New Faculty Join the Flock
Jenate Brown (English/Student Life) will serve as the interim assistant head for student life and will oversee residential life, student activities and the grade-level deans. Brown joined the Peddie community in 2015 after starting her teaching career in Baltimore City Public Schools, and will continue teaching English in the classroom and coaching the girls junior varsity basketball team.
Jennifer Castillo (Spanish) graduated from NYU Steinhardt with a Bachelor of Science in education and earned teaching licenses from both New York State and Colorado. Before joining Peddie, Castillo taught at the Uncommon Leadership Charter High School in New York, where she worked in a highly collaborative professional culture. A native New Yorker, Castillo brings her strengths in creative lesson design to the Spanish classroom, incorporating authentic materials from all parts of the world. In addition to teaching, Castillo will be a member of the DEI team as the DEI coordinator for student affinity programs and support, where she will co-lead the Student DEI Council, SCC Council and affinity groups.
Patrick Diehl (Physics) joins Peddie’s Science Department after 25 years teaching in international schools, with stops in Hong Kong, Thailand and Israel. Prior to his international experience, Patrick taught at Ashley Hall School in South Carolina. Diehl has taught all levels of physics, including within AP and IB programs. Diehl earned his Ph.D. in science and engineering materials from Arizona State University, a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science from Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Virginia, respectively.
Leovanny Fernandez (Admission Office) joins the Admission Office as the director of multicultural recruitment. A native of Brooklyn, Fernandez was an Oliver Scholar as a student and, after graduating from Bowdoin College with a Bachelor of Arts in government and legal studies, he returned to the Oliver Scholars Program as a staff member. He most recently served as the director of placement, where he helped Oliver Scholars find secondary schools in New York as well as at boarding schools throughout the U.S.
John Kauffman (English) comes to Peddie from Berwick Academy in Maine, where he served as a college counselor, English teacher, volleyball coach and director of rowing. Prior to Berwick, John taught at The Catholic High School of Baltimore, teaching young women in grades 9-12. In between his secondary school jobs, John coached in rowing programs at Wesleyan University and Yale.
Joe LaBella ’03 (English) returns to Peddie after an eight-year run at Loyola Blakefield in Towson, Maryland. A 2007 graduate of Loyola College in Maryland, LaBella majored in English as an undergraduate and returned for a master’s degree in educational technology. He also has a master’s degree in English from the University of Maryland. At Loyola Blakefield, LaBella immersed himself in the school culture, coaching freshman soccer, founding and leading the school’s Anti-Racist Group (LARG), and sponsoring student clubs such as the Improv Club, The Multicultural Club and the Chess Club.
Andrew Slade (Latin) completed his master’s degree in classics at Boston College, where he also served as a teaching assistant, while simultaneously teaching at Dexter Southfield in Boston. Prior to Dexter, Slade taught Latin and ancient history for three years at Calvert School. At Dexter, he developed the middle school curriculum for Latin 6, worked collaboratively with history teachers to redesign the seventh grade U.S. History course, coordinated school trips, helped with programming for the middle school students and coached the high school varsity tennis team and the middle school soccer and hockey teams.
Bob Tackett (Engineering and Robotics) joins Peddie after 28 years in New Jersey public schools. Most recently, Tackett led Allentown High School’s highly successful FRC team and taught engineering and physics. His N.J. state certifications include biological and physical sciences. Tackett earned his Bachelor of Science in natural science from the University of Wyoming and his master’s degree in teaching and learning from Nova Southeastern.
Caitlin Turner (Mathematics) has taught in Peddie’s Summer School and at Red Bank Regional High School. Prior to Red Bank, Turner taught at two charter schools, Great Oaks Legacy and Helen Thackston. A tenured teacher at Red Bank, she coached field hockey, advised the Math League and served on the Faculty Advisory Board, Equity Committee and Social-Emotional Learning Committee. Turner teaches all levels of mathematics, from pre-Algebra through AP Calculus BC. She graduated from York College in Pennsylvania and earned her Master of Arts in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education.
Madeleine Wood (French) comes to Peddie after a year in Valdeblore, France. There, she collaborated with the English teaching team to plan lessons and activities for middle and high school students. A 2018 graduate of Temple University, Wood taught for four years in the Anne Arundel County Public Schools.
In addition to these full-time hires, Peddie welcomes three part-time teachers.
Jacob Cope Simpson (History) will teach part-time in the History Department. A 2024 graduate of the University of Georgia, Cope Simpson graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in political science, international affairs and Spanish. He received multiple scholarships at UGA, and worked as an RA for three years, receiving campus-wide recognition for his work in the dorms. Cope Simpson is a US Soccer Federation certified referee and part-time stand-up comedian.
Nancy Diehl (Psychology) will teach a section of AP Psychology. Nancy has a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of North Texas. As an undergraduate, she majored in psychology at Tufts University. An experienced educator, Diehl has received multiple teaching awards and has worked in schools and in private practice.
Margarida Bernardo (French) will teach a section of French. After earning undergraduate degrees in education and journalism from the Haute Ecole Leonard de Vinci in Belgium, Bernardo earned her master’s degree from The Open University in the UK. Bernardo is a language specialist with vast experience teaching and translating around the world. Most recently, she worked as a freelance translator and tutor in French, English, and Portuguese.