Administration, Faculty & Staff

Beyond Newark Academy, Mr. Austin served as President of the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools from 2012-2014 and is currently a member of the national Country Day Schools Headmasters’ Association.

Prior to joining Newark Academy, Mr. Austin served as Resident Director of the School Year Abroad in Rennes, France. From 1985-2000, Mr. Austin held a variety of teaching and administrative posts at the Collegiate School in New York, including service as Chair of the Department of Foreign Languages, Dean of Students, Coordinator of International Programs and Chair of Collegiate’s Honor Committee.

Dr. Catherine “Cathy” Atwell joined Newark Academy as Upper School Principal in July 2022. Prior to NA, Dr. Atwell taught and served in a variety of administrative capacities at the Marlborough School in Los Angeles, most recently as the Dean of Student Research and Head of Marlborough’s Honors Research in Humanities and Social Sciences program. 

 

At Marlborough since 2004, Cathy has also taught world history, economics, global studies and a wide range of electives emphasizing interdisciplinary learning and connections to current events. Cathy has also served as the 11th Grade Dean and Department Head for history and social sciences. In 2018, she was recognized by Honored, a non-profit organization dedicated to spotlighting the role that teachers can play in transforming students’ lives.

 

Cathy graduated from Dartmouth College, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, with a B.A. in Russian area studies. While in college, she traveled to Russia twice, the second time as part of the first U.S.-Soviet undergraduate exchange. She earned an M.A. in history from Stanford University, conducting archival research in Russia for approximately 18 months. Cathy has also lived in Kenya, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom. In 2018, she completed her doctorate in International Education at the University of Southern California, writing her dissertation on the benefits of implementing the International Baccalaureate (IB) program for critical thinking instruction in humanities and social studies in Saudi Arabia.

Nancy Celente joined the Newark Academy faculty in 1987 as a member of the Science Department. Ms. Celente has taught Middle School science, biology, anatomy and physiology and currently teaches IB Biology. Her educational philosophy of student-centered instruction, experiential learning and establishing a positive classroom environment have been the hallmark of her science classes for more than three decades. Ms. Celente served as Chair of the Science Department from 2005-2017. Under her leadership, the department expanded their series of electives, committed to IB science instruction and focused on lab experiences for all levels of classes. She helped to design and expand the science laboratories on campus with state-of-the-art equipment and large spaces for individual experimentation.

Ms. Celente served as the STEM Coordinator at the school, seeking out and connecting Newark Academy students to guest speakers, field trips and summer internships to nurture their interest in all STEM related fields. In this role, Ms. Celente encouraged and advised students as they published the inaugural edition of Newark Academy’s STEM journal, Wavelengths.

Ms. Celente has also served as a grade coordinator, advisor and member of the Honor Council, connecting with students in all areas of school life. She was recognized with the Lynham Chair Award for exemplary teaching and interest in the personal development of her students. She is the advisor of multiple clubs on campus. They include: Supporting Women in STEM, Newark Anatomy and STEM Journal. In addition, Ms. Celente is a member of the Cum Laude society.

After serving as an Assistant Director of Summer Session for many years, Ms. Celente stepped into the role of Director of Summer Programs in 2020. She works closely with the administrative team to support and mentor more than 70 faculty members and offer innovative and inspiring programs for more than 1,000 students.

Bringing with her over 25 years of experience in a wide variety of fields, including law, business and non-profit management, and education, Rochelle Edwards joined NA in 2018. She stepped into the role of Humanities Department Chair in 2019 and Upper School Equity Inclusion Coordinator in 2020. In addition to these roles, Rochelle is a faculty advisor to the School Council and Black Student Union.  

Prior to joining NA, Rochelle worked as a general litigation and labor and employment attorney for a major international law firm in Chicago, IL. Wanting to renew her passion for teaching and learning, Rochelle left legal practice in 2010 to pursue her doctoral degree. While attending graduate school at the University of South Carolina, Rochelle served on the policy council of Vital Connections of the Midlands, a local non-profit agency, and later became the organization’s Family Advocate/ERSEA/Male Involvement Manager. In 2016, she was awarded a Bridge Humanities Fellowship at the University South Carolina where she taught a course on the connections between ethical theory, social advocacy and civil discourse called Social Advocacy and Ethical Life. In 2017, she was named the Ann Plato Fellow in Law and Public Policy at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. While at Trinity, Rochelle continued to teach Social Advocacy and Ethical Life, as well as a course on poverty law.  

Rochelle holds a B.A. in history from Rice University, a J.D. from Ohio Northern University, and is a Ph.D. candidate in history at the University of South Carolina. She is working to complete her dissertation, which explores the legal and social construction of race in 19th century South Carolina. She currently teaches A.P. U.S History, Modern World History, Social Advocacy and Ethical Leadership, and Sociology of Race.  

Starting as an English teacher at NA in 1981, Ms. Galvin has taught or guest-taught at every grade level. Thanks to her expertise, Newark Academy added art history as a subject in 1989, a course which she has consistently taught along with Advanced Placement (AP) Art History nearly every year. During her career at NA, Ms. Galvin has been recognized with the Ripps Teaching Award for encouragement of students’ personal and academic growth.

In addition to his duties in business and finance, Mr. Goldfischer teaches a senior-level elective series in Holocaust/Genocide Studies and Economics/Personal Finance, and is liaison and facilitator to the Student Endowment Committee. He is a past board member of National Business Officers Association (NBOA) and is an active member of the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools (NJAIS), serving on the NJAIS Audit Committee and on numerous NJAIS accreditation committees. He is also a recipient of the 2015 Will Hancock Unsung Hero Award, which is given to business officers who have made extraordinary contributions to their schools.

Beyond his Director of Technology role, Mr. Kapferer is an Upper School advisor and has coached several athletic teams including varsity baseball, varsity cross country and Middle School cross country.

As Newark Academy’s Director of Athletics, Seth Lieberman leads the entire Minutemen Athletics program, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Upper School’s 24 programs in 15 different interscholastic sports, as well as the Middle School athletic program.

 

Prior to NA, Seth worked as the Director of Athletics, Health and Wellness at the Barrie School in Bethesda, Md. and was named the 2022 Maryland District 2A Athletic Director of the Year. He also previously held the position of Director of Athletics at Saint Mary's School in North Carolina, Trinity School in New York City, and the Cannon School in North Carolina.

 

Seth received his B.A., with a double major in geography and sociology, from Clark University in Worcester, Mass., where he was an Academic All-American student-athlete as a swimmer. He has an M.S. in athletic administration from Springfield College, where he was the head coach of the women’s rugby team.

As Chief Advancement Officer, Rose Byron McSween, Ed.D. leads the Office of Institutional Advancement and Newark Academy's upcoming capital campaign.

Rose previously held the position of Executive Director of Development and Centennial Campaign Manager at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business. While at Fordham University, Rose served on the business school and development leadership teams, steered the school’s $75 million Centennial Campaign, and helped the rankings and annual fund participation rate to steadily rise. Rose has also held a number of positions at independent schools, including a role at the start of her career as faculty member and coach at Dwight-Englewood School.

She has a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College, Master in Business Administration from New York University, Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Technology from New York University, and Doctorate in Educational Administration and Leadership from Fordham University.

As a classroom teacher, Ms. Morin has taught Middle School American history, Upper School world and American history, IB history, and the Theory of Knowledge class. She has also served as advisor to the Minuteman (student newspaper) staff and an IB CAS Coordinator. Ms. Morin was Chair of the Design Committee for the Wilf Middle School and has been a member of other key school committees including the Honor Council and the Technology Committee.

Mrs. Mulligan began her career at Newark Academy as Office Manager for the Office of Institutional Advancement. She currently serves as head coach for the boys’ Middle School basketball team and was previously as assistant coach for the girls’ varsity basketball team and the boys’ Middle School tennis team. She frequently chaperones school trips, including the 8th grade Capstone trip to Washington, D.C.

Prior to Newark Academy, Ms. Spooner taught in a coeducational public school and a single gender independent school in Pennsylvania. A firm believer in the value of team experiences, Ms. Spooner has served in a number of position on the Minuteman coaching staff including, head coach of the girls' varsity volleyball team, head coach for girls’ varsity lacrosse, and head and assistant coach for Middle School boys’ tennis and Middle School girls’ field hockey. Currently, she serves as head coach of the Middle School girls’ volleyball team.

A member of the NA faculty since 2008, Jeff Vinikoor was named Director of Studies in 2018. In this position, Jeff is the senior academic leader charged with oversight of the curriculum, development and implementation of academic policies, and leadership of faculty on pedagogy and classroom practices.