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Head of EXPLO Pre-College Programs, Grades 10-12

Creating learning environments that help students find a sense of meaning and purpose has long been Andy’s focus. A scholar/practitioner in the field, Andy’s Master’s thesis in Critical and Creative Thinking from the University of Massachusetts focused on how schools can intentionally build these kinds of environments. Since 2007, Andy has held a variety of senior-level positions at EXPLO — from heading student life programming to overseeing EXPLO’s student advisory program to curriculum development and instructional coaching. He even moves to campus every summer along with his family.

Prior to EXPLO, Andy taught English in several New York public schools, a secondary school in Ghana, and served as literacy headteacher at Kitendo Children’s Charity in Naivasha, Kenya. He earned his B.A. in English and Adolescent Education at the State University of New York, Geneseo. A college varsity swimming career led him to coach high school teams, and he now serves his university alma mater as an Alumni Career Advisor in Education. Andy is the co-founder and co-facilitator of the EXPLO Anti-Racism Reading Group. Andy is an avid woodworker, a distance runner, and recently took up the complex challenge of attempting to coach four year-olds — including his daughter — on the fine art of playing soccer.

Head of EXPLO Senior Programs, Grades 8+9

For over 25 years, Natasha has been helping students and teachers find their voices, examine the richness of the human condition, and find inspiration through the written word. Prior to her work at EXPLO, Natasha was the Department Chair for English Language Arts at Wellesley Middle School, where she served on the School’s Leadership Team and the Academic Council for Wellesley Public Schools. While there, she diversified the curriculum with a myriad of books. She has taught at Moses Brown School, Noble and Greenough School, Northfield Mount Hermon Upward Bound, and University of Massachusetts/Nobles Upward Bound. Her work with students and educators in both public and private schools with diverse student populations ignited her passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion — not only in curriculum building, but also in hiring practices, teacher evaluation, and pedagogy.

Natasha began her EXPLO career as Dean of Students and went on to become Assistant Head before becoming Head of Program. She is a graduate of Bowdoin College, earned her Master’s in Teaching English from Columbia University Teachers College, and earned a second Master’s in Educational Leadership from Endicott College. She is the proud mom of three, a yoga enthusiast, and a passionate and award-winning soup chef.

Head of Programs, EXPLO Junior

Meghan sees her work as creating an environment where each student feels a sense of belonging, and in turn, feels safe and supported in trying new things, taking risks, tackling failure, and expanding their notion of the world and themselves. She feels passionately about EXPLO being a place where students simultaneously feel at home and pushed into new comfort zones, learning about themselves and those around them to create a meaningful community. Meghan started with EXPLO in 2016, has lived on campus for six summers, and has served as Director of Teaching and Learning and Dean of Students at EXPLO’s Senior Program, as well as Dean at the Junior Program. She was the founding chair of EXPLO’s IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Action) Committee.
 
Prior to joining EXPLO, Meghan was Assistant Principal and middle school teacher at St. Mark School in Catonsville, MD where she was awarded the outstanding teacher award by the Catonsville Chamber of Commerce.  Meghan earned her B.A. in Human Development at Washington College with general and departmental honors and her M.A. in Leadership in Teaching from Notre Dame of Maryland. Outside of work, Meghan enjoys swimming a few miles in the pool, keeping up with current events, exploring new cities, and listening to a variety of podcasts and music.