Alumni Council

Having earned three degrees and having been an adjunct professor at Teachers College, my horizons were significantly broadened and I have been constantly invigorated to learn more.

Connect with Philip

M.A. '72, M.E. '73 | Psychological Counseling
Ed.D. '81 | Guidance in Elementary Education

From the moment that I first arrived at TC I felt "Changed".  I felt a sense of history wash over me and a feeling that I could become a part of that TC history.  Given that I attained 3 graduate degrees at TC and spent 8 years as a student at TC I know that I've been impacted in many ways and continue to be impacted everyday.  The greatest impact has been in how I view myself as a College Professor...as an educator first.  I learned from great examples of mentors at TC that it is our students that come first and that we should do whatever we can to assist them,shape them, and educate them in their fields and as people.  TC also gave me a great understanding and appreciation for the enterprise of Higher Education, that so many are lacking.  When I first got to TC I just paused and touched the wood paneled walls of Zankel and Thompson halls.  I was even moved by the cafeteria given it's beauty (obviously not the food).  The lounge in Zankel and the Library might have been my favorite spots, but so was the court yard.  I never took TC for granted and always appreciated the fact that I had the privilege to be a part of such a great institution....the best there is.

Dr. Gibaldi is a Professor of Management and Organizational Behavior at both Harvard University and St. John’s University. He also maintains an Organizational Consulting practice, and is a Fulbright Scholar. He has over 30 years of experience in the education and corporate consulting sectors.

During his career thus far he has published in the areas of Human Resource Management, Career Planning and Development, Strategic Planning, Organizational Development and Change, Issues Related to the Changing face of Retirement, and The benefits of Working with an Executive Coach. His present research and writing is in the areas of “Fear in the Workplace”, “Organizational Behavior in a Global Context”, and “Possible Causes of a Failure of Leadership”. He has written and delivered over 40 professional papers at international conferences and recently returned from the University of Bologna (Italy) where he carried out a number of professional academic activities as a Fulbright Senior Specialist.

His educational background is in Psychology, Management, Organizational Behavior, Understanding the Adult Learner in the Workplace, Curriculum and Faculty Development, and Management Development (post doctoral studies at Harvard University). He presently teaches and has taught numerous Management courses both traditionally (in the class room), as well as “live” via web-conference.

Dr. Gibaldi has many personal interests that he is fully engaged in and has sat on many nonprofit boards. Presently he serves as the Board Chair of a nonprofit organization in Brooklyn, NY that provides social services to the poor, Pre-K programs, and College Scholarships to underprivileged NYC youth.

M.A. 83 | Psychology-Organizational
M.E. '87, Ed.D. '89 | Higher Education

Connect with Carmine.

Teachers College truly gave me the vision of always trying to improve and excel in the education of young people.  As educators, we must strive to continue learning, doing research, and collaborating with our peers in order to stay “cutting edge” in our knowledge and experiences in education.  Teachers College challenged me to widen my educational philosophy to a growth mindset in that we never stop learning ourselves.  My time at TC was invaluable and was truly the best education I have ever received.

M.A. '92 | Education Administration

Dr. Renée J. Blumstein is an educational psychologist with over 30 years of experience working in programs of all types and at all levels (PK-16). A graduate of the Teachers College Ph.D. program in Educational and Psychological Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics, Dr. Blumstein has successfully applied her qualitative and quantitative skills to a host of different organizations including the largest corporations in the U.S. However, she finds the most satisfaction working with schools to identify and implement programs and practices to enhance their curricula and policies so that their students are able to reach their highest potential.

Since moving to Long Island in 1996, Dr. Blumstein has worked with high needs suburban schools to strengthen programs and services using evidence-based research and evaluation. She has worked with these schools on developing competitive grant proposals, winning more than $100 million over the last 20 years for schools that serve predominantly at-risk students.

Dr. Blumstein is interested in connecting with current Teachers College students to discuss educational research and evaluation, statistical methods, and fund raising for high needs schools.

Connect with Renee

Ph.D. '86 | Measurement and Evaluation

Jane is currently a Major Gift Officer at Le Moyne College, her undergraduate alma mater, in Syracuse, New York. Jane has twenty-five years’ experience in higher education, educational testing and executive training. She has worked for several universities, including New York University and Teachers College, Columbia University. Jane worked in varied areas of student development before moving to academic administration. She has published in the fields of education and psychology and has presented workshops on international education, higher education policy, intercultural competence and women’s leadership and mentorship. She is the editor and principal contributor to The International Student’s Survival Guide to Living in NYC, 3rd Edition.. While living in Hong Kong, China, she was the Asia representative for a major educational testing company, and worked with international students wishing to study in the U.S. She also conducted research in Chinese schools and in intercultural psychology. Jane has been an executive trainer with major U.S. corporations and Executive MBA programs.

Jane holds a B.A. in Romance Languages from LeMoyne College and an M.A. in Developmental Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University with additional coursework in counseling and clinical psychology and independent school leadership.

M.A. '10 | Developmental Psychology

James Gibaldi currently serves as an Outreach Coordinator at the NYC Mayor’s Office, focusing his efforts on ThriveNYC, New York City’s groundbreaking mental health initiative.  In this role he works to build strategic partnerships with communities, corporations, and non-profit organizations in an effort to connect these entities to quality mental health resources provided by the City.   As a third-generation New Yorker, James has a passion for connecting with communities throughout the city to change the culture and eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health.  Prior to joining the Mayor’s Office, James was a researcher and clinical intern at NYP-Weill Cornell Medicine’s Department of Neurological Surgery.  His work on sports-related concussions has been published and he had the privilege of working within the NFL’s Concussion Protocol for the New York Jets.  He graduated with a Master’s degree in neuroscience and education from Teachers College and a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from The George Washington University.  A proud resident of Manhattan’s Upper West Side, you can find James spending most of his free time at Zabar’s or relaxing at Central Park’s Great Lawn.

Connect with James on Twitter: @jamesgibaldi

M.S. '15 | Neuroscience and Education

Allan M. Hoffman is an educator and health services executive with over 40 years of extensive executive level experience leading and managing higher educational organizations. His experience includes serving as president, CEO, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean and tenured professor. He served as founding president and CEO of a proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences which was dedicated to serving the needs of  underserved populations and ameliorating health disparities.

In addition to his front-line experience working in higher education, Dr. Hoffman has researched and published on key issues in higher education leadership focusing on innovations within higher education, leading, managing  and total quality improvement. He has provided consulting services to schools, colleges, and business organizations in multinational settings. His most recent work, Innovations in Higher Education, is part of the Higher Education Series of the American Council on Education. He is the recipient of numerous awards for his teaching and leadership, served as a coach and mentor, particularly to under-represent persons and women  interested in entering higher education leadership roles. 

Hoffman is fully committed and values Social Justice and to ending bias, bigotry and racism. While serving as dean, he was the founder and first Director of the Center for the Prevention of Community Violence at Des Moines University. The Center was established to be a research, programmatic, and community resource. He received a Certificate of Special Congressional  Recognition for his work in violence prevention and an Award from the National Office of National Drug Control Policy for the work of the Center. 

He is recognized as an expert on issues associated with violence and violence prevention and has been a frequent guest on radio, television and quoted in news articles concerning violence issues. 

He has published on violence prevention issues and provided volunteer service in the US, Puerto Rico, Russia and multi-national settings on projects relating to violence prevention. His most recent experience was volunteering with Empower Tanzania -and the Maasai Tribe in Tanzania, East Africa on a project to prevent Gender Based Violence. His publication on Domestic Violence: A Global View (Greenwood Publishers) was featured by the United Nations during the global initiative on preventing violence against women and children. Dr. Hoffman is the recipient of numerous awards and honors associated with his teaching and his efforts to prevent violence and resolve conflict creatively.  

Allan received two M.A. degrees and an Ed.D. from Teachers College, Columbia University where he was named a Kellogg Fellow. He is a Certified Health Education Specialist(ret). He and his wife, Annie, have four children and five grandchildren.

His favorite quote: “if you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a tent with mosquito.”

M.A. '73 | Philosophy and the Social Sciences
Ed.D. '75 | Philosophy and the Social Sciences

Delmy Lendof is a Student Affairs professional with over 20 years of experience working in higher education and serving students at public and private universities.  She currently serves as the Director for Residential Staff and Programs at New York University, and prior to that worked as Assistant Director for Residential Life at Rutgers University, and Teachers College, Columbia University.   

Dr. Lendof is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Higher & Postsecondary Education Program at NYU and Teachers College. She is highly involved in regional and national organizations and has presented at a number of conferences. Dr. Lendof was a recipient of the NYU Team achievement award, Student Affairs Hallmark Award, and Residential Life and Housing Services Hallmark Award.  She was also recognized as an outstanding higher education professional by Rutgers University Graduate School of Education during the 2011 commencement.

"TC made it possible for a first generation, low-income student, born in the Dominican Republic and raised in the South Bronx to have access to outstanding faculty and academic resources that have impacted my personal and professional journey in more ways that words can describe. To teach in the program I graduated from and serve as a member of the Alumni Council is all but a dream come true and I will forever be grateful for this experience, the faculty, the great network of colleagues and the extended family TC has become."

Ed.D. '13 | Higher & Postsecondary Education

TC taught me to understand the intricate complexity of education, and to look for different ways to approach the challenges we face in classrooms and policy. Currently, I am back in Brazil and have focused my work on disseminating and implementing social and emotional learning programs. I have worked in classrooms, developed curriculum and started nationwide programs in public schools - and TC’s teachings has been with me along the way. Serving in the Alumni Council is a chance to contribute and give back to the place that has given the world so much knowledge.

Connect with Leticia

M.A. ’11 | Elementary Inclusive Education

My involvement with Teachers College is both long and rewarding. My first visit to TC was during my senior year at college, when I came to New York to be interviewed for the Teachers for East Africa (TEA) program, which was administered by TC and with which I then spent a year studying at Makerere University and two years teaching in Tanzania. At the two-week orientation for American "Group B" participants (those who went to Makerere to study for the Graduate Diploma in Education before being assigned to a school in Uganda, Kenya or Tanzania), I met such TC luminaries as Karl Bigelow, R. Freeman Butts, Lawrence Cremin, and David Scanlon. After TEA and then teaching at a private school in New Jersey, I returned to TC to enter an EdD program in African History and International Affairs. In my first semester, I happened to take a course with Harold Noah, a life-changing event that convinced me to switch my focus from history to comparative education and economics. For my PhD research, I returned to East Africa (Kenya), after which I went to the University of Michigan as an economic researcher. In 1973, I was hired by the Department of Philosophy and the Social Sciences to join Harold Noah and teach economics and education at TC. I did this for ten years before leaving teaching to join the World Bank as an education economist. In recent years, having retired from the Bank and working as an independent consultant, I was hired as part of a TC-led technical assistance team fielded by the Asian Development Bank to assist the Government of Mongolia on issues of education reform and poverty alleviation. Serving on the Council is rewarding and an opportunity for me to pay back, in small part, my great debt to the College.

M.A. '68 | Comparative Education
Ph.D. '73 | Economics and Education

My professional trajectory has been forever shaped by my graduate studies at Teachers College. As a graduate of the Klingenstein Center’s Leadership Academy, I am committed to working for an independent institution that understands the centrality of education in promoting social justice and diversity. My training draws me to schools with a student body and faculty that represent the increasing diversity of our nation. I believe that well-funded schools should serve as a model and resource for students, faculty, and families of under-resourced schools while also appreciating and learning from the best practices used by these schools. I am committed to contributing to the alumni network’s recruitment of teachers to Teachers College who are willing to engage in and forward the public-private discourse. I am also committed to participating in and supporting programs that use the Klingenstein Center’s cohort model to promote leadership development.
In partnership with another Teachers College graduate, Rodney Glasgow, I co-founded the Administrators of Color in the Washington Metropolitan Area (AOC/DMV). I currently serve as the co-convener of the group. We offer support to administrators of color in area independent schools as part of a regional network and cultivate a professional learning community for sharing best practices and engaging in leadership development.

Jalene has recently begun a post as Lower School Head at St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School in Alexandria, VA, a JK-12 co-educational Episcopal School. She was previously the Assistant Head of School at Beauvoir, the National Cathedral Elementary School in Washington, DC where she served as a teacher and administrator for sixteen years.

M.A. '11 | Private School Leadership

John Battles
Marion Boultbee
Irene Buchman
Diana Clark*
Joyce Cowin
Susan Diamond
Joseph Dionne
Delores Friedman
David Gomez
Jonathan Hughes
Claude Mayberry
Andre McKenzie 
Patrick McGuire
John Nolan
Frances O'Connell Rust
Jeffrey Putman
Ellen Saxl
Christopher Scott
Sonya Shapiro
Susan Smyth
Elizabeth Stern
Charles D.W. Thompson
Adam Vane
Alice Wilder
Anna Bell Washburn*
Robert Weintraub
Dorothy White*

*-Deceased