New CA Faculty Staff in 2024–25

Nathalie Azar
Spanish Teacher

This is Nathalie’s first year teaching Spanish at Concord Academy. She will be teaching second- and third-year Spanish as well as Advanced Spanish: Pop Culture and Modern Spain. Nathalie loves traveling and learning about different cultures. She enjoys walking in nature and on the beach.

Georgia Cassidy
Student Life Office Manager, Coach

Georgia is a graduate of Colby College, where she majored in psychology and was captain of the field hockey team. During her time at Colby, Georgia was a three-time All-NESCAC selection and was an All-American selection her senior year. She started her college career at University of North Carolina, where she played for one season on the nationally ranked field hockey team. Georgia joined Concord Academy in July 2024 after working in operations at a health tech company, and she is excited to be a part of both the Student Life Office and the field hockey program at CA. In her free time, Georgia loves to read, run, ski, play backyard games, and spend lots of time with friends and family. She looks forward to being involved with activities on campus beyond student life and athletics.

Alexis Dinkins
Director of Community and Equity

Alexis joined Concord Academy this September as the director of the Community and Equity Office. She comes to CA having worked in higher education. Here, she’s working closely with students, faculty, and staff to ensure that the CA community continues to strive for equity and justice inside and outside of the classroom. She serves all members of the community as a resource and guides and educates in the areas of identity development and expression, equity, and inclusion.

Bob Doud
Health and Wellness Teacher

Bob is joining the Concord Academy faculty as the 10th grade Health & Wellness teacher in fall 2024. He previously taught 9th and 10th grade health at the Innovation Academy Charter School in Tyngsboro, Mass., and, prior to that, at the Francis Parker Charter School in Ayer, Mass.

Bob has taught the OWL (Our Whole Lives) comprehensive sexuality education program for 15 years and is the youth leader and an organizer of the Rotary RYLA leadership program for high school sophomores in central Massachusetts. In his free time, Bob enjoys hiking, skiing (snow and water), disc golf, and mentoring youth with their Eagle Scout projects.

Carly Egan
Assistant Director of the Annual Fund

Carly joined Concord Academy in August 2024 as the Assistant Director of the Annual Fund. Prior to this role, she worked in advancement at Fay School in Southborough, Mass., where she developed a strong passion for philanthropy and its impact on educational experiences. Carly graduated from Roger Williams University in 2020, there she studied Public Relations, Marketing, and Psychology. She is currently pursuing an MBA at the University of Hartford. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys hand embroidery, seeing friends and family, and spending time with her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Prudence.

Natalie Figueroa
Senior Assistant Director of College Counseling

Natalie (she/her/hers) is a first-generation daughter of Guatemalan immigrants, born and raised in southestern Massachusetts. She joined  the College Counseling Office in July 2024, having worked in highly selective college admissions for six years. Natalie received a bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College and credits her passion for education access to her work-study position in its admissions office. Now that she has “switched sides of the desk,” she’s excited to work more directly with students in their educational journey while she pursues her own path in a master’s degree program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Outside of her professional capacities, Natalie enjoys exploring different restaurants and cafés, checking out the arts scene, and traveling around New England.

Anabelle Hangen
Development Associate, Major and Planned Giving

Anabelle’s lifelong interactions with major donors in the arts inspired her to enter the world of philanthropy in 2022. She began her development career in higher education at Brandeis University, supporting the work of principal, major, and leadership annual giving teams. Anabelle’s expertise in strategic planning, data analysis, innovative thinking, writing, and multitasking promoted her to support the office of the VP and AVP of development. Concord Academy’s mission and belief in providing students with a high-quality education led Anabelle to CA as development associate for major and planned giving in the Advancement and Engagement Office.

Prior to her career in advancement, Anabelle performed with organizations throughout New England as a professional concert violinist. She also taught private and group violin classes along with chamber music at various music schools in Boston and the Metrowest area. Anabelle has a BA from Bowling Green State University and an MA from the Boston Conservatory.

Nikan Hodjat
Math Teacher

Born in Iran and raised in Boston, Nikan has been teaching math for the past 23 years in the Boston Public Schools. He has his hands full with raising two sons and living in a multigenerational household. Nikan began his CA career in fall 2024 as a math faculty member and hopes to pursue interests which vary from literary pursuits to outdoor excursions. He hopes to prioritize health and wellness for himself and his students, believing that when the body and mind are sound, good things tend to follow.

Denysha Jackson
Registrar and Institutional Researcher

Denysha joined CA in May 2024. She graduated from Babson College and received her master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. Prior to working at CA, Denysha worked at various higher education institutions, including Boston University. She enjoys working with students of all ages and is excited to continuously serve the CA community as registrar, PDSO, and institutional researcher. If students have questions about transcripts, work permits, I-20 signatures, and more, they can find Denysha in the Academic Office, where she is happy to help.

Bara Mbengue
French Teacher

For the past decade, Bara has taught at public, private, and boarding high schools as well as in higher education. His most recent teaching experience was with the College of Education and the French program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst while working on his doctoral dissertation with the Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies (TECS) department. He also taught Wolof language and cultural immersion classes at the University of Oregon in Eugene and at Harvard.

Throughout the years, he has developed expertise in leading seminars on diversity, equity, and inclusion through training with the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and by conducting workshops on these topics with high school students. His volunteer work with the Center for Racial Justice and Youth Engagement Research at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he gained valuable skills in understanding equity and social justice issues, has significantly influenced his commitment to these causes.

During the springs of 2023 and 2024, he had the opportunity to design and lead an advanced class in the French department at UMass Amherst. The course, titled Race and Racism in France through French Cinéma and Hip-Hop, was a unique exploration of these issues through the lens of French culture et banlieue. This experience allowed him to share his passion for the subject and demonstrated his ability to take initiative and lead classes at an advanced level.

Patrick O’Neill
Dance Teacher

Patrick John O’Neill was born and raised in upstate/western New York. He received his BFA in dance at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2010. Upon graduating, Patrick started working with the Lucinda Childs Dance Company. As part of LCDC, Patrick was part of several world premieres including the revivals of Dance (1979) with music by Phillip Glass and film by Sol LeWitt, Available Light (1983) with music by John Adams and set design by Frank Gehry, Einstein on the Beach (1984) directed by Robert Wilson with music by Phillip Glass, and a brand new creation called “Into View” (2016) with music by Colin Stetson. In addition to performing, Patrick has had the opportunity to teach all over the world at institutions such as Yale University, Sacred Heart University (Fairfield, Conn.), Universidad de las Américas Puebla, University of Maryland College Park, The Horace Mann School (Bronx, NY..), The Ballet School of Kingston (Kingston, N.Y.), and Shoreline Ballet (Guilford, Conn.) to name a few. Patrick is also a certified pilates and group fitness instructor and is currently working on obtaining his yoga certification. Patrick has extensive experience teaching students of all ages and levels, from preschoolers to professionals. Patrick strives to inspire all his students, no matter their age or level, to find and nurture a passion for dance so they can walk away with something more than just learning the “steps.”

Amy Smack
Admissions Office Manager

Amy Smack (she/her/hers) joined the Admissions Office at CA in August 2024, having previously worked in higher education. Amy received a bachelor’s degree from William Smith College and a dual master’s degree from Bowling Green State University. Amy has been in several administrative roles at colleges, universities, schools, and educational nonprofits, where she has served in the roles of registrar, program director, board chair, facilitator, and coach. Outside of work, Amy enjoys adventuring with her husband, running with her dog, and keeping pace with her three busy college-aged and high school-aged teenagers.

Sean Spillane
English Teacher

Sean joined Concord Academy in fall 2024. He teaches in the English department. When he is not reading, he can be found trail running, hiking, and hanging out with his wife and son.