New Colleagues 2024-2025

Chris Hoagland, School Store Manager, joins Shipley’s School Store from Follett Corporation where he has worked as market leader and store manager since 2014. While working at Follett, Chris has previously helped manage the school stores at Eastern University, Thomas Jefferson University, Villanova University, and St. Joseph’s University. Chris holds his B.S. in Business Marketing from Elizabethtown College. Chris is excited to bring new ideas and apparel to the school store for this upcoming school year.

Involved in the sport of running for nearly 25 years, Justin has led the Phoenixville cross country and track and field programs for the past 14 years. During this time the programs grew exponentially, starting with just 30 kids his first year to just over 180 this past spring. Justin has served as an educator in the high school setting for the past 15 years, primarily in the areas of STEM. In addition to serving as a coach, he has been an advisor to many clubs and graduating classes, a curricular leader, and a mentor to countless students. In 2019, Justin was awarded the Citadel Heart of Learning Award. Justin will also be teaching Upper School Math.

Carmen joins Shipley as the Lower School Spanish Teacher. Carmen earned her Ed.D. in Bilingual Education from Texas A&M University Kingsville, as well as an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction with ESL certification and a B.S. in Language Arts (Spanish) from Bloomsburg University. Carmen’s professional journey includes her role as a Dual Language Instructor at Luis Muñoz Marín Elementary School, where she designed and implemented bilingual curricula for 4th graders. Carmen has taught full immersion after-school programs at Spanish Exploradores and early Spanish instruction as a Pre-School Instructor with Early Childhood Educators of Pennsylvania and worked with K-2 students at the Fountain of Knowledge School in Ethiopia, designing her own lessons to facilitate language acquisition. Carmen has also taught undergraduate courses at Texas A&M Kingsville University and Bloomsburg University. 

Debbie joins Shipley as the Lower School Science Teacher, a position she held for four years earlier in her career. A parent of a Shipley alumna with a B.A. in Sociology from Temple University, Debbie has dedicated her career to advancing educational excellence and community engagement. Most recently, Debbie taught Environmental Science and served as the SEL Coordinator at KIPP DuBois Collegiate Academy High School in Philadelphia, where she developed engaging lessons and supported a comprehensive SEL curriculum for students. Previously, Debbie taught Pre-Algebra and Social Studies at String Theory School A & S Charter Middle School. She also worked as an Investigator and Case Worker for the Department of Family and Protective Services in Houston. Her career includes significant experience in admissions and community programs at William Penn Charter School. Debbie also spent five years as a Middle and Upper School math teacher at Agnes Irwin. 

Kelly joins us as a Lower School Physical Education Teacher and Department Lead. Kelly holds a B.S. in Health and Physical Education from East Stroudsburg University. She brings a rich background of experience working with elementary-aged students, most recently at Plymouth Meeting Friends School where she taught Physical Education to grades Pre-Kindergarten through Sixth Grade and was the Summer Camp Director. 

Pragati joins the Lower School as our Administrative Assistant and Receptionist, having been in the same position in the Middle School since April. Before joining Shipley, Pragati’s experience includes work as a Front Office Assistant at the YMCA and as a teacher at Play & Learn Bryn Mawr. Pragati holds a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Administration and Management from Punjab Technical University. Her career began in the hospitality industry with JW Marriott in New Delhi, India as a Guest Relations Executive and later with Grand Hyatt as a Human Resources Intern. 

Blair is a 2024 graduate of West Chester University, where she received her Master’s in Social Work and also is a licensed social worker. Locally, she has worked in crisis intervention in Montgomery County and restorative justice work within the Philadelphia School District. Additional professional experiences include coaching sports, fostering teamwork and personal development among young athletes, and managing a local gym. Before attending West Chester University, she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Franklin and Marshall College, where she was also a member of the Women’s Lacrosse and Swimming teams. 

Alanna (she/her/hers) holds an M.S. in Education from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education and a Pennsylvania Secondary Certification in Social Studies and English. She earned a B.A. in History from Bryn Mawr College, focusing on early modern colonialism and resistance by African and Indigenous peoples. Alanna pursued a Master's in Education at the University of Pennsylvania where she served as an African American History Student Teacher at the Science Leadership Academy at Beeber.

Rebecca comes to Shipley after many years of teaching at both the college and high school level. She holds a B.A. in Italian from Yale and a Ph.D. in Spanish from NYU and has taught a wide range of classes in foreign language, literature, and humanities subjects. She has taught college classes at NYU, Penn, and Villanova and high school classes in both Brooklyn and the Philadelphia area. For the past several years, Rebecca has worked at Martin Saints Classical School in Oreland, where she taught Literature, developed the Spanish program, and provided college advising.

Rachael Jennings (she/her/hers) most recently served as the Upper School Dean of Faculty at Germantown Academy. Across her time in independent schools, she has served in leadership roles including Director of Equity, Justice, and Belonging; Associate Dean of Students; English Department Chair; and The Haverford School’s founding Co-Director of the Human Relationships Program. She holds a M.Ed. in Human Sexuality Studies from Widener University, an M.A. in English Literature from Middlebury College, and a B.A. in English Literature and Education Studies from Middlebury. She is also a certified SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) facilitator. 

Adam is an artist and educator who earned his B.F.A. from the University of Delaware and his M.F.A. from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). After two years of working in admissions at PAFA, where he advised high school students through the development of their art portfolios, Adam shifted to teaching art at the college level from 2016 through 2022. He taught Foundations, Art History, and Experimental Drawing at Temple University, Rowan University, and the University of the Arts. During that time of teaching, Adam was also an art preparator at the Institute of Contemporary Arts and was employed with an architectural restoration team in Harrisburg and Philadelphia. In 2022, Adam joined Barrack Hebrew Academy, where he initiated an Art Institute program for the Upper School.

Daniel was born and raised in Oaxaca, Mexico where he gained a deep appreciation for languages in a country and state rich in culture. There he taught both English and Spanish to middle and high school students for eight years. In 2016, he moved to New York City to attend Brooklyn College where he received his Masters in Education. He has been teaching middle and high school Spanish in NYC public schools for the last six years.