Faculty and Staff

Eileen Moderski – School Operations Officer

Rosheka Mullins – Secretary

Rosheka Mullins is a Philadelphia native and published Author who lived in Windsor Mill, MD. and Washington, DC before returning home. She attended Kaplan University as well as Chestnut Hill College. She has 16 years of experience in the Behavioral Health field as a Program Supervisor and Vocational Specialist. She is currently working on her second novel and first Play simultaneously. Rosheka enjoys being a wife, mother of two, writing, music, and fishing.

Lucille Barrett – Nurse

Lucille Barrett, RN BSN CSN, has been a nurse for for 6.5 years and has takes special interest in infection control and education. She currently has a pending M.Ed. Nurse Barrett loves the role of providing care to others, and is sociable as well as people and family oriented. One of her favorite hobbies is decorating her home.

Zoe Strauss – Resident Artist

Zoe specializes in conceptual art and provides general maintenance and beautification of our school. She loves supporting the school artistically however she can, and has experience in photography as well, where she has been able to take professional yearbook photos for our lower school students in the past.

Elizabeth Houwen – 10th and 12th Grade Mathematics

Elizabeth Houwen is a native of South Jersey and has been a resident of Philadelphia since 2011. A graduate of The College of New Jersey, Elizabeth has taught at the middle, high, and community college levels. In 2014 she earned her masters in Mathematics from Rowan University. She strongly believes that we are all math people and is passionate about helping others see the beauty in mathematics. In her free time, Elizabeth enjoys hiking, camping, yoga, and traveling with her husband and pup.

Mr. Joesph – 11th Grade Mathematics, 5th and 9th Grade Tech

Jacob Joseph graduated from Drexel University for his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree. He initially went to school to be a civil engineer, but then switched to teaching out of spite because a hater thought he couldn’t do it. Now Mr. Joseph is in it for the love of the game. He enjoys reading, watching Tik Tok live-streams of people doing math problems, baking, and hanging out with his cat, Toyo (short for Toyota Corolla).

Ms. Ukaegbu – 7th and 8th Grade Mathematics

From a very young age, Ms. Ukaegbu dreamed of becoming a teacher and practiced by writing on her bedroom walls to lead a class of her favorite stuffed animals and dolls. During high school, her own challenging school experiences drove her desire to make teaching a reality so she could create a safe and supportive environment for her eventual students. This passion led her to earn a B.A. in Mathematics with a minor in Secondary Education and a M.Ed. in Mathematics: Curriculum and Instruction. Ms. Ukaegbu uses her love of mathematics and 20 years of experience to make learning engaging and effective but her priority is building strong relationships with her students. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her two dogs and two cats and is currently learning sign language.

Ms. Jackson – 5th and 6th Grade Math

Born and raised in West Philadelphia, Tracey is a proud product of the School District of Philadelphia, and an enthusiastic devotee to the power of prolific instruction.  She began her career in the field of journalism after earning a B.A. in Communications from Temple University.  In her spare time, she tutored students from K-12 for a non-profit in her community.  From that experience, she witnessed the transformative power of education and felt compelled to transition into the education field.  In 2000, she was hired as a Literacy Intern for the School District of Philadelphia while also pursuing a degree in education.  She now holds a Masters of Education (M.Ed.) from Arcadia University and a Masters of Administration and Supervision in Education (M.Ed.) from the University of Phoenix.  After additional study at West Chester University, she also holds a teaching certification in Special Education. She has been teaching since her hire as both a regular education and a special education teacher, which has given her great insight into the differentiation of instruction and eliminating obstacles to learning.  She lives in the Wynnefield section of Philadelphia with her husband and youngest daughter.  In her spare time, she loves to travel, write, read, and spend time with family and friends.

Mr. Kopp – High School Math and Technology Specialist

Alex graduated from Temple University in 2018 with a degree in Mathematics and Computer Science with Teaching. Before graduating, he was ecstatic to accept a job at SLA @ Beeber without really knowing what the job entailed. He is currently pursuing his master’s in instructional technology. Alex is greatly interested in inquiry and project-based instruction and bridging the computer science gap for underserved students.

Mr. Smith

Nick is a graduate of Temple University and Neumann University. He has been teaching for 19 years. Nick is married with three children. Nick enjoys all things sports, music, and hanging out with his family.

Mr. Danihel

John started his career in education as a science presenter at the Carnegie Science Center in his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA where his job was to literally blow things up. He majored in Geology at the University of Pittsburgh and worked as an Environmental Hydrogeologist before getting his teaching certification. He has been teaching science and math in Philadelphia for 19 years. After school hours, you can find John coaching little league baseball, fishing, or hiking in the woods.

Mr. Schaar

David Schaar started teaching later in life after swearing never to follow in the footsteps of his parents, who were also teachers. He attended Emory University, Washington University in St. Louis, and Georgia State University. Over the last 20 years he has taught every flavor of Physics and several flavors of mathematics. He’s an avid gardener and has coached robotics teams for almost 15 years.

Ms. Joseph

Elaina Joseph grew up in Atlantic City, NJ. She earned her Bachelor’s in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania, with a minor in Bioethics – a subject she is very passionate about. She has worked in the field of education for several years. Her interests include healthcare reform, science, health literacy, and increasing accessibility to mental healthcare.

Ms. Barkley

Debbie graduated with her B.S. in General Science with Teaching from Temple University. She was in the TUTeach program, which was an innovative teaching program that focuses on engaging math and science instruction. She earned a certificate in Project Based Learning from University of Pennsylvania, and her M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Holy Family University. Debbie began teaching at Science Leadership Academy at Beeber in 2019 and is extremely proud to be a part of this community. She currently teaches middle school and high students science. Debbie believes that every student has the ability to think like scientists to solve problems and create solutions. In her free time, Debbie enjoys yoga, camping, hiking, and scuba diving.

Ms. Sasso

Alex was born and raised on Long Island, NY, but has called a variety of different places home over the years.  Alex graduated from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida where she played 4 years of NCAA Division II Softball and earned a B.S. in Marine Science with a focus in Biology. After graduating, Alex worked for New York State’s Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation hospital. Gaining experience rehabilitating seals, sea turtles and cetaceans (dolphins & porpoises), as well as performing necropsies on deceased animals for research purposes. Alex, then moved to Maui, Hawaii to work as a Naturalist for Pacific Whale Foundation, an ecotourism company. Here, Alex educated guests on snorkel and whale watching cruises. Upon returning from Hawaii, Alex attended Stony Brook University in NY, to earn her Master’s of Arts in Teaching for Science Education. Education has always something Alex is  passionate about and teaching provides her the opportunity to share her experiences and knowledge with her students. After earning her Masters, life then took her to Pennsylvania where she began her teaching career at SLA Beeber in 2018. Outside of teaching, Alex provides pitching and hitting lessons to young athletes, dances hula with a local group, and enjoys traveling with her husband and going on long walks with their dog, Koa.

Ms. Meyers

Mara Meyers, a native Baltimorean, has been living in Philadelphia since 2021. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Michigan in Social Theory and Practice before moving out to the West Coast to pursue a career in education. For six years she worked in a variety of different educational programs; creating mentorship conferences for teen girls, supporting daycare teachers, counseling young people, and helping to craft post-secondary plans. After exhausting nearly every faucet of the education system, she finally realized it was time to step into her true calling and become a teacher. In 2021, she earned her M.S. Ed. in Secondary Education from the University of Pennsylvania’s Urban Teaching Apprenticeship Program. It was during her time in this program that Mara was first introduced to SLAB. She spent the year working with Ms. D in her 7th grade humanities class and fell in love with the school community, culture, and guiding principles. Ultimately, her love for SLAB is what made her move to Philadelphia, and she’s been working in the middle school ever since!

Mara’s greatest claim to fame is that she attended the same arts high school as Tupac and Jada Pinkett Smith. She’s a breakfast sandwich connoisseur and most strongly identifies with Beyoncé defenders.

Mr. Roy

Matt began teaching at SLA@Beeber when it opened in 2013. He is married with three children. In addition to spending time with his family, he enjoys reading, running, and composing music. Matt grew up in Massachusetts and moved to Pennsylvania in 2005. He became a teacher in 2001 in order to have a positive impact on society…and because it’s fun! Matt has degrees from the University of Pennsylvania (1998), Boston University (2001), and Villanova University (2010).

Ms. Zieve

Ms. Zieve is starting her fifth year at the Science Leadership Academy at Beeber after teaching at two other schools in Philadelphia. She graduated from Haverford College with a degree in Anthropology, and got her masters in Urban Education at Temple University. In addition to teaching students African American History at Beeber, she also coaches the girls soccer team. Outside of school Ms. Zieve loves spending time outdoors, reading, sewing, travelling and doing jigsaw puzzles.

Ms. Borowski

Kirsten grew up in Wilmington, Delaware and has lived in the Philadelphia area for the past 14 years. Becoming a teacher has been a goal since childhood, and she focused her education to pursue this dream.  She attended the University of Delaware where she earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Elementary Education and a minor in history. Her specific content area of focus for her undergraduate degree was in social studies. Kirsten has been working in the field of education in a variety of settings throughout Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs. During the past 10 years, she has been a 6th grade ELA teacher in southwest Philadelphia, and has developed a love for teaching reading in a cross-curricular format to help students make meaningful connections with the content. Kirsten is currently working to complete her Master’s degree in education as a Reading Specialist. In her free time, you’ll usually find her outdoors hiking, gardening, walking her dogs, tending to her bee hives, and spending time with her family.

Mr. Schmidt

Mr. Schmidt served in the U.S. Navy before attending Temple University. He has a B.A. in History and Political Science and a Masters degree in Education.

Mr. Doyle – PE/Health

Brian was born and raised in Boca Raton, Florida.  Brian has always been a sports fanatic and enjoys playing any sports.  He also loves going to the gym to exercise.  Brian was a high school varsity basketball team member and has some of his best memories from those times.  He is a graduate of the University of Florida.  Brian recently moved to the Philadelphia area in June to be with his wife Kristen, who is also in education.

Mr. Rosen-Long – Spanish

Mr. Rosen-Long is a founding member of SLA Beeber, teaching Spanish alongside a variety of other classes. He is originally from Brooklyn, NYC, but moved to the Philly area to attend college at Haverford College. He loves to travel, and learned Spanish while living in Chile and Honduras. When he’s not teaching, you can find him gardening, talking about politics, or watching/playing soccer.

Ms. Moran-Johnson – Spanish

Melissa Moran-Johnson is a native New Yorker. She was born, raised and educated in the Bronx. She moved to Philadelphia and fell in love with this wonderful city and all of it’s amazing opportunities. She teaches students Spanish levels 2 and 3 at SLA Beeber. She also organizes and leads school fundraisers for international travel to Costa Rica and Guatemala. She loves spending time with her wife Christina and they are new parents with a baby girl!

Ms. Dukes – CTE Education

Gina Dukes is a proud Philly native and Science Leadership Academy’s 3rd class graduate! She is Beeber’s CTE Education teacher, which means she teaches a class for aspiring educators, leaders, and change-makers! Gina is passionate about creating a class environment where students feel encouraged to discover the power of their voice, analyze the education system critically, and learn ways to change the system and their communities for the better.

Mr. Lawrence – CTE Engineering

Max Lawrence has been an official member of Science a Leadership Academy at Beeber’s staff since the 2016-17 school year as the Director of the Engineering program. He teaches students Introduction to Engineering, CTE courses, and is the all-around fix-it/build-it person. He attended Cornell University and Rhode Island School of Design, earning a BFA in Painting. Prior to joining the SLAB team, Mr. Lawrence worked in the field of engineering on a wide range of projects: serving an apprenticeship at Analog Lab, a residency at the Clocktower Museum in NYC, creating and running animatronics engineering for San Fransisco MOMA’s 75 year Anniversary exhibit, being an exhibitor at several art institutes and museums including the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia, audio engineering video and music production, and software and electronic engineering for nonprofits in the Philadelphia area to benefit communities in need, especially but not exclusively to Philadelphia’s youth. He stumbled into engineering curriculum creation for The Hacktory in Philadelphia and hasn’t left the field of education since. He has guest lectured and taught all over the country from Black Mountain School in North Carolina, to UPenn, to holding the Lead Instructor role at the Maker Faire in DC where he won two Editors Choice Awards.

At SLAB, Mr Lawrence’s responsibilities far outreach the MakerSpace and Engineering department. In addition to running the department and writing the curriculum, he also can be found working on a number of projects for the building’s various needs. Whether it’s creating an outdoor learning space, building the sets for the school play, running the sound system for assemblies, or basically building anything needed from scratch, Mr Lawrence and his team of aspiring engineers can be found any day of the week, year round, working towards providing essential engineering needs for the SLAB community.

Ms. Hertz – Intro to Tech and Visual Arts

Mary Beth Hertz has been teaching in Philadelphia since 2003 and has been teaching students Intro to Tech and Visual Art here at SLA Beeber since 2013. She attended Oberlin College for her undergrad studies and has a Master’s Degree in Instructional Technology from Saint Joseph’s University. She has been at the forefront of technology integration in the classroom. She was a 2010 ISTE Emerging Leader, a 2013 ASCD Emerging Leader, 2013 PAECT Teacher of the Year. Her book, “Digital and Media Literacy in the Age of the Internet: Practical Classroom Applications” shares her experience and expertise teaching digital and media literacy in K-12 classrooms.

Ms. Philips – Music

Stephanie Phillips is a graduate of Augusta University and Temple University with both her bachelors in Classical Percussion and masters in Jazz Performance. She is a lover of music and loves to support the arts in any way. She is a multi-instrumentalist and performer. Outside of music, Stephanie plays basketball and has taken up the sport of boxing as well. She started to pursue teaching to give the youth an experience she was not able to have.

Ms. Allen – FaCS – Fashion, Textiles, and Apparel

Lisa Allen is a Philadelphia native. She attended and graduated from Philadelphia public schools. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science, majoring in Textile Design and a Master’s Degree from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, majoring in Family and Consumer Sciences: Textiles Fashion & Apparel. She was inspired to teach by great teachers. She loves teaching and impacting lives. Ms. Allen enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, singing and gardening.

Ms. Pironti – Multilingual Learning Support

Alison PIronti attending the University of Scranton as an undergraduate majoring in Political Science and History and graduate school at UPenn for education. Teaching Multilingual Learners for over two decades in Philadelphia has been a privilege and a joy. As a founding member of the non-profit, Spark the Wave, Alison helps teens learn to be volunteer leaders and movement makers in the communities. Alison is also the mother of four children; and navigating their educational journeys with IEPs has taught her to be a fierce advocate for students with special needs, medical equality, and the rights of those with autism/sensory processing disorder.

Ms. Richardson – Special Education

Erin Richardson was born and raised in Newtown, Pennsylvania. She attended West Chester University and received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She later attended Temple University for her special education certificate, and Penn State University for her ESL certificate.  She recently completed her masters at Holy Family University in special education with an autism endorsement. Erin has been teaching for the School District of Philadelphia for 11 years. She is a proud member of Need in Deed, and Design Thinking Philadelphia; both non-profit organizations in the city. Erin also teaches professional development to teachers throughout the district through the ER&D division of the PFT’s Health and Welfare Department.

Ms. Pearson – Special Education