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!
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 Institue 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.
Kirsten Scott
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.
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!
Robin Goodman
Robin (they/them) has had a passion for visual art from a young age. With an artist mother who gave them room to explore mediums, tools, and methods, they fell in love the second they could hold a paintbrush. As a long island native, Robin also had access to museums/galleries both on LI and the city, furthering their connection and interest in art. Art class was their respite at school, treasuring that time learning and growing their abilities. That interest and love for the spirit for the art room led them to pursue teaching; after 5 years at Pratt School for Art and Design Education, teaching, creating, and learning pedagogical approaches, they knew this was their calling. Robin enjoys sketching plein air and oil painting from observation most, but dabbles in every medium and likes learning new ways to create.
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!
Kallie Lios (Teacher's Assistant)
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.
Seasonal Educators
Cathleen Ficht
Cathleen Ficht is a Long Island native, focusing on drawing and printmaking using water as her subject matter. She received her BFA in Printmaking with a minor in Illustration at the University of Hartford and received her MFA in Printmaking at Savannah College of Art and Design. She completed artist residencies at Kala Art Institute in Berkeley, CA and Chateau d’Orquevaux in Orquevaux, in France, and was awarded The Denis Diderot [A-i-R] Grant. Her work has appeared in many juried and group exhibitions in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Michigan, California, Wisconsin, Georgia, Colorado, Texas, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Italy, France, as well as online exhibitions. Cathleen continues to create drawings and prints and is currently a professor at Stony Brook University and St. Joseph's College.
Kevin Rivas
Kevin graduated from Queens College program in Art Education. Kevin obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Art Education (Teacher K-12) and is currently doing his Master's (MSED) at Queens College. He was inspired to teach by his high school ESL teachers, who helped him grow to be a great student and demonstrated that teachers are a necessary tool to help students do better in the future. Kevin is experienced with various mediums and specializes in mixed media and digital art. Kevin loves painting, drawing anime characters, and digital portraits in his free time.
Sofiia Rovinskaia
Sofiia was born and grew up in Saint-Petersburg, Russia. While getting her MBA at the State University of Aerospace Instrumentation, she worked as a school art teacher and later opened my own art studio/craft gift store. As the political situation in Russia worsened, she decided to move abroad and pursue an art degree. Sofiia graduated Cum Laude from Minnesota State University, Mankato, with a BFA in Graphic Design with a second concentration in Sculpture. In her creative process, she draws inspiration from the world around her – from city life's vibrant energy to nature's serene beauty.
Daniella Cippitelli
Daniella Cippitelli is a Long Island-based artist with a BFA in Arts Management and an MA in Media Studies. Her abstract paintings and photography are inspired by the fluidity of nature and the ocean, capturing movement, depth, and emotional resonance. Alongside her fine art pursuits, Daniella maintains a dynamic career in digital communications & marketing, specializing in graphic design, product photography, and video editing. Now a member of the team at One River, she aims to inspire and nurture creativity among students.
Administrative Staff
Kailtyn Eoff
Kaitlyn (she/her) earned a BFA in the History of Art and Design with a minor in Photography from Pratt Institute. From a young age, she developed a passion for storytelling, gaining insight into the world through works of film, photography, and literature. She is most interested in the photographic medium and examining how it conveys identity and transformation. Kaitlyn is excited to be at the intersection of art and education at One River and hopes to foster curiosity and creativity among students.
David Cheeseman
David (he/him) is a lifelong artist and is studying Studio Arts and Education at Syracuse University. As a multimedia artist, David's biggest artistic inspirations are Nobuhiko Obayashi, Francis Bacon, and H.R. Gieger. David has experience in painting, illustration, video and music production, and acting. Since joining the One River team, David has gained a deeper appreciation for arts education, and seeks to earn his teaching certificate from Syracuse University. His goal is to inspire young artists to harness their creative potential.
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.
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.