Meet Our New Faculty

MEGHAN AGGER

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE COUNSELING

Meghan came to Berkshire from Northeastern University where she served as the Regional Director of Graduate Financial Aid. Prior to Northeastern, Meghan was the Assistant Director of Financial Aid at the University of New England and at Southern Technical College. She completed her B.S. at Florida Gulf Coast University and is completing a master’s degree in education at Northeastern. An avid basketball player and coach, Meghan serves as an assistant coach of the girls varsity basketball and soccer teams and is a dorm parent on campus.

OMAR ATTIA

ADMISSION OFFICER, TEACHING FELLOW

From Cairo, Egypt, Omar attended Kent School and Bates College where he was a four-year member of the men's varsity squash team. As captain his senior year, Omar led the Bates team to a 2nd-place finish in the NESCAC division and earned a personal national ranking in the top 20. After graduating with a B.A. in economics, Omar started his professional life at NerdWallet in New York City as an account executive on the sales team. At Berkshire, he serves as an admission officer, squash and tennis coach, and dorm parent, while earning a Master’s of Arts in Teaching from Mount Holyoke College.

YEFFERSON JULIO AUZA

SPANISH TEACHER

Yefferson joins the Languages Department as a Spanish teacher, coaches soccer, and lives on campus as a dorm parent. A graduate of Universidad Libre de Colombia, Yefferson started his teaching career as a multi-discipline teacher at Eaglebridge International School in Dandong, China. A certified TEFL teacher, Yefferson has taught English as a foreign language, as well as Spanish, both in the classroom and as an online tutor. Yefferson enjoys sharing his passions for multiculturalism and inclusion and Latin American literature with his classes and teams.

MADISON BAGBY

DANCE DIRECTOR, HEALTH AND WELLNESS COORDINATOR

Madison joins Berkshire as the Health & Wellness Coordinator, Dance Program Director, statistics teacher, and dorm adjunct. A graduate of DePaul University, Madison earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and French and a master’s degree in sociology. Prior to Berkshire, she led the Wellness program and the Dance program at Indian Mountain School.

KATHRYN BARNHARDT

HISTORY TEACHER

A graduate of Mount Holyoke College and Simmons College School of Library and Information Technology, Kathryn has served as a history teacher, learning specialist, and lacrosse and field hockey coach for over 20 years in independent schools, most recently at Moravian Academy in Bethlehem, Penn. Kathryn brings expertise in multiple areas of world history beyond the United States, as well as training in cultural competency, and experience engaging questions of equity and justice with her students. A native of the Berkshires, Kathryn started her career at nearby Indian Mountain School. She serves as a dorm parent and coaches girls lacrosse.

BRIE CARY

ENGLISH TEACHER

An English teacher and tutor in the Kenefick Center for Learning, Brie is a graduate of the University of Vermont, having earned a B.A. in English and an M.A. in education from Saint Michael's College. She began her teaching career in the Stamford and Danbury, Conn. school systems teaching English and creative writing. She then moved to Trinity-Pawling School and most recently to The Taft School, where she has served as learning specialist and ninth grade English teacher. Brie coaches strength and conditioning and serves as an advisor.

TIM CARY

MATHEMATICS TEACHER

Math teacher, head football coach, and advisor, Tim joins Berkshire most recently from The Taft School. A graduate of Fairfield University, Tim earned his M.A. from the University of Connecticut while serving as graduate assistant football coach. He was the assistant head football coach at Fordham University and co-defensive coordinator for four years before moving to Trinity-Pawling School where he taught math and served as assistant coach and defensive coordinator in football and a dorm head.

DAVE COLLOPY

STUDENT ACTIVITIES COORDINATOR

Dave serves as Berkshire’s Student Activities Coordinator, Club Advisor, testing proctor, and coach. A graduate of Merrimack College and St. Thomas University, with a master’s degree in sports administration, Dave has coached boys soccer, basketball and hockey previously at Berkshire. He was the Director of Athletics at Bard College at Simon's Rock and has coached teams locally for Southern Berkshire Regional Schools, Mt. Everett High School, and Bard College at Simon's Rock.

JUNIOR DE LA HOZ

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ADMISSION

Junior serves as Assistant Director of Admission, dorm parent, and advisor, and brings great experience in supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion work in a number of different school settings, including most recently as the middle school dean at Dwight-Englewood School in New Jersey. A graduate of Anna Maria College, Junior earned a B.A. in social work and an M.A. in counseling psychology. He brings his experience as a two-time New England Championship-winning girls basketball coach at Proctor to his work as the head coach for Berkshire’s girls varsity basketball team.

DUSTIN GREENE

MATHEMATICS TEACHER

Dustin has taught across the high school math curriculum, incorporating technology into his classes and teaching students to apply their mathematical knowledge to computer programs by coding, researching, and solving complex problems through mathematical libraries in Python and Microsoft Excel. At Berkshire, he teaches Algebra II and AP Calculus and coaches soccer and freestyle skiing. He previously taught at Stratton Mountain School and Lawrence Academy. A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Dustin completed a master’s degree in kinesiology from Dallas Baptist University.

ROBIN GOTTLIEB

DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS

With 18 years of alumni relations experience, Robin is Berkshire’s new Director of Alumni Relations. Most recently, she served for 11 years as the Director of Alumni Affairs and Institutional Engagement at Riverdale Country School in New York City, where she created meaningful, strategic engagement opportunities for alumni. Robin received her B.S. in journalism from the University of Florida. A long-standing resident of northwest Connecticut, she is happy to be back in the area and loves to hike the Berkshire hills, garden, and paint.

JANNA HOLMES

DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI GIVING

Janna is Berkshire’s Director of Alumni Giving and the head coach of varsity field hockey. Prior to Berkshire, she was the Associate Athletic Director and the Director of the Annual Fund at Rivers School. A graduate of Boston College, Janna earned an M.Ed. from Endicott College. She was a four-year Division I field hockey player at BC where she earned the ACC Scholar Athlete of the year award. She coached field hockey at the collegiate level at UMass Lowell and Stonehill College, and led Rivers School to three New England Championships on the way to earning Massachusetts and New England Field Hockey Coach of the Year in 2019.

STEPH HOLMES '06

DIRECTOR OF COUNSELING

A graduate of Cornell University and Boston University, with a master’s degree in social work, Steph joined Berkshire from Brooks School in North Andover, Mass. Over her career at Brooks, Steph was the Director of Student Wellness, taught English and SEL, and served as head girls hockey coach, dorm parent, advisor to the GSA, and clinical therapist. A three-sport varsity captain at Berkshire, Steph captained the women’s ice hockey team at Cornell and coaches in Berkshire’s girls hockey program.

BETTE IMHOFF

PSYCHOLOGY
TEACHER

Bette joins Berkshire as a Teaching Fellow in psychology, following her graduation from Oberlin College, where she majored in psychology. At Oberlin, Bette captained the women’s lacrosse team and was a member of the Black Student Athlete Group and the African Students' Association. She has coached Ohio Premier Lacrosse Club teams and served as a development intern for Harlem Lacrosse in Los Angeles. At Berkshire, she coaches girls lacrosse and cross country, and serves as a dorm parent.

ALLISON LETOURNEAU '07

DIRECTOR OF ADMISSION

Allison has more than a decade of experience leading admission offices, most recently as the Director of Enrollment Management at Kimball Union Academy. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Association of Independent School Admission Professionals and is a frequent presenter and writer for regional and national conferences and organizations. Allison earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of New Hampshire where she was a member of the women’s cross country and track and field teams. She is currently pursuing a Master of Education in Independent School Leadership from Columbia University, coaches track, and serves as an advisor.

JOSEPHINE NICHOLSON

SPANISH TEACHER

Josephine teaches Spanish and is the faculty advisor to the Model United Nations. A graduate of the Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga, Colombia, prior to Berkshire Josephine was a member of the Miss Hall's faculty where she directed Global Programs and served in many roles including Horizons teacher for Student-led Projects and Financial Literacy, LatinX Affinity Group advisor, Trip Advisory Chair, and Diversity Equity and Inclusion Team member. Josephine also supports our diversity and inclusion work at Berkshire and serves on the Trip Advisory Committee.

ERIC OFORI

MATHEMATICS TEACHER

A member of the math department, Eric teaches calculus, statistics, and precalculus. He is a graduate of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana, and completed an M.A. in mathematics and statistics at the University of Albany, an M.S. in applied mathematics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a Ph.D. in finance from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He has taught at University of Albany, Siena College, Skidmore College, and RPI, and most recently served as the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admission at RPI. With prior experience in the high school classroom from his years at Bishop Guertin High School in Nashua, NH, Eric also coaches soccer and track.

TAYLOR RATHBUN '16

PSYCHOLOGY TEACHER, TUTOR

A tutor in the Kenefick Center for Learning, Taylor also teaches psychology. A cum laude graduate of Emmanuel College, Taylor earned a bachelor's degree in developmental psychology with a minor in graphic design. She was a member of the women's soccer team, earning GNAC All-Academic Conference honors throughout her career. She has served as a resident teaching fellow at the Hotchkiss School Portals program and intern at The Children's Center in Brookline, Mass. She was most recently an assistant teacher at Indian Mountain’s Lower School. She lives on campus and coaches soccer and squash.

GLEN SEELENBRANDT

ART TEACHER

Glen teaches studio and digital art and is the Director of the Ritt Kellogg Mountain Program. A graduate of the University of Vermont, Glen earned a master’s degree in education from Lesley College. He has taught math, computer science, and visual arts previously at Eaglebrook, Moses Brown, and Indian Mountain School. An avid outdoorsman, Glen has coached mountain biking, snowboarding, rock climbing, and tennis. He lives on campus and will lead Berkshire’s fall RKMP program offering in addition to coaching tennis.

LAURA SMITH

ENGLISH TEACHER

A published poet, author, and journalist, Laura teaches English and supports Berkshire’s writing publications. She earned a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College and three subsequent master’s degrees in English, teaching, and creative writing from Mount Holyoke and Southern New Hampshire University. She has taught for over a decade in local public schools and community colleges in Berkshire County. An avid runner, Laura coaches cross country and track and serves as an adjunct

DOUG STIFFLER

HISTORY TEACHER

Doug joins Berkshire for the fall semester to cover a parental leave in the history department. On sabbatical from Juniata College, where he serves as an associate professor in the history department, Doug teaches Advanced U.S. History. A graduate of Harvard University, he completed a master’s degree in East Asian Studies and a Ph.D. in Modern Chinese History from the University of California, San Diego.

SUNNY YASHAVANT

ENGLISH TEACHER

A member of the English department, Sunny also serves as Berkshire’s Diversity and Inclusion Program Coordinator. She graduated from Mysore University in Mysore, Karnataka, India, with a B.A. and postgraduate degree in English literature and completed her master’s degree in English at Western Connecticut State University. Prior to Berkshire, Sunny worked at Miss Porter's School where she designed and taught an interdisciplinary U.S. History and English course and a senior elective in Female Heroic Voice. At Berkshire, she coaches squash and serves as an advisor.