A Community Resource Center that Promotes the Power of Reading

Christine Alexander,
Co-Executive Director
(full time volunteer)

Christine Alexander is a graduate of Duke University and worked for a number of years in Maryland as a pediatric nurse. She has had extensive experience in educational programs as a volunteer.

Kirsten Levinsohn,
Co-Executive Director

After graduating from Williams College, Kirsten received her Masters in Elementary Education from Rutgers University. Following 6 years of teaching in New Jersey, she moved to Michigan where she was the Executive Director of the Leslie Science and Nature Center for 20 years. She is thrilled to be at New Haven Reads.

Adela Schrader,
Kindergarten Program Director

Adela Schrader has had 32 years experience teaching in the New Haven area. She has a B.S. in Elementary Education from Sacred Heart University and her M.S. from Southern Connecticut State University and has attended numerous classes and workshops on Teaching Reading and Language Arts including Haskins Early Literacy Training. She is a proud member of the New Haven Reads Family for the last four years.

Catherine Strickland,
Assistant Director

Catherine Strickland graduated from the University of Minnesota and the University of Georgia, where she earned a Master of Public Administration with an emphasis in policy and nonprofit management. Catherine has ten years of experience in workforce and community economic development, which includes writing and managing grants.

Christopher Griffin,
Program Director, DYCLC

As a native of San Antonio, TX, Christopher Griffin is a current resident of New Haven, CT and has been working with non-profit organizations from 2002 to present. He looks forward to pursuing a degree in both Culinary Arts with a focus in Pastry Arts and also in Teaching with a focus on Creative Writing.

Kaitlynn Seipold,
Science Park Site
Director and Kindergarten
Teacher

Kaitlynn graduated from Eastern Connecticut State University with a certification in Secondary English/Language Arts. She started at New Haven Reads in 2009 as a Kindergarten teacher and now works with both the Kindergarten and Pre-K students. Kaitlynn is also the Site Director of our Science Park location.

Larry Gipson,
Yale Reading Corps Coordinator

Larry is a senior religious studies major at Yale University, focusing on Indian religious traditions. He has worked with various service and tutoring centered nonprofits but the past three years at New Haven Reads have definitely been his favorite! After college he hopes to join the Peace Corps working in North-West Africa.

Leslie Derr,
Dixwell Site Director and Volunteer Coordinator

Leslie Derr received her Masters degree in Elementary Education from DePaul University in 2006. She taught 2nd and 3rd grades in Chicago Public Schools for 3 years before moving to New Haven. Leslie began as a volunteer before joining the New Haven Reads staff full-time.

Morgan Dysinger,
Bristol Street Site Director and Books Coordinator

Morgan Dysinger recently graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language and Literature and a minor in Women's Studies. She has extensive experience working with children and looks forward to continuing her studies in Secondary Education to become a high school English teacher.

Steven Banks,
Yale Reading Corps Coordinator

Steven Banks is a junior at Yale University studying Computer Science, Mathematics, and Philosophy. He is originally from Detroit, MI and has been working at New Haven Reads since 2009. During school breaks he has worked as a software developer.

Tanya Smith,
Education Director

Tanya Smith, a graduate of Loyola Marymount University, has had extensive classroom teaching experience as well as having developed curriculum for grades K through 9. Her career in education has included teacher training and student assessment. She has also worked at juvenile probation in Pennsylvania, and, most recently, managed a busy design office in Connecticut.