Meet Our Team
Commons' team emphasizes vision, support, and accountability.
George Kline
George Kline
Founding Faculty
George Kline, founding Physical Education teacher, brings a lot of excitement and enthusiasm to his role here at Commons!
Magdeline Vasatka
Magdeline Vasatka
Founding Faculty Member
Magdeline Vasatka, founding faculty member, brings a true passion and excitement for working with children at various stages of development to her role at Buffalo Commons. We can't wait to see the way her creativity and joy translates to the classroom!
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!
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!
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!
Juniper Moon
Juniper Moon
Curious Rabbit Art (Art)
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!
Emily Ittes
Emily Ittes
Founding Faculty
Emily Ittes, founding faculty member, is a seasoned educator with experience in a variety of educational settings. We are thrilled to welcome Emily, a teacher with demonstrated success and passion, to our founding team!
Kristin Tomczak
Kristin Tomczak
Founding Faculty
Kirstin Tomczak, founding teacher, is a committed, engaged and inspiring educator with experience in inquiry-based and social emotional learning.
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.
Amy Quinde
Amy Quinde
Family Ambassador
Amy Quinde, Family Ambassador, brings dynamic experience as an educator and parent to her role in getting the word out about Buffalo Commons.
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.
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 .
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.