Staff

Aisha Al-Muid is a 4K teaching assistant at Russell Byers. Mrs. Al-Muid has an Associate degree in Early Childhood Education from Borough of Manhattan Community College, a Bachelor's degree in English form Hunter College and is currently working towards her Master's degree in Elementary Education with certification in reading specialist at Lincoln University. She is also pursuing ESL certifications. Aisha has worked as a substitute teacher in the Philadelphia school district and various Charter schools since 2003.
Timothy Anzelmo
Randy Berman is the Health and Physical Education teacher. He received his Bachelor's degree from West Chester University majoring in kinesiology and minor in health. Prior to joining the staff at RBCS, Randy spent 5 years working with Outward Bound.
Heather Bowyer is a first grade teacher at Russell Byers. She has a Bachelor's degree in Anthropology and a Master's degree in Teaching from the University of Virginia. Heather previously taught 6th grade for two years in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Shawn Brandon is our reading and math specialist. Shawn taught in New York City for nine years. She has a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Boston University and a Master's degree in Guidance and Counseling from Hunter College. Shawn also participated in a teacher leadership program at The Reading and Writing Project at Teachers College, Columbia University.
Jennifer Broomell is a 4K teaching fellow at Russell Byers. Miss Broomell has an Undergraduate degree in Marketing and a Masters degree in Elementary Education from St. Joseph's University. After she graduated with her undergraduate degree she spent three years living and working abroad in Australia, the Caribbean and Europe before going back to school for her Master's in Education. Prior to coming to Russell Byers Miss Broomell was a pre-kindergarten teacher in Bala Cynwyd, PA.
Beth Burke teaches 2nd grade at Russell Byers. Beth received a Bachelor's degree in Sociology with a Concentration in Social Inequality and Diversity from The University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Beth also has a Master's degree in Elementary Education from The University of Massachusetts in Amherst.
Bethany Bushner is a Special Education teacher for 1st through 4th grade Russell Byers. Bethany graduated with her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and Special Education from Lebanon Valley College. She is currently working towards her Master's of Education with a Reading Specialist certification at Saint Joseph's University.
Roberto Carrizales is our facilities manager, and this is his fifth year at Russell Byers. Roberto was a goal keeper on a city-league soccer team in Mexico before coming to Philadelphia.
Jennifer Carvalho teaches 4 year old kindergarten at Russell Byers. She graduated from Eastern University with a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. Before coming to Russell Byers, Jen spent two years teaching at a charter school in Chester, PA. She is currently pursuing a certificate in Early Childhood Education at Eastern University.
Holly Chapman teaches 3rd grade. She has a Bachelor's degree from The College of William and Mary. Holly worked in publishing and association management before obtaining her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction with Elementary Certification from Rosemont College.
Juliana Chapman is a 5K teacher at Russell Byers. She received her Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Chestnut Hill College and her Master's degree in Education from Gratz College. Juliana spent seven years teaching in private schools in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs prior to coming to Russell Byers.
Rebecca Chase is our special education coordinator. She received her Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood, Special Education, and Elementary Education from Temple University and a Master's in Reading from Gwynedd Mercy College. Rebecca has been a special educator for eight years and has worked in a variety of settings with elementary, middle and high school students.
Jerusa Contee is the Development Coordinator at the Byerschool Foundation. She received her B.A. in Political Science-International Relations from Williams College.
Jennifer Coppertino teaches first grade. She began her work at Russell Byers as a teaching fellow. She has a Bachelor's degree in English from Temple University and is currently pursuing her Master's Degree in Special Education from St. Joseph's University. Jennifer is a yoga instructor for both adults and children.
Miriam Filvarof is the Primary College Coach at RBCS. She received a Bachelor's degree in Communication from Loyola University New Orleans and a Master's degree in School Counseling from Wake Forest University. Prior to coming to Russell Byers, Miriam was an account executive at a full-service communications firm, and worked in both the middle and high school level in Title I public schools.
Bill Fitzgerald is a 5th grade teacher at Russell Byers. He received a Bachelor's degree from Holy Family University and a Master's in Education from St. Joseph's University. Bill has been teaching in Philadelphia schools for 18 years.
Allen Garner teaches 4th grade. She has a Bachelor's degree from the University of Mississippi and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Memphis. Allen has taught for 30 years in Memphis, Birmingham and Philadelphia and has received awards for her excellence in teaching.
Vanessa Gelbaugh is Operations Manager and Executive Assistant to Laurada Byers. She received her B.A. from Bloomsburg University. Before joining the Byerschool Foundation in 2006, she worked as an Executive Assistant and Office Manager for a financial institution.
Sonia Gerena is a teaching assistant for 5K, and she has been at Russell Byers from its beginning. She attended Temple University and worked in another Philadelphia charter school for four years before coming to Russell Byers. Sonia also runs the school's breakfast program.
Kareem Goodwin is Dean of Students and Families.
Emmanual Hampton
Nora Hildenbrand is a 5th grade teacher at Russell Byers. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from Boston University and a Masters degree in Elementary Education from the University of Pennsylvania. Nora taught middle school science for two years in the School District of Philadelphia before coming to us, and she has also worked as an educator in London, Syracuse and New Orleans.
Linda Hopkins teaches 5K. She has a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education from West Chester University. Linda taught in The Archdiocese of Philadelphia for two years before coming to Russell Byers in 2005.
Daniel Hyatt is a teaching fellow for the first grade. He received his Bachelor's degree in Economics from the The Pennsylvania State University and is currently finishing up his Elementary Education Certificate at Drexel and plans to receive his Master's in Teaching, Learning and Curriculum also at Drexel.
Teron B. Ivery is a founding 4K teacher. Teron earned a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Millersville University and a Master's degree from Holy Family University. He is permanently certified in the fields of Early Childhood and Elementary Education. Teron has had multiple experiences with Expeditionary Learning, professional development and Outward Bound courses.
Amy Jared is the art teacher. She has a Bachelor's degree from Rhodes College and a Master's degree from The University of the Arts. Amy has over 20 years of experience in the field of art education. Prior to coming to Russell Byers in 2005, Amy worked in the Division of Education at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where she developed award-winning art programs for children, families, schools, and communities.
Delores Johnson is a teaching assistant for 5K. Delores retired from Verizon with 31 years of experience in telecommunications and customer service. She also coached a track team for her church for ten years.
Christine Kapothanasis teaches 2nd grade. She graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy. She also competed as a varsity long-distance runner and coxswain for the women's rowing teams. While at Holy Cross, she spent a year studying Philosophy at Oxford University. Christie earned her Master's degree in Elementary Education from the University of Pennsylvania.
John Landis is the Technology Coordinator, working with teachers and students to integrate digital and media literacy into the curriculum. He earned a Bachelor's degree from Indiana University College in Communication and Culture, and helped to develop the Powerful Voices for Kids media literacy in conjunction with Temple University.
Rebecca Levenberg is the Clinical Supervisor of our Special Education Team. She received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Learning Disabilities from Northwestern University. Rebecca has twenty years of experience in special education and has worked with preschool, elementary, middle, and high school students.
Judith Locicero teaches 5th grade at Russell Byers. Judi also taught 4th and 8th grades for ten years in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. She received her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Holy Family University, and she is currently pursuing her Master's degree from Gratz College.
John-Carlos Marino is the 6th grade Science and Social Studies teacher at RBCS. He received a Bachelor's degree in sculpture from Washington University in St. Louis and a Master's degree in Elementary education from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to coming to Russell Byers, John-Carlos had experience working as a preschool teacher, faux-finisher, and custom sculpture fabricator.
Elizabeth McGuire is a special education teacher at Russell Byers, working primarily with the upper grades. She graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor's degree in Elementary and Special Education. She is currently pursuing a Master's degree and Reading Specialist certification at Saint Joseph's University.
Sarah Pisano
Betsy Ramage is the activities coordinator at RBCS. She received her Bachelor's degree from New York University and a Master's degree in Nonprofit and Non Governmental Organizational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to coming over to the school, Betsy was the development coordinator for the Byerschool Foundation. Before joining the Byers organizational family, Betsy was the marketing coordinator at the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance.
Mary Sacchetti is the Reading Specialist at Russell Byers. She works on literacy skills with small groups of students in grades 3 through 6. Mary has a Bachelor's degree in Special and Elementary Education from Temple University and a Master's degree and Reading Specialist certification from Saint Joseph's University.
Rafael Santiago is our Security Officer. He was in the Marine Corps for 10 years, and he spent 17 years working as a police officer for the Philadelphia Gas Works. Rafael worked for the School District of Philadelphia Police Department before joining Russell Byers in 2007. He has been involved with Chinese martial arts for over 25 years.
Benjamin Slater has worked in a variety of educational settings since 2005. Prior to becoming a teacher Ben attended Masterman, Abington Friends, Bucknell University, Goldey Beacom, and Arcadia. He is a lifelong learner currently pursuing education beyond his Master's degree in Education. He works primarily with the 6th grade in the special education department. Ben is an avid sports fan of all Philadelphia teams and hopes to continue to bring his knowledge, expertise, and passion for athletics to the community at Russell Byers Charter School.
Drew Smith worked for 23 years at Friends School in Mullica Hill, NJ, prior to joining the Russell Byers team in July 2010. At Friends School he served as Head of School 11 years. In addition, Mr. Smith worked in numerous roles at the school, including Associate Head of School, Middle School Principal, Director of Admissions and middle school teacher and coach. Mr. Smith currently serves on the Boards of the Westtown School and the Moorestown Friends School. He earned a B.S. at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, and completed graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania.
Rachel Smith is our Spanish teacher. Prior to coming to Russell Byers, Rachel taught for seven years, including four years as an elementary bilingual teacher in Philadelphia and two years of teaching in Honduras. Rachel has a Bachelor's degree in Elementary and Special Education from Geneva College and recently completed her ESL certificate program from the University of Pennsylvania.
Debbie Sperbeck has been with Russell Byers for eight years. She worked with Laurada Byers as her Executive Assistant for the first four years and moved to the school building in 2005. She is now the Director of Enrollment Services, responsible for new and current enrollment. Prior to joining Laurada in 2001, Debbie was the Executive Assistant for the General Counsel at Safeguard Scientifics for 10 years.
April Tomarelli teaches third grade. She came to Russell Byers in 2007 as a teaching fellow for 1st grade. April attended Rosemont College and received both a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Master's degree in Elementary Curriculum and Instruction. She is involved in many of the RBCS extracurricular activities.
Kathryn Walker is a second grade teacher. She came to Russell Byers in 2008 as a Teaching Fellow with the third grade team. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg, Virginia and recently received masters in Elementary Education from Rosemont College in Pennsylvania.
Dr. Erik Westby is our Science and Technology Coordinator. He earned a Bachelor's degree from Union College in Psychology and Master's and Doctoral degrees in Educational Psychology from Purdue University. He has 14 years of teaching experience at the university and graduate level. Erik's primary area of research focuses on how children develop an understanding of science. He is the author of numerous journal articles and book chapters on science learning and creativity in education.
Sarah R. Wing teaches 1st grade at Russell Byers. She has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Master's degree in Education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Sarah previously taught kindergarten and 1st grade in Massachusetts and Philadelphia.
Shawn Wright is our Dean of Curriculum and Instruction. Prior to coming to Russell Byers, Shawn taught 1st grade and 4th grade, and served as an Instructional Support Teacher and, most recently, as an Assistant Principal. Shawn earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Central Oklahoma and his Master's degrees from Villanova and Cabrini.
Krista Yutzy-Burkey teaches music and is a founding teacher. She received a Bachelor's degree in Music from Goshen College and has over eight years of teaching experience in Philadelphia. Krista also has a certification from Eastern University to teach K-12 music. She directs the Horsefeather Singers, the Russell Byers Charter School Choir. Krista is also a harpist.
Dr. Elvira I. Zuazo-Legido, is our Certified School Psychologist and is licensed as a Professional Counselor. She has been working in the field for the past 17 years in New Jersey and in the Philadelphia School District. Prior to becoming a school psychologist, she worked as a school counselor. Elvira evaluates students' academic, emotional and behavioral needs and runs small support groups on a variety of topics. She also works closely with parents.