3 Join Hebrew Public Network

New York – Hebrew Public, a national network of dual language charter schools, is welcoming three new professionals to its team:

New Head of School for Harlem Hebrew

A veteran teacher and school leader, Benjamin Costa, has been named as head of school for Harlem Hebrew Language Academy, one of the nine schools in the Hebrew Public network of charter schools.

“His expertise in leading schools with diverse student enrollments and his commitment to their academic and socio-emotional development makes him particularly well suited to carry on the mission of Harlem Hebrew,” said Sara Berman, chair of the board at Harlem Hebrew.

Costa replaces Robin Natman, founding head of school, who is taking on a new role as director of talent and recruitment for Hebrew Public.

Costa began his career as an English teacher at the Yeshiva of Greater Washington. He spent several years in the classroom, having also worked as a third grade teacher and middle school English teacher, before moving up to serve as dean of students, principal and most recently as head of school at Fusion Academy, a private school in New Jersey.

“I am very excited to join the Harlem Hebrew family as head of school,” Costa said. “I am eager to bring my experience and my passion for the Hebrew Public mission to Harlem Hebrew, and to build on the incredibly strong foundation that Robin Natman has laid.”

Costa’s school leadership experience spans over a decade and includes: principal of F.C. Hammond Middle School in Virginia, assistant principal of Westland Middle School and dean of students at Northwood High School, both located in Maryland. He received a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Merrimack College and later earned a master’s degree in education from Bowie State University.

New Director of Talent Joins Hebrew Public

Robin Natman, former head of school for Harlem Hebrew Language Academy, has been named as director of talent and recruitment for Hebrew Public.

“We are thrilled to have Robin at Hebrew Public,” Jon Rosenberg, president and CEO of Hebrew Public, said. “In her new role she will drive our teacher and school leader recruitment efforts, support onboarding of new staff, and develop meaningful career pathways for our talented school staff members.”

In addition to her time at Harlem Hebrew, Robin has a wealth of experience working as an educator. She spent 13 years as a teacher in various New York City public schools. She also served as director of humanities for the East Meadow School District, supervising over 120 staff members. She then worked as an education consultant for a large publishing company where she conducted workshops to assist teachers with curriculum development and strategies for student success.

Robin holds master’s degrees from Brooklyn College, Queens College, and Bank Street College of Education, in elementary education, supervision and administration and special education leadership, respectively.

Interim Principal for Hebrew Language Academy in Brooklyn

Peter Katcher, former middle school director at Hebrew Language Academy (HLA) in Brooklyn,  has been named interim head of school for the 2016-17 school year. Katcher has more than 20 years of experience as an educator in both district and charter schools. As middle school director at HLA, he managed curriculum development and was responsible for mentoring and developing the middle school staff. Before joining HLA, he worked as associate head of school at Innovate Manhattan Charter School. Katcher began his career as a school teacher in the Massapequa public schools and Brooklyn Excelsior Charter School. He holds a master’s degree in education from Queens College and a bachelor of music degree from College of Saint Rose.

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