Staff
Kimmell J. Proctor, Executive Director
A Philadelphia resident, Kimmell is committed to strengthening citywide community access to effective educational opportunities. With a combined twenty years of experience in education, strategic partnerships, and nonprofit services, Kimmell seeks to narrow achievement gaps and empower all learners with the knowledge, tools, and resources essential for success. After earning both her B.A. in Government and Masters of Teaching at the University of Virginia, she began her career in the underserved classrooms of Baltimore, Maryland with a focus on elevating early literacy instruction that she maintains today as a member of the AIM Institute Advisory Board. Prior to joining the CLC team, Kimmell served as Director of Academic Partnerships at Children's Scholarship Fund Philadelphia, working closely with a wide range of community partners, funders, and families to facilitate collective action and align impactful education solutions.
Dawn Hannah, Director of Education
Dawn holds a B.S. in Spanish from Georgetown University and an M.A. in linguistics from Stanford University. She has served as an associate director of education, assistant director of instructional quality and professional learning, program manager, manager of information services, and education and training coordinator in adult literacy agencies in Philadelphia. She also served as a project manager for research projects at the University of Pennsylvania’s National Center on Adult Literacy and has served as adjunct faculty for Community College of Philadelphia’s ESL, GED, and developmental English courses.
Ivry Bland, Career Coach
Ivry earned a B.A. in management from Strayer University. Ivry came to Community Learning Center from a charter school in Philadelphia where she was an assistant learning coach to primary-level students. Ivry also has 13 years of customer service experience for a major telecommunications company where she gained skills in the employee hiring process, interpersonal communications, and team leadership.
Gianna M. Brisbone, Teacher
Gianna received her M.S. in secondary education from the University of Pennsylvania and her M.S. and B.S. in biology from Delaware State University Dover. Gianna’s teaching experience includes teaching math enrichment for the School District of Philadelphia and biology, environmental science, physical science, and algebra at two Philadelphia charter schools. Before teaching, she was a researcher at Thomas Jefferson University and Delaware State University.
Stephen Brown, Director, Community Engagement and Organizational Advancement
Steve received a B.A. in English from Duke University and an M.Ed in Reading, Writing & Literacy from the University of Pennsylvania. He proudly served two years as an AmeriCorps member before entering the education field. His experiences include formal classroom teaching, youth development, program management, community partnerships, volunteer management, and fundraising.
Kieran Farrell, Career Coach
Keiran has a B.A. in Latin American studies from Fordham University. She has a variety of experience working for many nonprofits, including a maternal wellness center where she was a resource coordinator; Project H.O.M.E. where she was a support staff supervisor and residential case worker; and a transitional housing program for the mentally ill where she was a program aide.
Nick Gandolfo-Lucia, Instructor
Nick earned a BA in English Literature from Haverford College in 2016, and since then his professional life has been divided between filmmaking and education. Prior to joining CLC to focus on adult education, Nick worked as a film and media instructor at several public schools in the Philadelphia area through WHYY's fledgling Media Labs program. He has also worked on several documentaries in the Philadelphia area.
Melrona Gordon, Administrative Assistant and Pearson Vue Test Center Administrator
Melrona Gordon assists in the operations and administration of CLC. She is also a certified test administrator at the Pearson Vue-Authorized Test Center located in CLC’s West Philadelphia location. As a Pearson Vue test administrator, Melrona administers computer-based tests, including certification and licensure exams, across numerous industries. Before working at CLC, Melrona was a Certified Nursing Assistant (C.N.A.) and worked in the food services industry.
Kelly Griebert, myPLACE Learning Coach & Pearson Vue Test Center Administrator
Kelly received her B.S. in Biology from The College of New Jersey. Since earning her Bachelor's, Kelly has been working in the education field, serving as both a tutor and an administrative assistant. Kelly has helped create and implement curricula in a wide range of subjects, including math, science, English, and Spanish. She has advised students during the college application process and has worked with learners who are studying English as a second language.
Rosemary Haenn, Operations Manager
Rosemary graduated from Chestnut Hill College with a BA in Sociology and a minor in Communications. She later earned her M. Ed in Family Counseling and Family Studies from Loyola University of Chicago. Rosemary has years of administrative experience working in urban areas among the disadvantaged, advocating for social justice. After graduation, she spent a year as a Jesuit Volunteer in Houston before returning home to Philadelphia where she began her career in head start and later moved into foster care services. Rosemary worked as a Parent Involvement Counselor in the Philadelphia parochial schools. This quickly led her into Elementary School Administration. Rosemary was the Vice Principal and later became the Co-Principal at Our Mother of Sorrows / St. Ignatius School in West Philadelphia where she served for 10 years before moving into the Independence Mission School central office as the Director of Community Partnerships.
Patricia Haggerty, Teacher
Patty has B.A. degrees in art and biology from Rutgers University. Prior to CLC, Patty worked as an art teacher, a weight loss counselor, and a pre-school assistant. She also has experience in the food service industry. Before teaching at CLC, she was a CLC classroom volunteer.
Marcus Hall, Teacher
Marcus obtained his bachelor of business administration and is currently enrolled in the MBA program at Saint Joseph University Haub School of Business. His past teaching positions include GED math instructor and teaching assistant for GED and professional development at two other Philadelphia nonprofits, as well as teacher of fourth and sixth grade science. Most recently, he was a program manager at the American Emerald Awards Foundation in Philadelphia.
Clarece Hicks, myPLACE Learning Coach & Pearson Vue Test Center Administrator
Clarece attended Community Learning Center and obtained her Commonwealth Secondary School Diploma. Before working for CLC’s myPLACE Campus, Clarece worked in customer service for more than 10 years.
Joanne Laub, Teacher
Joanne is a graduate of the University of Virginia with a B.A. cum laude in chemistry. Joanne worked at Merck & Co. as a medical program coordinator for the clinical pharmacology department and as a chemist in the medicinal chemistry department. Currently, she is the leader and treasurer of La Leche League of Philadelphia. She is also a co-founder and former organizer of the Penn Alexander School Run for Arts and Sciences fundraising event. Joanne began at CLC as a volunteer tutor.
Lindsay Liprando, Teacher
Lindsay earned a bachelor's degree in neuroscience and psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and an M.Ed. in reading, writing, and literacy at the University of Pennsylvania. She has worked in adult education since 2006 and has experience as a counselor at a mental illness facility. She is an active volunteer with Books Through Bars.
Alex Smith, Teacher
Alex has a BS in English and biology from the University of Michigan, an MA in ecology from Indiana University, and an MS in crop science from Michigan State University. They have taught biology to university and community college students, and they have experience as an ESL instructor. When not teaching, Alex is usually working on the small farm they run with their wife, or volunteering at Books Through Bars.
Daniel Waters, Teacher
Dan obtained a B.A. from The George Washington University. He received a Certificate in TESOL in 2013 from Trinity College in London. Before joining Community Learning Center, he was an English language instructor at the American Language Center and a teacher of English as a second language for several language schools in Prague.