Faculty

We take pride in our outstanding faculty

We have a phenomenal family of faculty members at Reserve, all of whom share a profound commitment to our Pioneers' learning and successes. These brainy, complex, wonderful teachers guide our Pioneers in the classroom toward understanding and mastery and nourish curiosity with great enthusiasm. Outside the classroom, our faculty are ever present, coaching our Pioneers, joining students for meals in Ellsworth Hall, sitting beside them on bleachers to cheer for our teams and standing up to applaud them at concerts and performances.

What this means is that our faculty members know each Pioneer inside and out and are there to offer support on every step of their high school journey.


FACULTY SPOTLIGHTS

Judy Chen
Modern & Classical Languages Faculty
Ellen C. Long Chair in Modern Language


What does it take to be a mentor and role model for students? Climbing Mount Everest? In this case, yes! Mandarin teacher Judy Chen traveled to Tibet in the Summer of 2020 to climb to the Everest Base Camp. It took her three months of training to make the summit, and she proudly shares that she was the only member of her entourage who did not experience altitude sickness! So whether she's sharing her grand adventures over a dumpling dinner at Long House or showering her students with care and compassion, Ms. Chen is a beloved campus fixture. In the words of her longtime advisee Amie Ly '20: "Ms. Chen's loving charm and relatability make her a beacon of light for so many students on campus... she is more than my teacher, she is family!"

Matt Gerber
Chief Innovation Officer
Integrated Studies & Design Faculty
The Cole Family Endowed Chair in Technology


If only WRA could clone our Chief Innovation Officer Matt Gerber, or at least 3D-print a copy of him. Over the spring and summer months of 2020, Mr. Gerber focused his efforts on innovations that could instantly impact the WRA community during the COVID-19 crisis. As the leader of the Wang Innovation Center, he and his team put school resources to the best possible use by creating and assembling thousands of pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) and distributing them to first responders, hospitals, pharmacies and businesses. All of this activity took place while Mr. Gerber's team led the school through its temporary pivot to online learning. Under his direction, his team was able to train faculty, connect meaningfully with students, and master virtual interaction with a futuristic speed, precision, light and spark.

Dr. Robert Aguilar
Science Faculty
Susan & John '63 Steen Chair for Science and Mathematics


Ostensibly kind and approachable, Dr. Robert Aguilar is as fascinatingly complex as the subject matter he teaches. Now a fixture in Wilson Hall after 14 years at the school, Dr. Aguilar is known for his impressive curriculum, for preparing students for potential futures in the medical research field and for his eclectic collection of colorful bow ties. Every day, Dr. Aguilar and his students research cancer vaccines. Just ask ALEXA — or rather, ask one of the students using the compact and surprisingly heavy real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machine that bears an uncanny resemblance to an Amazon Echo (“Alexa”) speaker. It’s the newest member of the lab equipment family, a sophisticated laboratory apparatus used to monitor the amplification of DNA segments. Real-time PCR machines are used in many laboratories for the screening of COVID-19.

Dr. Ralf & Christine '84 Borrmann
Modern & Classical Languages Faculty

At Western Reserve Academy, the Borrmanns are household names. They have taught in the Modern & Classical Languages Department since 1995, with Dr. Ralf Borrmann teaching French (and previously German) and serving as Compass Coordinator, and Christine ’84 (or, as her students refer to her, Madame) teaching French. But as with every WRA faculty member, this is only a slice of their life at Reserve. There is also the full commitment of coaching, mentoring, advising and chaperoning, all while balancing parenting, personal pursuits and more. The full and colorful life of the Borrmanns is a much longer story, but inside their classrooms and home, you’ll catch a glimpse. The items and decor on display reflect who they are as passionate educators, world travelers, loving parents and mentors of young minds.



Meet Our Faculty

Robert Aguilar

Robert Aguilar

Susan & John '63 Steen Chair for Science and Mathematics
Science
Laurie Allen

Laurie Allen

Mathematics Chair, Junior Leadership Hudson Coordinator, Rollin W. Waite Chair
Mathematics, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee
Alexandria Anzaldi

Alexandria Anzaldi

Director of Student Activities, Fine & Performing Arts Faculty
Fine and Performing Arts, Student Life Office
Martha Bayliss

Martha Bayliss

Fine & Performing Arts Faculty, Ceramics
Fine and Performing Arts
Wanda Boesch

Wanda Boesch

Dean of Academic Affairs
Science, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee
Christine Borrmann

Christine Borrmann

Independence Foundation Chair for Distinguished Teaching
Modern & Classical Languages
Ralf Borrmann

Ralf Borrmann

Chair, Modern & Classical Languages, Compass Coordinator
Modern & Classical Languages, Integrated Studies & Design
John Buck

John Buck

Fine & Performing Arts Faculty
Fine and Performing Arts
Jon Butensky-Bartlett

Jon Butensky-Bartlett

Science Faculty
Science, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee
Erik Chaput

Erik Chaput

Social Science Department
Social Science
Judy Chen

Judy Chen

Modern & Classical Languages Faculty, Ellen C. Long Chair in Modern Languages
Modern & Classical Languages, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee
Brandon Davies

Brandon Davies

Technical Theater Director
Fine and Performing Arts
James Greenwood

James Greenwood

Dean of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
Leadership Team, Social Science, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Office
Sarah Horgan

Sarah Horgan

Paul & Elinor Roundy Chair in History & Literature
Social Science
Margaret Karam

Margaret Karam

Fine & Performing Arts Faculty, Parents Chair for Distinguished Teaching
Fine and Performing Arts, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee
Edward Leonard

Edward Leonard

Fine & Performing Arts Faculty
Fine and Performing Arts
Julianne Lopez

Julianne Lopez

Modern & Classical Languages, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee
Sasha Maseelall

Sasha Maseelall

English Faculty
English, Integrated Studies & Design, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee
Neil Mittal

Neil Mittal

Mathematics, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee
Russell Morrison

Russell Morrison

Social Sciences Faculty, International Student Coordinator
Social Science, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee
Jeffrey Namiotka

Jeffrey Namiotka

Robert F. & Velia Pryce Chair in Modern & Classical Languages
Modern & Classical Languages, Social Science
Donalee Ong

Donalee Ong

Performing Arts Faculty
Fine and Performing Arts
Richard Ong

Richard Ong

H. Arthur Bellow Jr. '56 Chair
Social Science
Conor O'Sullivan

Conor O'Sullivan

English Faculty
English, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee
Carol Parker Mittal

Carol Parker Mittal

Fine & Performing Arts Chair
Fine and Performing Arts
Beth Pethel

Beth Pethel

The Roush/Wayburn Chair in Environmental Studies
Science
Lisabeth Robinson

Lisabeth Robinson

Social Science Chair, John W. Hallowell Chair in Philosophy and Ethics
Social Science, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee
Mark Skinner

Mark Skinner

Science, Integrated Studies & Design
Katie Velbeck

Katie Velbeck

Fine & Performing Arts Faculty, Director of Dance
Fine and Performing Arts
Jeff Warner

Jeff Warner

Edward E. Ford Foundation Chair
English