Meet Our Team

Deborah Coates, President

Michael Weinick, Vice President

Susan Bergtraum

Lawrence Greenstein

Michael A. Jaime

Martin R. Kaye

Fran N. Langsner

Robert “B.A.” Schoen

Larry J Leaven, District Superintendent/Chief Executive Officer

James R. Widmer, Deputy Superintendent/Chief Operating Officer

Anthony N. Fierro, Chief Administrator of Facilities Services and Capital Projects

Susan Maddi, Assistant Superintendent for Business Services

Dr. Sam Gergis, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and Education Management/RSIP

Susan McNulty, Assistant Superintendent for Special Education/Curriculum & Instruction

Judith A. Hynes, Associate Director

Samuel McAleese, Interim Assistant Director

Dr. Peter J. Dalton, Workforce Development

Ms. Stencel lives in St. James and has three sons. She graduated with a BA in Political Science and a MA in Foundations of Education and Policy Studies from Hofstra University. She also holds a Masters in School Counseling from Long Island University. She has been part of the LIHSA team for 6 years. She has over a decade of experience working with higher education in both admissions and the student activities offices. A fun fact about Ms. Stencel is that she competed within both the Miss America and Miss USA organizations. She is inspired by seeing people put in hard work and learning from others who are passionate about what they do. 

Miss Collard graduated from Farmingdale State College in 2019 with her bachelor’s degree in Sociology and pursued her master’s degree in Social Work at Long Island University. She graduated with her masters in 2022, making her job at LIHSA her first full time social worker position. She is passionate about helping students feel comfortable within themselves, and helping students advocate for themselves and their mental health. In her spare time, Miss Collard loves to go to the beach, hang out with friends, and read. She is also training for a half marathon in the fall, so she also enjoys running in her free time. 

Geraldine “Ger” Kearns has 41 years of experience in the nursing profession. She herself is a Nassau BOCES graduate, attending the BOCES Practical Nursing Program in her junior & senior high school years! Her work in the nursing field started early in her high school years working in geriatric care facilities.

Ger then enlisted in the United States Air Force served 4 years stationed at several Air Force bases first in the Adirondacks, next in South Korea & last in California. She was honorably discharged & moved to Arizona & continued working in various fields of nursing, including an alcohol & drug treatment center, geriatric extended care & home care.

Moving back to her home state, New York after 7 years in Arizona, Ger worked in a geriatric extended care facility & later she continued her education & became a Registered Nurse. Ger has worked with NUMC, Stony Brook Hospital, Northport VA Medical Center in various fields of nursing; multiple Clinical Specialties, Psychiatry/ inpatient & outpatient, Ventilator & Respiratory care, Medicine, Surgical, Neurology, Correctional Facilities & Department of Health/Covid Case investigations. Last year she started working for BOCES at Willet Avenue Elementary & Robert Williams Middle School Special Education.

When she’s not working, Ger enjoys spending time with her husband, mom, adult son & daughter along with their dogs & spouses. She has been a lover and owner of rescue dogs since childhood. Ger enjoys going to dances with her husband & biking in parks. She has had her own musical hobby of playing bagpipes not so much anymore but started 27 years ago with a marching band performing with them in various community events.

Since joining LIHSA in 1995, Jerry has served as a teacher, mentor, guide, cheerleader, and so much more to three decades of performing and media arts students.
Jerry has drummed in just about every musical style and configuration: symphonic orchestras, jazz big bands, jazz combos, regional theater pits, pop and wedding bands, ballroom dance music, studio recording sessions, and countless times on LIHSA’s stage in support of school performances.
His role at LIHSA continues to evolve. For the past 3 years he has been the attendance coordinator, technology & student support, assisted with admissions for the summer arts program, assists with admissions for the academic school year, edits performance videos, updates portions of the LIHSA website, chaperones outside of school performance, and works behind the scenes in many ways to support the school.

Natalie has over 20 years’ experience performing and teaching dance to students of all ages. She earned her B.F.A. in Modern Dance from the University of Utah. From there her wanderlust took her to Anchorage, AK where she danced for Alaska Dance Theatre and Anchorage Opera. She was an adjunct professor at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, and taught Modern and Ballet to students in the Theater and Dance Department. Shortly after arriving in NYC, she co-founded Notes in Motion. Upon receiving her M.S.Ed. from Queens College, she spent ten years in the New York City Department of Education at Mark Twain School for the Gifted and Talented. Natalie is also a certified Physical Education teacher.

L’aura earned her B.F.A. in Dance from Marymount Manhattan College and is a graduate of Long Island High School for the Arts. She studied under the direction of Broadway stars: Elizabeth Parkinson, Scott Wise, Mary Ann Lamb and numerous others. She has performed in works by Jeff Shade, Larry Keigwin, Mark Morris, Pascal Rioult, Twyla Tharp and Cherice Barton. She is a member of Yellow Brick Road Theatrical INC, Mad Cap Dance Company and is the lead choreographer for CPSM at Queens College.

Chris Brick is a graduate of Pace University’s B.F.A in Musical Theater where he minored in Dance. Chris grew up on Long Island and has been performing from an early age. Off-Broadway credits include Ensemble in Chautauqua! (The Public Theater) and originating the role of Anthony in Judy & Me (St. Luke’s Theater). National tours include Jojo in Seussical directed by Tony-nominee Marcia Milgrom Dodge. Some regional credits include Barnaby in Hello, Dolly! (Maltz Jupiter Theater) starring television and Broadway notables Vicki Lewis and Gary Beach, Robertson Ay in Mary Poppins (Kansas City Starlight) and Freddie in The Will Rogers Follies (Gateway Playhouse). Workshops and Readings include Frederick in Admissions, Nibs in Darling and George McFly in a musical adaptation of Back to the Future. Other credits include Chip in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Emcee in Cabaret, Arpad in She Loves Me and Alan in Bare. Chris has choreographed productions of Cats, In the Heights, Hairspray, You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown, The Wild Party and Little Shop of Horrors. He has taught numerous dance workshops and masterclasses over the past 10 years. Chris is a member of Actors Equity Association

Kimberly holds an M.A. in Vocal Performance with a concentration in Musical Theatre from New York University and a B.A. in Music Education from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, where she studied Voice and Piano and minored in Drama/Theatre. Kim’s recent NYC theatre credits include: Wendy in The G69 Triple X-treme Oscillator (Finalist in the Riant Theatre Strawberry Festival, NYC), Archon in the new musical Float (at the Dream Up Festival/Theater for the New City), Enid in F.F. of America (at the Riant Theatre Strawberry Festival), Miss Bunny in the new musical Molly Bloom-Lately (at the New York Children’s Theatre Festival), Claire Simmonds in Bare: A Pop Opera at The York Theatre and Eurydice in Antigone with The Storm Theatre Company. Kim performed the role of Sarah Lincoln in the off-Broadway musical Honestly Abe at the Actor’s Temple Theatre in NYC.

As LIHSA’s longest-serving staff member, this is Francis’ 32nd year at LIHSA (Long Island High School for the Arts). Francis earned a B.A. in Music from Queens College, a performance degree from The Julliard School of Music, and an M.S. from St. John’s University. Regionally, he has musically directed Broadway musicals such as West Side Story, Godspell, The Lightning Thief, and Anything Goes.

Additionally, he has performed with Cabaret groups and solo featured performers at Don’t Tell Mama, 54 Below, and The Cinema Arts Center. Most nights Francis can be found doing what he loves—playing. As a pianist, Francis has performed with various bands and ensembles in many locales—from local pubs to Carnegie Hall. Francis typically spends 200 nights a year performing.

An in-demand vocal accompanist, with perfect pitch, he boasts a large repertoire of music from the Great American Songbook and Broadway music. His keyboard knowledge, strong technical skill, affable personality, and warm disposition make him a favorite with his fellow musicians.

It is noteworthy to mention that Mr. Lees is the son of Francis Lees Sr., who has been an Economics professor at St John’s University, and Fordham University. As the Chairman of the department for many years, Francis senior bestowed an avid interest in Economics, fostered in many thought-provoking conversations over the years.

Alex studied Jazz/Commercial Music and Audio Engineering at Five Towns College. He graduated with honors and received the departmental award for his major. This education helped Alex acquire the skills, knowledge, and experience to write, arrange, perform, and record music. This versatility has helped him become marketable in the competitive music industry. Alex also received a master’s degree in jazz guitar performance from Five Towns College and an advanced certificate in music education from Brooklyn College. He was showcased at the 2018 Jazz Education Network convention in Dallas, TX performing in the jazz guitar ensemble.

After teaching music production at The Academy for Language and Technology, Alex was invited to join the LIHSA team in the Sonic Arts Department. When he is not teaching at LIHSA, Alex performs around Long Island and Manhattan, instructs private music lessons, and produces music. He is also an Adobe Certified Professional in graphic and video design. It is Alex’s goal to draw upon all of his experience in the industry to create engaging lessons that focus on real-world applications to provide students an opportunity to practice the skills needed to be marketable in their future industries.

As a proud graduate of Barry Tech High School, I bring a strong foundation in Visual Arts and Graphic Design, with training in traditional disciplines such as painting and drawing, as well as corporate communication and digital media. I am proficient in Adobe Creative Cloud, including Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, and Lightroom, among other tools. Additionally, I received my BT in Visual Communications: Art and Graphic Design from Farmingdale State College.  

My professional experience spans wedding photography, user-centered design, and developing impactful visual communications across both print and digital platforms. Having collaborated with studios and agencies throughout Long Island and New York City, I am dedicated to creating engaging, hands-on lessons that inspire students and prepare them with the skills and knowledge I have cultivated throughout my career, beginning right here in these very classrooms.

Born in Poland, raised in Queens & then later Long Island, Chris studied Digital Arts in the Media Study Department at University of Buffalo’s Centre for the Arts, with a concentration in 3D Animation. After working as a 3D Animator and creating post-production works in commercial video and television production, Chris was asked to teach a college course in 3D Modeling and had a “teaching moment” and realized he wanted to pursue education full-time. He went back to graduate school and earned a Master of Arts in Arts Education and worked as an adjunct professor teaching art and animation.

Chris is a chair of the SkillsUSA 3-D Visualization Competition in Syracuse, NY, where his students have won multiple “best in shows” at the Long Media Art Show and recognition at SkillsUSA state and national competitions. His past students have received multiple scholarships from the work they have done in school.

Chris holds career and technical teaching licenses as well as administrative licenses and teaches animation courses at Nassau Community College, Briarcliff College, and the NYFA.

Michael has 20 years of experience teaching Microsoft, Adobe, Web and Graphics Design, and Computer Science courses. He has earned A+ certification, which has allowed him to incorporate computer fundamentals such as installing software into computers as well as building them into his teaching.

Robyn holds a master’s degree in Instructional Education and decades of experience in photography, radio, film, and TV including ABC-TV in New York City.

Rachel Ferrara is a SUNY New Paltz graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. A lifelong lover of the arts, Rachel has explored everything from photography and painting to sound design and stage crew work. She loves spending her free time surrounded by nature, caring for her pets, gardening, collecting vinyl records, and searching for hidden gems at thrift and antique shops. At LIHSA, Rachel is constantly inspired by the creativity and dedication of the students and faculty. She feels lucky to be part of a community that celebrates individuality and encourages students to dream big through the arts. 

Jessica Hancock is a certified Theatre Education P–12 teacher with a passion for inspiring creativity and confidence in young performers. She earned her Master’s degree in Theatre Education from Adelphi University in 2024. She also graduated as Salutatorian from Five Towns College in 2019 with a BFA in Theatre Arts, concentrating in Musical Theatre. Jessica spends her evenings and weekends teaching theatre, dance and private voice lessons to young performers on Long Island. She has directed and choreographed a variety of Kids musicals including: 101 Dalmatians, Winnie the Pooh, Finding Nemo, Frozen, Annie, Seussical and more. When not teaching, Jessica enjoys performing with some of her favorite credits including Tabatha/Cheshire Cat (Alice by Heart), Nan (Exit, Pursued by a Bear), and Annie (Silent Sky.)

Ms. Z is a proud two time Hofstra graduate who recieved her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Marketing and Entrepreneurship and Masters in Education with a concentration in Business with a Work Based Learning extension and has her School Building Leadership certification as well. Previously she had worked in the DOE for almost four years and has brought her passion for her work a bit closer to home. She is very thrilled to be here, supporting teachers in creating opportunities for students to gain exposure to real-world experiences tailored to their post-secondary plans to recieve a CTE endorsed high school diploma. In her free time, Ms. Z loves to travel, read, and do anything that is hands-on and creative. She is also a huge adrenaline junky who has gone sky-diving and ziplining on the world’s steepest zipline. Stop by the main office and say Hello!