Webinar 3: Cultivating Capacity

Michele Agosto

Director of Arts, Buffalo City School District

Dr. Michele Agosto is the Director of Arts for the Buffalo City School District, serving the children of Buffalo since 1994, with 10 of those years as an art teacher in the Black Rock area. Michele’s passion for the arts and education is notable as she is dedicated to ensuring equity in the arts for all students in Buffalo and WNY. Michele is the co-founder and exhibiting member of Los Artistas del Barrio Buffalo (LADB). Established in 2016, LADB is an arts collaborative whose intent is to promote and highlight the talents of Latino/a/x artists of every genre in WNY Latino/a/x, celebrating our cultural roots, heritage, and community. Michele has exhibited artwork regionally and has received several awards and acknowledgments for her photography and mixed-media work from such organizations as the Castellani Museum in Niagara Falls, NY, Buffalo Society of Artists, Artspace, Czurles-Nelson Gallery, Niagara Arts and Cultural Center, and El Museo in Buffalo, NY. Michele has also presented nationally on topics of art, arts education and culturally and linguistically responsive best practices in teaching and administration.

Alicia Gray

Art Education Program Director, Montserrat College of Art

Alicia Gray has been an art educator since 2010, teaching in a wide variety of classroom settings, including high school, middle school, and higher education programs. As a former teacher in a trauma-sensitive public school, Alicia utilizes curriculum and practice to develop trauma-sensitive art education programs and communities of practice. Alicia holds a Ph.D. in Education from Lesley University and is the Art Education Program Director at Montserrat College of Art and Lecturer in the Master of Arts in Teaching program at Tufts University. As an artist, Alicia employs mixed media techniques, bookmaking, and collage.

Mike Kalafatis

Art Specialist, Henrico County Public Schools

Mike Kalafatis is the Art Specialist for Henrico County Public Schools with over 25 years of experience in Art Education. He received a Bachelor of Science in Studio Art from James Madison University and a masters in Educational Leadership from the University of Virginia. Throughout his career in Virginia and New York, Mike has worked tirelessly to provide equitable access to the arts for all students and to strengthen partnerships between art educators and their community. In his free time, Mike likes to spend time with his family and enjoys live music and traveling.

Andrew Frey-Gould

Director of Media, Fine and Performing Arts, Oceanside Union Free School District

Andrew Frey-Gould is a dedicated arts educator and administrator with a passion for fostering creativity and artistic excellence in students. As the Director of Media, Fine and Performing Arts for the Oceanside Union Free School District in Long Island, NY, he has been instrumental in expanding arts education opportunities and ensuring that students receive a comprehensive and engaging artistic experience, leading a staff of 42 visual art, music, theatre, and dance teachers. He holds a bachelor's degree in music education from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, a master's degree in childhood and special education from LIU Post, a master's degree in music education from Kent State University, and is pursuing a doctoral degree in educational supervision and administration from St. John's University. Andrew was a music and theatre educator prior to pursuing arts administration. He believes that every child deserves access to artistic experiences as a fundamental part of their education, and advocates for arts education through his work as Division Director At Large for the Supervision and Administration Division of NAEA, Co-Treasurer of the Art Supervisors Association (Nassau County, NY), and a Board Member of the New York State Theatre Education Association.