Stephen Rudin, MD, Founder and Principal Mentor: a graduate of Case Western Reserve School of Medicine and former Upward Bound Teacher of the Year, Dr. Rudin is the founder and guiding force behind Individual U. LLC and NLD-NYConnects. The inventor of Individual U.'s "Smart Edzyme" model of collaborative mentoring, his specialties include reparative learning, and the creative educational enrichment of children and young adults. An innovator, author, remediator, and developer of insightful products that make challenging topics more easily understood, Dr. Rudin has been a mentor of individuals from kindergarten, through Medical School, mid-life, and beyond. His best-selling, award-winning software and books include A.D.A.M.: The Inside Story, The Nine Month Miracle, Conquering the New SAT, and The Human Body: Fandex Family Field Guide. Dr. Rudin's additional interests include white water kayaking, Argentine tango, Tai Chi Sword, Goju Karate, writing lyrics for a variety of musical genres, and writing for theater and film - all of which enhance Individual U.'s approach to learning.

Lorraine Anderson, Director of Programs: a Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Columbia University, Lorraine recently returned to New York City after completing her MA in English Literature at Oxford University to become the Director of Programs for Individual U. From an early age Lorraine was infused with a dedication to education - both her brother and her mother are teachers while her father is Executive Director of the Illinois Education Association. Lorraine also has hands-on teaching experience having worked with children ages 5-12 at Chicago's highly esteemed Francis Parker School. Lorraine's organizational capabilities, creative sensibility, and knowledge of English literature have brought new competencies to the Individual U. team and office, and in her work as Director of Programs, she collaborates with Dr. Rudin to advance Individual U.'s vision and growth. When not at Individual U., she writes, practices a variety of visual arts, and hones her remarkable Godfather impression. Her Asian-influenced artwork in pencil and gouache can be seen in Individual U.'s offices.

Boris Berenfeld, PhD: renowned educator, World Technology Award finalist, internet pioneer, biophysicist, and elected Member of the Russian Academy of Science, Boris is the Principal Investigator of several National Science Foundation projects through The Concord Consortium.
One of the "fathers" of educational tele-collaboration, Dr. Berenfeld is the principal author of the internationally acclaimed Global Lab Curriculum, which allows small groups of students in geographically distributed areas to share observations, data, and conclusions as a collaborative community. Global Lab was piloted and tested in nearly thirty countries around the world.

At Individual U., Boris heads the Technology and Education efforts, asks probing questions, mentors students young and old, surprises us with amazing, web-based, interactive learning opportunities, and inspires us to reach higher while staying grounded in our mission to help people learn.

Marcia Eckerd, PhD, Director of Integrative Mentoring: a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Yale University, Dr. Eckerd earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from CUNY and has been a licensed psychologist working with adults, adolescents and children for over 25 years. Dr. Eckerd specialized interest is in children with social disabilities and associated cognitive and academic challenges. Trained in neuropsychological evaluation, her clinical work outside of Individual U. involves diagnosing and addressing the challenges these children face. She is a consultant to schools, lecturer, therapist and writer and gives professional workshops on learning challenges, executive functions, neuropsychological evaluation, and ADHD. Dr. Eckerd is on the professional boards of the CT Association for Children and Adults with LD and Smart Kids with LD, and is listed on the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology. She is also a resource professional on Asperger.com and LDline.com.

At Individual U., Dr Eckerd directs our integrative mentoring efforts, working closely with Dr. Rudin as the internal resource for understanding the impact of emotional trauma and learning challenges on students, mentors, and families alike. She is also a member of our 'Eye to I.U.' assessment and Inward Bound teams.

Tioma Maloratsky: an MIT-trained physicist and mathematician, Moscovite Tioma divides his time between mentoring at Individual U. and dancing at all-night tango gatherings (milongas) from New York to Buenos Aires. His tango work is internationally recognized under the performance name, "El Ruso." At MIT, Tioma worked in the Plasma Fusion Center, the Robotics Lab, and consulted for the Global Lab, while also mentoring incoming freshmen from economically disadvantaged and minority backgrounds to prepare them for MIT coursework. He received his teaching certification in Physics from Wellesley College while teaching twelfth grade at Boston Latin High.

At Individual U., Tioma, who guides our mathematics efforts, works with students of all ages in both enrichment and remediation.

Daniela Darrah, MD: a Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude graduate of the University of Michigan, where she studied Microbiology and Spanish Literature, Daniela earned her MD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. As an undergraduate, she taught organic chemistry, tutored math and reading in the Detroit Public Schools, and worked on ovarian cancer research. Before moving to the East Coast for medical school, she spent a summer teaching elementary Spanish and reading comprehension to Mayan-speaking children in the highlands of rural Guatemala. She started her post-graduate medical training as a resident in general surgery at NYU, and is currently working on clinical research at Mt. Sinai. She next plans to complete her medical training in anesthesiology and practice in that field. When not trying to invent a way to wakeboard in the East River, she enjoys tennis, gourmet cooking, and wandering around the city.

At Individual U., Daniela mentors students in biology and chemistry, bringing both scientific and clinical perspectives to those endeavors.

Sensei Arnaldo "Andy" Diaz: a 6th degree Black Belt in GoJu-Te Karate and father of three boys, Sensei Diaz has been studying and practicing martial arts for close to 40 years, achieving mastery not only in karate, but in the internal Chinese martial arts of Tai Chi, Hsing-I, and PaKua. He was the founder of the Martial Arts Conservatory Karate School, which was honored by Black Belt Magazine. Sensei Diaz has worked with numerous blind, visually impaired, and otherwise disabled students, and currently conducts classes at the Jewish Guild for the Blind. Dr. Rudin first met Sensei Diaz at Asphalt Green, where, among other martial arts programs, Sensei teaches Water Tai Chi for the motion-impaired and disabled, and credits Sensei Diaz with helping him through the challenges of his own unexpected hip injury and mobility limitation.

At Individual U., Sensei Diaz mentors students in chi-channeling practices to help improve their focus, coordination, spatial skills, balance, self-confidence, and self-esteem. Sensei Diaz infuses his teachings with philosophy, history, literature and Yankee baseball, bringing a fascinating East-West balance to his popular chi-mentoring sessions.

Matthew Kelly: a magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Brown University's Biomedical Ethics and Biology Programs, Matthew's undergraduate thesis examined the treatment of scientific authority by the United States criminal justice system. He has also written about several other biomedical ethics topics, including scientific journal practices, nationalism and scientific progress, and metaethical issues related to neuromodulation. In addition to studying social issues in science, Matthew has conducted primary research examining microbial resistance profiles in natural habitats. He comes to Individual U. from the New York Academy of Sciences, where he directed the organization's biology, chemistry, and physics-based Science Research Training Program and served as the Primary Curriculum Author for their Science Program. Prior to his time at the Academy, he oversaw a creative arts education program in Providence, writing that program's first curriculum guide. Currently, he is a Wyman Scholar at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Program in the History and Ethics of Public Health and Medicine. When he's not reading or writing bioethics related articles, Matthew enjoys writing works for the stage, many of which have been professionally developed and produced. He is particularly interested in the use of absurdist theatre techniques to present complex social issues in science, and was nominated for a NYC based playwriting award for a play exemplifying this style.

At Individual U., Matthew is a Managing Mentor and works with our core group utilizing his interdisciplinary training to enhance his instruction of biology, chemistry, physics, and math.

Saul Chernick: a visual artist and educator, Saul's work has been exhibited internationally in galleries, museums, and cultural institutions including The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, The Bronx Museum of Art, and The Arad Museum of Art. He received his MFA from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, and his BFA at the Rhode Island School of Design. He has also studied art education at the Pratt institute in Brooklyn and was selected for residency by the prestigious Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine. He has worked as an educator for Studio in A School and Dreamyard programs, both of which serve New York City public schools in need of art's enrichment.

At Individual U., Saul mentors students in the visual arts and arts enrichment helping them explore their academic studies through hands-on creative activities.

Ruben Savizky, PhD: a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Ruben originally intended to be a graphic artist. After learning more about the sciences in high school and college, he received a B.E. in chemical engineering from The Cooper Union and his MS and PhD in chemistry from Yale University. As an undergraduate and graduate student, he volunteered as a math and science tutor for minority students. Ruben also supervised a group of sophomores and juniors who were interested in pharmaceutical research by serving as a teaching assistant for a chemistry project in Cooper Union's Summer High School Engineering Research Internship Program. Ruben's graduate work involved the synthesis of small molecule inhibitors for RNA-protein interactions, particularly those involved in HIV-1 replication. He is currently an assistant professor at The Cooper Union, where he is actively involved in teaching undergraduate courses in analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, and biochemistry. His current research interests include bioinformatics, computer-based docking of ligand-RNA interactions, combinatorial chemistry, pattern recognition in spectroscopy, and applications of nanotechnology to chemistry and biology. When he's not trying to take over the world, Ruben can be found tango dancing, exercising religiously, appreciating the art of M.C. Escher, and exploring the many parts of New York City.

At Individual U., Ruben teaches math, biology, physics, and, of course, chemistry, but rarely all at once.

Jung Pak, PhD: a doctor in U.S. History, Jung received her PhD from Columbia University where she studied under Alan Brinkley's tutelage, and began teaching American history at Hunter College as an adjunct assistant professor in the fall of 2006. During her graduate career, she was the number one ranked Fulbright Scholar in Korea by the U.S. Fulbright Scholarship Board, nominated by the Department of History for the U.S. Presidential Management Fellowship, and served as a Fellow at Columbia's Public Policy Consortium. As a teaching assistant, Jung has taught Columbia and Barnard undergraduates and graduates in introductory and upper-level courses in American history, foreign relations, women's and gender studies, and political science. As an undergraduate, Jung attended Colgate University where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude, and with honors in history. She was president of both her senior class and the Phi Eta Sigma national honor society. She continues to remain active as a member of Colgate's Board of Directors and as the Executive Secretary of the Alumni of Color Corporation.

At Individual U., Jung teaches history and writing. When not here, or at Hunter, Jung likes to fill her spare time with, of all things, history, leading Big Onion Walking Tours of New York City.

Chris Martin: Individual U.'s Poet-In-Residence hails from the West; originally Colorado and more recently Santa Fe. He is the 2006 recipient of the Hayden Carruth Award, given annually to an emerging poet. Chris received his MA in Poetry Performance and Education in June 2007 from NYU's Gallatin School for Individualized Study. His first full-length book, American Music, was published by the esteemed Copper Canyon Press in Nov. 2007. He is the editor and co-founder of an online journal of the arts, "Puppy Flowers," and reads his work throughout New York and at various colleges. He is, furthermore, a singer/songwriter and a rapper, though you wouldn't believe the latter by looking at him.

At Individual U., Chris is a Managing Mentor and works as part of our core mentor group, providing excellent remediation and enrichment in many fields including Math, English, and Art Appreciation.

Dustin Long: Dustin received a BA from UC Berkeley and is currently working towards his PhD in English Literature at Indiana University, where he was awarded his MA. He recently moved to New York to begin his dissertation, but spent the last four years dividing his time among teaching composition, taking graduate courses, and writing novels. His first novel, Icelander, was published by McSweeney's in 2006, and he is currently completing another.

At Individual U., Dustin mentors students in English Literature, Grammar, and Writing. He is also involved in preparing Individual U. students for various standardized examinations, including the SAT, ACT, and SSAT.

Anne Rabbino: a product of New York City private schools and New England boarding schools, Anne attended Brown University as both an undergraduate and an overachiever, working with two different Deans, organizing a mentoring program at a Providence charter school, and researching the role of family life in prison recidivism for the city of Providence. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Classics and Education Studies, Anne joined Teach For America and taught in a charter school in East Harlem; during her term there, her students achieved the second highest passing rate in New York City! By day, Anne is currently a middle school teacher at at a NYC private school, while also training for the ING New York City Marathon on behalf of Team Hole in the Wall, raising money for kids with terminal diseases.

At Individual U., Anne brings her remarkable planning and organizational skills, knowledge of young students, and classroom teaching experience both to mentoring individual students, and to collaborating with other mentors to help students develop their own organizational and long-term planning capabilities.

Sarah Raymont: Sarah was born at the ABC Hospital in Mexico City and has lived in both Mexico and Spain. A graduate of Brown with a BA in English and Art-Semiotics and an MA in writing from the University of East Anglia, she has extensive experience providing home instruction for elementary schoolkids in New York. She is also an expert on great candies of the world.

At Individual U., Sarah mentors students in Spanish language and Spanish literature, as well as English Writing and Grammar, and is active in our "mentors in motion" program.

Barry Heyden: a graduate of the University of Pittsburg with a BS in Exercise Science and Certified Strength and Conditioning, Mr. Heyden is a recognized leader in the health and fitness arena. Barry began a relationship with Major League Baseball as a youngster shagging balls for Dusty Baker at spring training camp near his Florida home. He then went on to serve as a strength and conditioning coach for major league baseball teams (including The Pittsburg Pirates and Texas Rangers) and gained national prominence for the low injury rates incurred by players on the New York Mets while he was their Director of Strength and Fitness Conditioning from 1997-2001. Subsequently began consulting internationally. Of note, he recently helped Bobby Valentine develop the Conditioning Program for the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan.

In 2001, Barry also began focusing his attention on tennis fitness and injury prevention, working as a consultant to both men's ATP and the woman's WTA Professional Tennis Association where he developed Sports Specific and Functional Training regimens that are now a standard for training programs throughout the world. A popular motivational speaker and author of books on baseball conditioning, he was most recently recruited by the Hospital for Special Surgery to spearhead the development of their Sports and Human Performance Center.

At Individual U., Mr. Heyden works on focus, motivation, and performance enhancement with students in our Young Adults Lifepath Program and Gap Year Program, and with Individual U. students of all ages who want to enjoy the benefits of fitness, flexibility, and specific sports skills. Away from "work," Barry's passion is training his teenage daughter, who is an increasingly formidable competitor on the tournament circuit.

Sae Okihara: a true ambassador of Japanese culture and language, Sae earned an MA in American Literature at Kansai University and then another Master's degree more recently from NYU in teaching Japanese as a foreign language. Sae firmly believes a greater understanding of Japan and its arts, customs, and traditions can be brought to the United States through the transmission of its language and has put this belief into practice with years of teaching experience, including work at the University of San Francisco and New York University.

At Individual U., through teaching Japanese, she conveys a different perspective on the world that attracts students and fuels an interest in other aspects of Asian and American cultures as well as their intersections. Sae also teaches classes in Japanese cooking and Ikebana.

Roberta Schine: a graduate of the University of Connecticut with a BA in Literature and a certified Kripalu Yoga and Meditation Instructor, Roberta teaches yoga, meditation, and other stress reduction programs in several local hospitals and workplaces. She began doing yoga in 1985 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Now an eighteen-year survivor, she continues her practice as a way of life. She was previously the founding director and head instructor of the Karate School for Women, 1976-1996, and achieved her second-degree black belt from the World Tae Kwon Do Federation.

At Individual U., Roberta, who speaks and teaches in both English and Spanish, works closely with Dr. Rudin in helping the students and mentors integrate yoga practice and philosophy into programs for academic and life success.

Jim Higdon: holds advanced degrees from Brown (MFA in creative writing, Peter Kaplan fellow, '00) and Columbia (MS in journalism, with honors, '05). With his education and training, Jim has begun a career as a professional writer, currently on contract with Penguin/Putnam with his first book. For the past two years, Jim has been living in Kentucky and recreating decades-old criminal activity with Freedom of Information Act requests, and interviews with retired law enforcement officers, long-tooth journalists and ex-convicts. As a freelance journalist, Jim also covers technology and business news in Silicon Valley, specializing in VoIP, IT management and the convergence of technology and politics.

At Individual U., Jim specializes in English, history and essay composition. Jim also works with creatively precocious students interested in enriching their writing skills, whether analytic, creative or journalistic. Jim also values the richness of New York City as a learning laboratory, and seeks to use the city's resources -- museums, institutions, neighborhoods and cultural landmarks -- as teaching tools for students' explorations.

Kate Cambor, PhD: a native Texan and recent NYC transplant, Kate received her PhD in History from Yale University in December 2005. She graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University, where she studied History and European Cultural Studies. Kate is working on her first book, Gilded Youth (Farrar Straus Giroux, 2007); her writing has also appeared in publications including The American Prospect, The American Scholar, The Boston Book Review, TPM Café, and Polar Times. Kate enjoys obsessing over historical matters, going to movies, and wandering around the city looking for decent Tex-Mex.

At Individual U., Kate heads our history efforts, bringing her love and passion for a spectrum of people and places to all of our students.

Mariana Fresno: one of the most dynamic Tango performers of the new generation, Mariana has established herself in the field of Argentine Tango through performing in numerous Tango shows and motion pictures, but has distinguished herself as well as an extraordinary Tango mentor of children and young adults throughout the world. Before discovering tango, she graduated from the National School of Dance in Buenos Aires, where she studied ballet, folklore, jazz and modern dance. Mariana has studied under such prominent instructors as Juan Carlos Copes, Mingo and Esther Pugliese, Graciela Gonzélez, Gustavo Naveira, José Garéfalo, Natalia Games y Gabriel Angio, Facundo and Kelly, Julio Balmaceda and with renowed milongueros such as Tete and Silvia, Rodolfo and Maria Cieri, 'El Pibe' Palermo, Carlitos Albornoz and many others. In 1997 she starred in the 'Buenos Aires Tango' show with the Walter Réos Orchestra, which ran in Tokyo, Japan. She toured Chile with Osvaldo Zotto's group, and in 1999 was also part of Anébal Pachano's "Tangou" musical show. Mariana's remarkable maturity and depth as a dancer in exhibited in such films such as 'Evita' directed by Alan Parker, and 'El Sueéo de los Héroes' (The Dreams of Heroes) by the Argentine director Sergio Renén. In Buenos Aires, Mariana joined the Escuela Argentina de Tango and the Abasto Plaza Hotel teacher's staff. She has also taught Tango workshops throughout the world including Argentina, United States, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, France and Denmark.

Mariana's work with Individual U. began several months after she first became Dr. Rudin's personal Tango instructor. During a workshop, he noticed that she could get the entire class to move through her motion and expressivity while hardly saying a word and that her teaching fostered a deep sense of connection and communication between the dancing partners she was instructing. What evolved was 'Less Talk, More Tango,' their shared collaboration for teaching students to listen to, lead, and follow each other through their intentions and with as few words as possible. Today, Mariana is active in teaching Individual U. students with a variety of learning, social, and emotional challenges.

Daniel Felsenfeld, PhD: Raised up on the mean streets of Orange County, California, Danny earned his Doctorate in Composition from Boston's New England Conservatory. His music has been played at the New York City Opera (where his cantata Summer and All it Brings was selected to be part of the VOX 2004: Showcasing American Composers series), downtown performance space the Kitchen (where his opera The Last of Manhattan was premiered), the Wellesley Composer's Conference, Weill Hall, Jordan Hall and as part of the New Millennium Festival in Gijon, Spain. As an author, his books, written with an eye to helping lay audiences come to classical music, include Britten and Barber: Their Lives Their Music (2005); Ives and Copland: A Listener's Guide (2004) and the upcoming Tchaikovsky: A Listener's Guide (2006), all on Amadeus Press. He also co-wrote biographies of Bach, Wagner, Brahms, Vivaldi, and Handel (all 2003, Morgan Reynolds Press) for adolescent audiences. His journalism has appeared in Playbill, Time Out New York, The New Yorker, Newsday, Musical America, New Music Box, Symphony Magazine, as well as many others publications. He has held teaching positions at both Harvard University and the New England Conservatory, and currently is a visiting lecturer at he 92nd Street Y.