Meet Our Team
Manhasset Leadership Team
Madison Renck
Director
As a Long Island native, Madison (she/her) received her B.A. in Graphic Design and minor in Marketing and Educational Studies from American University in Washington, DC. Madison's love for working with kids and helping them bring their ideas to life brought her to One River Manhasset! She previously worked in the events marketing space with companies like the National Cherry Blossom Festival and Wolf Trap National Park. She also brings over seven years of experience working in a local private day camp. In her role, she looks forward to helping our members with all their needs and seeing all the work they create!
Shakira Renee
Assistant Director of Education
Shakira (they/them) is a studio artist with an associates from Suffolk County Community College in Visual Art, and a BFA from SUNY Oneonta in Studio Art. They are a multifaceted artist with knowledge ranging from traditional to digital art, but specialize in drawing & painting. Shakira is passionate about teaching all ages and abilities, as well as dedicated to creating a safe space for everyone they work with.
Ellie Bell
Assistant Director of Member Services
Ellie (They/them) graduated from Hofstra University with a Bachelor's in Fine Arts and Art History. They were born and raised in North Carolina and recently relocated to Long Island after graduating. They have a huge passion for trying different mediums within the art realm, specifically acrylic paint mixed with sewing. They draw inspiration from their lived experiences and their loved ones, which is very visible in all their artwork. They are very grateful and excited to be a part of the One River team!
In-Studio Educators
Noor Pirzada
Noor graduated with a BA in Fine Arts and specializes in south asian miniature painting using gouache and watercolor. She loves to make portraits, figure drawings, and landscapes on commission & have had successful exhibits on Long Island. Throughout the last 6 years teaching at schools as both a class teacher and art teacher, Noor developed a passion for working with kids, inspiring them to bring out their most creative side, helping to sharpen their skills, all while creating a positive and memorable atmosphere in any classroom.
Andrew DeFelice
Andrew (he/him) is a freelance artist from Flushing, NY. A graduate of the School of Visual Arts (BFA in Illustration & Cartooning) and Academy of Art University (MFA in Illustration, Concept Art focus), he has worked as a graphic designer, art instructor, and concept artist. His works have been published in mythology and folklore anthologies, fantasy novels, and role-playing games across numerous genres. Specializing in character and creature design, he often combines traditional and digital mediums to celebrate the weird and wonderful.
Elizabeth Ireland
Elizabeth is originally from New England, where she earned her BFA in Painting from the New Hampshire Institute of Art. Following her graduation, she relocated to Boston to study at the Academy of Realist Art. This educational journey introduced her to traditional figurative studies through an Atelier approach. In 2021, Elizabeth moved to New York to further her education in 19th-century Naturalism at Grand Central Atelier in Queens.
Alyssa Scerra
Alyssa Is an artist educator with a BFA in Drawing and MAT from Maryland Institute College of Art. She became an art teacher because of her love of art, history, and storytelling. Her exposure to art and its inherent value has informed her teaching philosophy as she celebrates its ubiquitous nature. She applies her vast knowledge and experience within the art room for our students to be able to interact with authentic art practices. Her teaching pedagogy and training are founded in studio-based learning and mean-making establishing big ideas in customized artwork. Alyssa introduces Art and concepts in the classroom through observation and inquiry into familiar subject matters and personal interests.
Savannah Garces
Savannah Garces (She/They) has had a passion for the digital arts for years, earning a B.F.A in Digital Arts and Illustration with a minor in Graphic Design. Savannah has deep knowledge of a variety of different digital art mediums, from illustration, to animation, to 3D modeling as well as knowledge of traditional art mediums like sculpting and watercolor. They work as a freelance artist and teacher with goals to work within the animation industry. As someone who taught themselves the many forms of digital art through their childhood, helping kids embrace their creativity and exploring the vastness of the digital world is a passion of theirs!
Elizabeth Kisseleff
Elizabeth Kisseleff is a Long Islander yet also spends much of her time painting in the Adirondacks; her landscapes allude to a sense of place: ambiguous representations of familiar yet non-specific spaces; favoring changes in color, shifting light, gesture, and abstraction; shifts in mood over traditional realism; blending impression and expression. Elizabeth has a BFA in Art & Design Education from Pratt Institute, and an MFA from LIU Post. She has devoted more than 25 years inside the realm of Art Education, has worn many hats, however her favorite is as a studio instructor whose main objective is supporting students as they find their voice as artists.
Poulomi Mukherji
Poulomi (she/her) is an Animator, Designer, and Director. She holds a BFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and has directed animated content for various ad agencies, TV shows, and educational institutions. She is passionate about mentoring others and loves working at One River, where she can help students of all ages foster their passion in the arts.
Joanne Kopram
Joanne graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology and is currently pursuing a Master’s for Visual Education at Queens College! She first worked at Uptown Stories as a Teacher’s Assistant helping students create comics, and found her way to work as an Art Teacher at One River. She is excited to help the students in their art expression, and looks forward to encouraging their creativity! In her free time, Joanne likes to write and draw comics, put together animated movies, and make concept art all based on her Indian heritage!
Chesca Turnigan
Chesca Turingan is a storyboard artist for film and animated media. Her passion lies within writing and directing, tackling stories from unexpected angles to bring forth unexpected perspectives. She is a graduate of Pratt Institute with a BFA in 2D Animation, and continuously expands her knowledge through learning different software, mediums, and forms of art. Problem-solving, collaboration, and confidence in artistic vision are what she hopes to inspire within upcoming generations of artists.
Faith Loudon
Faith graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Animation, specializing in Technical Animation. With a strong foundation in both digital and traditional art practices, she brings a well-rounded approach to the classroom that encourages creativity, exploration, and technical skill development. Passionate about helping students discover their artistic voice, Faith creates a learning environment where artists of all experience levels can grow in confidence while experimenting with a wide variety of mediums and techniques.
Ally Riggio
Ally is a freelance artist, web designer, and paint & sip host born and raised on Long Island. She obtained a BFA in Illustration at Marywood University and spent a semester studying abroad at SACI in Florence, Italy. A purely traditional artist at heart, Ally enjoys creating fantastical, whimsical characters and creatures with ballpoint pen and watercolors. She owes the cultivation of her personal style to the video games and animation she's enjoyed since her childhood, and she hopes to bring the joy of being inspired by what one loves the most to the forefront of her teaching.
Other Staff
Kallie Lios
Kallie Lios is a multimedia artist currently completing a BFA in Fine Art with a focus in Mixed Studio. Her practice primarily centers on acrylic and oil painting, alongside experience working across a wide range of traditional mediums. Pulling inspiration from memory, her work explores surreal, dreamlike imagery rooted in personal experience. With a strong interest in art education, they are passionate about process-based learning and thoughtful critique.
Veronica Agarwal
Veronica (she/her) is a working graphic novelist who loves sunflowers, summertime, and animals! She has a BFA in Cartooning from the School of Visual Arts, and currently publishes books with her writing partner and husband. She's half-Italian, half-Indian, and her comics reflect the diversity she grew up with.
Tatiana Mieles
Tatiana is a pre-law student at Fordham University and has been creating art for as long as she can remember. Originally from Queens, New York, she enjoys immersing herself in creative spaces and has found a passion for sharing art with others. She hopes to one day build her own art business and become a recognized artist. Tatiana loves experimenting with mixed media, primarily creating contemporary artwork. She is excited to help create a welcoming and encouraging creative space where artists of all ages and experience levels feel comfortable expressing themselves and exploring their creativity.
Paola Barillas Chavez
Paola is an illustrator always looking for a creative outlet! She loves creating work that expresses her feelings and how she views the world. Paola got a BFA in Illustration and a minor in Art History at FIT, where she was able to hone my skills in things like painting, drawing, sculpting, and digital art. The best part about being an artist is that she gets to share my knowledge with anyone that wants to embrace their creative side!
Join Our Team
Career opportunities at One River School allow passionate artists, educators and lovers of art to share their love and knowledge of art and enhance the lives of people they connect with everyday.