This year we are excited to introduce three new faculty members in administrative positions. Corey McBeth joins the Business Office as Finance Director, Linda Ogden-Wolgemuth – a longtime member of the BWS community – brings over 20 years of Waldorf education experience to the role of Faculty Administrator, and Deja Williams joins the administrative team as our inaugural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Director. We are very much looking forward to the 2023-2024 school year with the addition of these talented individuals.
Corey McBeth – Finance Director
Corey McBeth joins Brooklyn Waldorf as our new Finance Director. For the last ten years, Corey has overseen Finance, Facilities & Administrative Operations at the Emmanuel Baptist Church in nearby Clinton Hill. Corey is accustomed to outside-the-box thinking. His calm and can-do attitude is something that stood out to us when we first met him. His interest in, and commitment to, nurturing and creating community for different generations came through to us in a very endearing way, and has been evident throughout his professional career. Before his time at EBC, Corey spent a year at Williamsburg Northside Schools as Business Manager, and before that, seven years as the Business Manager at PS129M.
When Corey first visited BWS he was surprised to find that it was only a few blocks from where he’d been working for the last decade. During subsequent conversations with us, he shared that his mother was familiar with the Saint Peter Claver parish, and was christened there as a child. A history and genealogy buff, it wasn’t long before he asked about the history of Claver Castle, in turn sharing what he knew of the surrounding area of Bedford-Stuyvesant. Corey has been married for the last 18 years to his wife Rasheda, with whom he shares his pride and joy – son Cole, a rising sophomore at Stanford University and daughter Chloe, a rising 8th grader.
If you happen to see Corey walking the halls of Claver Castle or in the Business Office this fall – ask him about his vinyl collection!
Dr. Linda Ogden-Wolgemuth – Faculty Administrator
Linda has been involved in Waldorf education for nearly 20 years. She joined the Rudolf Steiner School (RSS) NYC as a parent where she quickly became involved in parent study and community education, also serving as a class parent and parent volunteer in Development. This experience inspired her to alter her career as a secondary school educator and to enroll in the full-time two year Waldorf Elementary Education program at Sunbridge Institute. She was invited to join RSS NYC as a class teacher and went on to become a college member (and later college chair), board member, and community education committee chair during her twelve-year tenure there. Linda joined the administration at Sunbridge Institute as Director of Education in 2018 after previously serving as a trustee on the Sunbridge Board, and there she enjoyed advising teacher education students and collaborating with faculty. Even after departing Sunbridge and completing her three-year certificate program in Biography and Social Art from the Center for Biography and Social Art, Linda has continued to work for the Institute as an adjunct faculty member and an online workshop host.
Linda joyfully joined the Brooklyn Waldorf School board four years ago and has served as its secretary for the past six months. She also stepped in to help us during the pandemic by serving as a mentor to our new faculty as well as guest teaching a few Main Lesson blocks in our middle school classes. A longtime student of Anthroposophy, Linda earned her bachelor’s degree with honors in the field of German Area Studies from Johns Hopkins University and her master’s and doctoral degrees in German languages and literatures from the University of Pennsylvania. She remains an educational consultant in several schools and serves on several boards. In her spare time, Linda likes to engage in social activities such as cooking, traveling, theatergoing, and spending time with family and friends. Linda loves reading historical mystery novels and discovering new international authors who write about people in far away places and in different time periods. She especially enjoys the opera as well as musicals, and she and her family live in Hudson Heights in Upper Manhattan. Linda has enjoyed getting to know BWS and is very much looking forward to playing a more active role at the school as she steps into a day-to-day leadership position.
Deja Williams – DEI Director
It is with great joy that we announce that Deja Williams will be joining Brooklyn Waldorf School as the new DEI (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion) Director at the beginning of the fall semester. Deja joins us from the Cathedral School of Saint John the Divine, where she was the Lower School Equity and Engagement Coordinator and a younger grades Science Teacher. We believe Deja will do much to nurture our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice work, both by adding structure and focus to these efforts as well as developing awareness of micro and macro issues that are encountered each day at our school. Her arrival is an important step forward in our quest to become an anti-racist institution and community.
A note from Deja in her own words regarding her new position at BWS:
“I am overjoyed to be joining the Brooklyn Waldorf School community. In my search for a new professional endeavor, I was drawn to the welcoming nature of this institution – a distinctly special place that truly aims to nurture the development of each unique child as well as celebrate the contributions of every adult. I am excited to join a school community where I can not only share my personal love of quilting, insect drawing, and African instrument-making but also my professional passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion. This coming Fall, my goal is to begin working collaboratively to strengthen the culture around equitable practices while preserving the principles behind the school’s rich curriculum and many beloved traditions. Together we can make the Brooklyn Waldorf School a place where all community members feel a sense of belonging within Claver Castle’s walls.
I am really looking forward to experiencing so much more of the Waldorf education. From what I have learned so far, it is a pedagogy that has guided many individuals to be creative thinkers but also kind and socially responsible. I believe that this way of nurturing young minds lends itself very well to encouraging those same children to speak up the face of injustice and implement positive change where none was previously tried. I am excited to be a part of the work to help solidify the connection between BWS and these inclusive principles!”
