Staff and Interns

New Haven Reads has four year round employees: Christine Alexander, Executive Director; Tanya Smith, Director; Catherine Hogue, Assistant Director; Adela Schrader, Kindergarten Director. In addition to the year-round staff, summer interns from Yale and Harvard and area high schools coordinate summer programs.

Christine Alexander, Executive Director (full time volunteer)	Christine Alexander is a graduate of Duke University and worked for a number of years in Maryland as a pediatric nurse. She has had extensive experience in educational programs as a volunteer.	Tanya Smith, Director	Tanya Smith, a graduate of Loyola Marymount University, has had extensive classroom teaching experience as well as having developed curriculum for grades K through 9. Her career in education has included teacher training and student assessment. She has also worked at juvenile probation in Pennsylvania, and, most recently, managed a busy design office in Connecticut.

Catherine Hogue, Assistant Director	Catherine Hogue graduated from the University of Minnesota and the University of Georgia, where she earned a Master of Public Administration with an emphasis in policy and nonprofit management. Catherine has ten years of experience in workforce and community economic development, which includes writing and managing grants.	Shelley Stein, part time staff, Science Park Program	Shelley Stein graduated from the University of Tennessee and Lincoln University, where she earned her Master's in elementary education. Shelley has worked in the field of public relations and is an experienced elementary school teacher in urban areas. She is passionate about books and reading, and has a reading specialist certification, along with K-6 CT certification.

Christopher Griffin, part time staff, DYCLC Program	As a native of San Antonio, TX, Christopher Griffin is a current resident of New Haven, CT and has been working with non-profit organizations from 2002 to present. He looks forward to pursuing a degree in both Culinary Arts with a focus in Pastry Arts and also in Teaching with a focus on Creative Writing.	Brian Price, Yale Reading Corps Program Associate, Bulldogs at NHR President	Brian Price is a senior at Yale University studying Political Science. Originally from Toledo, Ohio, he has been working at New Haven Reads since 2006. Brian is the Yale Reading Corps Program Associate at New Haven Reads, as well as the President and Founder of the Yale University student group Bulldogs at New Haven Reads.

Jennifer Brubacher, part time staff, Book Program	Jennifer Brubacher is making a difference in our community through WhoCares?, a development organization she helped co-found that is successfully working in Cambodia and Zanzibar, through the non-profit Elm City Dance Collective, and in working with New Haven Reads book program, which distributes hundreds of free books supporting literacy through accessibility. She is a mother of two young boys and is always personally exploring her own creative development.	Adela Schrader, part time staff, Kindergarten Program	Adela Schrader has had 32 years experience teaching in the New Haven area. She has a B.S. in Elementary Education from Sacred Heart University and her M.S. from Southern Connecticut State University and has attended numerous classes and workshops on Teaching Reading and Language Arts including Haskins Early Literacy Training. She is a proud member of the New Haven Reads Family for the last four years.

Deborah Lifton, part time staff - Book Program	Deborah Lifton has been a stay-at-home mom for the past 23 years, after working several years in medical-surgical nursing. While her children were young, she volunteered in the public schools they attended. Working at New Haven Reads has been a great match for her love of books and children.