Administrative Manager

Stacey Talbert is a Chicago native of diverse cultural background. She has a strong history in administrative and management support along with education.

Facilities Manager

Robert joined The Academy in 2014. Prior to taking the role of Facilities Manager, he worked as a baker at the Archdiocese of Chicago for 27 years.

Facilities Manager

Henry Feliciano has over 30 years of experience in facilities, most notably with Verizon. Henry joined The Academy in 2014.

Associate Director of Development

Libby graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she studied Communication Arts and Theatre & Drama. She currently serves as the Senior Development Associate at The Academy.

Faculty • Visual Arts

Brenda Moore is a Chicago-based visual artist exhibiting at Linda Warren Projects. She has been teaching at The Chicago Academy for the Arts since 2003.

Faculty • Visual Arts

David Sprecher graduated with a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2006 and an MFA from the Art Theory and Practice program at Northwestern University in 2016. He's published writing in The Brooklyn Rail and has exhibited work in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Berlin, and Sapporo.

Faculty • Dance

Olga Meyer graduated from Azerbajian State College in Baku and earned her Masters in Music from the State Conservatory. She taught and concertized before coming to the United States in 1981. She has been at The Academy since 1985.

Faculty • Dance

Ethan R. Kirschbaum graduated from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program summa cum laude with Departmental Honors in Dance, and has performed with Hubbard Street 2, Saarlandisches Staatstheater, River North Dance Chicago, Lucky Plush Productions, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Santa Fe Opera.

Faculty • Dance

Robyn Mineko Williams is a director, choreographer, and dancer who has created works for Pacific Northwest Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Malpaso Dance Company, among many others.

Faculty • Media Arts

Celia Phelan has been the animation instructor at the Academy since 2023 and a working member of the animation industry since 2020.

School Mental Health Counselor

Faculty • World Languages

Lauren earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and Latino Studies, and her Master of Arts degree in Secondary Education at the University of Michigan.

Faculty • Social Studies

Tim Tynan has taught history at The Academy since Fall of 2000. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and English Literature from Loyola University of Chicago, as well as a Master of Arts in English Literature and an Illinois teaching certificate in Secondary Education from Northeastern Illinois University.

Faculty • Social Studies

Mary Kettering, a Humanities Department faculty member since 2018, brings a global perspective to her teaching of subjects like World History and Sociology, drawing from her academic background in political science, history, and Women and Gender Studies from institutions in Montana and Ireland.

Faculty • Science

Alex Cassidy joined The Academy in 2018, and earned their Bachelors in Science Education from the University of Florida. Alex comes to The Academy from Wellsprings Friends School in Eugene, OR. 

Co-Chair • Humanities

Nicholas Roux is the Co-Chair of the Humanities Department and teaches upper-level courses in literature and philosophy.

Faculty • English Literature

Christopher Hagenah attended University of California Santa Barbara, where he earned a Doctor of Philosophy in English.

Director of Operations / Theatre Faculty

Emily Luhrs is a collaborative leader and educator with more than a decade of experience spanning arts education, school operations, and professional performance. She began her work at The Chicago Academy for the Arts in 2017 as a guest teaching artist and director of special programs for Middle School Programs.

Faculty • Theatre

Buck has been working as the Technical Director/Production Manager for The Chicago Academy for the Arts since 2004.  He is a Member of the Illinois Theatre Association and the CAA representative to the USITT.

Faculty • Theatre

Kelli Harrington, a Jeff Award-winning vocalist with both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Vocal Performance from Northwestern University, is a seasoned performer in plays, musicals, and operas, and has been teaching voice at the Chicago Academy for the Arts since 2000.