At the Adelson Campus, an administrator’s tasks are many and varied, ranging from curriculum development to student discipline. The most familiar school administrator is the Head of School, Paul Schiffman. Assisting him are Head of Upper School, Paul Mahoney, Head of Middle School, Rob Blackwell, Head of Lower School, Stacy Colwell, Director of Early Childhood Education, Karin Soresman, Head of Judaics and Hebrew, Amir Eden, and Director of Athletics, Dan Kelly. Their duties tend to be more specialized with more responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the school. In the central administration office, other specialists work with some or all the departments, overseeing particular programs, such as finances, admissions or fundraising. Since administrators are responsible for the education of young people, a particular dedication to and understanding of children’s needs is essential. The administrators at the Adelson Campus are skilled and seasoned professionals, here to help parents and students navigate the education of their children.
Administration
Paul Schiffman, Head of School
As Head of School at The Adelson Educational Campus since its founding, Mr. Schiffman ranks among our nation’s most respected educators. During his 35+ years as a professional educator, Paul Schiffman served as a teacher, a principal, assistant superintendent and head of a New York premier private educational institution. He plays an active role as a mentor for aspiring school leaders through the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), and as a board member for PNAIS. Mr. Schiffman earned his bachelor’s degree in business education from the State University of New York (SUNY), Albany, and his master’s and certificate of advanced studies in educational administration from SUNY, Brockport.
With deep expertise and great enthusiasm and commitment, Paul Schiffman is known for his warm, collaborative leadership style and ability to build and sustain strong and effective partnerships with parents, faculty and the community. He brings a unified administrative approach to The Adelson Educational Campus, working with the heads of our lower, middle and upper schools to nurture a rigorous academic program within a caring campus community, where camaraderie, mutual respect and trust allow excellence to flourish and students to achieve their full potential.
Paul and his wife Sandy enjoy hiking, reading, traveling to offbeat places, and visiting with their daughters and grandson in their leisure time. His personal hobbies include furniture painting and glass marble bead making.
Dr. Paul Mahoney, Head of Upper School

Prior to entering K-12 education, Dr. Mahoney was a university scientist and faculty member at the University of Missouri. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Biology and a Doctorate in Molecular Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and conducted post-doctoral work at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Mahoney made the move to private K-12 education in 1998 as founding science chair at Columbia Independent School in Missouri, shortly after serving as principal investigator in an NIH-funded research effort at the University of Missouri aimed at better understanding why cells become cancerous. In 2004, Paul Mahoney was a finalist for the position of Educator Astronaut with NASA. Since then, he has maintained close ties with NASA, working with them to improve the science and math curricula for our nation's students.
Robert Blackwell, Head of Middle School

Rob Blackwell has worked with children for more than 15 years. He has mentored, counseled, taught and served as a positive role model to children in both public and private education. For the past three years he has served as the Dean of Students, supervised faculty and co-managed the Math curriculum at the Adelson Educational Campus. His goals are to continue to foster positive relationships between students, parents and teachers, create an exciting and challenging learning environment and help students develop confidence and maximize individual potential. Mr. Blackwell earned his BA in Sociology from St. Bonaventure University, and his MA in Education Administration and Supervision from the University of Phoenix. Mr. Blackwell and his wife have 5 children. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, golfing, and spending time with family.
Stacy Colwell, Head of Lower School

Throughout her more than 20 years of service to the educational community, Stacy Colwell has provided excellent leadership to a variety of schools with a continual emphasis on improving instruction for all students. Her background as a school administrator, teacher trainer, mentor, and classroom teacher gives her a broad perspective on the needs of the entire school community. She holds a Masters in Education, focusing on educational administration, from Washington State University, a multiple-subject teaching credential from California State University, San Bernardino, and a Bachelor of Science degree in communication arts from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Married for more than 20 years, with a daughter who attends The Adelson Educational Campus, Ms. Colwell enjoys quality time with her family, reading, playing games, swimming and golfing.
Karin Soresman, Director of Early Childhood Education

Karin Soresman studied in South Africa, graduating with a Bachelor's degree in early childhood education. After immigrating to the United States, she earned another Bachelor's degree and went on to teach in day schools for two decades. Throughout her impressive career, she has received many awards as well as recognition for excellence, conferred by institutions in both South Africa and the United States. Nominated for "Teacher of the Year" (a Disney award), Ms. Soresman advanced all the way to the final round, and was later recognized by KVBC-TV, Channel 3 in Las Vegas as their "Teacher of the Month". With extensive training in speech and drama, she has produced many plays, and has completed her director's certificate in preschool education. Ms. Soresman says she is "thrilled to be entrusted with educating and promoting the best interests of each child in line with the philosophy of The Adelson Educational Campus".
Davida Sims, Director of Development and Communications
Davida Sims joined the Adelson Campus in 2009 after working in both public interest law and development for Public Radio. Davida graduated with a BA from the University of Washington and a JD from Northeastern University. Although she is an active member of the MA bar, her heart has always been in education and public interest work. She has co-authored four business books, as well as written numerous articles in the areas of business and education. She has also served as an Adelson Moot Court & Mock Trial Coach and a Judge for Clark County's Truancy Diversion and High School Graduation Initiative Programs. She is married to Damon Sims and they have two children at the Adelson Campus, the oldest having been an AEC student since 2004.
Shelley Kalb, Admissions Director

As a former educator in our Lower School, current parent and administrator, Shelley Kalb brings a wealth of experience, energy and passion to her role as our Director of Admissions. Interacting with prospective families and students and contributing to the growth of the The Adelson Educational Campus community has been incredibly rewarding, especially as our school community continues to grow exponentially. A certified Reading Specialist for grades K-12, Mrs. Kalb holds a Master's in Education from Loyola University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Mike Houghtalen, Facilities Director
Bill Mancuso, Director of Finance

Bill is a CPA and comes to The Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Educational Campus with over 20 years of experience in accounting and finance. After serving five years with KPMG, Bill worked as a controller and entrepreneur for various companies, mostly in the construction and non-profit arenas. Outside of work, Bill volunteers his time coaching youth baseball. Originally from New Jersey, Bill and his wife have called Las Vegas home for more than 17 years. They have two children.
Amir Eden, Head of Judaic Studies & Jewish Life
Amir Eden holds an M.A. in Educational Leadership from San Francisco State University and a B.A. in Political Science from Florida Atlantic University. Prior to joining The Adelson Campus Community, Amir served as the 5-12 Principal at Jess Schwartz Jewish Community Day School in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Amir brings extensive leadership experience to our school having served as the 6-12 Hebrew Department Chair and Director of Student Life and Experiential Education in Donna Klein Jewish Academy in Boca Raton, Florida. In his Student Life Role, Amir led spirit activities, Shabbatonim, retreats, weekly Town Meetings, and the Study in Israel Program, Amir was successful at cultivating a vibrant community of Jewish youths committed to the school's core values of Jewish living and academic achievement.
Prior to joining the Donna Klein Jewish Academy, Amir has spent seven years as a middle school Hebrew teacher and an advisor, at Brandeis Hillel Day School in San Francisco. Amir has also worked with several summer camps and student programs, including the Israeli Boy & Girl Scouts Federation, where he served as a director of the North Miami Branch for two years.
Daniel Kelly, Athletic Director

Daniel Kelly graduated from Pepperdine University in 2006 with a BA in liberal arts and a BS in physical education. He was a 42nd round draft pick of the Cincinatti Reds in 2002, and played on the Pepperdine baseball team. He joined the Adelson Campus as a coach in 2008. After working for a year as the Assistant Athletics Director, he took over the position of Athletics Director in 2012.
Support Staff
Carla Behrin, Registrar

Arriving from Long Island, New York, in 1990, Carla Behrin worked for the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas before joining our staff in 1998. In New York, she worked at The Huntington Jewish Center as executive secretary to Rabbi Neil Kurshan, president of the Nassau-Suffolk Rabbinical Assembly and author of the book, How to Raise Your Child To Be A Mensch. Ms. Behrin herself knows more than most about raising children. She raised her grandchildren — one who will graduate this year, and one who is an alumnus of the school. She also has been involved in catering for more than three decades and has owned her own restaurants. Today, when requesting a table at a local restaurant and asked how many children she has, she replies, “hundreds, but I only brought two with me. Ms. Behrin claims to be one of the few people in the world who looks forward to Monday morning — “so I can go to work and see all my children.”
Evelyn Castro, Accounts Payable
Marsha Feldman, Aide
Marsha Feldman arrived in Las Vegas in 1997, and immediately began teaching at the former Hebrew Academy/Adelson Campus. From early childhood, Ms. Feldman had a burning desire to teach, and with the help of her two grandmothers was able to attend The State University at New Paltz, New York, where she received her bachelor’s degree in education. Earlier in her career, Ms. Feldman taught kindergarten on Long Island, as well as special education for grades K-9, Hebrew school for grades K-6 and Bat Mitzvah classes for children and adults. She is excited to be a part of the growth at The Adelson Educational Campus.
Jennifer George, Development Associate
After teaching in our preschool program for five years, in 2010 Jennifer George joined our school's development team. Prior to joining the former Hebrew Academy faculty, Ms. George taught at The Challenger Schools for six years, both in Northern California and Las Vegas. While there she participated in Challenger's teacher certification and attained their highest level, Master Gold Teacher. Previously, she was with Achieve in Northern California teaching special needs children ages 7-12 in their after-school recreational program. While living in Northern California she attended both Foothill and West Valley College, studying early childhood education. Ms. George recently completed her Child Development Accreditation, a nationally accredited certificate program for early childhood educators.
Sandy Kennedy, Accounts Receivable
Wendy Parnell, Accounting Manager
Wendy Parnell is a true Las Vegan, completing all her kindergarten through college education in Las Vegas. She joined The Adelson Educational Campus after spending the last 30 years working for Corporate America in marketing, accounting and human resources. As the Accounting and Human Resources Manager, she is proud to be a part of the faculty and staff that is supporting this campus.
Jody Sidranski, RN, BSN, School Nurse

I am very excited to be starting my 2nd year here at Adelson as your school nurse! This is my 3rd fantastic year here as a parent. 14 years ago, I received my Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from the University at Buffalo in New York. I have been very fortunate to have had many vast experiences working in the nursing field, from working with various volunteer ambulance corps, pediatric nursing in an ICU, to working with adults with both mental and physical disabilities, Recovery Room nursing at Same Day Surgery Centers, managing Primary Care Clinics for both the adult and pediatric populations, and teaching American Red Cross classes in First Aid, CPR, and even Swimming. In my spare time, I love spending time with my husband, Ruben, and my 4 daughters: Hannah, Sophie, Talia, and Aviva.
Kitchen
Alejandro Cadena, Cook
Christina Hernandez, Cook
Ken Hoffman, Cook
Rabbi Yosef Kalter, Mashgiah
Scott Largent, Food Service Director

Todd Rosenberg, Cook
Steve Wiltshire, Chef
Security
Manny Cuaresma, Managing Guard
Evan Gutierrez, Guard
Hector Herrera, Guard
Elwyn Juan, Guard
Vytautas Laukys, Guard
Brett Lawrence, Guard
Victor Mendoza, Guard
Justin Parrish, Guard
Maintenance
Daniel Bachman, Technician
Paula Ellis, Technician
Devin Gross, Technician
Jessica Harrison, Technician
Sam Hochman, Technician
Louise Lucero, Technician
Francisco Siles-Rodriguez, Technician
Transportation
Peter Randazzo, Bus Driver
Peter Randazzo moved to the Las Vegas area in 2007 to escape the cold weather of East Rockaway, New York, where he was a bus driver for seven years. He has been married for 43 years and has two children and four grandchildren. He has three grandchildren at The Adelson Educational Campus.
Kelvin Williams, Bus Driver & Guard