OUR TEAM
Offering the Support that Students Need
All Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School staff are passionate about making a difference in students lives, through their tireless dedication and drive to shape the human mind. Get to know our administrative team and their role in continuing our tradition of academic excellence.
CEO
Ms. Villani is a graduate of Penn State University and holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from the University of Scranton. Ms. Villani taught in elementary and middle school for several years, and spent two years teaching at MBA before stepping into the role of CEO in 2002.
Principal
Ms. Somma holds a B.A. from Temple University and an M.A. from St. Joseph’s University. She joined the staff of MBA as a math teacher in 2001. Over the next few years she took on the roles of Village Lead, Curriculum Coordinator and Recruitment Coordinator. She has been the principal since 2006.
Assistant Principal, K-2
Kristen Craig is the assistant principal for grades K - 2. Before she became assistant principal, Ms. Craig was K-8 Reading Specialist, ELA Curriculum Coordinator for grades 3 - 8 and 9 - 12, Recruitment Coordinator, and taught high school English. She holds her administrative certificate from Gwynedd Mercy University and has an MS in Reading and an M.Ed in Secondary English Education from Temple University.
Assistant Principal, 3-5
Ms. Davids holds a Bachelors in Psychology and Education from Cedar Crest College and a Masters in Educational Administration from Temple University. Ms. Davids joined the MBA team in 2004 as a mathematics teacher. She quickly took on various leadership roles as a teacher and has been an assistant principal since 2007.
Assistant Principal, 6-8
Mr. Boglioli holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Loyola College of Maryland, a Masters of Science in Secondary Education from Drexel University and a Masters in Educational Administration from Temple Universoty. He has 7 years of experience teaching Science at Mariana Bracetti Academy and has served as assistant principal for the past 9 years.
Assistant Principal, 9-12
Before become a school administrator, Ms. DeSalvo taught high school social studies for ten years and served a variety of leadership roles at MBA including Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator and High School Village Lead. She served as the K-5 Dean of Students from 2019-2021, Director of Teaching and Learning, and moved into the Assistant Principal role in February 2022. In addition to her teaching certification, she holds a PK-12 Administrative Certification/Curriculum Supervisory Certification, and a M.Ed in Secondary Education (LaSalle University) and MS in Educational Leadership and Administration (St. Joseph's University).
Dean of Students, K-5
Mr. Carvalho holds a Bachelor in Elementary Education and Masters in Multicultural Education from Eastern University. He joined the staff at MBA in the fall of 2009. Mr. Carvalho serves as Dean of Students for the Elementary Academy (K-5). Before becoming Dean, Mr. Carvalho served as one of the ESOL teachers at MBA for 12 years.
Dean of Students, 6-12
Mr. Alvarez holds a B.S.E. in Materials Science & Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and joined the staff of MBA in the Fall of 2006. Mr. Alvarez is the Dean of the school, represents MBA in the community, and maintains our website.
Director of Special Education
Mrs. Bernek holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary and Special Education and a Masters of Education from Cabrini University. She joined the MBA family in 2004, where she began her career as a middle school special education teacher for her first 10 years and moved to the role of kindergarten teacher for an additional 8 years. During that time, Mrs. Bernek held a variety of leadership positions including Special Education Curriculum Coordinator and Kindergarten Village Lead. She is excited to represent MBA as the K-6 Director of Special Education .
Director of Special Education Services
Mrs. Herbert joined the MBA team in 2009. She holds a Bachelors in Science in Special Education from Millersville University, a Masters in Special Education Advanced Practices from Holy Family University, and a Special Education Supervisor Certificate from Penn State University. Mrs. Herbert was promoted to Director of Special Education in 2016.
Director of ESOL Services
Ms. Stahlhut holds a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education English from Temple University and a Masters in Educational Administration from Scranton University. She also earned her ESOL Program Specialist certificate through Immaculata University. She has been teaching ESOL at MBA for 11 years and has served as the Director of ESOL for 9 years.
Director of Safety and Security
Mr. Gonzalez has spent two decades in education, and has built a strong rapport with students, families, and the community. Working the security field while simultaneously directing athletic programs, he served as an Athletic Director, Philadelphia Public and Catholic league schools as a Referee over 30 years, and is a 22 year member of a youth organization that serves over 7,000 children and works in coordination with the Philadelphia 76ers Youth Foundation. A product of public schools, he attended Kensington High, studied at Wilmington University, and received law enforcement training at Temple University.
Director of Technology
Mr. Diaz joined the Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School family in December of 2003. Before coming to MBA, he worked for Gateway Computers as a Level 3 Senior Technician. Mr. Diaz has designed and built a new network for the school twice. Mr. Diaz is MCP, Network+ and A+ certified.