Faculty & Staff
HudsonWay Immersion School (HWIS) takes great pride in attracting, developing and retaining the best faculty and staff possible to enable us to achieve our collective vision.
Our educators and administrators are uniquely qualified and highly trained. They represent over 20 countries making HWIS a culturally stimulating and enriching environment for our students, parents, faculty, and staff. Our educators are all native speakers, a key differentiator for HWIS relative to other language immersion schools.

64%
Have advanced academic degrees
63%
Were born outside the United States
28%
Are also parents in the school
30%
Have been with HWIS 5+ years
Staff Development
HudsonWay Immersion School believes in actively supporting faculty and staff development opportunities. Some examples include:
• On the job training and teacher mentorship
• Conferences and workshops
• Visits to other schools
• Support for continuing education
• Teaching clubs and exploring outside areas of interest
• Summer fellowships
• Collaboration with universities
Irene Gallardo

Assistant Director
Irene holds an MA in Educational Leadership from Montclair State University. She is New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) certified in Educational Administration. She also holds a BA in Psychology and two teaching certifications in Early Childhood Education and Special Education, from New Jersey City University.
Lucy Hao

Preschool Master Teacher
New York
Sherry Ma

Director of Chinese Program
Mandarin Curriculum Coordinator
Patti Wollman Summers

Director, Early Childhood Education & Teacher
New York