About PEACE

About Us

PEACE relies on the expertise and wisdom of many people. Each person in the PEACE project brings important experience and ideas. We call ourselves a critical community of practice (CCoP) to ensure that our strength comes from:

  • Shared Knowledge that is shaped when we exchange ideas at our monthly CCoP gatherings, our annual institute, and one-to-one dialogue in partnerships. We share ways that the arts can deepen 21st Century Skills (21C), Career, College, & Civic Readiness (CCCR), and Culturally Responsive-Sustaining (CR-S) education.
  • Community that grows over time and encourages participation and willingness to share difficulties, successes, and questions. Our community does not favor any one school district, content area, cultural partner, or artistic discipline. We celebrate hybrid and unique partnerships.
  • Practices that focus on arts-based learning, middle & high-school needs and interests, all of those “C” concepts (21C, CCCR, CR-S), and of course sharing our experiences as novices, experts, local, or global practitioners.

Questioning the power, histories, and privileges that can sometimes limit us from stretching and imagining a better world for many generations to come.

PEACE Staff

The US Department of Education provides funding for administration to ensure the success of our work.

Linda Beckerman
Linda Beckerman

Assistant Director

Loretta Corbisiero-Drakos
Loretta Corbisiero-Drakos

Education Specialist

Isabella Fernanda
Isabella Fernanda

Project Assistant Translator

April Francis-Taylor
April Francis-Taylor

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Specialist

Beth Giacummo
Beth Giacummo

Project Director

Michelle Lopez
Michelle Lopez

Art Therapy Specialist Consultant

Gabriella Manfredi
Gabriella Manfredi

Social/Digital Media Manager

Michael Mastermaker
Michael Mastermaker

Website & Design Consultant

Katherine A. Meade
Katherine A. Meade

Project Manager

Laura Reeder
Laura Reeder

Curriculum Director

Kim Wild
Kim Wild

Website Developer

Joy Zacharia
Joy Zacharia

Project Evaluator

PEACE Educators

Teachers and school personnel work with students every day. They know what is needed to amplify silent voices, to make invisible gifts visible, and to surround individual learners with the best possible resources. Most of our educators work in Suffolk County schools. As PEACE expands, we hope to include experiences from many educators.

Renee Andolina
Renee Andolina

Artist and Educator

Patricia Caracappa
Patricia Caracappa

Spanish Teacher

Lisa Cook
Lisa Cook

Library Media Specialist

Celeste Cruz
Celeste Cruz

Music Educator

Audra Donroe
Audra Donroe

Art Teacher

Kate Finnick
Kate Finnick

Guidance Counselor

Pam Gustafson
Pam Gustafson

Certified School Librarian

Natasha Jeffries
Natasha Jeffries

Education Coordinator

Betsy Kennedy
Betsy Kennedy

English Teacher

Dan Kudreyko
Dan Kudreyko

Visual Artist

Shannon Martin
Shannon Martin

Fashion Designer

Rahana Schmalacker
Rahana Schmalacker

English Teacher

Alexa Toyas
Alexa Toyas

ENL Teacher

Daniela Vargas
Daniela Vargas

ENL Teacher

PEACE Cultural Partners

Teaching artists, museum and gallery experts, community organization staff, and other humanities, science, and cultural practitioners provide essential understanding about the limitless ideas that can be intertwined with school curriculum. Many of our cultural partners live and work on Long Island. As PEACE expands, we will include creative ideas from around the world.

Anu Annam
Anu Annam

Artist, Educator, Curator, and Administrator

Oya Bangura
Oya Bangura

Choreographer

Linda Carlsen
Linda Carlsen

Art Therapist

Andrea Cote
Andrea Cote

Artist and Arts Educator

Oksana Danziger
Oksana Danziger

Freelance Textile Artist

Karen DeMauro
Karen DeMauro

Artistic Director

Adriana Devers
Adriana Devers

Author and Educator

Danielle Marie Fusco
Danielle Marie Fusco

Dance Performer

Robin Gaffney-Holder
Robin Gaffney-Holder

Founder of Neuma International Arts

Jessica Heins
Jessica Heins

Dance Educator

Tracy Todd Hunter
Tracy Todd Hunter

Arts Administrator

Elyzabeth Meade
Elyzabeth Meade

Multi-Media Artist

Elizabeth Mirarchi
Elizabeth Mirarchi

Executive Director

Catherine Oberg
Catherine Oberg

Executive Director

Patricia Paladines
Patricia Paladines

Photographer and Environmental Educator

Moriah Ray-Britt
Moriah Ray-Britt

Visual Artist

Lauren Ruiz
Lauren Ruiz

Multimedia Artist

Denise “Weetahmoe” Silva-Dennis
Denise “Weetahmoe” Silva-Dennis

Multi-Disciplinary Artist and Educator

Jo-Ann Wilson
Jo-Ann Wilson

Licensed Master Social Worker