NEIGHBORHOOD MUSIC SCHOOL - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the OFFICERS Team
- Governance Chair / BIC Corporation
Job Titles:
- Member of the OFFICERS Team
- Development Chair / New Haven Legal Assistance Association, Inc.
- Executive Director of New Haven Legal Assistance Association
Alexis Smith is currently the Executive Director of New Haven Legal Assistance Association (NHLAA). Founded in 1964, and in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement, NHLAA was established on the principle that everyone, regardless of race or income, should have equal access to the justice system. Alexis previously served as NHLAA's Deputy Director from 2012-2017, and before that was a staff attorney at Greater Hartford Legal Aid. Alexis has received awards from The West Haven Black Coalition, New Haven Probate Court, and Gateway Community College Foundation. She was also named to Connecticut Magazine's 40 under 40 list in 2015. Alexis currently serves as co-chair for the Connecticut Bar Association's (CBA) Task Force on Policing. Alexis has served as president of the George W. Crawford Black Bar Association, Secretary of the CBA, and a member of the CBA's House of Delegates. She currently serves on the board of directors for LEAP, ConnCAT, Neighborhood Music School, Horizons at Foote, Common Ground High School, and New Alliance Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Member of the OFFICERS Team
- Chairman / Yale University
Job Titles:
- Co - Director
- Policy Consultant
Caroline Golschneider is an arts educator, policy consultant, and social justice advocate. Previously, she served as Teacher-Leader-in-Residence for the Connecticut State Department of Education; there, she specialized in talent development and standards alignment. Caroline spent her formative teaching years in Windsor Locks Public Schools, where she held several leadership positions. She has designed and conducted professional development for fellow educators across the country. Caroline graduated magna cum laude from Yale University with a BA in Music and a Certificate in Teacher Preparation. She received her Master's in Education at Harvard.
Job Titles:
- Preschool & Toddler Program Director
- Preschool Director
Christine Missakian joined the NMS Preschool faculty in 2004, and after six years in the classroom, moved to the role of Director. Her more than 30 years' experience in the field of child development and early childhood education includes positions as head teacher at the Yeladim Childcare Center at the Jewish Community Center in Woodbridge, where she established and served as program coordinator for their half-day preschool, and teaching positions at Leila Day Nursery School.
Christine is a hands-on director who not only supports and guides the teaching staff but interacts closely with the children and their parents as they all work together through the important early years of education and development. Christine graduated from Central Michigan State University with a BS in early childhood education and attended graduate school at Southern Connecticut State University. All three of her children attended the Preschool at NMS.
Denise Nutile has been with the NMS Preschool since 2006. She joined the Toddler Room in 2013. She greatly enjoys working with young children and providing them with opportunities to openly explore, learn, and grow through hands-on art and music experiences.
Erica Sapp came to NMS via the Audubon Arts summer program in 2001. She has been a Drama Director at the program every summer since, where she guides children through creative movement, music, and storytelling.
Erica taught in the Toddler Room for 10 years before moving to the Preschool classroom. She enjoys reading stories to and drumming with the children, as well as sharing messy, sensory play experiences with them. Erica brings her passion for drama and theater to the Preschool, creating exciting and engaging play spaces in the classroom.
Her coursework includes early childhood classes at Gateway Community College and performing arts and social justice at Hampshire College.
Job Titles:
- Senior Operations Manager
Job Titles:
- Student Services Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Member of the OFFICERS Team
- Vision & Impact Committee Co - Chair / Yale University, Development Office
Maria Giarrizzo-Bartz is an experiential educator and curriculum designer with a passion for middle school. She holds a Master's in Education from Harvard and a BFA from the University of Montana, where she was a Presidential Scholar and conducted research on the academic impact of theatre. From 2008 to 2016, she ran the drama program at The East Harlem School; there, she created and directed an interdisciplinary middle school drama curriculum and taught Math Lab. Prior to founding ATLAS, she designed experiential, project-based programming and curricula for AF Greenfield in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New York. She has directed children's theater productions for companies and schools across the nation. Leading ATLAS is a dream come true.
Job Titles:
- Director of Music Education
Maureen McLeggon's experiences range from twenty years homeschooling her four children, then teaching third grade at St Francis School in New Haven, and nine years as a teacher in the Preschool at Hamden Hall Country Day School. She holds a BA in Elementary Education and Early Childhood from the University of Bridgeport.
Michael Battista is a graduate of Western Connecticut State University with a B.A. in Musical Theatre. He has recently served as the Associate Director of Audubon Arts at Neighborhood Music School. Since graduation, he has worked as a performer in several children's theatre touring productions and as a director of musical theatre shows. He enjoys sharing his passion for theatre with ATLAS!
Job Titles:
- Member of the OFFICERS Team
- Treasurer / Otis
Job Titles:
- Member of the OFFICERS Team
At Neighborhood Music School, we provide a whole world of creativity under one roof.
Job Titles:
- Facilities Manager / Student Services Coordinator
Children are active learners, approaching new experiences with curiosity, wonder, and joy. As a preschool teacher, Serena Hatch finds it a privilege to be a part of their world and help guide them through their daily journeys.
Serena has been teaching in the Preschool at NMS for over 20 years. She has a Child Development Associate Credential and a Head Teacher Certificate, and she has completed Early Childhood coursework at Gateway. She is an avid gardener and bird watcher.
Job Titles:
- Member of the OFFICERS Team
- Secretary / Vision & Impact Committee Co - Chair
Job Titles:
- Billing & Financial Aid Coordinator / Student Services Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Student Services Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Director of Dance & Wellness