Faculty Members

Mary Abreu
mabreu@aandm.net
Visual Arts Department Chair
M.S., Art Education, Florida International University, 1994
B.A., Our Lady of the Lake University, 1968

Since joining A&M in 2007, Ms. Abreu has brought instructional, creative, and administrative expertise that helps A&M students prepare for their college years and beyond. Her professional experience combines 15 plus years in the Art field at the college and secondary level, plus an extensive experience in the creative, production, and administration areas of the advertising field. Among her other activities and credits, she is an Adjunct Professor at Miami-Dade College (MDC), a lifetime member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, and a multiple-year honoree in Who's Who Among America's Teachers.

Christina Alexander
www.theworldofalexander.wikispaces.com
calexander@aandm.net
Vocal Music
M.M., Musicology, University of Miami
B.M., Musical Theater, Barry University

Ms. Alexander has more than 10 years' experience in education. As an artist, she has performed in venues across the United States and abroad, including Kuwait, Dubai, Singapore, Thailand, and Switzerland. She is also the director of the South Florida Kids' Choir.

Luisa Barrios
lbarrios@aandm.net
Spanish for Spanish Speakers/Geometry
M.A., Global Marketing, La Salle Business Engineering School - Universitat Ramon Llull (Spain)
B.A., Business Administration, Univeersidad Nacional Simón Rodríguez (Venezuela)

An accomplished professional with over 25 years' experience in marketing and advertising. Before moving to Miami she was Marketing Consultant and CEO in a mid-size Venezuelan advertising and marketing agency.

Karin Bejerano
kbejerano@aandm.net
Dance
B.F.A., Dance, State University of New York at Purchase

Ms. Bejerano has come to the Academy of Arts and Minds after serving as Head of Musical Theater Dance at The University of Miami as well as lead dance teacher for the Musical Theater Department of New World School of the Arts. Ms.Bejerano has received classical dance training at numerous institutions including The David Howard Dance Center, Broadway Dance Center, The Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance and Joseʼ Limon Summer Intensives. With extensive training in Ballet, Modern Jazz and Tap, she brings with her a diverse background and understanding of the importance of versatility.

Federico Bonacossa
fbonacossa@aandm.net
Guitar
D.M.A., University of Miami, 2009
M.M., Guitar Performance, Peabody Conservatory
Diploma, Conservatorio Statale Pierluigi da Palestrina, Cagliari, Italy

Dr. Federico Bonacossa graduated from the University of Miami in 2009 where he completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in classical guitar performance with a music theory cognate. At the University of Miami, he studied guitar with Rene Gonzalez and Rafael Padron, took composition lessons with Lansing McLoskey, Dennis Kam, and Scott Stinson and performed in masterclasses with Manuel Barrueco. Federico also holds a Masters degree in Guitar Performance from the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland, where he studied with Julian Gray as well as a diploma from the Conservatorio Statale Pierluigi da Palestrina in Cagliari, Italy, where he studied with Luigi Mazzullo. He has also studied privately with Kennesaw State Professor and GFA winner Mary Akerman in Atlanta, Ga. He is the founder of the Miami Guitar Trio and is also an active composer and arranger. He lives in Miami with his wife and two daughters.

Octavio Campos
ocampos@aandm.net
Coordinator of Visual & Performing Arts Programs
State University of New York at Purchase
The Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance
Folkwang Tanzstudio of Pina Bausch (Germany)
Lincoln Center Director's Lab in New York City

Octavio Campos is a multi-disciplinary artist and comes to A&M after serving in the dance, theater and music faculties of the New World School of the Arts since 1995. Campos was honored at the Berliner Theater Festival in 2001 for his choreography and has received numerous fellowships and grants, including the Miami Choreographer's Fellowship for 2005 and the State of Florida’s Interdisciplinary Artist Award for 2009. He has collaborated with luminaries Robert Wilson, Birgitta Trommler, Philip Glass, William Burroughs, Tom Waits, Jorge Guerra, Cirque Du Soleil and Vivienne Newport, among others. Upon his return to Miami from an extensive performance career in Europe, Russia and South America, Campos founded the interdisciplinary performance ensemble, Camposition (www.camposition.org).

Andrea DeHaan
http://mizzde-english.wikispaces.com (site for English II)
http://mizzde-creativewriting.wikispaces.com (site for Creative Writing)
adehaan@aandm.net
Language Arts & Creative Writing
M.Ed., Language Arts, Ohio University, in progress
M.A., Creative Writing, Boston University, 1999
B.A., English & German, Colby College, 1997

Ms. DeHaan brings nearly a decade of experience to her new position with A&M. After completing her M.A. in Creative Writing in 1999, Ms. DeHaan started teaching English during a Fulbright exchange to Germany. Since then, she has worked with a range of ages and abilities both in the United States and abroad. In 2005, Ms. DeHaan began her M.Ed. at Ohio University, where she instructed undergraduate Education majors and completed her educator certification with honors. Ms. DeHaan moved to Florida in 2008 and taught Intensive Reading at Miami Central Senior High before joining the A&M team.

Dr. Susan Hildenbrand
shildenbrand@aandm.net
Intensive Reading, English for Speakers of Other Languages
Ph.D., Leadership and Education with ESOL endorsement, Barry University
M.S., Exceptional Student Education w/ESOL endorsement, Barry University
B.A., Interpersonal Communications, Trinity University

Dr. Hildenbrand joined the faculty of A&M in November 2009, bringing extensive experience as an intenseive reading teacher. She is also an adjunct professor of Education at Barry University in both the Special Education and Reading departments. She is a member of Phi Delta Kappa and the Florida Association of Teacher Educators where she serves as the direcor of PK through 12 schools for the South Region. She is listed for multiple years in "Who's Who in America."

Kamal James
kjames@aandm.net
Mathematics, Economics
M.B.A., Temple University
B.S., Finance, Hampton University

Mr. James joined A&M in 2008. Before moving to Miami, he taught in Madison, Wisconsin and suburban Washington, DC. He began his career as a NASDAQ trader in New York, and he uses his real-world experience to bring math and economics to life for his students. Mr. James holds an MBA from Temple Universityand a B.S. in Finance from Hampton University. He transitioned to teaching via a teacher certification program at Howard University.

Dr. Sam Lussier
slussier@aandm.net
Orchestra & Band

Dr. Lussier is the Director of Instrumental Music at the Academy of Arts & Minds Charter High School. He is formerly the Chairman of the Jazz Studies Department at Florida International University and Director of Jazz Studies/Professor of Trumpet at Jacksonville State University. Dr. Lussier has over 30 years of professional experience as a trumpet & piano player, arranger, composer, orchestrator, band leader, and conductor. His musical arrangements have been featured on over a dozen recordings, and he has received numerous commissions from instrumentalists and vocalists. Dr. Lussier has been an adjudicator for the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts for over 10 years and is currently the President of the Florida Jazz Educators Association. 

Nathalie C. Milian
http://Msmilian-english.wikispaces.com
nmilian@aandm.net
Language Arts Department Chair
M.A., English Education, University of Florida, 1995
B.A., University of Florida, 1994

Ms. Milian began her career in Louisiana, teaching at a variety of inner city high schools. In 2000, she moved back home to Miami and accepted a position at South Miami Senior High. She joined the A&M family in 2007. Ms. Milian became a National Board Certified Teacher in 2001, one of the highest levels of recognition awarded to teachers in the United States.

Adhar (Adi) Mohamed
amohamed@aandm.net
Mathematics/Gifted/ESE
B.S. Florida International University, 2004

Ms. Mohamed has been teaching mathematics and serving as the SPED chair and department chair at A&M since 2007. Prior to joining A&M, she taught 5th Grade general education at Kendale Lakes Elementary. She is a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, endorsed in Gifted, and holds a certificate for Exceptional Student Education K-12, Math 5-9 and Math 6-12. She is the sponsor for A&M's Gay-Straight Alliance and Black Student Organization.

Gary Placek
gplacek@aandm.net
Social Studies
B.A., International Economics, Assumption College, 2003

Mr. Placek is from Massachusetts and has been teaching at the high school level for the past five years.

Joselyn Rodriguez
http://aandm-pf.wikispaces.com
http://aandm-pe.wikispaces.com
jrodriguez@aandm.net
Physical Education
B.S., Athletic Training, University of Michigan, 2007

Mrs. Rodriguez has been teaching at the Academy of Arts & Minds since 2008. Prior to this, she taught Human Anatomy and Physiology at Mater Academy High School in Hialeah Gardens, where she was the Girls' and Boys' Volleyball Assistant Coach and the Girls' Basketball assistant Coach.

Monica Roos
http://msroos.wikispaces.com
mroos@aandm.net
Social Studies
M.A., European Studies, Universiteit van Amsterdam - ISHSS (Netherlands), 2002
B.A., History, Deree College (Greece), 2001

Ms. Roos joined A&M in 2009. A Miami native, she studied abroad for the full duration of her academic career, in Italy, Greece and the Netherlands. She teaches history at A&M and is also the school's webmaster.

Victoria Seawall
http://sites.google.com/site/vseawall/
vseawall@aandm.net
Mathematics
B.S., Mathematics, Plattsburgh State University, 2002
B.A., Secondary Education, Plattsburgh State University, 2002

Ms. Seawall has been at the Academy of Arts & Minds since 2008. Prior to joining the A&M team, she taught in New York and Guatemala. Aside from teaching math, her passions include traveling the world and athletics. She loves attending and being involved in school-sponsored events and finds it energizing to watch the students participate in what they are passionate about.

Carlos Veciana
cveciana@aandm.net
Social Studies
M.A., History, University of Connecticut
B.A., History, Spring Hill College

Mr. Veciana has been teaching Social Studies at A&M since 2006. Prior to joining the A&M family, he taught for six years for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, including William Turner Tech, Coral Park Senior High, and Miami Central Senior High. At A&M his students have excelled the national average for passing Advanced Placement Exams.
At Spring Hill College, he was a member of the Pi Sigma Alpha and Phi Alpha Theta honor societies, and a four-year recipient of the Dean's Honor Roll. He was awarded the Bauer Memorial Scholarship and graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in History. At the University of Connecticut, his master's thesis was catalogued by the Connecticut Historical Society.

Larry Villanueva
lvillanueva@aandm.net
Theater Department Chair
B.A., Communications (Film Production & Photography), University of Miami

On the stage from an early age, Mr. Villanueva refined his acting skills under mentor Teresa Rojas. His most notable work is that of playing the role of "Boby" in the Leon Ichazo film Bitter Sugar (1996). Mr. Villanueva has written and directed several pieces for theater and film and is the founder and director of Arca Images, a nonprofit dedicated to film and theater production.