Experience: Zoë is excited to be joining the LearningWorks team as the South Portland Afterschool Site Director.  Zoë started out as an elementary public school teacher in New York and later transitioned to working internationally, serving as the Director of Education for organizations in Ghana—where she founded a new junior high school—and in Sierra Leone, where she was tasked with restarting the schools and education programming in the Bongema village in the wake of the Ebola epidemic. Since then, she’s had the opportunity to partner with a variety of schools, districts, and organizations, with the goal of strengthening multicultural communities and expanding high quality learning opportunities for all students.  Zoë received a bachelor’s degree from Barnard College, majoring in sociology and education, and received her master’s degree from Columbia University’s Teachers College, where she became a Literacy Specialist through the school’s Curriculum and Teaching program.  Zoë loves playing games and solving jigsaw puzzles. She’s also an avid fantasy baseball player and continues to participate in a league with colleagues she met at her first teaching job in Harlem.

Favorite Ice Cream: Cookie Dough

Favorite Song: Wavin’ Flag by K’NAAN

Favorite Learning Moment: When Zoë took a college course, Young Children, Families, and Social Policy, her professor, Dr. Fennimore, taught her that once you develop a core conviction, your decisions should always align with that belief. Ever since, Zoë has kept a post-it taped on her office wall with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #4 written on it, as a daily reminder of her personal mission