Dr. Matt Park (Director of the Bard Sequence) oversees the Bard Sequence program in collaboration with Sequence professors, partner schools, and funders. He previously served as an Assistant Professor in African History and Global Social Science and taught courses in African history, literature, and film at BHSEC Newark from 2012-2021 and served as the Program Chair of Second Year Seminar for Bard Early College. Matt is passionate about curricular and pedagogical reform at the college and K-12 level, particularly with historically marginalized students.
Dr. Dumaine Williams (Vice President and Dean of the Early College) oversees academic programming across the Bard Early College campuses and promotes the Sequence’s academic quality and integration with the broader Bard network. Dr. Williams was previously the founding principal of Bard High School Early College Newark and Bard High School Early College Cleveland.
Alysa Campbell-Hutson (Director of Policy and Strategy, Bard Early College) With a B.A. in Public Policy Analysis, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a J.D. from Georgia State University College of Law, Alysa oversees the legal and strategic aspects of the Bard Sequence including MOUs with Sequence partners. Alysa enjoys supporting schools and programs to run best-in-class, tuition free college courses, particularly in service of students from historically underrepresented communities. She is excited about expanding Sequence to new markets.
Dr. Rosa Schneider (Faculty in Literature and Theatre) Education: B.A., English Literature, Reed College; M.A. and Ph.D., Theatre, Columbia University Sequence Partner: Orange High School Research and Teaching Interests: Dr. Schneider’s work focuses on modern American theatre, particularly the investigation and performance of history and how it intersects with our understanding of race and ourselves. She loves teaching in the Sequence program, aiding young minds in grappling with texts both ancient and recent, and drawing out the connections between their own lives and what they read.
Dr. Benjamin Bagocious (Associate Professor of the Humanities) Education: PhD in English, Indiana University; MA in English, Indiana University; MFA in Creative Writing (Poetry), The New School, New York, NY; BA with distinction in English, Kenyon College, Gambier, OH. Sequence Partner: Thurgood Marshall Academy, IDEA Public Charter School Research and Teaching Interests: Dr. Benjamin Bagocius writes and teaches broadly across literature, spirituality, and queer thought. His book of poetry, The Canaanite Woman, was published by Wipf and Stock Publishers in 2022, and his second book of poetry, The Gospel According to B., is forthcoming from Unsolicited Press in 2024. Dr. Ben’s academic research appears in top-tier scholarly journals including Modernism/modernity, Criticism, Studies in the Novel, and is forthcoming in Modern Fiction Studies, and his poetry and essays appear in On Being, Tiferet, Santa Clara Review, Untold Volumes, The Other Journal, and elsewhere. Learn more and reach out at BenjaminBagocius.com.
Dr. Nico Veroli: (Assistant Professor of Political Philosophy) Education: MA, PhD in Philosophy, SUNY Binghamton Sequence Partner: Freedom Prep Public Charter School, Camden City Schools Research and Teaching Interests: Dr. Veroli is a political philosopher. His interests include, European and Africana critical theory, feminist and queer theory, anarchism, and Marxism, as well as the history of philosophy, broadly construed. He has published articles in both academic journals such as Constellations and The Radical Philosophy Review, as well as in the mainstream press (The Stranger, Portland Mercury). Currently, he is at work on a project that brings together a critical theory of neoliberal civilization and a materialist account of the concept of recognition.
Dr. John Gunn: Education: Sequence Partner: South Bronx Community Charter High School Research and Teaching Interests:
Dr. K “Yawa” Agbemabiese: (Faculty in Special Education and Global Studies, Program Chair, Bard High School Early College; Camden School District), Education: BA, Ohio State University; MA, PhD, Ohio University. Sequence Electives: Gender Studies, Civic Engagement and Social Change, History of Disease, Medicine, and Society. Research and Teaching Interests: Current research focuses on education and gender dynamics amongst the Anlo Ewe of Ghana. Dr. Yawa, also known as Mama Dunenyo, carries the title of Queen Mother of Aborkutsime and is married to Torgbui Azaglo I (Dr. Padmore Agbemabiese). She is the founder of the Charles A. and Norma J. Grooms Education Foundation, which sponsors girls’ education in Abor, Ghana, and the owner of Dunenyo Education and Training Center, Abor, Volta Region, Ghana, West Africa.
Dr. Patrick Oray: (Faculty in Literature, Bard High School Early College), Education: BA, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; MA, PhD, University of Iowa. Sequence Electives: “Writing and Composition” “Civic Engagement and Social Change” Research and Teaching Interests:
Dr. Victoria Bampoh: ( Faculty in Chemistry) Education: Ph.D. Chemistry, Syracuse University, Sequence Electives: “The Science of Climate Change” Research and Teaching Interests: Lectured at University of Minnesota Rochester for four years and was engaged in research into innovative teaching and learning. Bard Early College faculty teaching students in Have Baltimore, MD, Washington DC, and Denver, CO since 2016.
Dr. Francesca Gamber: (Faculty in African American History) Education: B.A. Afro-American Studies, Harvard University, Ph.D. Historical Studies, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Sequence Electives: “History of Black Baltimore” “Introduction to African American History” Research and Teaching Interests: Nineteenth and twentieth-century African-American history; Editorial board member, Commonplace: The Journal of Early American Life.
Dr. Hany Eldeib: ( Faculty in Mathematics, Computer Science, and Robotics) Education: M.S. and PhD. Systems Engineering, University of Virginia B.S. and M.S. Electrical Engineering, Cairo University Sequence Elective: “Computer Science” Research and Teaching Interests: Teaching and Equity in Computer Science and Engineering at the High School and College levels.
Professor Sweer Shah: (Assistant professor of Mathematics) Education: B.E Electrical Engineering, M.S Mathematics, MEd Curriculum & Instruction Sequence Elective: “College Algebra” “Introduction to Statistics and Probability” Research and Teaching Interests: A wide variety of college courses ranging from remedial math to advanced math courses. Research interests include: Applications of differential equations in science and engineering and Mathematics education and mathematical problem-solving. Dr. Paul Hansen: ( Faculty in Literature) Education: PhD in English, University of Wisconsin-Madison; BA in English and Photography, Oberlin College; AA, Bard College at Simon’s Rock Sequence Elective: Writing and Composition Research and Teaching Interests: Research interests include contemporary American literature, interdisciplinary humanities, and ongoing changes in higher education. Since 2017, he has taught Second Year Seminar and electives focused on Midwest Regionalism.
