Incoming Faculty Ready to Guide and Mentor Our Students

New faculty and staff come to Canterbury this year with diverse skill sets, impressive qualifications, and a singular devotion to making a positive difference in students’ lives.

“Our Saints are fortunate to have such talented and dedicated teachers joining an already formidable academic team,” said Wright Danenbarger, who has returned to Canterbury as Dean of Faculty after a brief retirement. “Their collective education credentials and familiarity with boarding school life will enrich our campus community in so many ways.” Wright speaks from experience—he previously served many roles at the School for 22 years, including teacher, coach, Dorm Parent, and Chair of the English Department.

Introducing our new faculty cohort for 2024-2025…

Mia Brown, Academic Counselor
Mia comes to Canterbury with a rich background in leadership, communications, and athletics. She most recently worked as a Personal Trainer at New York Sports Club, and has both a master’s and bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University. Mia earned All-NEPSAC honors in three sports as a student at Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, New Hampshire, and made three Frozen Four appearances with the Women’s Ice Hockey team at Northeastern. She will be an ice hockey, lacrosse, and assistant strength and conditioning coach.

Stewart Díaz-Mogollón, Spanish Teacher
Stew has more than 25 years of experience teaching languages in college prep, boarding, charter-independent, faith-based, and ethno-educational school settings. He most recently taught Spanish and New Testament in Connecticut for the Diocese of Bridgeport, Greenwich, and Stratford, where he also coached the Stratford High School soccer team. Stew holds a master’s in Anthropology from Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia, and a bachelor’s in English and Theater Arts from Virginia Tech, where he played on the Division I Men’s Soccer Team.

Christopher Dost, Theology Department Chair
Prior to coming to Canterbury, Chris was an Associate Professor of Old Testament at Alliance Theological Seminary in Nyack, New York. He has taught college and graduate-level courses in the U.S. and abroad, and earned a bachelor’s degree, three master’s degrees, and a Doctor of Philosophy from The Jewish Theological Seminary. An author and Bible translator, Chris is trained in numerous ancient and modern languages, including Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Akkadian, Spanish, and Arabic. He has been the pastor of Northville Baptist Church since 2019, and recently served on the World Languages faculty at South Kent School in Connecticut.

Daniel Driscoll, Assistant Director of Admission
Dan joins the Admission team and will coach hockey at Canterbury. A graduate of Berkshire School in Sheffield, Massachusetts, he served as a Prefect, Head of the Admissions Tour Guide Program, and Captain of the Varsity Ice Hockey team as a student. He also played on the Men’s Ice Hockey team while earning his bachelor’s degree in American Studies at Connecticut College and, most recently, served as Assistant Men’s Ice Hockey Coach at Wesleyan University. Dan is also a Dorm Parent on campus.

Susanne (Whelan) Horan, Senior Associate Director of Admission
Susie rejoins the Admission team in 2024 after previously serving as Associate Director in 2012. Prior to returning, she was Director of Enrollment Management at the Bancroft School in Worcester, Massachusetts, and Associate Director of Admissions and Director of Financial Aid at Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall School in the greater Boston area. Susie holds a master’s in Administrative Studies from Boston College and a bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross, where she was twice named All-Patriot League for the Women’s Field Hockey Team.

Stephen Johnson, Math Teacher
Stephen’s more than 20 years of teaching and tutoring mathematics included stops at Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences in Santa Monica, California; Fusion Academy in Los Angeles; and Malibu Leadership Academy. Since 2007, he has served as the founder and principal consultant for Bright Minds Tutoring, Inc. He earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UCLA and was awarded the John Wooden Leadership Fellowship during his studies there. Stephen serves as a Dorm Parent as well.

Joshua Leeuw, Director of the D’Amour Center for Faith, Service & Justice
Josh comes to Canterbury with 10-plus years of classroom experience ranging from elementary to college to programs for adults in such diverse settings as the American Southwest as a volunteer with indigenous tribes, correctional facilities, college campuses, and more. He has earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Theology as well as a Master’s in Divinity from the University of Notre Dame. Most recently, Josh taught theology courses at Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson, Arizona, where he served as Department Chair.

Alden Mahoney, Assistant Director of the Donovan Center for Learning
Alden is fully familiar with boarding school life, having graduated from the Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Connecticut. He went on to receive a bachelor’s degree from Boston University. Alden began his education career as an ESL teacher in Hanoi, Vietnam, before returning to the United States to teach at various institutions—most recently at the Woodhall School in Bethlehem, Connecticut, as an English Teacher, Dorm Parent, and Head Wrestling Coach. He is a Dorm Head as well on the hilltop.

Manna Ohmoto-Whitfield, Science Teacher
In addition to teaching Honors and Advanced Placement science courses at Canterbury, Manna supports the Science Lab in the Donovan Center for Learning. Her extensive experience includes most recently teaching various levels of Biology at Salem High School in Massachusetts. She has received numerous teaching awards throughout her career, and earned a bachelor’s in Philosophy from Princeton University and Master of Science in Cell and Developmental Biology from Rutgers University.

Pape Seye, Dean of Students
Pape joins Canterbury as Dean of Students and Head Coach of Boys’ Varsity Soccer. He previously served as the Assistant Head of School at Darrow School in New Lebanon, New York. While a student at The Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut, Pape earned Western New England All-Star honors in soccer. He continued his soccer career at the Division I level at Cornell University, where he received a bachelor’s degree. He also holds a Master in Public Administration from Columbia University.

Lee Whitfield, Math Teacher
Lee served as the Dean and Rector at Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral in Boston, Massachusetts, prior to coming to Canterbury. In addition to his classroom duties, he is supporting the Math Lab in the Donovan Center for Learning. Lee began his teaching career at Riverdale Country School in the Bronx, New York, and continued at various prep schools in Connecticut. After earning a bachelor’s and two master’s degrees, he received a Doctor of Ministry from St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary. 

To all of our newest faculty members—welcome to the Saints family! We look forward to an invigorating, inspiring school year with you!