouri Kansas City’s Conservatory of Music, as well as serving on the Faculty of the Village Community School. Tony is an active coach and respondent for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.

MS Educator

Heading up HLS' middle school math instruction, Gary has taught math in many settings: SAT math to 11th graders for Princeton Review, Math Olympiads to 5th and 6th graders, statistics to college students, and most recently 5th through 12th grade math to his numerous tutoring students throughout lower Westchester. He loves to share his enthusiasm for learning the rules of the game of math, for this makes possible the endless joy one can experience from creative problem solving, logical reasoning, asking interesting questions, and gaining self-confidence and mastery. Gary has a PhD in sociology, worked for many years as the Managing Editor of a scholarly journal, and enjoys tutoring in social studies, English, science, test prep, paper writing, and scholarly research. He holds a bachelor's degree from Duke University and master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Michigan.

Head of School

Kim has over 30 years of experience as an educator and school leader. For seven years, she was the Assistant Head of Lower School at The Spence School in Manhattan. Kim has also worked in public and independent schools in both urban and rural settings serving grades K-12. Also an entrepreneur, Kim founded SAS for Women, a consultancy helping divorced women. Kim holds a BA in Education from Miami University, a MS in Science Education from Wright State University and is licensed in Educational Leadership through The Ohio State University.

Assistant Head of School

Cynthia has over 20 years of experience working in independent schools. She began her career teaching kindergarten at the Rockland Country Day School and has held several administrative positions including Early Childhood Department Head, Reading and Learning Specialist, Children’s School Coordinator and Dean of the Children’s School at the Rockland Country Day School. Cynthia has maintained a private practice as a Literacy Specialist and has extensive experience working with children in gifted and talented programs. Outside of work, Cynthia loves nothing more than to spend time with her family swimming, gardening, and designing creative outdoor play spaces with her children. Cynthia earned a Masters of Science in Childhood Education and Literacy from Long Island University.

Admissions & Admin Assistant

Yvette is an early childhood trainer with Ramapo for Children. She graduated cum laude from Stony Brook University in 1996 and went on to Cornell Law School where she graduated with a J.D. in 2003. Yvette worked as an Assistant District Attorney in the Bronx County Domestic Violence Bureau and continued practicing law for over 6 years until the birth of her first child. After her second child came along, she rediscovered her passion for educating. Noticing a lack of cooperative, hands-on, and affordable early childhood education in her area, she partnered with local moms to create the Not-So-Preppy Pre-school creating core ideologies, curriculum and a weekly schedule for 2-3 year-olds. Yvette is a trained Doula and also an instructor with Lifetime Fitness Academy, teaching dance, yoga, art, school readiness Spanish and more to children ages 3-11.

Director of Extended Learning

As a program administrator, Lui found her inspiration in after-school and camp programs, the time children had that was out-of-school hours, but that provide critical spaces for children to explore their interests and expand their skills beyond academics. For over four years, she has worked in after-school and camp programs across Westchester County to provide school-aged children enriching experiences. Lui facilitates activities based in art, movement, and games to engage children through learning and play. In addition to fostering creativity and critical thinking, she incorporates lessons in social and emotional learning. By nurturing these moments, she hopes to support children in learning and discovering the individuals they are and who they aspire to become. In her own time, Lui enjoys being creative through art, food, and music. She aspires to be an enthusiastic student of Life.

Gametime & Recess

Lyndsey will be the Captain of Fun during this school year at Hudson Lab! With a philosophy of learning through a fusion of instruction and play, she provides an empathetic and constructive way for the children to both learn and have fun! She has worked with children for over a decade and obtained a Bachelors degree in Psychology from Mercy College. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, dancing Zumba and watching Disney movies, with or without children present.

Playworker

Mo supports kids at play at Hudson Lab School. Kids love Mo because he is kind, fun and empathetic. He’s always up for a game of tag, a front handspring, or a long Pokemon discussion. Mo is a student at Mercy College and enjoys spending his free time working on films, including a documentary with the Mount Vernon Doles Center.

Intergenerational & Art Educator

A native of Manchester, England, Karen is celebrating her 25th year as an educator. She earned her BA in Fine Arts at the University of Wolverhampton and Post Graduate Certification in Education at the University of Leeds. Karen teaches visual arts with a focus on photography, studio art and graphic design. She has served as student advisor, department chair and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion coordinator. As an art teacher, Karen believes in creating a balanced curriculum that allows students the autonomy to explore and discover while concurrently giving students the skills necessary to aid them as they work towards a desired outcome. She believes in the power of intrinsic motivation and works to foster a mindset and love of creating that naturally results in a desire to be a curious learner and creative risk taker. As a member of an educational community, diversity, equity and inclusion are, and have always been a driving force behind Karen’s teaching practices and content. She recognizes that students function best when they feel they can authentically be themselves and is committed to being part of designing and building a community of belonging. Outside of teaching and being mum, Karen paints, teaches and practices yoga and is an avid reader.

Tinkering, Gardening & Nature Educator

Brooke comes to HLS having held many different teaching and mentoring roles. After earning a BA in Mandarin Chinese and Buddhism from Barnard College, Brooke worked for the Founder of Princeton Review, teaching and training hundreds of students and teachers across NJ, before moving to Taiwan to open a Princeton Review franchise there. Her interest in Tibetan Buddhism led her to the Indian Himalaya where she studied at the Dalai Lama’s monastery while teaching English to the Tibetan refugee community. She returned to the US, earning her MBA at Wharton, while also teaching Marketing as a fellowship recipient. After a decade in the corporate world, marriage and twins, Brooke returned to her love of teaching, guided by a desire to live more equitably, by earning a certificate in Urban Farming and Food Justice. Since then, Brooke has worked educating and empowering others to grow their own food at the New York Botanical Garden, and at elementary schools across the Bronx and Westchester.

Music Educator

Braden is a recent graduate of Ball State University with a double major in Music and Theatre. An experienced composer, choral director, and educator, they have taught a wide range of fine arts subjects, except for dance… “I have two left feet!”

Braden is excited to join Hudson Lab School, where they bring a passion for making music education engaging and enjoyable. Through singing, discussions about musicians and genres, and a variety of arts-inspired games, Braden aims to foster students' appreciation for music in a fun and supportive environment.

Founder

Cate is an entrepreneur passionate about bridging innovation across school and work. She founded Hudson Lab School and Hudson Lab Ventures, an applied entrepreneurship program that provides students the opportunity to solve real-world innovation challenges with corporate executives. Cate has helped startups raise over $100M in early stage capital and worked with entrepreneurs to build company value through mentoring, strategic planning, creative problem solving, and fundraising. Cate began her career as a Quantitative Analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein. She set up the finances for Managed by Q and co-founded Learning Pods. Cate is a Chartered Financial Analyst. She earned an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA from Barnard College.

Co-Founder

Stacey is a partner at Co-Created, a collective of entrepreneurs that helps corporations and entrepreneurs navigate each step in launching new ventures. Prehype runs programs for companies such as LEGO, Newscorp, Verizon, Kaplan and Coca-cola identifying new innovation and business opportunities and creating new adjacent businesses through a proprietary lean incubation process. A startup junkie, Stacey has also worked with numerous startups from Managed by Q to Barkbox, CuteCircuit, Joost and others. Stacey received an MBA from Columbia Business School and a bachelor's degree from Brown University.

Trustee

Salil Gandhi is a partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the legal firm that has represented technology pioneers associated with virtually every milestone innovation for the past six decades.

Salil represents emerging growth companies throughout their life cycles, advising them on corporate formation, venture capital financing and exit transactions, and general corporate and governance issues. He also counsels venture capital funds and other private equity funds on structuring and executing investment transactions ranging from angel to control investments as well as portfolio dispositions.

Most recently, Salil was a partner at Goodwin Procter in its New York office, where he was co-leader of that firm’s Prop Tech initiative within the technology practice. Prior to that, he was Counsel at Gunderson Dettmer. Before returning to private practice, Salil acted as an outsourced general counsel to a group of India-focused private equity funds with more than $2 billion under management as well as vice president of content and business development at internet TV service Joost (acquired by Adconian Media Group). Earlier in his career, Salil practiced at Paul, Weiss as well as Frankfurt, Kurnit, Klein and Selz and also co-founded Crybaby Media, a content development and creative packaging firm.

Salil received his J.D. from The George Washington School of Law, with high honors, and where he was a recipient of the Order of the Coif, and a B.S. degree in chemical engineering and art history from Northwestern University.

Board Chair

Tricia was appointed Chief Product Officer of Care.com in February 2020, following IAC’s acquisition of the Company.

Since joining the IAC family in 2013, Tricia has held leadership roles at two other IAC brands, including CEO of Daily Burn, a leading subscription streaming fitness brands and Chief Product Officer for Dotdash (formerly About.com). Earlier, she led the product management teams at WebMD, DailyCandy and other technology start-ups. Tricia’s past teams are credited with building some of the first widely adopted mobile applications, including those for The New York Times and MapQuest.

Tricia received her BA from Cornell University and sits on the Board of Directors of Empire State Realty Trust and Hudson Lab School.

Trustee

Robert Horsford, President and Chairman of Apex Building Group, is a third generation real estate professional, having cut his teeth in the industry while working with his immigrant entrepreneur grandfather, Victor Horsford, founder of Victor Horsford Realty Corp., a real estate fixture in Harlem since 1945.   Robert earned a BS degree in structural engineering and business economics from Brown University. Prior to founding Apex in 1997, he worked as a project manager for Verizon Global and as a project engineer at Gilbane Building Company. Robert sits on the Greater Harlem Real Estate Board and the New York State Association for Affordable Housing Board. 

Apex Building Group is a Harlem-based full-service, MBE-certified general contracting, construction management and real estate development firm. The Company actively works to strengthen and revitalize urban communities via development of new and restoration of existing affordable and mixed-income housing in New York City and the greater Tri State area.

Though a for-profit enterprise, the mission of the Company is to address a pressing need for housing for heavily rent burdened lower income earners through strategic partnerships with like minded organizations with access to capital, land, and/or supportive services to house and assist our community’s most vulnerable populations.  To that end, Apex continues to collaborate with firms interested in making high-quality residential, institutional and commercial properties a reality in the Tri State area.  Today, Apex is distinguished as an experienced general contractor and developer who delivers mixed-used and affordable housing on time and on budget.

Robert has two children enrolled at HLS.

Trustee

Emma has an illustrious history of progressive education. She started as an English teacher at Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco, served as a Museum Educator at The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, then moved to Wildwood School in Los Angeles serving as a Humanities Teacher, Associate Director of Admissions, and Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management. In 2018, Emma took on the role of Director of Enrollment Management at The Masters School and since 2021 has served as Associate Head for Enrollment and Strategic Planning.

Trustee

As the Head of PAHLS (Parent Association of HLS), Liz is deeply connected to HLS parents and can bring their perspective to the Board. Her passion for progressive education and building community has made her a unique asset to HLS. Liz's diverse professional background includes experience in marketing, public relations, event planning and merchandising. During her time at Macmillan Children's Publishing, she led campaigns for acclaimed titles, including works by Caldecott Medalists and NYT Bestselling Authors. As the Director of Merchandising for Fab.com, a venture-backed e-commerce site, she was pivotal in sourcing top-selling products, leading a dynamic buying team and expanding product categories including Kids, Family, Art, and more. Additionally, Liz has experience as a freelance copywriter and content creator, contributing to DailyCandy and various parent and wellness blogs. She holds a degree in theatre from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.

Liz lives in Westchester County, NY with her husband, Rich Pacheco, and their two sons who both attend HLS. Being their mother is the most fulfilling job she's ever had. 

Co-Founder/Trustee

Stacey is a partner at Co-Created, a collective of entrepreneurs that helps corporations and entrepreneurs navigate each step in launching new ventures. Prehype runs programs for companies such as LEGO, Newscorp, Verizon, Kaplan and Coca-cola identifying new innovation and business opportunities and creating new adjacent businesses through a proprietary lean incubation process. A startup junkie, Stacey has also worked with numerous startups from Managed by Q to Barkbox, CuteCircuit, Joost and others. Stacey received an MBA from Columbia Business School and a bachelor's degree from Brown University.

Trustee

Dan Williams is a Partner at TJC, LP, a private investment firm, where he serves as Co-Head of the firm’s Consumer and Healthcare industry vertical and is a member of the firm’s Diversity Equity & Inclusion Committee.  Dan joined TJC in 2006, prior to which he worked in the Leveraged Finance Group at JPMorgan. He currently serves on the board of directors for TIDI Products, Dental365, Odyssey Logistics, Vyne Corporation, WEP Clinical and Spartech Corporation. Dan holds a B.A. degree in Economics from Northwestern University, where he was Co-Captain of the Men’s Swimming & Diving team. Dan lives in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY and is the parent of two Hudson Lab School students.