Teaching, Coaching, Advising, and Inspiring: Meet Lawrenceville’s Newest Faculty

Lawrenceville is welcoming a dynamic group of educators to its faculty for the 2026–27 school year. Bringing experience from independent schools, higher education, and professional fields, the new faculty members will strengthen classrooms, Houses, art and athletic programs, and the broader student experience.

 

B.A. in Physics, Middlebury College (Middlebury, Vt.)

 

Noah Bakker has been a science teacher, coach, and residential life leader at independent boarding schools for more than a decade. He joins Lawrenceville from The Stony Brook School (Stony Brook, N.Y.), where he taught science and mathematics, coached baseball, and served as head of a boys' dormitory. Professionally, he has helped The Stony Brook school’s baseball team to become a nationally ranked program, and created and ran their research department, which saw students attend prestigious internships at national labs such as Cold Spring Harbor, and their works published in scientific journals. Previously, he taught physics and mathematics at Suffield Academy (Suffield, Conn.), where he coached baseball and water polo, advised students, and served as a dorm parent.

Jill M. Brown, English Department

M.A. in Literature, New York University (New York City)

B.A. in Literature, Bennington College (Bennington, Vt.)

 

Jill M. Brown brings 25 years of independent school teaching experience to Lawrenceville, having taught English at Princeton Latin Academy/Princeton Science Academy (Princeton, N.J.), The Pingry School (Basking Ridge, N.J.), The Baldwin School (Bryn Mawr, Pa.), and, most recently, Princeton Day School (Princeton, N.J.). At Princeton Day School, she served as curriculum leader for ninth grade English and as a student academic advisor. She also advised the student newspaper, coached the 2023 New Jersey state champion Mock Trial team, and directed the school's English-Speaking Union Shakespeare Monologue Competition, which produced the 2024 state champion. Brown has also taught summer courses at The Pennington School (Pennington, N.J.), The Hun School of Princeton (Princeton, N.J.), and The Lawrenceville School.

 

In addition to her teaching, Brown served as senior writer at Gill St. Bernard's School (Gladstone, N.J.), where she was editor-in-chief of the alumni magazine. She also authored the memoir of K. Philip Dresdner ‘45, who served as a Lawrenceville Trustee and later Trustee Emeritus for more than two decades.

 

Ph.D. in Hispanic Linguistics, The Ohio State University (Columbus, Ohio)

M.A. in Hispanic Linguistics and a B.A. in Spanish, Stony Brook University (Stony Brook, N.Y.)

 

Miguel García joins Lawrenceville from Georgia Southern University (Statesboro, Ga.), where he most recently served as associate professor of Spanish in the Department of World Languages and Cultures. He taught Spanish courses at the elementary, intermediate, and advanced levels, advised undergraduate honors research, co-organized co-curricular language and cultural events, and participated regularly in the university's "Conversations with Professors" sessions for incoming first-year students. García is editor of Voces, poemas e historias, a collection of Spanish-language poetry written by Georgia Southern students, and his research on Peruvian Spanish has been published in several peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes.

 

Ph.D. in Comparative Literature (Spanish and French), Princeton University (Princeton, N.J.), expected fall 2026

B.A. in Iberian and Latin American Cultures and French, Stanford University (Stanford, Calif.)

 

Wyatt Leaf joins Lawrenceville as a Spanish teacher while completing his doctorate in Comparative Literature at Princeton University. Specializing in Hispanic and French literature, his dissertation explores literary developments in Mexico at the turn of the 20th century and through the Mexican Revolution. At Princeton, he has taught Spanish and French language courses and assisted with courses in Latin American literature and French cultural studies. Throughout his doctoral studies he has done international research in countries such as Spain, Colombia and France, has presented his scholarship at conferences in the U.S. and Mexico, and has published literary criticism in both French and Spanish.

M.S. Ed.. in Education, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education Independent School Teaching Residency program (Philadelphia, Pa.)

B.A. in Psychology and Hispanic Studies, Connecticut College (New London, Conn.)

 

Alexander Lorenzo-Cruz comes to Lawrenceville from Miss Porter's School (Farmington, Conn.). There, he taught Spanish, coached soccer, squash, and track and field, served as a dorm affiliate, and worked as an associate in the Office of Equity and Inclusion. Previously, Lorenzo-Cruz was a teaching assistant in the Loomis Chaffee School's Enrichment Program, where he also coached soccer and squash and helped supervise residential life.

 

Graduate study in Higher Education and Student Personnel Administration, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Blacksburg, Va.)

B.A. in Political Science, Elizabethtown College (Elizabethtown, Pa.)

 

Glenn Neufeld joins Lawrenceville after more than a decade as assistant director of college counseling at Mercersburg Academy (Mercersburg, Pa.), where he helped build a comprehensive counseling program and advised students and families throughout the college search and application process. Drawing on his experience in college athletics and coaching, he also served as a resource for student-athletes navigating NCAA eligibility and recruiting. As Mercersburg’s director of competitive swimming, Neufeld helped lead the Blue Storm to three Eastern Interscholastic Team Championships and coached athletes who advanced to the U.S. Olympic Trials and national teams.

 

B.A. in Film and Media Studies and Political Science, Amherst College (Amherst, Mass.)

 

Caden Stockwell brings to Lawrenceville both classroom teaching experience and professional work in photography, videography, and film production. Most recently, he taught film production, animation, photography, and videography to kindergarten through eighth grade students in the New York City public school system. There, he guided students through the entire creative process—from concept development to final screening—while introducing them to cinematic photography, editing, sound design, and visual storytelling. As a director, producer, and writer, he has also created professional film and media projects, bringing industry experience to his work with students.

 

M.A. in Public Administration, University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pa.), expected May 2027

B.A. in Economics and Government, Franklin & Marshall College (Lancaster, Pa.)

 

Jordan Studevan joins Lawrenceville with experience in college counseling, student advising, coaching, and equity and inclusion work at independent schools. Most recently, he served as associate director of college counseling and Upper School equity and inclusion coordinator at Greens Farms Academy (Westport, Conn.). Previously, he served in college counseling roles at William Penn Charter School (Philadelphia, Pa.) and St. Mark’s School (Southborough, Mass.), where he also advised students and coached football, basketball, and track and field. Studevan has presented on equity, inclusion, and college counseling at national conferences and has served on advisory and alumni groups at Franklin & Marshall College.