Cathy currently lives in New York City and is a Department Administrator for Undergraduate Film & Television at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts.
“I joined Doodles Academy because I believe that ever child, in every school, deserves an education which includes art, encourages creativity, and nurtures the imagination.”

Kathleen Elie lives in Queens, NY and has been working in nonprofit finance for 19 years. The majority of her career has been serving in charter schools and education based organizations. Kathleen is currently the CFO at Urban Arts Partnership. 

“I have watched students transform from shy and quiet to confident and engaging in an art class. With a strong art curriculum in schools, children are given the opportunity to find their true selves and use art as a beautiful form of expression.”

Fiana lives in Brooklyn, NY. She began her career in PR, working at global PR agencies like Ketchum and Edelman, and working with a range of Fortune 500 companies and smaller brands including American Heart Association, Dove, IBM, Microsoft, Nokia, and Wendy’s. She also studied Fashion Marketing at Parson’s, and worked in leadership roles for several high profile luxury brands including Givenchy and Saint Laurent, leading sales teams and developing major partnerships with Barneys, Nordstrom, and Neiman Marcus. 

“Arts education has its own intrinsic values. It serves important purposes for students beyond the limited outcomes captured on standardized tests. This is something school leaders shouldn’t lose sight of and thanks to organizations like Doodles Academy, there’s a good chance they won’t.”

Ife Abdus-Salam is an educator and administrator with 15 years of experience in New York City schools, non-profit organizations and cultural institutions. Ife has served as an educator and administrator for a number of organizations including the Studio Museum in Harlem, International Center of Photography, and the New York City Department of Education.

“I am excited at this opportunity to work with Doodles Academy as it keeps me connected to these core facets of my identity as a Visual Art Teacher and Visual artist, and allows me to continue to engage and impact students in their artistic education beyond place in the classroom.

Alyssa lives in Rochester, NY and teaches at Discovery Charter School. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Art Education from Nazareth College. Alyssa has 10 years of experience teaching art education in the K-12 and higher education setting. She is also an active member of the New York State Art Teachers association serving as the Region 2 Co-Chair, Board Representative, Newsletter Design Editor, and District Membership Co-Chair.

“The Doodles art curriculum provides my students an authentic and engaging learning experience.”

Dana has over 20 years of experience as an arts integration specialists and teaching artist in Washington State, USA. She has taught in schools at all levels, teaching art, doing collaborative arts integration work, and teacher training. She has worked with refugee organizations, with learners of English as a Second Language, and lived and worked at the village level in both West Africa and Melanesia. Dana studied Making Thinking Visible concepts through The Graduate School of Education at Harvard University.