Jaynemarie Angbah  Social Worker

Jaynemarie Angbah joins Bedford Stuyvesant Collegiate as our Social Worker, sharing time

with our sister school, Kings Collegiate Charter School in East Flatbush/Brownsville.   Ms. Angbah

received her undergraduate degree from Bucknell University, her Master’s of Education in Curriculum

and Instruction from Lesley University, and her Master’s of Education and Advanced degree in Counseling

from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.   Prior to joining the Collegiate family, Ms. Angbah worked

at New Mission High School in Roxbury, Massachusetts as a School Adjustment Counseling Intern.

Megan Berkes   History Teacher

Megan Berkes joins BSC as a 5th Grade History teacher.  Since graduating from Vanderbilt University,

Peabody College, in Nashville, Tennessee, Ms. Berkes has taught 5th Grade Geography and 7th and 8th

Grade American History.  During her time in Nashville, Ms. Berkes coached girls’ lacrosse and worked with

children with special needs as part of a volunteer position with Top Soccer.

Mindy Blakney   Math ProceduresTeacher

Mindy Blakney joins Bedford Stuyvesant Collegiate as our 5th Grade Math Procedures teacher.  Before

joining BSC, Ms. Blakney received her undergraduate degree at Oberlin College and spent the next two

years in Shanxi, China, as an English Teacher.  Ms. Blakney returned to the United States to teach 7th

Grade Math in the South Bronx through Teach For America and holds a Master’s degree from Pace University.

Porsche Cox   Special Education Coordinator/Teacher

Porsche Cox comes to BSC as our Special Education Teacher/Coordinator.  Prior to this role, Ms. Cox served as the Lead Special Education Teacher at the Brooklyn Transition Center.  Ms. Cox received her undergraduate degree from Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL, and a Master’s of Science in Education with a concentration in Special Education from the College of Staten Island.  Ms. Cox is currently pursuing her Master’s in Education at Teachers College, with a concentration in Educational Leadership.

Melissa D'Agostino   Director of Operations

Prior to helping found Bedford Stuyvesant Collegiate, Ms. D’Agostino received her MBA from Columbia Business School.  She previously worked as an Associate in the risk management group at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, and then joined the NYC Teaching Fellows program through which she taught middle school math in Washington Heights for three years.  Ms. D’Agostino holds a B.A. in Economics from Wesleyan University and a Master’s of Science degree in Education from the City College of New York.

Ryan Frailich   Math Problem Solving Teacher

Ryan Frailich joins Bedford Stuyvesant Collegiate as our 5th Grade Math Problem Solving teacher.  Mr. Frailich began his teaching career in Shelby, Mississippi as a 4th Grade Science and Social Studies teacher through Teach for America where he also served as the coach for the junior varsity football team of a local high school.  Mr. Frailich received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Minnesota.

Pamela Guelpa   Office Manager

Pamela Guelpa comes to BSC as the Office Manager.  Ms. Guelpa is a graduate from SUNY College at Fredonia, where she received her B.A. in English.  Prior to joining Bedford Stuyvesant Collegiate, Ms. Guelpa worked as a data specialist for the donor relations department at Yeshiva University in New York City. 

Mabel Lajes-Guiteras   Principal

Founding Principal Mabel Lajes-Guiteras has most recently been a founding Literacy Teacher and Chair of the Literacy Department at Boston Preparatory Charter Public School, which opened in 2004-05.  In 2007 and 2008, her students were ranked second out of all districts statewide on the 8th grade English Language Arts state exam.  Previously she taught high school English in West Nyack, NY, served as Curriculum Director at Exploration Summer Programs, and taught literacy at Roxbury Preparatory Charter Public School.  She is a graduate of Amherst College where she majored in Psychology and Theater and Dance.  She earned a Master’s degree in Educational Theatre and English at New York University.

Kristin Mays   Science Teacher

Kristin Mays joins Bedford Stuyvesant Collegiate as a 5th Grade Science teacher.  Prior to working at BSC, Ms. Mays taught 6th Grade Science at Sunset Park Prep in Brooklyn, NY and served as School and Regional Team Leader as part of the Teach for America program.  Ms. Mays received her B.A. from Northwestern University and is completing her Master’s Degree at Bank Street College of Education.

Jennifer McCormick   Reading Teacher

Jennifer McCormick joins BSC as a 5th Grade Reading Teacher.  After earning her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., Ms. McCormick taught 7th and 8th Grade English at Gompers Middle School in Watts, California as a part of the Teach for America program.  Prior to her employment with BSC, Ms. McCormick managed future classroom leaders for the Greater Philadelphia-Camden division of Teach for America.

Brett Peiser   Founder

As Managing Director of Collegiate Charter Schools, an Uncommon Schools network of middle and high schools in Brooklyn, Brett Peiser is the Founder of Williamsburg Collegiate, Kings Collegiate, and Bedford Stuyvesant Collegiate Charter Schools.  From 1998 to 2005, Mr. Peiser was the Founder, Principal, and Executive Director of Boston Collegiate Charter School, a college preparatory middle and high school serving 450 students.  Prior to this, Mr. Peiser taught History at Midwood High School in New York City.  Mr. Peiser received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University and a Master of Public Policy degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. 

Thomas Rochowicz   Writing Teacher

Thomas Rochowicz comes to Bedford Stuyvesant Collegiate as our Writing Teacher.  Prior to his employment at BSC, Mr. Rochowicz worked for Teach For America as a specialist in the Alumni Engagement department and was a 9th grade writing instructor for the Legal Outreach Program.  Mr. Rochowicz received his B.A. from Boston College and his Master’s Degree from Fordham University in the Bronx.

Jessica Wagner   Special Projects Coordinator

Jessica Wagner joins BSC as the Special Projects Coordinator.  Before joining BSC, Ms. Wagner worked with City Year New York as a service leader in P.S. 308 in Bedford Stuyvesant.  Ms. Wagner is a graduate of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, where she received her B.A. in Educational Studies and Anthropology.