Ms. Begen returns to the TechBoston Academy staff full time this year after serving as an intern last year. She teaches English to grade 9 and SAT prep classes to grade 11.

Prior to teaching, Ms. Begen worked as an attorney. Last year she returned to school and earned her M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She received a B.A. in English from Wheaton College and a J.D. from the U of CT School of Law.

When she is not teaching, she enjoys spending time with her husband and 3 children. She loves reading, gardening, traveling, trying out new restaurants, and cooking.

Mr. Brack joined TechBoston Academy in 2003 and currently teaches English in Grade 11, Writing Enrichment for students in grades 9-12 and a Publications class. He is a former journalist who worked in Maine and Greater Boston before joining business publisher Reed Business Information as an editor and writer. 

Mr. Brack received his B.A. in English from the University of Maine and his M.Ed. from Northeastern University. He is a lifelong writer of journals, poetry and short stories who also enjoys playing the guitar, sailing, landscape construction and his family.

Ms. Bukowski began working with students at TechBoston Academy in 2005 as an intern with the Teach Next Year program and joined the staff full time this fall. She teaches 9th and 10th grade English. In addition, Ms. Bukowski, in cooperation with some outstanding 9th grade students, has started a TBA Poetry Club.

Prior to entering the teaching profession Ms. Bukowski lived in Washington, D.C. and worked for a business-consulting firm to help government clients operate their jobs more efficiently.

Outside of working with the students at TBA Ms. Bukowski loves spending time at the park with her dog, watching documentaries, playing sports, and running. She will be competing in her 7th Boston Marathon this upcoming April!

Ms. Le Blanc returns to the TechBoston Academy team for her second year to teach English 9 and 10 and reading enrichment. Ms. Le Blanc has been working in education since 1999, most recently as the Assistant Director of the Upward Bound Program at UMass Boston. She has a B.A. in Sociology from UMass Amherst and an M.Ed. at UMass Boston.

Ms. Le Blanc enjoyed her first official summer as a teacher travelling Europe; Ireland, Slovakia, Austria, Czech Republic, and Italy.  Ms. Le Blanc also enjoys summer time in Maine with her family, the Boston Red Sox, reading, movies, and cooking. 

Ms. McPherson started her tenure with TechBoston Academy in 2003 teaching IT Essentials and currently teaches English 11 and 12. She also co-teaches a course in American History, Film and Literature.

Prior to teaching at TBA, Ms. McPherson worked for a number of years teaching technology to all age groups in local community centers. She holds a B.S in Business Administration from the University of Illinois, a M.A. in Film from the University of Wisconsin, and a M.Ed. from the University of Massachusetts.

She loves reading, home-improvement projects, and collecting antiques of all sorts (especially if they are electronic or metal and rusty!). She also has a great love of baking, which her students and colleagues seem to appreciate, earning her the nickname, "The Betty Crocker of TBA!"

Ms. Pisano began working with students at TechBoston Academy in 2002 as a summer school teacher and MCAS instructor prior to joining the staff full time in 2004. Since her arrival, she has taught English 10 and 11 and currently serves as the English Department Liaison.

Ms. Pisano received a B.A. in English from the University of Dayton and worked in corporate real estate before moving to Boston to complete a M.Ed. at Northeastern University.

When she is not teaching or taking a class, Ms. Pisano is shopping, traveling, reading, or spending time with her family in Cleveland, Ohio.

Ms. Powell joins TBA this year as an intern with the Teach Next Year program at UMASS Boston. Prior to this she taught writing to all ages, including three years implementing ‘Writer’s Workshop’ in Boston Public Schools. She is the author of a novel for children, The Turtle Watchers (Viking ’92), and has published in numerous magazines, journals, and newspapers.

Ms. Powell also holds a captain’s license, and worked for many years on ferry boats, sailing a charter boat in the Caribbean, and as an instructor in the Outward Bound Seamanship Program in Maine, Florida, the Chesapeake, and Puget Sound. She has lived and worked all over the world, and is currently back in Arlington where she grew up.

Ms. Powell graduated from Goddard College with a B.A. She has two children, ages 4 and 11, and loves to roller blade, ice skate on ponds, cook, read, write, and spend time with friends.

Mr. Allen is an intern in the English department teaching College English 9 and College English 11. He graduated in June of 2007 from UMass Boston having majored in English and minored in Africana Studies. He is currently working on his Master's in Education at Umass Boston. A graduate of the Boston Public Schools, Mr. Allen is looking forward to pushing other BPS students to break the glass ceiling and touch the sky.