Our Faculty & Staff

Courtney Kassinger has spent her summers at Usdan since 2002 when she first attended as a student. On staff, she has served as a Discovery counselor, a member of the administration/transportation staff, Transportation Manager, Associate Director of Student Affairs. and is now the Associate Director of Camp Administration. Courtney holds a B.M. in Music Education from SUNY Fredonia and a M.S. in Music Education from Queens College along with an Advanced Certificate in TESOL from Touro College. Courtney teaches elementary band in the Harborfields Central School District in the very elementary school she herself attended and is a member of both SCMEA and NAfME.  She looks back fondly on her many summers at Usdan as a student that fostered her love for music and led her to pursue a career in music education. Courtney is eternally grateful for her Usdan family and the many lifelong friendships that have been created through her time spent at Usdan. 

Dr. Lauren Kinane is a clarinetist, educator, and currently serves as the Manager of Administration at Usdan. Prior to becoming the Manager of Special Projects, Lauren served as the Manager of Special Projects, Enrollment Coordinator, and Student Supervision Coordinator, and she spent four summers as a camper at Usdan. Her summers at Usdan inspired her to pursue her passion for clarinet further. Throughout the year Lauren can be heard performing with the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra and the Atlantic Wind Symphony. She can also be heard on the Massachusetts Chamber Players' album Frank Martin: Music for Winds. Lauren received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Stony Brook University, her Master of Music from the University of Massachusetts - Amherst, and her Bachelor of Music from SUNY Fredonia. 

Javan joined Usdan’s full time staff in 2017. Year round hip hop and poetry are his modes of survival and inspiration. A Bronx born creative that hails from the same high school as James Baldwin, he spreads love one word at a time. He truly believes that the lived experience is the ultimate teaching tool and uses poetry as a social forum to foster discourse about love, culture, and identity. He was named a 2022 Aspen Words Emerging Writer Fellow. He also suffers from severe milk chocolate withdrawals and has been diagnosed with a case of the New York Knicks.

Emily (they/she) is an arts administrator and flute instructor based in Brooklyn, NY. Emily first joined Usdan’s seasonal staff in 2021, supporting the Marketing, Enrollment, and Transportation departments. They joined Usdan’s Education department in January of 2023 as Education Coordinator, and rejoined the Enrollment department as the Enrollment Coordinator in May of the same year. Emily brings with them eclectic administrative experience in from a variety of roles, including a summer as Chamber Coordinator for the Spoleto Festival, USA. Emily holds a BA and MA in Flute Performance from SUNY Fredonia and SUNY Purchase respectively, and in addition to their work at Usdan, teaches private flute lessons to flute lovers of all ages and skill levels. When not teaching, working, or fluting, Emily can be found knitting, listening to e-books, or learning how to play a new instrument.  

Michele is so excited to join the Usdan community this year as the Education Coordinator! It was Michele’s great-grandmother in her little Italian apartment who inspired Michele’s love for storytelling. That love has transformed into many areas of her life: singing on stage, writing in coffee shops, filming for the U.S. Army, and now, creating at Usdan. It is the fact that every person has a story to tell—their story to tell—that Michele aims to support and ignite the creative process of the stories being told in each studio. She holds a BA in Communications from Penn State University, where she rescued a cat she calls Jaxon. She rolls change for fun and is a professional hide-and-seeker, ranked 4th in the country.

This will be Krista's seventh year with Usdan, first serving as an assistant in the Art department in 2012, then returning as a lead teacher in 2016. Krista's current work involves large scale, mixed media paintings of abstracted, figurative imagery. In addition to spending summers at USDAN and creating work in her personal studio, Krista is currently a high school art teacher. Krista holds a MA in Art and Art Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and BA Degrees in Art History and Studio Art from Stony Brook University. Along with teaching, Krista is currently pursuing an Ed.D. degree in Art and Art Education back at Teachers College. Besides everything art, Krista enjoys relaxing with her two small dogs, Patrick and Lily.

Dave began teaching at Usdan in 2005 as the Tennis Instructor and is pleased to begin a new role in 2022 as the Chair of Recreation. During the school year Dave is a 5th Grade Teacher in the East Islip School District. Fun fact: Dave juggled a soccer ball 12,600 times when he was 17.