Thea MacFawn, Co-Director and Founder
Thea MacFawn is a school administrator. She spent the first 16 years of her career as a high school English teacher in upstate New York, where she developed curriculum focused on the study of Human Rights in the 21st Century and Journalism. She is a 2018 recipient of the Empire State Excellence in Teaching Award, a National Board certified educator, and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Teacher Fellow.
A frequent panelist and presenter at education conferences, Thea is also an instructor for NYSUT’s Education and Learning Trust. She has led professional learning workshops and courses focused on instruction and creating safe and inclusive schools for schools in the Capital Region since 2013. Additionally, Thea is a GLSEN Upstate New York board member and serves on the board of the Educators’ Institute for Human Rights. She holds appointments to the New York State Education Department’s English Language Arts advisory panel and its Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education strategy team.
Kelly Wetherbee, Co-Director
Kelly Wetherbee has been a Library Media Specialist at Shaker High School since 2004. Prior to her work at Shaker High School, Kelly was marketing specialist in the Financial Services industry until returning to the University at Albany to earn a Masters in Library Science, and additional teaching certification to work as a School Library Media Specialist. Kelly’s Bachelor of Arts Degree, majoring in English, is also from the University at Albany. She and Mrs. MacFawn have spent the past four years working together on human rights awareness and projects with students at Shaker High School.
Jack Einstein
Jack is a Law & Policy Analyst at Richman Law & Policy and graduated from Seton Hall University with a B.S. in International Relations and Diplomacy. In his spare time he is a passionate social justice advocate and is involved in Pride events, serves as an active National Lawyers Guild Legal Observer and attends social justice protests. He frequently advocates for Trans youth in NY high schools and participates on expert panels focused on expanding access to resources for Trans youth.
Alison Lattimore
Alison Lattimore is a retired Hudson Falls High School Library Media Specialist where she helped to revive a very antiquated library. In her work as a librarian, she strove to create an open and inclusive space not only for
the students, faculty, and staff but also within the library collection. Alison firmly believes that students who can see themselves in what they read are going to enjoy reading more, learn more about themselves as well as learn about others and feel more welcome in the library space.
In addition to her work as a librarian, she helped to start Hudson Falls’ first GSA (Gender Sexuality Alliance) Club in 2013. In that same year, she was awarded the GSA Advisor of the Year by GLSEN for her work to supporting
LGBTQ+ students and their allies. After receiving the award, she subsequently joined GLSEN as a board member and the advisor for the student-led advocacy group called SHINE.
Alison worked on the GLSEN Board and as the SHINE advisor for five years. Alison was the advisor for the GSA Club throughout her time at Hudson Falls as well as an advisor for the National Coalition Building Institute, which is a student club supporting diversity and inclusion. Alison received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Russell Sage College and her Master of Information Science/Library Science from SUNY Albany. She has been passionate about human rights her entire life and strives to work hard as an ally to everyone.
Matthew Pinchinat
Matthew Pinchinat is a high school social studies teacher at Guilderland High School. He is a teacher consultant in the Capital District Writing Project where he has had the great pleasure of working alongside a range of talented teachers as a participant and co-facilitator in numerous workshops and consortiums over the past few years. To him, human rights work is simply life’s work. Accordingly, he is the advisor to his high schools Black Student Union (newly formed in 2020!), an active member of his buildings anti-racist task force, an NCBI certified trainer, and above all an eager learner.
