Faculty & Staff Directory

Shelly grew up in nearby Millerton, NY, and attended Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY, where she pursued studies in English and Education. During her time at Vassar, she completed field work in both elementary and high schools and interned with the foster care department of DCFS. With over 20 years in independent and boarding schools, Shelly has held a variety of roles including Learning Specialist, English, ESL, and Health teacher, Department Chair, dorm director, Grade Dean, and Dean of Students. Her career and experience also reflects her deep commitment to character education, Social Emotional Learning, Diversity, Equity, inclusion, social justice, and service, which she integrates into all of her work with joy, empathy, passion, and humor.

In her free time, Shelly enjoys writing, reading, baking, and boxing. She loves exploring the local landscape with her husband Chris, their two children Abby and Gavin, and their dogs, Justice and Keira. Shelly is also active in community service with her family and has recently developed interests in gardening and home renovating.

At Marvelwood Since: 2024

Kate received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Keene State College in May of 2015 and completed her master's at the University of St. Joseph in 2015 with a focus on clinical mental health counseling. Kate was licensed as a Licensed Professional Counselor in 2017.

Kate has been working in the counseling field since 2011, doing individual and group work in both residential and outpatient settings. She has extensive experience working with adolescents and adults, counseling them to address a variety of mental health challenges. Kate uses a gentle approach, combining both motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral therapy to help clients increase self-esteem, build, and utilize coping skills and form connection with others.

In her spare time, Kate enjoys traveling, being outdoors and spending time with family and friends.

At Marvelwood Since: 2024

Travis has spent the past 5 years at UConn working for the Student Activities office and the Connecticut Repertory Theater. He also taught private piano lessons at Company in Tempo Dance Studio.

In his free time, Travis likes writing music, playing DnD, and spending time with friends.

At Marvelwood Since: 2025
Athletics/After-School Activity Assignment: Musical productions and ensembles

At Marvelwood Since: 2016

Dr. Lin joined Marvelwood in September, 2011. Though she had a BS degree in physics from Nankai University of China and a Ph. D in physics from Purdue University, her major was actually biophysics as she had always been interested in life science. She did postdoctoral research at University of Pennsylvania, and then her career moved to business for a few years.

Dr. Lin teaches in both the math and science departments. Passionate about helping her students reach their full academic potential, she has taught math and physics at various levels including AP Calculus BC, AP Calculus AB, Calculus, AP Physics, and Physics. As the only faculty at Marvelwood who speaks Chinese, Dr. Lin also serves as the liaison between the School and our Chinese families. She greatly appreciates the opportunity to help bridge cultural differences and expectations within the School community. Her son, David Ma, is a Marvelwood alumni, Class of 2020!

At Marvelwood Since: 2011

Kathleen is a Fellow of the Orton-Gillingham Academy. Kathleen began her Orton-Gillingham odyssey at Massachusetts General Hospital. She served as Fellow in Residence for the Norwalk Public Schools from 2019- 2021 and worked at Kildonan School for 15 years. She holds an MA and MAT in English and holds teaching certification in New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. She has extensive experience training teachers in the Orton-Gillingham approach at the Classroom Educator, Associate, and Certified levels. She is thrilled to be working for Marvelwood to bring 1:1 Orton-Gillingham language training to students and teachers at Marvelwood as well as her expertise in learning support.

At Marvelwood Since: 2020

Wendi has been teaching at The Marvelwood School since the fall of 2006. She teaches ESL to our international students, is the Director of Student Activities, and facilitates Freshman Academy. Wendi LOVES teaching and having fun. Prior to her time at Marvelwood she taught in a public school setting and opened a shelter for battered women and children in the Cayman Islands. Wendi truly appreciates the close-knit community which The Marvelwood School offers. Seeing students at breakfast and enjoying some down time together and getting to know them outside of the classroom is what Wendi loves the most. As Director of Student Activities, she enjoys working with teachers and students to plan FUN events throughout the year. Wendi lives on campus and is lucky to be able to do what she loves with those she loves nearby, her husband, Bobby, and their three children Noah, Nicholas, and Caroline.

At Marvelwood Since: 2006

Liza graduated from the University of Rochester in 2013 with high distinction in Psychology and Spanish, and a minor in Mathematics. She was a member of the Psi Chi honor society and captain of the Varsity Lacrosse team. During her junior year, Liza studied in Barcelona, Spain where she did an internship in social work. Her senior practicum project involved working with students with developmental disabilities.

Liza grew up in New Milford, Connecticut with brothers, Zach ‘04, who also works at Marvelwood, and Charlie, who graduated from New Mexico State University and is currently a golf professional at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, NY. At New Milford High School, where she graduated number six in her class, Liza was captain of the Varsity Soccer and Lacrosse teams, as well as a member of the indoor track and swimming teams.

Liza lives on campus in Summit Dorm, and teaches Math and Spanish and is a member of the Strategies Department. A sports enthusiast, Liza enjoys coaching soccer and lacrosse. She also serves as Associate Dean of Students, Assistant Athletic Director, and Peer Mediation advisor.

I’ve learned a lot about myself, including what standards I want to establish in my classroom from the beginning. I’m also learning how to create more engaging lesson plans, as well as be able to represent the topic I’m trying to teach to various learning styles. One of my students told me that I helped him to believe in himself more. I was so happy when he aced his final!

At Marvelwood Since: 2013
Athletics/After-School Activity Assignment: Girl's Soccer, Lacrosse

Zach is a 2004 graduate of The Marvelwood School. He was appointed Athletic Director in fall 2015. Zach started his Marvelwood career as the school head wrestling coach in 2009, leading the team to Hudson Valley Athletic League championships in 2011, 2013, 2018 and 2019. He is also the head boys lacrosse coach, winning the HVAL championship in 2022 and 2024.

After joining the faculty in 2011, Zach has worked in many departments including Admissions, Advancement and is now Associate Director of College Counseling and oversees the leadership curriculum on campus. Zach leads our Senior Leadership Overnight at Camp Jewell in Colebrook, CT in September and is the LeadX Instructor, a dual enrollment course for juniors and seniors in collaboration with the University of Delaware.

Prior to Marvelwood, Zach worked at Cumulus Media in Brookfield, CT, where he was the executive producer on "The Carey and Coffey Show," a NASCAR sports talk show on 940/1510 AM. Zach is originally from New Milford, CT, where his parents still reside; his father is the veterinarian/owner of Candlewood Animal Hospital. Zach’s sister Liza joined the faculty in 2013, and is the Associate Dean of Students and teaches Math. They also have a younger brother, Charlie, who is the Head Golf Professional at Montclair Golf Club in West Orange, NJ.

In his down time, Zach enjoys riding his bike on the Harlem Valley Rail Trail and the hills of Skiff Mountain, watching UFC, Sundays night football and hanging with his dog, Abbey, who lives with him in Lake Dorm.

At Marvelwood Since: 2009
Athletics/After-School Activity Assignment: Wrestling, Lacrosse

Steve joined Marvelwood in 2014 after six years of being a stay at home dad to his daughters Madelyn '21 and Genevieve. Prior to taking on full time Dad duties, Steve had built his career on the corporate side in business management. Steve has lived in CT since 1999 but still has ties to the Philadelphia area.

At Marvelwood Since: 2014

Caleb is no stranger to the boarding school world and follows in his father's and brother's footsteps. Hailing from Salisbury, CT, Caleb grew up in close connection with the Salisbury School campus and eventually went there for his high school education. There, he was an avid soccer player and got involved in theater productions and other extracurriculars. From there, he ventured north to the University of Vermont (UVM) where he studied Wildlife Biology as well as Reporting and Documentary Storytelling. There, he discovered his passion for using video as a method of conservation and environmental education.

Throughout his schooling years, Caleb worked various jobs where he sharpened his skills in the environmental sciences and the arts. He worked seasonally for Great Mountain Forest in Norfolk, CT, where he spent two summers as a forestry, wildlife, and environmental communications intern before coming back to act as the social media manager and then as the lead filmmaker for the "Work in the Working Forest" Oral History Project. Caleb also worked as a multimedia journalist at Across the Fence University of Vermont Extension for most of his college years. There, he received a nomination for College/University Long Form Non-Fiction at the New England chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Student Production Awards. He also was the teaching assistant for the field ornithology class at UVM, where he fell in love with teaching and sharing his passions.

In his free time, Caleb enjoys watching cheering for the Yankees, NY Jets, and Manchester United, birdwatching, and cultivating his collection of Lego.

At Marvelwood Since: 2025

Will is a native New Yorker from the Lower East Side/East Village (Manhattan, N.Y.) who has worked in the field of education for over 18 years.

He began his professional career working as a Learning Strategist at the Salisbury School (C.T.) in the Rudd Learning Center and teacher in the U.S. History department in his second year; he also served as a dormitory parent and coach for the thirds-football and varsity wrestling teams. After moving back to his home state, Will continued his passion for teaching and coaching working with the NYCDOE in a public school called Quest to Learn (Chelsea, Manhattan) where serving as a catalyst in his role as Community Coordinator and Assistant to school Technology Specialist for nearly fourteen years. After working briefly at the Office of the Superintendent - Queens North as a Special Education Community Support Coordinator, he chose to go back to working in schools. In 2023, he started working at the Maplebrook School (Amenia, N.Y.) as Faculty with Dorm Responsibilities (FDR) and Athletics Coordinator as well as teaching Social Studies.

Will continues his passion for learning and growing by joining the Marvelwood School and looks forward to serving as a valuable member within the community.

In his free time, Will enjoys going on walks and hanging out with his dog Katy and kitten Elly. He is an avid sports fan and likes to follow MLB, MMA, NFL, college wrestling, football, basketball and soccer. He is most excited to return to coaching wrestling in the winter season and looking forward to taking on a new role as an assistant coach on the lacrosse team during the spring.

At Marvelwood Since: 2025
Athletics/After-School Activity Assignment: Wrestling, Lacrosse