Skip To Main Content

Faculty & Staff

Meet the dedicated educators at Elgin Academy.At Elgin Academy, we actively engage our students in academics, arts, and athletics where they build trusting relationships with their teachers, staff, and administrators. These interactions create empowered learners who are willing to take academic risks that enable them to grow in self-confidence. 

“We found some wonderful teachers who were caring, engaging, and personalized. You know those once-in-a-lifetime teachers you get? At EA, we got them multiple times.”

Parent of an EA Graduate

Administration

Seth Hanford

Seth Hanford

Head of School
MA, Columbia University
BA, University of Pennsylvania

True engagement comes only through authentic experimentation and risk taking. While the classroom experience is the core of any student's experience, administrators are responsible for ensuring that the conditions to learn come not only in classrooms, but also on playing fields and courts, theaters, art spaces, and in the community.
-Seth Hanford

Doug Sept

Doug Sept

Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs
MS, University of Kentucky
BS, Missouri University of Science and Technology

Students must feel comfortable before they can learn. I expect my classroom to be an environment where students are allowed to take risks. I look for situations when I can look at a problem for the first time with students and model for them how to try and potentially fail in finding the right solution, only to rebound and try new ideas.
-Doug Sept

Amy Criswell

Amy Criswell

Early Childhood & Lower School Director, PEAK Director
M Ed, University of New Hampshire
BA, University of New Hampshire

Truly amazing things occur at Elgin Academy because we work to ensure that our students feel known and have a sense of belonging and purpose. At EA, students learn and discover in an active environment built on partnership, respect, compassion, challenge, and integrity. When students feel safe to express their ideas, make mistakes, ask questions, and be creative, meaningful learning takes place and it's magical.
-Amy Criswell

Directors and Deans

Bonita Goist

Bonita Goist

Director of Admissions
MS, Purdue University
BS, Carroll University

Since I came to Elgin Academy as a parent, I saw that Elgin Academy is a place for students to learn who they really are. They are encouraged to be risk takers, to take chances and to go outside of their comfort zone. As a result, graduates of EA are prepared to take on the world and do amazing things.
-Bonita Goist

Katherine Kruse

Katherine Kruse

Director of International Studies, ELL Teacher
MS Ed., Northern Illinois University
BA, Northern Illinois University

I am passionate about fostering cultural diversity through student exchange and international education. It is my mission to enhance cultural perspectives, mutual respect, and global responsibility through building programs and services for the development of international students, local students and the greater community of Elgin.
-Katie Kruse

Helen Elayan

Helen Elayan

Director of Personalized Learning
MA, Adler School of Professional Psychology
BA, DePaul University

My philosophy as a school counselor is the belief that every student can succeed. Learning is a lifelong process and I want to help students foster a positive self-image all in collaboration with the school, home, and community. My goal as the school counselor at EA is to provide a safe place for all students and to address every student's intellectual, emotional, and social needs.
-Helen Elayan

Dan Raffety

Dan Raffety

Director of College Counseling, Upper School Social Studies
MA, St. John's College
BA, Connecticut College

When I first meet with students at the beginning of the school year, I make it a priority to understand them as individuals. The more I know about their strengths & weaknesses and more importantly their interests, the better I am able to relate historical material to them and help them hone the skills involved in social studies.
-Dan Raffety

Craig Pinson

Craig Pinson

Athletic Director, Middle School PE Teacher
MS, Ohio University
BS, Northern Illinois University

Being part of the Elgin Academy community is an amazing experience. I could not be more proud to represent this campus and these students in the classroom and on the field.
-Craig Pinson

Jorge Sanchez

Jorge Sanchez

Upper School Dean of Students, Upper School English
MA, University of Chicago
MFA, University of Michigan
BA, Loyola University Chicago

If a student fails to enjoy any piece of literature and minimally improves their writing, but manages to grow as a human being, I feel I have been successful. If a student masters every text and writes beautifully, but has not changed at all since the first day of school, I have failed.
-Jorge Sanchez

Andrew (Drew) Roling

Andrew (Drew) Roling

Middle School Dean of Students, Middle School Math & Science
MA, University of Northern Iowa
BA, University of Iowa

I strive to make the school and classroom a place where, when you walk into the building, you can tell that students want to be here. The students are free to take risks, express themselves freely, and have fun doing so. For me, this is done by cultivating strong personal relationships across a diverse student body. This is the atmosphere that I wish to help set.
-Drew Roling

Tanya Moore

Tanya Moore

Director of Summer Programs, Website Content Manager, Advancement Associate
BA, Northern Illinois University

Elgin Academy is a place where every student is valued and celebrated for who they are as individuals. As a member of this amazing community, my priory is to support our students' educational experience through summer programing, the website, events, and fundraising. I am truly grateful to be a part of the EA community.
-Tanya Moore