Summer Magic Day Camp

The ArchForKids Team

Janny Gédéon, Co-Founder and Design Facilitator

Janny Gédéon has a B.S. in architecture from the City College of New York and a M.S. in urban planning from Hunter College. In 1997, she participated in a Brooklyn middle school career day. There she was alarmed by the number of students who thought that school was not relevant to their lives. That experience inspired Janny to pursue a career that combined her passions for architecture and teaching. For 20 years, Janny has been a highly regarded Architect-Educator in schools, community centers, and arts organizations throughout the metro NY region. She is also led teacher training workshops under the auspices of the NYC Department of Education, Carnegie Mellon, MIT Museum, the NYC YMCA, and many individual schools in the metro area. Reach her at janny@archforkids.com

Kathryn Slocum, Partner and Executive Director

Kathryn Slocum has more than 25 years of experience as a senior staff member for cultural and educational organizations. Formerly the Director of Development for the Architectural League of New York, she has also worked at the Hudson River Museum, MASS MoCA, Cornell’s Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. In addition, Kathryn serves on the boards of Greater Hudson Heritage Network of Historical Agencies & Museums (GHHN) and Jazz Forum Arts. At ArchForKids, Kathryn handles the finances, marketing/website/social media, contracts and general administration. She can also assist with grants for ArchForKids services. Reach her at kathryn@archforkids.com

Linda Bosco, Senior Educator & Program Manager

Linda Bosco has a MA in Special Education from Manhattanville College and a BA in Elementary & Special Education from SUNY Old Westbury. She worked as a Special Ed teacher for 10 years. For the past 20 years she has been a parent producer for middle school plays/musicals and has run the greenhouse at Chappaqua’s Grafflin Elementary School. She is a board member for theater company KJK Productions, town soccer and Habitat for Humanity. Linda supervises programs in Westchester, Connecticut and other metro areas outside of NYC.

Zoe McWhirter, Director of Marketing and Communications

Zoe grew up in Atlanta and graduated from Tulane University with a BA in Anthropology. Following graduation, she moved to NYC where she was a program assistant for a museum service organization as well as an educator for ArchForKids. In 2018 she moved to Scotland to complete a Masters degree in Human Osteoarchaeology from the University of Edinburgh. Now back in New York, Zoe is thrilled to be a part of the ArchForKids team again. Contact her at zoe@archforkids.com

Nancy Delmerico, Senior Educator

Nancy is a versatile artist with more than 30 years’ experience in graphic design and a lifelong love of photography. Her design work runs the gamut from identity programs to brochures, posters, ads, publishing, exhibit signage and more. In addition, Nancy introduced Art Adventures, a successful artist-in-residence program in Dobbs Ferry. It introduces young children to the beauty and wonders of visual art. She has also served as a Trustee on the Dobbs Ferry Village Board, and volunteers for the Conservation Advisory Board, Architectural Review Board, and Waterfront Committee. Nancy holds a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Annabelle Rolland, Senior Educator

Annabelle studied at Institut Supérieur d’Architecture Saint-Luc in Brussels and is a certified architect in Belgium. She practices architecture in Hastings-on-Hudson and has taught art, design and French over the years. She enjoys both the architectural and the teaching world, as well as how the two feed off of one another. Her design background enables her to see the world differently. She wishes to train others’ eyes in this way so that they notice wonderful packaging, the crazy architecture of a pineapple or the hundred ways there are to build a trivet.

Felicia Walcott, Senior Educator

Felicia was born in Brooklyn and has lived there all her life. With a lifetime love of art and teaching, she completed her B.F.A in Fine Arts at Brooklyn College. She is also a certified ESL teacher. Felicia has a passion for developing children’s love of knowledge through tutoring English as a Second Language and teaching art programs throughout New York City.

Khuumba Ama, Educator

Khuumba was born in Savannah, Georgia. She has been a proud resident of Harlem NY for many years. A multi-media artist whose work has been exhibited internationally, she is also a master Reiki therapist and certified peer counselor. Similar to how she mixes her crafts – painting, photography/film making, design – Khuumba has found unique ways to blend her skills as a teaching artist. In addition to working with young people, she designed a program for seniors with Alzheimer’s and/or dementia. Khuumba was recently elected President of the National Conference of Artists (NCA), New York Chapter. Her motto is Creativity Saves Minds.

Heather Berkowe, Educator

Heather graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design with a BFA in fashion design. She worked as a designer for 10 years before starting two fashion business in childrenswear and women’s activewear. She is a girl scout leader and avid PTA member as well as a Croton village committee member. Heather taught fashion design classes and coordinated and mentored design students in the competitive school competition Fusion Fashion show. She has a passion for art, design, and the facilitation of creativity in young minds.

Madelyn Bergstrom, Assistant Educator

Maddy grew up in Chappaqua. She went to Westchester Community College to become an Emergency Medical Technician. She is a volunteer for the Pleasantville Volunteer Ambulance Corp. Maddy is dedicated to helping people and loves working with young people.

Jasmine Morris, Assistant Educator

Jasmine is a born and raised Harlemite. She is a creative soul with many talents such as singing, playing jazz and classical guitar, acting, visual arts, dancing and fashion design. Jasmine is a 4th generation professional musician in her family. She currently has her own jazz fusion band [Instagram @3rdrealmvisions] and is in numerous musical groups, all while studying under a master musician. She also has a history of teaching guitar to ages 7 through 50+.

Julia Santoli, Educator

Julia is an interdisciplinary artist and educator (www.juliasantoli.net), with a BFA from School of Visual Arts in New York City. She has presented work at spaces ranging from Widow Jane Mine Cave to Queens Museum to residencies in Germany and Japan. In 2018, she was named artist-in-residence at Brooklyn’s Issue Project Room. Julia has over 6 years of experience teaching art in summer camps and afterschool programs in New York and abroad. She also completed internships as an educator/public programmer at the Rubin and Brooklyn museums. Julia loves learning through collaborating and sharing work with others, and sees teaching as vital extension of this process.

Asal Shakeri, Educator

Asal is a multidisciplinary designer and educator from a diverse background; familiar with the tools to create, develop and implement unique stories and experiences for individuals and communities. She has a MA in Exhibition & Experience Design from SUNY FIT and BA in Graphic Design. For over 20 years she has worked as a designer with various companies, arts and cultural institutions in the US and abroad. Since 2012, she has been a consulting instructor and thesis judge with FIT graduate schools. With a deep passion for education, she has designed lesson plans and workshops for children in California and New York. As a lifetime learner, Asal loves to explore, experience and develop new teaching methods!

Christian Tomas, Assistant Educator

Christian grew up in New Rochelle and Yonkers NY. He graduated from Sacred Heart High School in Yonkers and attended the University of Hartford. A current media studies student, he writes and edits videos in his spare time. Christian enjoys working with kids and teaching them about history and design.

Kathy Tzortzidis, Educator

Kathy graduated from SUNY Geneseo with a BA in English and worked for over 10 years as a graphic designer, including a freelance position with the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While being a stay-at-home mom for 5 years raising her two children, she received a Masters in Special Education from the College of New Rochelle. She then worked in the New York City schools as a Special Education teacher for grades K-3 for 20 years. In 2018 Kathy retired from teaching to join the ArchForKids team. This is a wonderful venue to continue working with young, eager and creative minds.

Karen Orloff, Co-Founder

Karen Orloff has a B.A. in mathematics and psychology from Colby College, followed by architecture/interior coursework at UCLA. She spent the next 10 years working at architectural firms in Los Angeles and New York City. A deep interest in education inspired a career switch to teaching – first at the New York Botanical Garden and then for the Salvadori Center for the Built Environment. She co-founded ArchForKids in 2013 and was instrumental in its growth and development. Karen left the organization in 2019 due to an out-of-state relocation.