Janny 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 over 20 years, Janny has been a highly regarded Architect-Educator in schools, community centers, and arts organizations throughout the metro NY region. She 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 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), Jazz Forum Arts and Friends of Dobbs Ferry Waterfront Park.  Reach her at kathryn@archforkids.com

Zoe is originally from Atlanta and has a background in non-profit administration, UI/UX Design and Anthropology. She has a MSc from the University of Edinburgh and a BA from Tulane University. For the past decade she has worked with non-profit organizations, museums and small businesses to support their programming and marketing efforts. She worked with the ArchForKids team as an educator for several years before applying her experience to support its virtual programs starting in 2020. She now supports the team by handling external communications and marketing which includes newsletters, social media, website management and more. Reach her at zoe@archforkids.com

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 @banswomb] 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+.

Debbie has a MS in Secondary English Education from St. John’s University, and a BA in English and Elementary Education from the College of Mount St. Vincent. She taught for 30 years at Hillside Elementary School in Hastings-on-Hudson and before that, at Horace Mann School. In addition, Debbie was an adjunct professor at Manhattanville College teaching graduate students. She was first introduced to ArchforKids after writing a grant for a residency on colonial life in New York and has since written several grants for 4th grade students to experience ArchForKids. Debbie loves her life as an educator and shares her passions for reading, history and painting with her students. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Yonkers. 

Linda 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 leads programs in Westchester, Connecticut and other metro areas outside of NYC.

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.

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!

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. 

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 has a B.A. from Colby College, followed by architecture coursework at UCLA.  She spent 10 years working at architectural firms in Los Angeles and NYC. An interest in education inspired a career switch – teaching at the New York Botanical Garden and then the Salvadori Center for the Built Environment. She co-founded ArchForKids in 2013 and was instrumental in its growth/development before retiring in 2019.