New Faculty & Staff

Jesse Bobbit | Middle and Upper School Performing Arts
Ms. Bobbitt earned a bachelor’s degree in music education, summa cum laude, from Baldwin Wallace University. Most recently, she served as the Grades 5-12 choral director for Kirtland Local Schools, where she directed five choral ensembles, taught music classes, and led student groups to first-place honors at regional festivals. Previously, Ms. Bobbitt worked at Elyria High School as a long-term assistant choral director substitute and student teacher, leading ensembles and assisting with OMEA adjudicated events. Ms. Bobbitt also served as a soprano section leader for the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory Summer Institute and Lakewood Congregational Church.

Rose Brienza | Middle School Mathematics and Science
Ms. Brienza joins Laurel after serving as a 7th grade science teacher at New Prairie Middle School in Indiana, where she also coached the Spell Bowl team. Also in Indiana, she completed student teaching in AP Physics and Chemistry at Penn High School and gained classroom field experience at John Adams High School. Her background also includes serving as a physics tutor and a Neuhoff Scholar physics researcher at Saint Mary’s College. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Physics and Secondary Education, with minors in math and chemistry, from Saint Mary’s College.

Dr. Yvette Brown | Associate Director of Upper School
Dr. Brown earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Spelman College, her master’s in education from the University of Michigan, and her doctorate in urban education from Cleveland State University. Most recently, she served as an academic action team coach and school principal for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, where she provided strategic and instructional leadership and led her school to win the Ohio Department of Education’s Momentum Award. Previously, Dr. Brown worked as a mathematics teacher in the Richmond Heights Local School District, Warrensville Heights City Schools, and the Cleveland Municipal School District, where she also served as mathematics manager.

Kristin Callender | Upper School English
Ms. Callender holds a bachelor's degree in English and education from Miami University, a master's in education from Ashland University, and a master's in English from Cleveland State University. Most recently, she spent over 15 years at Mentor High School teaching AP Literature, CCP College Composition, and English courses while advising student clubs and developing curriculum. Prior to her time at Mentor High School, she taught English Language Arts at Swanson Middle School in Virginia and American and British Literature at Madison High School.

Mackenzie Callow | Early Learner Teacher
Ms. Callow comes to Laurel having most recently served as a Horvitz YouthAbility Intern with the Jewish Family Service Association (JFSA) of Cleveland. In that role, she mentored young adults with developmental disabilities and guided participants through life skills development, volunteer work, and music therapy. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from Ursuline College, where she was recognized on both the President’s and Dean’s Lists.

Jennifer Cenkus | Primary School Music Teacher
Ms. Cenkus earned her bachelor’s degree in music education with honors from Bowling Green State University. Most recently, she served as a music teacher at Ratner Montessori School, where she developed instrumental and general music curricula, directed multi-grade performances, and acted as a liaison to the Ohio Department of Education. Prior to that role, she worked at The Agnon School, where she established and implemented a new instrumental music and band program for Grades 5-8 and organized student public performances.

Patricia Emser | Butler Physical Education Teacher | Middle School Swim Coach
Ms. Emser earned a bachelor’s degree in community health education from Kent State University and a master’s in adult learning and development from Cleveland State University. Most recently, she worked as a long-term substitute in health and social emotional learning (SEL) for the Bedford School District and as a substitute teacher at Laurel. Prior to that, she served as a general substitute and long-term physical education substitute teacher in the Orange School District. Her previous experience also includes roles as a private aquatics instructor for Swim Cleveland, owner of Tranquil Roots, and a marketing and communications professional at United States Warranty Corporation.

Hallie Fried | Middle School Humanities
Ms. Fried earned her bachelor’s degree in international development and Spanish from The Ohio State University and her master’s in secondary education from the University of Michigan. Most recently, she taught history and English at Columbus Torah Academy, where she designed interdisciplinary curricula for seventh grade through AP U.S. History and advised the Student Council. Previously, Ms. Fried served as a student teacher at Scarlett Middle School in Michigan and worked as a library project collaborator with the Bexley Public Library, developing cultural storytelling programs for elementary and middle school students.

Jennifer Griesmer | Early Learner Teacher
Ms. Griesmer earned an associate degree in early childhood education from Lakeland Community College and a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Cleveland State University. Most recently, she served as an infant, two’s, and extended day pre-k sign language teacher at Hathaway Brown School. Previously, Ms. Griesmer worked as a structured language classroom assistant at Lake Elementary in Mentor, Ohio, and as a lead toddler teacher at The Early Childhood Enrichment Center in Shaker Heights.

Erik Gross | Upper School History
Mr. Gross earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Boston College, a master’s degree in teaching summa cum laude from Miami University, a paralegal certificate from Boston University, and he is currently pursuing an M.B.A. at John Carroll University. Most recently, he taught high school history and economics at Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School. Previously, Mr. Gross worked as a student teacher and baseball coach at Talawanda High School, a graduate teaching assistant at Miami University, a paralegal at Sugarman and Sugarman, P.C., and a curriculum designer for organizations such as the Bill of Rights Institute, PBS NewsHour Classroom, and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute.

Iwanda Huggins | Grades 3-5 Math Strategist
Ms. Huggins earned her bachelor’s degree in education from Baldwin-Wallace College and her master’s in education from John Carroll University. She is a familiar face to our Butler students as she worked with students and teachers in Grades 3-5 last year. Before coming to Laurel, she served as an assistant principal for the Twinsburg City School District. Prior to that role, she worked in the Bedford City School District as a special education supervisor as well as a building principal.

Lindsey Hutchinson | Early Learner Teacher Assistant
Ms. Hutchinson brings over 15 years of experience in client advocacy, operations, and community leadership, with a strong dedication to supporting young children and families. Most recently, she served as an American Red Cross caseworker, where she provided compassionate, trauma-informed support and crisis relief to families. Her prior experience includes working as a licensed real estate agent and marketing manager at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, an office operations manager for Rivere, LLC, and President of the University School Parent Association. She earned an associate degree from Lakeland Community College and a bachelor’s degree in social work from Cleveland State University.

Leah Kirkpatrick | Upper School Psychologist
Ms. Kirkpatrick earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from DePaul University, an Education Specialist degree in school psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, and an Ohio Principal License from Cleveland State University. Most recently, she served as a board certified behavior analyst for Passcode to Parenting. Previously, she worked in the West Geauga Local School District as a lead school psychologist, BCBA, district PBIS coach, and summer school principal. She also served as a behavior analyst and district services coach for the Northern Suburban Special Education District in Illinois.

Michelle Leizman | Upper School Science
Ms. Leizman is a familiar face at Laurel as she taught Biology at Laurel during the 2025-2026 school year. She has extensive experience in science education, research, and curriculum development. She has taught AP Biology and K-Grade 5 science at Hawken School, served as a K-Grade 12 STEM teacher leader and coach in the Brecksville-Broadview Heights schools, taught AP and general biology in the Beachwood School District, and worked as a researcher and lab supervisor at Duke University and Case Western Reserve University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Virginia Tech and her master’s degree from John Carroll University.

Emma Levine | Early Learner Assistant Teacher
Ms. Levine earned her bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from The Ohio State University and completed coursework at Brooklyn Law School. For over a decade, she served as a private home-based nanny, educator and youth tutor, designing individualized educational activities and supporting children’s social-emotional development. She has also provided early childhood care at Burn Boot Camp, served as head counselor at Camp Gan Izzy, and coached youth cheerleading. Additionally, Ms. Levine gained valuable administrative and advocacy experience in the legal sector as a legal assistant, junior paralegal, and legal intern.

Sophia McCauley | Fellowship Program Student
Ms. McCauley joins Laurel after serving as a resident advisor at Ohio University. Her background includes work as an intern at the Mahn Center Archives. An accomplished student writer, she has published three entries in the ArchiveSpace database, an archives blog post, and non-fiction work in literary student magazines. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in English in Creative Writing, Literature, and Culture from Ohio University and is currently pursuing a Master of Education at John Carroll University.

Lily O’Brien | Social Media and Communications Coordinator
Ms. O’Brien joins Laurel from Great Lakes Brewing Company, where she served as a Marketing Communications Specialist. Her background includes experience as a STEM Program Coordinator for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio and work as a multidisciplinary freelance consultant specializing in content design, strategy, and media production. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and Peace & Justice, with minors in Humanities and Astrophysics, graduating magna cum laude from Villanova University.

Keagan O’Mara | Director of Digital Learning and Innovation
Mr. O'Mara earned his bachelor’s degree in art education from Kent State University. Most recently, he taught visual art to pre-K through eighth-grade students in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, where he integrated STEM concepts into his lessons. Previously, he served as the Innovation Lab Director at The Seven Hills School in Cincinnati, a production supervisor at Swagelok Company, an art integration specialist and bioengineering teacher at Bio-Med Science Academy, and an art teacher for Gwinnett County Public Schools.

Katie Seidel | Assistant Director of Enrollment + Head Lacrosse Coach
Ms. Seidel earned her bachelor’s degree from Lynchburg College, where she also played DIII lacrosse, and her master’s in educational leadership from the University of Mount Union. Most recently, she served as the assistant director for athletic recruitment and development at the University of Mount Union. Previously, she worked as a customer success manager for CampusESP, an admission counselor at the University of Mount Union, an assistant women’s lacrosse coach at the University of Akron, and an assistant women’s lacrosse coach at the University of Mount Union. Outside of Laurel, Ms. Seidel also coaches for NEOLAX.

Denisha Sharp | Early Learner Assistant Teacher
Ms. Sharp has experience in customer service, management, and mentoring. We are excited to welcome this familiar face to the Early Childhood School as she originally came to Laurel with the Dining Services team and quickly asked to spend more time with our students. She joined the After School at Laurel team last year, and then worked with Summer at Laurel most recently.

Evey Steiger | Middle School Physical Education
Ms. Steiger earned her bachelor’s degree in sport science-coaching education, summa cum laude, from The University of Akron. Most recently, she served as a sports supervisor and counselor at Solon Chabad, running intercamp sports leagues and creating daily physical activities for campers. Simultaneously, she worked as a music assistant and athletics coach at Ratner Montessori School. Her previous experience includes roles as a lead physical education teacher at Fuchs Mizrachi School, a fleet feet outfitter, and an assistant physical education teacher and coach at Ratner Montessori School.

Vanessa Stevens | Athletics Sports Information Coordinator | Assistant Soccer & Lacrosse Coach
Ms. Stevens earned her bachelor’s degree in communications with a concentration in digital media and a minor in leadership development from John Carroll University. Most recently, she interned in Laurel’s Athletics Department helping with social media and other sports data management. While at JCU, she played lacrosse and served as a sports information student worker for John Carroll University Athletics, supporting media operations, managing real-time event coverage, and writing real-time recaps. Her previous experience includes serving as a social media coordination intern for Shootout For Soldiers and completing a sports, active lifestyle, and outdoor recreation internship with The Bay Club Company in San Francisco.

Victoria Hidalgo Vargas | Upper School Spanish
Ms. Hidalgo Vargas joins Laurel after serving as a translation and localization specialist at Stern Ingredients and as a graduate teaching assistant at Ohio University, where she taught beginner-level Spanish courses. Her prior experience includes working as an online ESL tutor for GoStudent and as a communicative English teaching assistant at Universidad San Sebastián in Chile. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English teaching pedagogy from Universidad San Sebastián and holds a master’s degree in Spanish from Ohio University, where she is also completing a master’s degree in applied linguistics.

Kenna Zeigler | Fellowship Program Student
Ms. Zeigler earned a bachelor’s degree in advocacy and social change from Loyola University Chicago and a master’s degree in education from John Carroll University. Most recently, she served as an AmeriCorps VISTA program assistant at the Center for Arts Inspired Learning, where she coordinated art-integrated educational programs and created community partnerships. Her previous experience includes roles as a cafe server at Ground Up Chicago, a development and database intern at PAWS Chicago, an AmeriCorps member at Chicago HOPES For Kids, and a point of sales associate at Urban Kayaks.