Our Team

Recruitment & Admissions

Carolyn Chen, BTR Recruiter
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Prior to joining BTR, Ms. Chen worked in the arts and higher education with the Tufts Center for Neuroscience Research; the Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts University; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and the New York City Opera. She also taught for three years as a music instructor at a middle school in Virginia, and continues to teach flute as a private instructor for students of all ages and levels. Ms. Chen holds a B.A. in English and music from the University of Virginia.

Monique Davis, BTR Recruiter
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Ms. Davis has been a BTR Recruiter since the organization’s inception in 2003. She is responsible for recruiting talent on a local and national level for BTR, building relationships and cultivating partnerships. Prior to joining BTR, Ms. Davis worked as an employment manager at The Home for Little Wanderers, a Boston-based not-for-profit human services organization; Vinfen Corporation; and the Boston Stock Exchange. Ms. Davis earned a B.A. in finance and accounting from Northeastern University and an executive MBA from Dartmouth College in minority business.

Diana McCown, Efforts to Outcomes/AmeriCorps Program Director
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Ms. McCown serves as the Efforts to Outcomes/AmeriCorps Program Director at BTR and helps drive the organization’s focus on measuring outcomes by collecting and analyzing data, and using this to inform its efforts. Ms. McCown has worked with a number of non-profit organizations (including the Community Preservation Development Corporation in Washington, DC, and Workforce Essentials in Clarksville, TN) and at Vanderbilt University. She has also taught French in Memphis and in Clarksville, TN and served as Director of Graduate Admissions at Catholic University in Washington, DC. She holds an M.Ed. from Vanderbilt University and a B.A. from the University of Dayton.

Natasha Ohene, Admissions Associate
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Ms. Ohene is originally from the greater Boston area. She holds a B.S. from Boston University and is currently pursuing an M.Ed. at Northeastern University. Prior to joining BTR, Ms. Ohene worked as a staff supervisor at Boston Medical Center and medical student manager at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Emily Wagner, Program Assistant
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Ms. Wagner supports the Recruitment and Admissions Team by managing daily administrative tasks and long-term initiatives. Ms. Wagner graduated from Colby College with a B.A. in biology and continues to be involved with her alma mater as co-chair of her class’s annual giving efforts and as a Colby Club of Boston volunteer. She is currently pursuing her M.P.H. at Tufts University with a concentration in health communication.

Program

Susan Berglund, BTR Field Director
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

In her role as Field Director, Ms. Berglund works directly with Site Directors at BTR schools to oversee the management of cohorts of Teacher Residents and mentors. Prior to joining BTR, Ms. Berglund managed the partnership between Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the James P. Timilty Middle School in Roxbury. In this position she administered two Howard Hughes Medical Institute precollege grants, directed a Science Fair Mentoring Program, organized annual Science Family Activity Nights at the Museum of Science and delivered professional development sessions for the science teaching staff. Prior to joining MGH, she was a Certified Science Trainer for Edison Charter Schools, preparing and delivering professional development sessions to new teachers. Ms. Berglund has a B.A. in psychology from College of the Holy Cross and an M.Ed. in school administration from Emmanuel College. In addition to being certified as a middle school science teacher, she is principal/school administrator certified.

Samuel Campbell, Program Associate
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Mr. Campbell supports the Curriculum, Field, and Induction teams with programming and special projects. Involved in the educational field for over 10 years, he has worked for the Italian Home for Children and the Compass School as an assistant teacher and behavior management specialist. He recently moved back to Boston from Ohio, where he was the Director of Recruitment for Amicus II Inc., a non-profit organization that provided supplemental services under NCLB. Mr. Campbell is extremely passionate in his love for children and works tirelessly for their advancement.

Hollee Raye Freeman, BTR Field Director
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Dr. Freeman taught elementary school for seven years in New York City schools before focusing her professional attention on training teachers in mathematics education and research. She received her B.A. in psychology and elementary education from Columbia University, an M.S. in special education from Bank Street College of Education, and a Ph.D. in educational administration from Boston College. Dr. Freeman is a National Board-certified teacher. She also has worked as a Senior Research Associate at TERC, a not-for-profit education research and development organization based in Cambridge. She currently serves as a national faculty member at Lesley University and has authored several articles and book chapters around issues of educational equity in schools.

Lynne Godfrey, BTR Induction Director
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Ms. Godfrey has taught grades 2 through 8 in Cambridge and Boston. While teaching at the King Open School in Cambridge, she helped develop The Algebra Project with Bob Moses and taught the Algebra Project Transition Curriculum. Ms. Godfrey has been an adjunct professor at Wheelock, a senior facilitator with The Algebra Project, the upper school coordinator and math coach at the Young Achievers School, and most recently a math coach in the Cambridge Public Schools.

Arlene Hijara, Director of ESL and Special Education Programs
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Before joining BTR, Dr. Hijara worked with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as an ESL Specialist and ELL-SPED Coordinator. For 11 years she worked in Northampton Public Schools as a tutor, teacher of the deaf, and Special Education Coordinator. Before she immigrated to the United States in 1994, Dr. Hijara served with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as an ESL teacher, Curriculum Development Associate, Teacher Supervisor and Deputy Officer for Teacher-Training for Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laotian refugees. Dr. Hijara holds an Ed.D. in teacher education and curriculum studies, and C.A.G.S. in bilingual, ESL and multicultural education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Marcie Osinsky, BTR Curriculum Director
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Ms. Osinsky began her education career as a first- and second-grade teacher in the Cambridge Public Schools. Her experiences there led her to explore how partnerships with community and educational institutions can support teacher preparation and student achievement and the role of teacher leadership in urban schools. To continue this exploration, she became a liaison between Wheelock College and the Young Achievers Science and Math Pilot School in the Boston Public Schools. In her role as a liaison, she worked with college faculty and public school educators to design a yearlong internship program focusing on mathematics and equity. Ms. Osinsky holds a B.A. and an M.A. in education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Julie Sloan, BTR Faculty
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Ms. Sloan is a dual-certified National Board teacher and has been an instructor with BTR for the past several years. Ms. Sloan is a former ELA teacher at the McCormack School in Boston and currently works with BTR Curriculum and Induction to support Residents and graduates in their coursework and teaching practice.

Administration

Theresa Haas, Assistant to the Director
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Ms. Haas provides support for the day-to-day operations of the Director’s office. She brings over 20 years of experience as a legal assistant/paralegal, as well as experience working in film and television, including the development of interactive electronic text to support the Public Television series Congress: We the People.

Shoma Haque, Deputy Director of Operations and Administration
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

After a career as an information technology consultant at Deloitte & Touche, Ms. Haque switched to the non-profit field and has worked for Nuestra Comunidad Development Corporation, Center for Women & Enterprise, City Year, and the City of Somerville as a Rappaport Fellow. Ms. Haque holds a B.S. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Master’s Degree in city planning from MIT.

Sarah Kelly, Development Associate
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Ms. Kelly manages the BTR grants and funding process and the development and coordination of proposal writing and reporting. Before coming to BTR, Ms. Kelly taught high school English in New York City through the New York City Teaching Fellows program. She has also worked in educational programming and community relations for the Arthritis Foundation in Washington, DC. She holds a B.A. in English from Colgate University and an M.Ed. with a concentration in English from the City University of New York.

Jesse Solomon, BTR Director
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Mr. Solomon has taught middle and high school math for 10 years at the King Open School in Cambridge, Brighton High School, and City on a Hill Public Charter School, where he was a founding teacher, lead teacher for curriculum and instruction, and a member of the board of directors. While at City on a Hill, he founded the Teachers Institute, a school-based teacher preparation program. He has been an instructor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and is a National Board-certified teacher. Mr. Solomon holds a B.S. in mathematics from MIT and an M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.