Site Director, BASEC @ Burbank

Sarah Houtmeyers

Sarah has been with BASEC since 2010. She has a hand in all of BASEC’s programming and is a go-to for parents, students (and teachers!) for questions and correspondence. She moved from head of Operations to the Burbank Site Director in 2019!

Director of Student Programming, BASEC @ Burbank

Ellen McEllin

Ellen has been with BASEC and BBASP (its predecessor) since 1999. She is also a classroom aid in 3rd and 4th grade at the Burbank. Ellen is the main point of contact for BASEC @ Burbank Workshops and tutoring and begins her role as Director of Student Programming in 2019!

Executive Director

Andrew Mountford

BASEC Founder, Andrew Mountford, has spent his career in out-of-school time education and non-profit leadership. He completed his undergraduate studies in politics, economics and law at Brandeis University and his Masters of Education from Lesley University.

Operations Director

Viviana Sanchez

Viviana joined the BASEC team in 2019 after working 4 years at a Therapeutic Foster Care Agency. She holds a bachelor’s degree in social work and human development with a focus in psychology. Her passion for nonprofit work began after working for Jumpstart and AmeriCorps NCCC where she saw first hand how nonprofit organizations positively impact the lives of children and families involved. Viviana is excited for this new chapter at BASEC!

Director of Impact

Annie Gladfelter

Annie G. is in her fifth year at BASEC. Before coming to BASEC, she taught for 5 years in the Cambridge Public Schools and worked in after school programming for over 10 years. Annie G. also has her M.Ed in Out-of-School Time Program Development and Improvement. Her work passions include science with kids and professional development.

Operations Specialist

Paige Shanley

Paige graduated from the University of Massachusetts Boston with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology. Paige is excited to get to know and learn all the students and their families at BASEC @ Burbank.

Sports Specialist

Alex DeMaris

Alex joined the BASEC team in 2020 after completing the Boston Teacher Residency program and obtaining a Masters in Education from UMass Boston. He received a Bachelors in Human Development & Family Science from Oregon State and has always wanted to make a positive impact in children’s lives. Alex is thrilled to be a part of BASEC and the Belmont community.

Visual Arts Specialist

Felisia Sainz

Felisia has been with BASEC since 2017. She got her BFA in Illustration at Massachusetts College of Arts and Design. Since college she has been working on her own artwork and comics, curating for gallery spaces, and doing freelance illustration.

STEM Specialist

Ola Jachtorowicz

Ola joined the BASEC team in 2018. She has a B.A. in Biology from Boston College. Since then, she has pursued her dual interests in science communication and instructional design. Her experience includes managing the Life Sciences editorial team at the Journal of Visualized Experiments and developing adult learning workshops for RAIN Group. She leads BASEC students in hands-on, inquiry-based enrichment activities — from making slime to engineering rockets!

Kindergarten Educator

Vana Keledjian

Vana, a Belmont native, has been with BASEC since 2018. She holds a bachelors degree in psychology and has over 15 years of experience in childcare. Vana also teaches art workshops.

Educator

Sam Taber

Since 2015, Sam has played the dual role as piano teacher and educator with BASEC. He is proud to be part of the arts team and contribute musically to the program throughout the school year, during vacation camp, and for special productions. Sam is a local freelance musician who plays regularly around New England. He has a B.A. in History from Boston University.

Educator

Vicky O’Regan

Vicky has been with BASEC since 2003. During the school day, she is the Reading Specialist at the Burbank School. Vicky is also one of our before school teachers.

Educator

Karen Shea

Karen has been with BASEC since 2011. She works at before school and after school. Karen also is a professional aide at Burbank which she began in September 2007.

Educator

Elaine Arvantis

Elaine has been with BASEC since 2014. During the school day, she is a classroom aide at the Winn Brook School. Elaine is also one of our before school teachers.

Assistant Educator

Isabella Brody Magid

Bella is one of BASEC’s assistant educators. She is graduating from BHS in 2024.

Educator

Jaime Chernoch

Jaime has been working with BASEC since 2021. She got her MFA in poetry and education at UMass Boston. Jaime enjoys hearing about the individual interests of all the students at Burbank and encouraging them to try new things.

Educator

David Zisson

With a passion for music, art, technology, and working with kids, David Zisson prides himself on his creative and academic versatility as an educator. He has worked with children in grades K through 5th for the past four years in the Boston area. David wants to inspire his students to maximize their learning potential and to show them that the process of learning can be really fun too.

Fun facts:
David has lived in Spain, Argentina, Italy, and most recently in Tel Aviv, Israel where he spent almost 4 years working in marketing communications for technology startups. In his free time, he would describe himself as an avid cyclist, Boston sports enthusiast, vinyl record collector, artist, music producer, basketball junkie, and international wanderer.