Staff & Faculty

dr. tam lee

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tam lee (we, us, ours), Ph.D., completed our degree in Education, Special Education concentration, at Temple University, where we also earned a graduate certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis. we previously taught at an alternative middle school in Louisiana as a sixth-grade ELA and History. During our graduate studies, tam served as the SAT Verbal instructor for Temple’s Upward Bound program before being promoted to the Upward Bound Coordinator. Our doctoral research focused on the use of student-authored multimedia instruction to increase SAT scores for culturally and linguistically at-risk students and students with disabilities. Our Master’s level research was in History, specializing in Public History at ULL. Our research evaluated issues of race, class, and gender for Creole women during the Reconstruction period and how this experience shaped legal, political, and social structures. tam’s undergraduate studies at Spelman College were History and Political Science. When not researching or teaching, tam enjoys time with our family, playing or listening to music, cooking, puzzling, and traveling.

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Amanda Burau

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Amanda has a Bachelor’s Degree in Natural Resource and Environmental Economics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Development from Villanova University. She has an NCAA National Championship for Women’s Bowling, and she was a Fulbright Award Grantee in Bulgaria, 2021-2022. She has spent her career in college-access, working to close the degree divide for low-income, first-generation, and historically underrepresented students. Outside the workplace she loves cooking, trying new restaurants, Jeeps, and the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

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Dr. Sandra Bume

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Dr. Sandra Nambangi Bume (she/her/hers), is a women’s advocate who has spent several years educating and empowering girls of African descent in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. She is passionate about educating young people and has a deep love for literature. She received her doctorate in Educational Administration and Leadership, K12 from St. Cloud State University. Dr. Sandra also holds a Master of Arts degree in English from the Johanes-Gutenburg University, Mainz, Germany, and a Master of Science in Gender and Women’s Studies from the Minnesota State University, Mankato. She is a new addition to BECNO’s leadership team, as well as a faculty member.

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Dr. Ifey Anyanwu

• ianyanwu

Ifeanyichukwu “Ifey” Anyanwu was born in Ames, Iowa, but raised in Jackson, MS. His parents are from Nigeria, making him a full-blood Nigerian. He originally attended Texas Southern University, where he was a Kinesiology major and a star basketball player. After a short stint as a professional basketball player overseas, traveling to San Sebastián, Spain, Manizales, Colombia, and Pasto, Colombia, he returned to the States. He transferred to Jackson State University, where he earned his B.S. in Health, Physical Education, and Kinesiology. His M.S. in Secondary Education, an Educational Specialist degree from Mississippi College, and an Educational Doctorate in Educational and Organization Leadership from National University. In addition, he brings 18 years of educational experience. He has served as an assistant principal at an American-based all-boys school in Kuwait for 4 years. He was a principal at Mildred Osborne in 2021-2022. He has also served as an assistant principal of culture, managing the deans, behavior interventionists, and social workers. In his free time, he works out 5-6 days a week, likes to travel, watch a good movie, listen to music, collect vinyl records, read detective and law novels, spend time with his family, and barbecue.

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Tremeka Malter

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Tremeka Malter (Mrs.T) is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana and serves as the School Counselor. She brings 19 years of professional experience in education, behavioral health, and the justice system. Her work has focused on counseling, crisis intervention, case management, and advocacy, supporting children, adolescents, adults, and families through life’s challenges.

Mrs. T earned a Bachelor of Social Work, a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice, and a Master of Social Work from Southern University at New Orleans. She is passionate about student advocacy, mental health awareness, social-emotional learning, and college and career readiness. As a social worker and school counselor, she is committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment where students feel empowered to reach their full potential.

Outside of her professional role, Mrs. T enjoys traveling, spending quality time with family, reading, shopping, relaxing with spa days, and listening to music. She looks forward to partnering with students, families, faculty, and the community to help students thrive academically, personally, and professionally.

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Julia Carey Arendell

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Narrowly dodging a life as a restaurateur, Julia Carey Arendell (she/her) received her M.F.A. in Creative Writing with a minor in American Literature from Louisiana State University after completing a fellowship at Harvard. Pushcart Prize nominated for her fiction, she was also a winner of the William Faulkner-William Wisdom Prize in Poetry. Publications can be found at Heavy Feather Review, VIDA, Mason’s Road, and Psychopomp Magazine, among others, as well as the anthologies Louisiana in Words and New Orleans: What Can’t Be Lost. She has joined the editorial boards of the Early College Folio, The Dudley Review, The New Orleans Review, and New Delta Review and currently serves as the faculty advisor for the student run publication Global Commons, an international project sponsored by OSUN. Julia joined BECNO in 2014 and teaches creative writing coursework, First and Second Year Seminar, and manages the peer tutoring program on campus.

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Dr. Cynthia Brown

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Dr. Cynthia Brown (she/her) is super passionate about student success in and out of the classroom setting. She received her doctorate in Urban Forestry from Southern University A&M College in Baton Rouge, LA. where her Dissertation was: Utilization of Meta-Analysis Techniques: Cases of Urban Greening & Its Influence on Youth Behavior. She also received her Master of Science in Urban Forestry, Master of Science in Criminal Justice, and Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Southern University A&M College. She believes that we are all lifelong learners and enjoys research.

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Sarbast Khoshnaw

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Sarbast Khoshnaw currently serves as a Mathematics teacher at Bard Early College New Orleans (BECNO). His academic background includes a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from Tishik University in Erbil, Iraq, complemented by a Master of Arts in Teaching from Bard College.  His teaching career has been a journey of diverse experiences, beginning in Iraq, extending to Kyrgyzstan where he taught Physics to high school students for five years, and now continuing in the United States. This international exposure has greatly enriched his approach to education, allowing him to effectively cater to a variety of student needs and learning styles.  At BECNO, his teaching responsibilities span across several subjects, including Pre-Calculus, Physics with laboratory sessions, and an Introductory course in Astronomy, also with a laboratory component. He is also actively involved in various school activities, including team meetings and student events.  Outside the classroom, his interests include music, cooking, and travel not only offer him personal fulfillment but also enhance his teaching, bringing diverse perspectives and experiences into his professional practice. His journey across different countries underscores my passion for education and my commitment to engaging with students from various cultural backgrounds.

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Rachel Nelson

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Rachel E Nelson (she/her) is a Professor of Humanities for BECNO, and has been an adjunct professor at the University of Maine, Hollins University, and an artist in residence at the Pacific Northwest College of the Arts. Her academic interests dwell in the intersections of culture, identities, and the arts, with a special focus on issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality. As a playwright, her work has been shown at The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Sugar Space for the Arts, Performance Works Northwest, the Oregon Contemporary Shakespeare Festival, Baby Crow Productions, and The SOUND OFF Festival of New Works. In 2015, she recieved the Rosa Parks Playwrighting Award for Social Justice from the Kennedy Center, in 2018 she was a Featured Playwright at the Seven Devils Playwrighting Conference as well as at the Director’s Lab at Lincoln Center, and in 2019 she was a Featured Playwright at the Women’s Theater Festival. Her work has been published in BOMB Magazine and Damselfly Press. Locally, she has worked with Southern Rep Theater, as well as New Noise Theater and Mondo Bizarro. She is constantly inspired by the BECNO students, and is honored to be collaborating with them on a more equitable and joyful future for us all. Rachel lives in New Orleans with her partner and their two extremely badly behaved dogs.

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Isabel Owen

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Isabel Erin Owen (she/her) is a writer, researcher, and educator based in New Orleans. She holds a bachelor’s degree in History and English (Creative Writing) with a minor in Latin American Studies from SUNY Geneseo, as well as a master’s degree in Latin American Studies from Tulane University, where she served as a FLAS (Foreign Language and Area Scholarship) Fellow for Portuguese. Isabel’s current research interests involve the legacies of critical pedagogy and empowerment-focused education in Latin America. Isabel served as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Brazil in 2023, where she explored ways of using creative writing, art, and the incorporation of lived experiences to reduce the affective filter and empower students in the language classroom. Simultaneously holding interests in Latin American Studies, history, cultural studies, and creative writing, Isabel is passionate about interdisciplinarity and views the classroom as a space for the confluence of different epistemologies and personal histories.

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Ray Smith

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Nathan Ray Smith (he/him) is a writer and artist joining BECNO as a Humanities faculty member. He holds a B.A. in Anthropology and Philosophy from Bard College and an M.A. in the Humanities from the University of Chicago. His teaching experience includes the University of Kansas, where he taught first-year writing courses, and the University of Chicago’s Writing Program, where he facilitated writing seminars and workshops for students in the humanities and social sciences. His drawings have been exhibited in Hydra School Projects (Greece), and his poems have appeared in independent literary journals like The Cafe Review. His research focuses on the relationship between environmental and de-colonial theory and practice, reflecting a lifelong commitment to the idea that “a better world is possible.”

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Devyn Keith

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Mr. Keith is a proud educator, researcher, debate coach, and Ph.D. Candidate in Urban Planning and “self-proclaimed” Michelin-star-level chef. His professional work has concentrated on economic development, housing redevelopment, public education, public budgeting, and adaptive zoning. He has taught Introduction to Political Science, State and Local Government, Intro to Public Administration, and Senior Seminar in Social Justice. He holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Massachusetts Boston and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from Samford University. He has a tremendous passion for helping students connect problems to people and policy in order to create solutions. “Government, economics, and social systems are not abstract theories but living structures that real people have the power to shape.”

Nico Cabrera-Schneider

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José Nicolás Cabrera-Schneider (he/him) teaches Spanish, Introduction to Anthropology, and First-Year Seminar. He holds degrees in Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Anthropology, and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Latin American Studies. His latest research examines the relationship between China and Latin America and its impact on local communities. Nicolás is also the author of several novels, short story collections, and translations of poetry. In his free time, he enjoys riding his bicycle around town.

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Dr. Ben Saxton

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Originally from upstate New York, Ben Saxton (he/him) completed a Ph.D in English at Rice University and a postdoc in medical humanities at the McGovern Medical School. He moved to New Orleans in 2015 and is an adjunct professor at Bard Early College and Tulane Medical School, where he teaches courses on medical humanities, nonfiction narratives, and American literature.

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Mikhayla Harrell

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Mikhayla Harrell is a State of Louisiana K–12 Licensed Art Educator and arts program leader who teaches with equal parts imagination and structure. She holds an M.A. in Education (K–12 Fine Arts Teaching Credential) and a B.A. in Fine Arts from the University of New Mexico.

With over two decades of experience designing arts learning experiences, most recently as a Museum Educator & Teen Program Manager at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Mikhayla grounds studio practice in strong curriculum, youth development, and inclusive, community-connected teaching. She currently serves as Co-President of the Louisiana Art Education Association, advancing arts advocacy and professional learning for educators across the state.

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Karen Marshall

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Karen marshall is an educator, organizer, and coach (of the basketball variety) who currently serves as the Executive Director of Rethink New Orleans. While she was schooled in many institutions – primary school through undergrad and graduate school (MBA and MSW) – her greatest and most important education, came from her family – a close knit group of ordinary black people, migratory by force, who over time have cultivated the art and science of survival.

Karen’s leadership and professional experience extends over 20 years. She has taught middle school, high school, undergraduate and graduate university courses both domestically and abroad and has extensive experience working at grassroots levels with individuals and communities seeking transformative change.

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Dr. Tara Yanez

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Tara Yanez (she/her) is originally from Houston, Texas. She earned a B.A. in English and Spanish from the University of Texas at Austin, an M.A. in Latin American Studies from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Latin American Studies from Tulane University. Her interest in international peacebuilding and community-based approaches to justice developed during her time as a Fulbright grantee in Cali, Colombia, and continued throughout her graduate studies. In her free time, she enjoys painting, writing, reading fiction, and taking long walks with her dog, Bennie.

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Dr. Chelsi Clark

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Dr. Chelsi Clark is an educator, published author, mental and behavioral health expert, and community leader who is passionate about helping young people develop the confidence, resilience, and psychological skills to thrive. She earned her Ph.D. in School Psychology and has built a career spanning higher education, behavioral health, and nonprofit leadership. Her experience includes developing psychoeducational curricula, facilitating therapeutic and educational groups, supporting families, and creating programs that promote personal growth and academic success.
As an instructor, Dr. Clark believes psychology is most powerful when students can connect it to their everyday lives. Her classes emphasize critical thinking, meaningful discussion, and real-world application while equipping students with practical psychological tools they can use beyond the classroom.
Outside of work, Dr. Clark enjoys serving her community, writing, and performing with a New Orleans Mardi Gras dance krewe, where she combines creativity, entertainment, and community service. She is the recipient of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award: Lifetime Achievement Award and the Louisiana Volunteer Service Award. Her goal is to empower others to learn, grow, and succeed both inside and outside the classroom.

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