Francine was born and raised on Long Island, where she currently resides with her husband, three children, and dog, Yogi. Prior to her position as the Executive Director of SSNDEC, she served as a Board Certified Chaplain at Good Samaritan Nursing and Rehab in Sayville, NY. She owned a publishing company, Blue Marlin Publications, for over 20 years. Francine is thrilled to be the newest team member at SSNDEC and the newest community member to Woodhaven! The women who come to the Center every day to learn are truly inspirational, and Francine considers it an absolute honor to be a part of their journeys.

Sister Bernadette grew up in an immigrant Italian family in South Ozone Park, NY. As the seventh of nine children, she had built-in playmates and older sisters who were her mentors. Throughout the decades, she has taught primary grade students who were always a delight. In 2013, she received an unexpected call from her supervisors to serve at the SSND Generalate in Rome as receptionist and hospitality coordinator. She then received an invitation to join SSNDEC, where she currently teaches the introductory ESL course. She also travels to three local Catholic schools to teach in the religion departments.

Maureen retired from Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn after serving 16 years as a classroom teacher and 19 years as a principal. She holds a BS from Queens College; 30 graduate credits from Hunter College, primarily in Special Education; and an MS in Educational Administration from Fordham University. She is happy to volunteer at the Center as a teacher of Social Studies and Reading/Language Arts in the GED program. This is her 7th year.

Sister Susan has worked in education her entire adult life, from elementary to college level. She enjoys working with the women at the Center, teaching ESL Level 5, because they are highly motivated to learn English, and teach her about the culture and country they come from. They also enjoy meeting other women who are in similar situations as themselves. She is proud to be a part of a community where everyone is welcomed and accepted.

Cathy called Brooklyn, NY her home for the first eighteen years of her grace-filled life, where she and her brother grew up with a rich Polish/Irish heritage. There were more than 100 children who were their playmates on their block, with the church, school, and convent just around the corner. This was the milieu in which Cathy felt drawn to become a School Sister of Notre Dame. As a member of a religious community, she served as teacher and principal in schools in Connecticut and New Hampshire. When she was working at a culturally diverse parish in Queens, her heart was drawn to do something to improve the situation of immigrant women, a dream that became a reality when she and two other SSND Sisters founded the School Sisters of Notre Dame Educational Center.

Theresa grew up in Woodhaven and graduated from Franklin K Lane High School. After graduation, she attended Queens College, where she received a BS in Mathematics and an MA in Education. Theresa went on to teach 7-12 grade mathematics for 22 years in the NYC public school system. She loves watching students learn. Theresa teaches Math in the GED program at the Center.

Steve holds a B.A. in Economics, an M.S. Computer Science, and an M.S. Ed. in Secondary Math Education. “My early teachers instilled in me the desire to be a lifelong learner. I try to use the knowledge and experience I gained as an I.T. executive and high school math teacher to continue my own personal learning and to pay it forward with my students today.”

Kathy is an ESL Instructor at SSNDEC. She has taught ESL for more than 30 years. She began teaching when she was living abroad, and has taught many different population groups since then. She has been at SSNDEC for 10 years. She is originally from Virginia, but has lived in New York most of her life. She has two sons, one who lives in Brooklyn and the other in Texas. She really enjoys teaching several levels of ESL at the Center because the return rate of our students is very high. This gives everyone the opportunity to see the same students grow and learn over the course of several years.

Tehmina has been an English as a Second Language (ESL) Instructor at the SSND Educational Center since 2014. She received her Master’s in International English Language Teaching and Applied Language Studies in 2007 from London Metropolitan University, UK. She also holds a Certificate in Teaching ESOL to Adults with Limited Literacy (TEALL 2023) from the Literacy Assistance Center of New York City and a Certificate in TESOL (2022) from Continuing Education at Hunter College. She served as a volunteer ESL instructor with the Community Impact ESL Program at Columbia University from 2012-2013. Her work experience in her native country of Pakistan includes teaching the Postgraduate Diploma Programs in English Language Teaching both at the University of Punjab, Pakistan, and Government College University, Pakistan between 2007 and 2009. Also, she contributed to the various departments at the University of Punjab as a visiting faculty member from 2007-2010, teaching General English and Academic Writing to both Undergraduate and Postgraduate students of Sociology. Tehmina's educational journey encompasses a Master of Arts in English (2004), a Bachelor of Laws (1999), from the University of Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan, and a Diploma in Education (2001) from Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, Pakistan. Regarding working at the SSND Educational Center Tehmina says, “I joined the Center in 2014, and since then I have never thought about changing my job!”

Francine joined SSNDEC in August 2019 as a part-time secretary to the Executive Director and the Board of Trustees, while simultaneously acting as the primary caregiver to her mother. Francine has an extensive and industry-diverse background in Customer Service, Marketing, Fundraising, Alumni Development and Event Planning. Described as a “gifted writer,” Francine has written for and been published in a variety of mediums.

Cathy Stare, a member of the Sisters of Charity of Halifax, is the curriculum director at the School Sisters of Notre Dame Educational Center. A life-long educator, she has taught high school mathematics in the Catholic Dioceses of Brooklyn and Queens; Rockville Centre; and Hamilton, Bermuda; and has supervised student teachers at St. Joseph’s University in Patchogue. At the Educational Center, Cathy provides support and encouragement to students, helping them navigate the path to their GED. When not solving quadratic equations, Cathy enjoys quilting, canoeing, leaning and teaching theology, and doing jigsaw puzzles.

Eileen was born and currently resides in Queens. As a Sister of Mercy, she has taught Science in Elementary and High School. As a social worker, she has assisted many women and families. She enjoys teaching Science in the GED program at SSNDEC because the women are always motivated and eager to learn.

Diana Velez, a Bronx native and accomplished marketing and communications professional with over 15 years of experience, joined SSND Educational Center as Community Relations Manager. Passionate about women’s empowerment, she brings expertise in multicultural marketing and inclusive strategy development. Previously, Diana spearheaded the Historias project at StoryCorps and expanded key partnerships at nonprofit and for-profit organizations, including the Committee for Children, AudioBoom and Latina, the first bilingual magazine for Hispanic women in the U.S. Dedicated to community service, she founded GLOW, a volunteer program enhancing the well-being of Brooklyn seniors. In her free time, Diana enjoys watercolor painting and DIY home projects and will resume her studies at Hunter College in the fall. She is thrilled to be a part of the team at SSND Educational Center!