RE welcomes new faculty

8/13/2018

Head of School Penny Townsend introduced an accomplished group of new hires to the entire faculty during opening meetings on Aug. 13. That group includes 14 faculty and staff with advanced degrees (including six PhDs); five women joining the school's science department; and new Athletic Director Corey Goff. Members of RE's new faculty are experts in shark ecology, nuclear physics, analytical writing, Spanish, industrial engineering and more. Learn about them below:

Christian Anderson joined the RE athletics department as a recent graduate of Hamilton College, where he majored in history with minors in economics and politics. While still a student at Hamilton, Mr. Anderson joined the football coaching staff after injuries ended his two-year stint as a defensive end. A graduate of St. George’s School in Newport, R.I., Mr. Anderson is coaching football and lacrosse at RE.

Corie Charpentier arrived from Rutgers University, where she has been a post-doctoral fellow. Dr. Charpentier earned a bachelor’s degrees in marine science and French, and a minor in chemistry, from Eckerd College. She completed her PhD in Marine Biology at the University of Delaware, where she held the Marian R. Okie Fellowship, Joanne Currier Daiber Fellowship and the Delaware Environmental Institute Fellowship. She gained research experience at the University of South Florida; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization's (NOAA) Howard Marine Science lab; aboard the R/V Helmer Hanson in Svalbard, Norway; and last winter with Rutgers faculty in Antarctica. Dr. Charpentier has published five papers in scientific journals and presented more than 10 conference papers. Dr. Charpentier joined the science department at the Upper School to teach life sciences, and also is serving as an assistant lacrosse coach.

Lourdes Cowgill served as president of Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton from 1995-2010. She started her career in independent education as teacher of Latin and Spanish language and literature. She also has extensive experience in college counseling at Pine Crest and Independent College Counselors. Dr. Cowgill held national board positions in the National Association of Independent schools (NAIS), National Merit Corporation (NMSQT) Advisory Council, and the Educational Records Bureau (ERB). In addition, she has worked as member and chair of the Spanish Subject Test writing committee and as presenter in AP Spanish workshops. At RE, Dr. Cowgill is serving as a college counselor and consultant. She earned her undergraduate degree summa cum laude at Barry College and her master’s and doctorate at Bryn Mawr College.

Luis Felipe hails from Cuba, where he earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in nuclear physics from the Instituto Superior de Tecnologías y Ciencias Aplicadas (InSTEC). Mr. Felipe subsequently did five years of additional graduate work and research in physics, first in Denmark, and then at Goethe Frankfurt University in Germany. At the high school level, Mr. Felipe has taught AP Physics and AP Computer Science, as well as robotics, earth science, chemistry and algebra. A proponent of experiential learning, he has travelled with students to the Kennedy Space Center and taken them indoor skydiving to better appreciate the laws of physics in action. Mr. Felipe has presented his research in physics at several international conferences, and had his worked published in the Bulletin of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the International Journal of Modern Physics.

Cameron Ferguson came to RE from Carrboro High School in North Carolina, where he taught U.S. history, world history, and civics and economics. Mr. Ferguson holds a BA in political science and an MA in teaching, both from North Carolina State University. In addition to his teaching experience at several schools in North Carolina, Mr. Ferguson also brought several years of experience as a head coach of junior varsity and varsity lacrosse programs. He is teaching World Cultures and American History and coaching basketball and lacrosse.

Brooke Gintert earned her undergraduate degree with honors at Occidental College, and her PhD in Marine Science and Fisheries at the University of Miami. Dr. Gintert studied changes in modern coral communities and co-authored 12 papers published in peer-reviewed journals. She has consulted for NOAA, the National Park Service, The Nature Conservancy, The Field Museum, Perry Institute of Marine Science and U.S. Navy. Most recently, Dr. Gintert served as a postdoctoral researcher and teaching assistant at the University of Miami. Her experience and expertise have strengthened the Middle School Science Department.

Corey Goff, RE’s new Director of Athletics and Physical Education, arrived to Ransom Everglades from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa., where he spent 15 years overseeing all facets of the athletic department, most recently as Executive Director of Athletics and Recreation. In that role, he led 22 NCAA Division III sports teams and managed a staff of 75. He also served as an adjunct professor in the psychology department at Muhlenberg, as well as head baseball coach, head and assistant football coach, and strength and conditioning coach. Goff previously taught and coached football and baseball at two independent schools: the Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, Pa., and The Westminster Schools in Atlanta. He also served as a coach at Dartmouth College, the University of Albany and Susquehanna University. Goff earned his BA in Biology and Secondary Education at Susquehanna (Pa.) University and MS in Educational Psychology from the University of Albany.

Alexandra Gunner holds a bachelor's degree in Marine Science and Biology from the University of Miami, and will be awarded her master’s degree in Marine Conservation this fall. Miss Gunner has authored three scientific reviews, done field work in the Galapagos Islands, and recently returned from a highly competitive research symposium – the São Paulo School of Advanced Science on Ocean Interdisciplinary Research and Governance – where she participated as one of only a few graduate students representing the United States among an international group of scientists. She has served as a team leader at Urban Paradise Guild, revitalizing and restoring native fauna. At the University of Miami, Miss Gunner earned many accolades, both academic and athletic. She rowed in the top varsity boat from 2013 to 2017, earned the Iron Oar and Most Valuable Player Awards, and was twice named Gold Medalist. She is teaching Middle School science and coaching crew at RE.

Kyle Hastings, RE’s Aquatics Director and Head Varsity Swim Coach, arrived from West Des Moines, Iowa, where he served as head coach of Central Iowa Aquatics, a top club swim team in the state. There, he coached a number of athletes who achieved Olympic Trials qualifying times, won scholarships to Division I schools or posted top-10 times in the nation. He was previously an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Indiana University, where he helped prepare three athletes to win Olympic gold medals in 2016. He served as an assistant swim coach at Belen Jesuit School, contributing to the program’s five state titles. Mr. Hastings gained experience as a volunteer assistant at Florida State, an assistant coach at Florida International University and a member of the Suriname national team coaching staff. He earned his bachelor’s at West Virginia Wesleyan and master’s at the University of Maryland.

Chelsea Johnson ’14, a recent graduate of Princeton University, joined the staff at RE in the admission office. Miss Johnson is also helping to coach water polo. Besides earning her bachelor’s degree in politics, Miss Johnson minored in African American Studies and was an outstanding member of Princeton’s water polo team; she served as team captain during her senior year, and won All-American recognition from the Collegiate Water Polo Association. For the last several years, Miss Johnson has also given her time to The SEED School of Miami by offering operations support and, in the summer of 2017, she interned in the criminal division of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit for Florida.

Claudia Jolivert, rejoined Ransom Everglades this past summer as Senior Associate Director of College Counseling. Mrs. Jolivert served as senior associate director of college counseling at Palmer Trinity for two years after an eight-year tenure at RE. Prior to her time at Ransom Everglades, she worked in admissions at Georgetown University. While at Palmer Trinity, Mrs. Jolivert was named board chair-elect of the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools. She was also elected to the board of the Southern Association for College Admission Counseling; appointed to Lynn University’s Advisory Council; and selected for the annual summer summit of the Deans and Directors of the Southern Consortium of Colleges and Universities. Mrs. Jolivert earned her bachelor’s in business administration at Georgetown University and master’s in international affairs at Columbia University. She also served as assistant director of admissions at St. Andrew’s School in Boca Raton.

Matt Margini recently completed his PhD in English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, where he also earned two master’s degrees. Dr. Margini earned his BA in English and American Literature from New York University. He has given several conference presentations and authored three scholarly articles published in English journals, and a forthcoming anthology. His writing has also appeared in The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Review of Books and The New Yorker. In addition to his academic interests, Dr. Margini is especially curious about the role of video games in contemporary society, and is currently working on a book-length critical study of the game “Red Dead Redemption” for Boss Fight Books. He has extensive experience with student publications from his time at NYU and Columbia and, in addition to teaching English at the Upper School, he is working with Greg Cooper on RE's student newspaper, The Catalyst.

Kiersten Mulvey, RE’s new head lacrosse coach, led Muhlenberg varsity lacrosse team to an Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship in 2016. Not only did Miss Mulvey defend Muhlenberg's goal for four years, she also was a standout all-around high school athlete at Rutgers Prep, earning four varsity letters each in soccer, basketball and lacrosse. She earned her undergraduate degree in neuroscience, and a master's degree in sports science at Lock Haven University in Lock Haven, Pa. Miss Mulvey had been a member of the game management staff and a lacrosse coach at Muhlenberg since 2016, and is contributing to game management at RE while coaching.

Alfredo Palacio holds a PhD in Spanish from the University of Miami. He has taught at the University of Miami, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter Academy, and Universidad de las Artes in Guayaquil, Ecuador. As a teacher and school leader, Dr. Palacio has developed curriculum for classes on the Spanish language and Latin American Literature and Critical Theory. He embraces a communicative approach to language instruction, making him a perfect fit for the Middle School’s language program.

Maria Elena Soto, a consultant in education and engineering, taught math at Immaculata-LaSalle High School and has served as a substitute teacher and Future Cities mentor at St. Agnes Academy. Mrs. Soto earned three degrees at the University of Miami, including an MBA and master’s in industrial engineering. She is also a Six Sigma Master Black Belt. She worked for eight years at Florida Power and Light, overseeing areas of data analysis and continuing education. Mrs. Soto has extensive experience with Future City; she is heading RE's new Future City program and teaching physical science, robotics and programming.

Kristine Stump, a specialist in shark ecology and tropical marine ecology, earned her BS, MA and PhD in Marine Biology and Fisheries at the University of Miami. She has authored multiple published papers. Dr. Stump served as the Principal Investigator at the Bimini Biological Field Station in The Bahamas; a postdoctoral research associate at the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago; and a research associate at the Cape Eleuthera Institute (The Bahamas). Dr. Stump has also taught at the graduate, undergraduate and high school levels and, most recently, was a lecturer at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. She is teaching life sciences at the Upper School and contributing as an assistant on the softball coaching staff.

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RE founder Paul Ransom, circa 1903

RE welcomes new faculty

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