Staff Directory
Belkis Aponte
Grade 1 Teacher
baponte@geds.org
B.A., Elementary Education, Interamerican University,
Rio Piedras (Puerto Rico)
At Grace Since 2016
Father Dennis Buck
Aftercare Staff
Christine Comas
Director of Innovation; Science & Technology Teacher
ccomas@geds.org
B.A., Environmental Sciences, University of Pittsburgh
M.Ed., Elementary Education, Arcadia University
At Grace Since 2010
Elizabeth Cosby
Grade 3 Teacher
B.A., English and Educational Studies, Dickinson College
M.Ed., Elementary Education, The George Washington University
ecosby@geds.org
At Grace Since 2020
Jennifer Danish
Head of School
jdanish@geds.org
B.A., Philosophy, Bryn Mawr
M.A., English, Middlebury College
At Grace Since 2016
Priya Ghosh
Prekindergarten Teacher
pghosh@geds.org
At Grace Since 2021
Emily Gould
Art Teacher
B.F.A., School of the Art Institute of Chicago
egould@geds.org
At Grace Since 2017
Jennifer Hamilton
Kindergarten Teacher
jhamilton@geds.org
B.S., Family Studies, University of Maryland
At Grace Since 1999
Jenny Hoshaw
Second Grade Teacher
jhoshaw@geds.org
At Grace Since 2021
Kate Kelliher
Assistant Head of School for Academics
kkelliher@geds.org
B.A., American Culture, University of Michigan
M.P.P., Georgetown University
At Grace Since 2016
Melissa Lafionatis
Director of Enrollment and Variable Tuition
mlafionatis@geds.org
B.S., Merchandising, Apparel, and Textiles, University of Kentucky
M.S., Communication Sciences and Disorders, James Madison University
At Grace Since 2018
Luigi LaPietra
Grade 5 Teacher
Llapietra@geds.org
B.A., English, Johns Hopkins University
M.A.T., Elementary Education, Johns Hopkins University
At Grace Since 2012
Kay Madrid
Health and Physical Education Teacher
kmadrid@geds.org
At Grace Since 2021
Marisa Martucci
Spanish Teacher
mmartucci@geds.org
B.A., Early Childhood Education, Normal Nro 1 Alicia Moreau de Justo (Argentina)
At Grace Since 2004
Mariano Mazza
Kindergarten Assistant
mmazza@geds.org
A.A., Teaching (Early Childhood/Special Education), Montgomery College
At Grace Since 2013
Noelle McHugh
Executive Assistant
nmchugh@geds.org
B.A., History, Davidson College
At Grace Since 2015
Amanda Mendez
Music and Movement
amendez@geds.org
B.A., Theater Performance, University of Maryland
90 Hour ECE Certification, Montgomery College
At Grace Since 2020
Jason Murphy
Grade 4 Teacher
jmurphy@geds.org
B.S., University of Maryland Global College
A.S., Mathematics, Montgomery College
At Grace Since 2020
Emily Ovalles
Aftercare Coordinator
eovalles@geds.org
Linda Range
Business Manager
lrange@geds.org
B.B.A., The George Washington University
At Grace Since 2013
Taylor Ray
Director of Learning Support
tray@geds.org
At Grace Since 2021
Chris Saffour
Prekindergarten Assistant
csaffour@geds.org
At Grace Since 2014
Renee Stewart
School Counselor
rstewart@geds.org
B.A., English, Trinity University DC
MSW, Howard University School of Social Work
At Grace Since 2019
Reeves Sturtevant
Preschool Assistant Teacher
rsturtevant@geds.org
At Grace Since 2021
Susan Thon
School Chaplain
sthon@geds.org
A.B., Cornell University
J.D., Cornell University Law School
M.Div., General Theological Seminary
At Grace Since 2017
Karl Vela
Director of Advancement
kvela@geds.org
At Grace Since 2021
Sue Whitaker
Preschool Teacher
swhitaker@geds.org
A.S., Physical Education, Acadia University (Canada)
At Grace Since 2017
Lacie Wooten-Holway
Aftercare Staff