Debbie Niderberg
Executive Director, Hidden Sparks, helped launch Hidden Sparks, from conceptual development to its present size and worked collaboratively to design its unique programming, and build the organization’s infrastructure and professional leadership. She is also responsible for developing new initiatives, such as Hidden Sparks Without Walls, and new programmatic and funding partnerships. Prior to coming to Hidden Sparks, Ms. Niderberg served as the Executive Director for The Nash Family Foundation, where she was instrumental in bringing the Schools Attuned Professional Development Program to 72 New York area Jewish schools, launching a kosher City Harvest program, an Israel-based medical fellowship, and grants for the first residential Jewish hospice in New York, among other significant grants. Prior to this, she co-founded the Jewish Children’s Learning Lab, an interactive Jewish children’s museum in New York and managed the Outreach and Special Projects division for the Fund for Jewish Education.
Rona Milch Novick, Ph.D
Co-Educational Director for Hidden Sparks, is the Director of the Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Doctoral Program in Jewish Education and Administration at Yeshiva University and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She served for many years as the Coordinator of Child Psychology in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Schneider Children’s Hospital and as the Clinical Director of the Alliance for School Mental Health, providing outreach services, treatment and training to schools, families and communities. She developed the BRAVE bully prevention program and is a trained cognitive behavior therapist with her own private practice. As one of two educational directors for Hidden Sparks, Dr. Novick provides training, supervision and ongoing mentoring to the Hidden Sparks teams of coaches, principals and Internal Coaches.
Claire Wurtzel
Educational Director, is the Director of Faculty Development for the Churchill School and Center in New York, working within and beyond the school to develop the Churchill Center for professional development. Prior to this position, Ms. Wurtzel was the Director of Faculty Development for the New York City Schools Attuned initiative for All Kinds of Minds, an institute co-founded by Dr. Mel Levine and Charles Schwab to help educators work effectively with struggling learners. In her capacity as Director, Ms. Wurtzel oversaw Schools Attuned courses, mentor training and facilitator training for over 400 New York City schools. She is also one of two educational directors for Hidden Sparks, providing training, supervision and ongoing mentoring to the Hidden Sparks teams of coaches, principals and Internal Coaches. To fulfill long-standing interest in Jewish education, Ms. Wurtzel has worked to adapt the Schools Attuned professional development program for Jewish day schools.
Esther Kramer
ICP Coordinator and Mentor, has been an educator in both the New York City independent schools and the New York City public schools, as well as a faculty member and staff developer of the Special Education Department at Bank Street College of Education. Ms Kramer was the head of the Lower School of the Town School for eight years, and principal and director of the Churchill School and Center in New York. Ms Kramer also served as a facilitator with the Schools Attuned Program from All Kinds of Minds for the New York City public schools. In addition, she co-produced The Open Mind for public television and participated in several research studies
Karen Kruger
Karen Kruger, M.Ed, ICP School-based Mentor, received her master’s degree from Bank Street and has taught in elementary and middle schools from Kindergarten through 8th grade. For the past seven years she has been a field facilitator and course instructor for Schools Attuned. Her responsibilities included teaching all courses offered by “All Kinds of Minds”, developing curricula for workshops, mentoring and supervising teachers in K-12, leading faculty development workshops for NYC schools and observing students. Karen served as an adjunct professor at Bank Street College and she is currently working with NYC middle school teachers and administrators to support their Schools Attuned programs and with ICP coaches in Jewish day schools to mentor them in their Hidden Sparks school-based coaching.
Tamar Bauman, Ph.D.
a psychologist, works as a Hidden Sparks coach in two Jewish day schools. She has experience in both mental health and school psychology. She has worked for Long Island Jewish Medical Center’s On-site School Program for Mental Health helping children and their families with a range of behavioral and emotional issues. Dr. Bauman also has expertise leading social skills groups and has organized a social skills curriculum for elementary school students.
Sara Reichman, Ph.D.,
a clinical psychologist, serves as a Hidden Sparks coach. She holds a doctorate from the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology of Yeshiva University. She served as Senior Psychologist at New York University Medical Center, where she gained extensive experience working with children and families and was part of a multidisciplinary team that performed neurodevelopmental evaluations. Dr. Reichman then worked as a Senior Psychologist at a pediatric multi-specialty practice treating children, adolescents and families. She is a psychologist in private practice.
Kiki Rothenberg
a Hidden Sparks coach, received a Masters degree from Bank Street College of Education and has spent more than twenty years in the field of Early Childhood Special Education, including twelve years at The Jewish Center for Special Education in Brooklyn where she served as a teacher and program supervisor. More recently, Ms Rothenberg has served as a facilitator for All Kinds of Minds’ Schools Attuned program for New York City public school teachers.
Rabbi Abraham Schiff
a Hidden Sparks Coach, is principal of Yeshiva Ohr Torah in Brooklyn, a unique yeshiva that serves mainstream students with learning disabilities. Rabbi Schiff holds a Masters Degree in Special Education from Touro College and has over ten years of experience in the field of special education.
Meryl Silver
a member of the Hidden Sparks coaching team for the past year, Meryl received her Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education from Queens College and holds a Masters Degree in Special Education from Bank Street College of Education. Ms Silver has more than ten years of teaching experience, including four years as a resource room teacher at Yeshiva Har Torah. She has also worked as a co-facilitator for Schools Attuned and is a graduate of the SAFDA program. Meryl will be available for special Hidden Sparks school workshops.
Judith Talesnick
a Hidden Sparks coach, has over ten years experience in the field of Jewish education as a classroom teacher and workshop leader and mentor. Ms. Talesnick completed the Drisha Institute’s HaSha’ar program for Jewish day school educators, and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Jewish Studies and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from the University of Toronto. She is also the Co-founder and Manager of Israel News Today, a Daily News Translation Service.
Naomi A. Weiss
a Coach/Project Manager for the Gateways-Hidden Sparks Pilot Program, is a member of the graduate faculty of Bank Street College of Education. She is also a facilitator for The Schools Attuned Program of the All Kinds of Minds Institute. Ms Weiss also serves as a Hidden Sparks coach in two Jewish Day Schools. Prior to her work for Hidden Sparks, she was a learning specialist at All Kinds of Minds where she conducted neurodevelopment assessments with pediatricians and psychologists to develop learning profiles and management plans for students.
