Liberty LEADS Main Program Phone Number: (212)-875-4511

• Farhad Asghar, Director
  Opt. 1/Ext. 1 - fasghar@bankstreet.edu
  
  • Farhad Asghar is the Director of liberty LEADS The Bank Street Center for Leadership and College Preparation. He graduated Cum Laude from Brooklyn College with a Bachelors in English literature/ Secondary Education (1997). Before coming to Bank Street, Farhad, a licensed and certified teacher, taught in a Brooklyn public high school and worked as a member of the program staff in an after school organization in Queens. Farhad became the director of the liberty Partnership Program in 2004. Prior to that he worked first as liberty's college prep coordinator and then Education Coordinator. He has a MPA in non-profit management from the Wagner School at NYU and serves on Bank Street College's board of trustees as a staff associate trustee.
    
• Maxine Roberts, Assistant Director
  Opt. 1/Ext. 2 - mroberts@bankstreet.edu
  
  • Maxine Roberts, a graduate from Mount Holyoke College, obtained a Computer Science degree and worked as a software developer for more than two years. In 1998, she decided to enter the field of Education, and attended Columbia University's Teachers College to obtain a Master's degree in English Education. After graduating and serving as a Program Director for an all-girls after school program in East Harlem, Maxine decided to focus her talents towards helping high school students achieve academic excellence. Following her tenure as the Academic Advisor for the Class of 2004, she now serves as the organization's Assistant Director. In pursuit of her love for learning, Maxine completed her Masters in Reading and literacy Specialization at Bank Street College of Education in May 2006.
• Ana lisa Tiburcio, Counseling Coordinator
  Opt. 2/Ext. 2 - atiburcio@bankstreet.edu
  
  • Ana lisa Tiburcio is the Counseling Coordinator at the liberty Partnerships Program. In 1999, she received her B.S from Brooklyn College in Psychology with a minor in Children's Studies. Prior to assuming her current position with liberty, Ana led a community service class, organized and implemented a summer camp and assisted with a history class for the students at liberty. Ana was previously employed as a foster care worker in Brooklyn. In 2004, she received a master's in Social Work from Hunter College.
    
• Lijia Collado-Palma, Administrative Assistant
  Opt. 1/Ext. 3 - lcollado@bankstreet.edu
  
  • Lijia Collado-Palma graduated from Career Training Institute as a travel agent. She then entered the world of Bank Street College where she has worked for over 15 years. She has worked with Institutional Advancement, the President's Office, Computer Information Services, Central Services and the Graduate School all in the area of office support. Lijia began working for the division of Continuing Education at their Briarwood Head Start. Her last 8 years with The liberty Partnerships Program have been a wonderful and rewarding experience working in a space where "at risk youth" are served by a great, dedicated team.
    
• Jason Vitteri-Lewis, Program Relations/Mentoring Coordinator
  Opt. 4/Ext. 3 - jlewis@bankstreet.edu
  
  • Jason Vitteri-Lewis graduated from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre/Dance. He relocated to New York in the summer of 2004 and came to Bank Street College later that same year, when he became the administrative assistant for the I-LEAD Program. Jason is also an accomplished playwright and director. His first screenplay, Straight As An Arrow, is in development for film production in 2007.
    
• Michael LoGuidice, Boys Program and Adventure Based Coordinator
  Opt. 2/Ext. 1 - mloguidice@bankstreet.edu
  
  • Michael LoGudice is a licensed Social Worker who has been working with children and families since his graduation from Hunter College School for Social Work in 1993. Michael also has post graduate psychoanalytic training from the Institute for Child Adolescent and Family Studies of NYC. He has maintained a part time psychotherapy practice for 7 years. Michael's professional focus has been the development of a model of working with youth that combines theory and practice from the fields of Outdoor Education (Adventure based Counseling) and Social Group Work.
    
• Becky Hamilton, Advisor Class of 2008
  Opt. 3/Ext. 1 - rhamilton@bankstreet.edu
  
  • Rebecca Hamilton, a graduate from James Madison University, earned a B.A. in Political Science with a Spanish minor. While at James Madison, Becky studied abroad at the Universidad de Salamanca in Salamanca, Spain. She also was employed by the Community Service-Learning Office and coordinated the Alternative Break Program. This experience led Becky to commit a year to AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps as a Team Leader for the Western Region in Sacramento, CA. There she led a group of young adults to serve with non-profit agencies including Point Reyes National Seashore in Point Reyes, CA, Fruit Ridge Elementary School in Sacramento, CA, the Hawaii Food Bank in Honolulu, HI, and the Utah Federation for Youth in Salt Lake City, UT. Through her work at liberty LEADS in 2005, she served as an independent contractor for Landmark Volunteers in New Mexico and as a chaperone for the Students on Ice expedition to Antarctica. Becky is currently working on a Master's of Science in Education degree at Bank Street College in Middle School Special and General Education.
    
• Anh Truong, Advisor Class of 2009
  Opt. 3/Ext. 3 - atruong@bankstreet.edu
  
  • Anh Truong completed her MA at San Jose State University, Anh Truong worked with disadvantaged youths in San Francisco. She comes to liberty LEADS excited to continue working with inner city youths and motivate them to succeed.
    
• Ingrid Selman, Advisor Class of 2010
  Opt. 3/Ext. 4 - iselman@bankstreet.edu
  
  • Ingrid Seman, a graduate of SUNY New Paltz, majored in Communications Interpersonal/Intercultural and minored in Black Studies. While at New Paltz, she was a Resident Assistant and Peer Counselor for the Educational Opportunity Program. Passionate about helping young adults, she worked as a substitute teacher for high school students, as well as a Resident Coordinator for the Upward Bound Program at Marist College. Currently, she is a candidate for her Masters Degree in Mental Health Counseling and will graduate from Long Island University in the Spring of 2007. Since joining the program in 2006, she is excited about the possibilities of serving students and helping them achieve their academic goals.
• Thomas Sharkey, Advisor Class of 2011
  Opt. 3/Ext. 2 - tsharkey@bankstreet.edu
  
  • Tom Sharkey, a graduate of the University of Scranton, is the Academic Advisor for the Class of 2011 at Liberty LEADS. Upon moving to New York and completing his graduate studies in conflict resolution at Teachers College in 2000, he worked there at the International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution as a staff member, facilitator and trainer. Following that, he worked at the Bank Street School for Children as the Assistant to the Dean, which led to enrolling in the graduate school at Bank Street, where he is completing his Master's in Middle School Education. Prior to joining the Liberty LEADS staff, Tom taught 6th, 7th and 8th grade students in Newark, NJ.
• Abby Cohan, Middle School Coordinator
  Opt. 3/Ext. 5 - mcohan@bankstreet.edu
  • Abby Cohan is the Middle School coordinator at Liberty LEADS. She attended the University of Vermont and received a BA in Political Science and English. Throughout college Abby volunteered at The Boys and Girls Club of America working with underprivileged youth. After graduating she moved to San Francisco and continued working with children of all ages as a substitute teacher in SF Unified School District. She then enrolled at San Francisco State University to receive her teaching credential. She graduated in 2000 with a specialization in middle school education and English. Abby then taught 7th and 8th grade English, ESL, and drama in Daly City, California for the next four years before moving to New York. Before coming to Bank Street, Abby, a licensed and certified teacher, taught at a charter school in Brooklyn teaching 6th, 7th, and 8th grade English. She joined the Bank Street staff in 2006 and hopes to continue to have a positive impact on the lives of children. Abby is currently working on a Master's degree at Bank Street College in Leadership for Educational Change.
• Charisse Taylor, Education Advancement Coordinator
  Opt. 4/Ext. 2 -ctaylor@bankstreet.edu
  
  • Charisse Taylor, a liberty Partnerships Program graduate, is pioneering a new role in the organization as the Educational Advancement Coordinator. After graduating from Smith College with a B.A. in Psychology in 2004, she returned to the program with the mission of passing along the guidance, nuturing, and support she received to the students in the liberty LEADS program.