A Warm Welcome to New Faculty in Rye Neck
New Faculty in Rye Neck Schools
Aileen Doohan
Psychologist
Daniel Warren School
Ms. Doohan said she is thrilled to be working at the Daniel Warren School for the upcoming year. The Westchester native attended high school in Manhattan and then continued her studies at Fordham University in the Bronx. She graduated from Fairfield University in 2011 receiving a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies and a Masters of Arts degree, both in School Psychology. Last school year, she held two long-term sub positions in Connecticut and New York. Ms. Doohan previously tutored in an after-school program in a Harlem mental health center and worked as a school psychologist in a middle school.
Teresa Moran
Special Education Teaching Assistant
Daniel Warren School
For the past two years, Ms. Moran has been working as a graduate assistant in the Manhattan College Athletic Department while taking graduate classes in Elementary and Special Education. Before that, she worked seasonal jobs in the environmental education field.
Lynn Goldberg
Social Studies
Rye Neck Middle School
In addition to teaching, Mrs. Goldberg has worked as an attorney, professor and mediator. She has taught middle school social studies for six years. She worked as an attorney for the New York City Human Rights Commission, and an adjunct assistant professor of law and social work at Columbia University. She is also certified as a mediator by the NYS Unified Court System. Her son Joshua is a first-year student at Harvard Law School and daughter Laura is a junior at Oberlin College.
Alicia Sokolofsky
Math and Teaching Assistant
Middle and High Schools
Ms. Sokolofsky holds a Bachelor’s degree in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan and a Master’s degree in Secondary Math Education from Manhattanville College. She began her teaching career at Resurrection School in Rye and taught high school math in Brooklyn the last two years.
Mary Ellen Chiera
(not pictured)
Secretary to the Principal
Rye Neck High School
Mrs. Chiera said she’s excited to begin work in her home school district. The Chieras live in Mamaroneck. Their two daughters attend Rye Neck. She previously worked as secretary to the principal of the Pound Ridge Elementary School in the Bedford School District.
Lyda Ely
English Teacher
Rye Neck High School
Ms. Ely has been teaching both high school English and global history in New York City, most recently at Millennium High School near Wall Street. She received her Master’s degree in English Education at Teachers College. She previously worked many years in television as a producer and writer of news documentaries for networks including CNN, ABC, and CBS. Her first independent documentary, “Funny Business,’’ recently aired on WNET.
Catherine Henry
English Teacher
Rye Neck High School
A former New York City prosecutor, Ms. Henry is a graduate of Fairfield University, Boston College Law School and Manhattanville Graduate School of Education. She is certified to teach social studies, as well as English, and has working in schools in Westchester and the Bronx. She also teaches summer courses in mock trial, criminal law, and American legal history for Duke University’s gifted and talented program. After prosecuting crime in the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, Ms. Henry left the field of law to pursue a teaching career.
Dr. Vanessa Taback
Psychologist
Rye Neck High School
Dr. Taback has been a school psychologist for 14 years in a variety of school settings and has worked with an array of age ranges spanning preschool through high school. She enjoys being an integral part of the support services team.
She earned her doctorate in 2005 and is a member of both the NY and National School Psychology Associations. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors hiking, biking, kayaking, skiing, and soccer. She also loves to travel, seeing new places from the perspective of those who live there rather than a tourist. Dr. Taback is looking forward to a wonderful school year.
Robin Elkin
CPSE Chairperson
Special Services Department
Mrs. Elkin received a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Syracuse University and a Master’s in Guidance and Counseling from Hunter College. She retired from the Port Chester-Rye School District, where she was the CPSE chairperson for ten years.
