Our Staff – Runkle Extended Day

Our talented group of teachers come from rich and diverse backgrounds. From science, arts and crafts, to four-square, they do it all! Their creativity, warmth, and respect for each other make RED the enriching and welcoming place it is each and every day.

Directors
- Toby Greenfield
  Executive Director
  Toby Greenfield
  Executive Director
  This is Toby’s 19th year as Executive Director of RED. She holds dual BA degrees in Social Work and Psychology from the University of New Hampshire, as well as a Master’s degree in Education from Boston University. She’s worked in the field of education for over 30 years and can’t believe she’s that old! In her spare time she loves traveling, playing poker, reading, rooting for Boston sports teams, and spending time with friends and family. She’s honored to be a part of the lives of so many wonderful children here at Runkle.
- Matthew D'Agostino
  Associate Director
  Matthew D'Agostino
  Associate Director
  This is Matt’s 22nd year at RED. Matt has his BS in Advertising and Psychology from Northern Arizona University, and his MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College in Vermont. He lives in Sudbury, MA with his wife, son and daughter. He enjoys writing, cooking, classic rock, and spending time in nature.

Teaching Staff
- Kiara Reagan
  Honeybees (K/1)
  Kiara Reagan
  Honeybees (K/1)
  Kiara is delighted to be joining the Honeybee team for her fourth year at RED. She has a BFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University and loves to bike and make quilts outside of RED. She is looking forward to another year of creativity and exuberant play with the Honeybees!
- Ammal Jama
  Honeybees (K/1)
  Ammal Jama
  Honeybees (K/1)
  Ammal is thrilled to be joining the Runkle Community as a HoneyBees teacher. Ammal has a passion for nature-based education and spent the last few years as a teacher at a nature preschool. She spends the summers as an Assistant Camp Director and can’t wait to bring that high-energy to the team! Ammal is currently taking early education courses and is excited to become a lead teacher in the fall! In her free time, she can be found birding, observing insects and enjoying the outdoors!
- Naomi Liss
  Honeybees (K/1)
  Naomi Liss
  Honeybees (K/1)
  Naomi is so excited to return for her sixth year as a Honeybees teacher! Naomi grew up in Brookline where she attended the Pierce School and Brookline High School. She graduated from Oberlin College in 2018 with a major in sociology and concentration in education, and has been back living in the Boston area since. She has been working with children for the past thirteen years, and also works as a dog walker outside her role in RED. Outside of work, you’ll probably find her playing the ukulele, riding her bike, or playing with her dog Sloppy Joe.
- Abby Visco
  Crickets (2/3)
  Abby Visco
  Crickets (2/3)
  Abby is looking forward to her fourth year as a Cricket teacher! She holds a BA in Writing Literature and Publishing from Emerson College, as well as a Master’s degree in Middle and High School Education (English) from Lesley University. Outside of RED, you can find Abby working on her crosswords, enjoying a good meal with friends, or in the pottery studio, making tiny cups, bowls, and spoons for her loved ones.
- Beth Clarke
  Crickets (2/3)
  Beth Clarke
  Crickets (2/3)
  Beth is thrilled to be back at RED for her 6th year, and is really tickled to be back with the Crickets! She holds a BM in Instrumental Music Education. Past teaching positions include competitive marching band, private instrument lessons, and middle school band. She enjoys science fiction, delicious food, chonky animals, and fixing up her house with her wife Bri. Beth is honored to be involved in building good humans at RED!
- March Penn
  Crickets (2/3)
  March Penn
  Crickets (2/3)
  March is excited to be a Crickets teacher this year. March grew up in a small town in Louisiana and now calls Boston home. She is a poet, and graduated with a BA in English from Hood College and a MA in Liberal Arts from Johns Hopkins. March has seen many generations of children and families at RED having started back in 2011 and is honored to be returning! Some favorite activities are tag games, yarn projects and magic spell making.
- Julia Murphy
  Dragonflies (4/5)
  Julia Murphy
  Dragonflies (4/5)
  Julia is very excited to be back for her 9th year at RED! She graduated from UMass Amherst with a Bachelors in Environmental Science and from UNSW in Australia with a Masters in Conservation Biology. Since then, she has taught at zoos, aquariums, nature centers, and in school programs all around Boston and New York City. Outside of work she can usually be found watching obscure science fiction, playing trivia, or complaining about how badly the Mets are doing.
- Brian Thone
  Dragonflies (4/5)
  Brian Thone
  Dragonflies (4/5)
  Brian is excited to be a Dragonfly after nine years with the Crickets! In his free time Brian likes to play basketball, watch sports, and spend time with friends. He takes pride in making a positive impact and developing meaningful relationships with the kids at R.E.D.
- Abby Lougee
  Dragonflies (4/5)
  Abby Lougee
  Dragonflies (4/5)
  Abby is thrilled to return to RED for her third year with the Dragonflies. She graduated from Suffolk University with a degree in Theatre and Art History. Outside of work she enjoys going to museums, cooking, watching movies, and spending time with her cats!
- Ava Thors
  Dragonflies (4/5)
  Ava Thors
  Dragonflies (4/5)
  Ava is excited to be joining the RED team as a dragonfly teacher! She has worked as an RED float teacher for the last two years but is finally ready settle down with one group. She was born and raised on Martha’s Vineyard, before moving to Spain for university. She has worked in schools for the last five years, and is looking forward to being creative and having fun with the Dragonflies. Outside of RED she enjoys art, cooking and baking, and traveling.