Founding Faculty and Staff
Amy Alvarado
Director of Student Recruitment and Admissions
Amy hails from El Paso, TX. She has been involved in a variety of outreach programs and grassroots advocacy initiatives, most recently in the Diocese of Brooklyn, NY. She has also been involved as a crisis counselor at the La Habra Life Center in Los Angeles. Amy has been heavily involved in Life Core and Ministry Core Teams as well as Youth Ministry. She is fluent in Spanish and holds a degree in Political Science and Theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio.
Elias Blanco
Administrative Assistant
Elias was born and raised in El Salvador. He completed his BA in Psychology from the University of MD, Baltimore County. For about eight years, Elias has volunteered at his parish assisting in the Religious Education Program, youth group and other worship ministries. Elias has also organized and hosted various youth events for the Archdiocese of Washington. In the summer of 2005, he volunteered at the Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center, working in the Education Department with at-risk-youth. Most recently, he worked at the Lay Leadership Institute of the Archdiocese of Washington, organizing and implementing faith formation and skills training courses for the Hispanic community. He is currently working on his Master’s in Counseling Education at McDaniel College.
Alicia Bondanella
Executive Director of the Corporate Work Study Program
Most recently, Alicia served as a Promotion Specialist at the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), the largest private funder of anti-poverty organizations that are directed by low-income people. Alicia developed and coordinated CCHD’s first youth and young adult initiative, including a national paid intern leadership program. She has served in diverse capacities in other educational and non-profit organizations committed to poverty reduction and youth development. Alicia holds a Masters degree in Nonprofit Administration from the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Reli gion from the University of San Francisco.
Kathleen Brogan
Assistant Principal, Academics
A Silver Spring native and graduate of Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, Kathleen earned her BA in History magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame. She taught in London, England and then through Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) Program in Tampa, FL, earning her Masters in Education. At St. Joseph School in Tampa, Kathleen taught Social Studies, Religion, English and Math, coordinated the Sacramental preparation program, and coached and moderated various sports and clubs. Before joining Don Bosco Cristo Rey in July 2006, Kathleen taught in Ireland where she served a school in the impoverished Killinarden project in Dublin and taught courses at St. Patrick’s Teacher College.
Fr. Abraham Feliciano
SDB Director of Faith Formation and Youth Ministry
Fr. Abraham earned his BA in Philosophy cum laude from NYU. While there, he also minored in Psychology. He later earned his Baccalaureate in Theology from the Instituto Teológico Salesiano in México. Fr. Abraham’s most recent assignment was at Salesian High School in New Rochelle, NY, where he served as a religion teacher, liturgical music coordinator, and the moderator of AM Salesian, a student news group. Fr. Abraham also brings extensive experience as a youth minister at various parishes throughout the US and México and is fluent in Spanish.
Morrise Harbour
Corporate Work Study Coordinator
Morrise started his career in education teaching 6th, 7th, and 8th grade mathematics at Saint John’s the Baptist School in New York City seven years ago after receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Sacred Heart University. His enjoyment and passion toward educating the youth of tomorrow led him to continue his education studies at Saint John’s University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Master in Science degree in School Building Leadership and Administration. Morrise has received numerous accolades and awards from colleagues, students and other school organizations which included the Bishop Loughlin Memorial Award for Best Teacher. In addition, Morrise is member of the Center for Education Reform and the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Nellie Jackson
Founding Faculty, English
Nellie joins us from St. Columba School in Oxon Hill, MD, where she taught Language Arts at the middle school level. Nellie has also worked for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Fannie Mae, has owned and operated her own day care service and has served as an accreditation specialist for the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Nellie is a native of Atlanta, GA and a graduate of Trinity College in Washington, DC where she earned a BA in English Literature. Nellie also holds a Masters in Education from the University of Maryland and is an avid recreational tennis player.
Chris Maloney
Principal
Chris has distinguished himself as a master teacher in the area of Social Studies, most recently at Gonzaga College High School and previously at the Woods Academy. He is the founder of the Ignatian Leadership Institute at Gonzaga and has received numerous awards for his service, including Teacher of the Year presented by the Archdiocese of Washington and his peers. He served as Assistant Director of the U.S House of Representatives Press Gallery and Associate Editor at C-Span. Chris has a BA in Political Science from Purdue, a MA in Government from William and Mary, and a MAT in Secondary Education – Social Studies from American University.
Patrick Martin
Business Manager
Patrick served the American University since 1984, most recently as the Assistant Dean for Administration in the School of Communication. He has extensive experience as a program analyst and manager of programs throughout the Washington, DC area. He has been recognized for his outstanding performance on the American University staff twice and received a special achievement award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He lives in Silver Spring, MD with his wife, Beth, and their two sons.
Dan McCarthy
Founding Faculty, Mathematics
While at Georgetown University, Dan was a Sursum Corde literacy and math tutor and participant in the John Carroll Scholars Program. After graduating magna cum laude from Georgetown in 3.5 years, Dan took a job as a Global Markets Analyst at Deutsche Bank on Wall Street. There, Dan worked in international stock loan trading, covering Australia and Asia. Dan also has experience working for DaimlerChrysler, Front Point Partners, and Merrill Lynch and spent a summer volunteering in Ecuador. Having attended a full-scholarship, Jesuit high-school in NYC (Regis), Dan looks forward to giving that same gift of education to others.
Genevieve McCarthy
Assistant Principal, Student Life
Genevieve was born in Washington, DC and grew up in Arlington, Virginia, where she attended Bishop O'Connell High School. From there shewent to the University of Virginia, where she majored in Philosophy and English Language and Literature, and minored in Religious Studies. At Virginia, Genevieve was invited to join the Distinguished Majors Program and was awarded a Bachelor of Arts with Distinction. After college, Genevieve returned to Bishop O'Connell as an English and Theology teacher. While there, she received a Masters degree in Catholic School Leadership from Marymount University. Genevieve began work at Don Bosco Cristo Rey in July 2006 to help prepare for our 2007 opening.
Fr. Steve Shafran
SDB President
Father Steve entered the Salesians of Don Bosco in 1976. He earned a BA in Philosophy in 1979 at Don Bosco College in Newton, NJ; a Baccalaureate in Theology at the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome, Italy in 1983; an MA in Theology from the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, OH in 1985 and a Doctorate in Educational Administration from the University of San Francisco in 1994. He has extensive experience in education and administration in Salesian schools. He arrived in Washington, DC in January 2006 to collaborate with the Archdiocese in establishing this school.
Frank Simpson
Athletic Director
Frank is a graduate of Marshall University where he earned a BA in Sports Management and Marketing and was a varsity letterman in men’s basketball. He served as an Assistant Athletic Director at St. Joseph Catholic School in West Virginia, directing 21 scholastic sports programs, coordinating scheduling and overseeing operations. Frank serves as the commissioner of the Battle for the Beltway Anti-Violence Basketball Tournament and has coached basketball at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School and tutored DC youth through various community programs. Most recently, Frank was a Client Coordinator for Altria Corporate Services, managing government affairs assets.
Br. Tom Sweeney
SDB Founding Faculty, Religious Studies
Brother Tom joins us having just completed three years as the Executive Director of the Salesian Boys and Girls Club in Columbus, OH. Previously, Brother Tom served as a religion teacher at Salesian High School in New Rochelle, NY and Archbishop Shaw High School in Marrero, LA. Br. Tom also spent a number of years at Don Bosco Technical High School in Boston, MA as a Graphics Arts teacher, department chair, coordinator of youth groups, student council mentor, and alumni organizer. Br. Tom holds a BA in Industrial Arts from Montclair State College, an MA in Industrial Education from Fitchburg State College in Massachusetts, and an MS in Religious Education from Fordham University.
Lauren Traskey
Executive Assistant to the President
A native of New Jersey, Lauren attended the University of Virginia, where she graduated with a BA in Psychology. After college, Lauren worked as a Head Start pre-school teacher and then spent two years serving in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Santa Ana, California, as a chaplain in Juvenile Hall. While there, she further discerned her call to work in full-time ministry and returned to Virginia to serve as a Campus Minister at Marymount University in Arlington for seven years. While at Marymount, Lauren also earned her Master’s degree in Pastoral and Spiritual Care from Marymount’s School of Education and Human Services. Lauren joined the team at Don Bosco Cristo Rey at the school’s opening in September 2007.
Jennifer Warren
Founding Faculty, History
For the past two years, Jenny has taught in both Houston, TX and Washington, DC as a Teach for America Corp member. Jenny worked as a special education teacher at KIPP New Orleans West College Prep, a one year emergency school after Hurricane Katrina, and most recently at Browne Junior High School, where she taught both history and reading and was the founding debate coach. While at Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, where she earned a BA in Sociology, Jenny founded the Cambridge Village Activity and Tutoring Center and was involved in the Holy Cross Student Programs for Urban Development, supervising multiple community service programs. Jenny expects to complete her MAT at American University in 2008.
Claire Wyrsch
Development Director
Claire grew up in New Jersey, attended Seton Hall University and graduated from the College of St. Elizabeth. Early in her career, Claire worked for Houston Lighting and Power in customer relations. She then worked as Personnel Director for First National Bank of MD, until starting a family. She was a stay-at-home Mom and was very involved in community affairs and volunteer fundraising. During this time, she owned and operated a design and event planning business for 12 years. Claire was a substitute teacher in Montgomery County independent schools, but moved into fundraising and public relations at The Woods Academy in Bethesda. She then worked for the University of Maryland College Park as Director of Annual Giving and later Director of Reunion Programs through the Alumni Association.