Meet Our Team
Commons' team emphasizes vision, support, and accountability.
Ambiea Khaten
Ambiea Khaten
Founding Faculty
Ambiea Khaten, founding faculty member, brings a deep commitment and purpose to teaching through her personal and professional experiences over the last few years. We can't wait to see how Ambiea brings her classroom to life with her warmth and passion for teaching!
Arielle Mendelson
Arielle Mendelson
Arielle brings a wealth of experience from different educational settings. This provides her students with a teacher that has built a strong practice drawing on many influences.
Danny Brink-Washington
Danny Brink-Washington
Executive Director
Our founding team is led by Daniel Brink-Washington, a veteran teacher-leader with 17 years of experience in K-12 district, charter and independent schools.
Ellen Morenzi
Ellen Morenzi
Director of School Community
Our founding team is supported by the Director of School Community, Ellen Morenzi. Mrs. Morenzi is a social worker and director with 14 years of experience in traditional and non-traditional educational settings .
Emily Vargas
Emily Vargas
Founding Faculty
Emily Vargas, founding faculty member, is an experienced and passionate educator. We are thrilled to welcome such a committed and curious teacher to our founding team!
Joe Scarsella
Joe Scarsella
PE Teacher
Joe has worked with children for nearly two decades. He believes every child deserves access to regular physical activity and sports. His work at Commons is complemented by his work at the Assist Foundation, which he started.
Juniper Moon
Juniper Moon
Art Teacher
Juniper Moon, our founding Teaching Artist, brings many years of experience providing engaging art experiences to children throughout Buffalo! We can't wait to see how Juniper builds a unique art program here at Commons!
KC Wetter
KC Wetter
Founding Faculty
KC Wetter, founding faculty member, brings many years of experience in a variety of early childhood classrooms to her role at Commons. We look forward to learning from KC as a founding teacher!
Morgan Nichols
Morgan Nichols
Faculty
Morgan joins Commons after a several successful years at other area schools. A reflective and caring teacher, Morgan fosters success for all students.
Rachael Owunwanne
Rachael Owunwanne
Director of Teaching and Learning
Our founding team is supported by Rachael Owunwanne, Director of Teaching and Learning. Rachael is a skilled educator with a wide variety of experience in education as both a teacher and instructional coach.
Rose Money
Rose Money
Faculty
Rose is a strong educator with experience at area charter schools. Students love Rose's approach to teaching because it is both warm and rigorous.
Shayla Jackson-Wooden
Shayla Jackson-Wooden
Family Ambassador
Shayla Jackson-Wooden, our founding Family Ambassador, brings years of personal and professional experience to her role in getting the word out about Buffalo Commons.