Meet our Leaders
Howie, our executive director, has a 45-year career in early education and care as a childcare provider, university teacher, program administrator, policy analyst, advocate, marriage and family counselor, curriculum developer, mentor-teacher and advisor to government leaders.
In 2012, the National Coalition for Campus Children's Center's honored him as "Director of the Year." A member of several professional associations, he is co-president of the Council of Child Development Laboratory Schools (CCDLA). His career with the Lemberg Children's Center at Brandeis University began with teaching in September 1972. In 1979, he was chosen as director and executive director in 1985. From 1979-96, he taught early education course at Brandeis University, and continues to serve as the Brandeis Education Program's Early Education Coordinator.
In addition to providing professional presentations in the United States, he has been a guest presenter in the UK, Canada, Italy, France and China. Earlier in his career, he chaired several Massachusetts governmental committees charged with writing the first standards of care and was a doctoral fellow of the National Institutes for Health for the study of intellectual disabilities at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University. He also is the director of APA's ACT Raising Safe Kids Boston Regional Center, a part of the Lemberg Center and a Master Trainer for the APA's Violence Prevention Office.
Rachel has been teaching since 2014, working mainly with children from 3-7 years old. She loves the magical way young children see the world. Rachel has a passion for exploring nature with children and teaching them to be stewards of the environment. She attended Providence College and graduated with her BA in Elementary and Special Education. Her background in special education helped her develop a social emotional toolkit that she loves to share with children. This toolkit includes helping children identify emotions, practice mindfulness, and learn how to utilize regulating strategies.
Outside of Lemberg, Rachel loves to spend time with her family, go on hikes with her dog, read, and bake.
Alexander Collins holds a BA in Developmental Psychology (UT-San
Antonio) and an MS in Human Development & Early Childhood
Disorders (UT-Dallas). Alex has worked professionally in infant and
child day care as a student, and then in early intervention, child
protection, social work, and primarily in early education and care for
over 30 years. This is Alex’s first year at Lemberg Children’s Center and
he is Head/Lead Infant Teacher in the Butterfly Room. Alex has
experience in a Reggio-Emilia program and is most inspired by child-led
curriculum that allows for creativity and flexibility to meet each learner
where they are going to be most successful.
Alex believes that social-emotional competence is the foundation for
life-long learning and for being a resilient individual who can master
challenges and be an valued member of their community and society as a
whole. Alex continues his personal learning through reading, watching
documentaries, listening to the experiences of others, and being an
involved advocate in his local community. Alex resides in Hudson,
Massachusetts with his spouse, 5 children, and pets. Alex is passionate
about the LGBTQ+ community and in supporting others as they find
their way towards a life of authenticity and wholeness.
In those brief moments of spare time, Alex enjoys reading, video &
board games, crochet & painting, trivia nights, traveling and good times
with dear friends.
Patricia Braunegg holds a BA in Romance Languages from Boston College and an MAT from
Tufts University, and spent 19 years teaching French at the high school level, where she loved
sharing French and francophone language and culture with her students, and organized and led
many student exchanges and trips to Quebec and Paris. Over time, realizing that she wanted to
be in a learning environment with a greater emphasis on social-emotional development and
wellness, Patricia made the decision to pursue a Montessori Infant-Toddler certification, and has taught in toddler Montessori and Reggio Emilia programs in eastern and central Massachusetts.
One of the things she loves best about teaching toddlers is that they are absorbing everything
around them, are interested in everything, and are learning from everything and everyone in
their environment. In guiding toddlers in their development, Patricia feels that she and her
colleagues are helping to lay the foundation for the rest of the children’s lives, facilitating their
deepening understanding of the world, themselves, and others. Her ideal classroom is
enriching, mutually respectful, nurturing, and fun!
In her free time, Patricia loves traveling and learning new languages, singing with a local Gospel
choir, practicing yoga, rock climbing, playing Euro-style board games, and spending time with
her family.
She grew up in Northern New Mexico with her 13 older siblings. She holds a BA in English and Theatre from the University of New Mexico. With 13 years of early childhood experience ranging from infants to pre-K, her journey in education began in New Mexico. In 2021, she moved to Massachusetts and continued her passion for working with children.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, friends, and her significant other, as well as exploring New England with her partner.
Karen has been a head teacher in toddler and preschool classrooms for many years and is now director for scheduling and program planning. Hiring, orienting, scheduling and supervising the 50+ Brandeis students who work as teaching assistants are a major part of her job as they are an integral part of Lemberg. She also helps with day-to-day operations of the center.
Having worked with all ages at Lemberg, Karen's skills span many areas. She enjoys working with parents and helping families with the transition between home and school. Mentoring others, supervising student teachers and involvement in outreach programs are a few of the areas she's been involved with.
Her own children attended Lemberg years ago and later returned for a short time as teaching assistants. One of her outside interests has included working with the elderly, especially those with dementia, and helping support family caregivers. She enjoys reading, spending time outdoors, camping and canoeing, and traveling. She's been fortunate to have traveled to many different places and more recently her sons have lived in Australia and Indonesia, wonderful places to visit.
Pronouns: He/Him
Scott has been a head teacher for the Thunderbirds at Lemberg since October 1993. He loves all aspects of teaching preschoolers, including science experiments, gardening, outdoor games, book making, storytelling, and all creative art and writing activities. He is especially interested in music and movement activities. Scott leads Aloha Friday — Lemberg's weekly, center-wide sing- and dance-along.
Outside of Lemberg, Scott is a writer and performer of songs for children and families. For more than 25 years, he has been entertaining audiences with his upbeat and funky folk songs, rock tunes and stories at libraries, childcare centers, elementary schools, hospitals and town events. Additionally, he leads small music and movement groups for infants, toddlers and preschoolers, and offers workshops for teachers and parents to help them incorporate music into their classrooms and homes.
Scott is a member of the Children's Music Network, a national organization that celebrates the positive power of music in the lives of children by sharing songs, exchanging ideas and creating community.
Scott has a BS in early childhood education from the University of Massachusetts–Amherst, and is EEC-certified. He has two children and absolutely loves being a dad.
Melissa has dedicated the past 20 years to working with young children and families. She holds a bachelor's degree in History and Education from Northeastern University and a Master’s in Early Childhood Education from Cambridge College. Melissa is also licensed to teach both Early Childhood and Elementary Education in Massachusetts.
Passionate about fostering lifelong learning, she believes that a strong social-emotional foundation is crucial for success. Every day, she guides her students in understanding and navigating their emotions. One of her greatest joys is watching young children learn to communicate and advocate for themselves as they grow in the classroom. She finds fulfillment in helping children discover and nurture their unique skills and talents.
Outside of her work, Melissa loves spending time outdoors with her partner and her 7-year-old stepson.
Chandra brings an extensive and diverse background in theater to her role as Lemberg's drama specialist. She has studied theater arts at the Royal Shakespeare Company, The National Theatre and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Chandra earned her BA in theater arts from Brandeis.
As a theater educator, she has worked in classrooms with children from elementary to high school for many years. Along with her part-time Lemberg responsibilities, she is the associate director for education for Boston's City Stage Co. and, during the summers, is the Young Artists at Play director for the Merrimack Repertory Theatre.
Chandra's acting credits include Clara in "The Nutcracker Players" (Boston Area), Alice/Kristy in "Fitkids" (New England and Indiana), The Wife in "The History and Adventures of Tom Thumb" and various roles in "Shear Madness." She has also worked on numerous commercials, industrial videos, independent films and voice-over spots. She is a member of all three acting union: AEA, AFTER and SAG.
Josh has been working with children since 2000, getting his BA from the University of Massachusett–Amherst in 2006. He started in various after-school and summer camp settings, including the Rowe Camp and Conference Center in the Berkshires, the Easter Seals Goodwill Industries' Family Learning Center in Connecticut, and iD Tech Camps at various locations in New York. While working with youth ages 8-18, Josh has led technical and philosophical workshops that promote creative growth and emphasize acceptance of others.
Josh is an EEC-certified preschool teacher at Lemberg. He has been working in early childhood since 2014, singing songs that he wrote specifically for this profession. Josh plays guitar and leads a group at Lemberg that focuses on mathematical and memory-retaining aspects of music. He builds a positive, creative, fun environment that children look forward to experiencing every day in preschool.
Lusi started at Lemberg in 2023. She is a head teacher with the Voyagers and quickly fell in love with the class. She especially enjoys engaging with students in arts, crafts, and language acquisition.
Lusi graduated from the University of Birmingham, England with an MA in Translation Studies. Her interest in language led her to a variety of professional opportunities as an interpreter (English, Cantonese and Mandarin) and IELTS teacher/administrator. However, becoming a mother of two sparked a new passion within her and she began pursuing a career in childcare. After achieving her EEC degree and becoming EEC-certified, she has spent the past five years in the field and was most recently the assistant director at a bilingual preschool academy in the Boston area. In her spare time, she enjoys playing piano, gardening and traveling with her family.
Kumiko is new to Lemberg this year as a teacher in the Adventures room. Kumiko began her academic career by studying biology in her original home, Japan. Seventeen years later, she returned to school to explore her passion in early childhood education. After finishing her studies in education, she worked in infant and toddler classrooms for several years before beginning work with preschoolers, whom she has worked with for the past 13 years.
Outside of Lemberg, Kumiko works with The Genki Spark, a Japanese Taiko drumming group. In addition to performing with the group, she teaches drumming and Japanese folk dancing at schools and universities. Kumiko also has a passion for animals, working at a farm when she was young.
She is very excited to work with the Adventures group and to introduce Japanese culture to her Lemberg family.
Daisy is a parent with both of her kids who were/are at Lemberg Children's Center. She joined the Lemberg community as webmaster in 2019. Daisy is responsible for planning, developing and managing the school website. She periodically performs regular updates of the pages, provides appropriate technical advice and assistance to the staff in support of curriculum, teaching and learning goals and objectives. She enforces compatibility standards that ensure site accessibility for all users.
Outside of Lemberg, Daisy works at a high-tech company headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She likes hiking, reading and playing tennis with family and friends.
She is very excited to be able to devote some time and energy to Lemberg and be part of its family.
