OUR TEAM
Svetlana is an entrepreneur, an educator, an actress and a visionary with a passion for education. She is a certified educator with the Department of Education and holds an American Montessori Society (AMS) certification in secondary education. In addition to her 15+ years of experience in business strategy, Svetlana has extensive experience working with children internationally. She established a leading Children’s Cancer Hospital in Egypt, built orphanage programs and taught and designed training programs for children ages 5-16. Svetlana has a 10+ year tenure as a professional actress, choreographer and director. She taught acting technique to youth and staged productions. Svetlana holds an MBA from George Washington University and an Acting Degree from the Stanislavsky Theater Studio.
Svetlana Tikhonov. Founder.
Jason Huber. Director of Education. Lead Guide for Humanities, Entrepreneurship & Head of Partnerships
Jason is a dad, husband, innovator, traveler and award-winning entrepreneur who is a certified eduator with the Department of Education. He founded the Global Classroom Project and is currently also the executive director at Teens Inc., where he focuses on connecting teens to the world. As a teacher, social entrepreneur and curriculum designer, Jason has empowered hundreds of teens to take international service and immersion trips. He believes project based learning, social entrepreneurship and world travel teach kids important life lessons to use both in and out of the classroom. Through his own travels in Southeast Asia and Central America, Jason has learned an important lesson himself: step into the unknown to find extraordinary results.
Lhianna Bodiford.
Lead Guide for Mathematics.
Lhianna is the mother of three children and has a degree in Civil Engineering and extensive training in running Math Circles. More importantly she truly loves math. After taking a break from math to try to study physics, then to actually study engineering and later flamenco dancing, and later start a family... Lhianna realized that she missed playing with math and actively studying it. In recent years, she has run a few Math Circles and offered many of what she calls “Math Fun Days” and “Math Salons”. Lhianna is full of ideas for exciting, unusual and interesting math groups and loves sharing her excitement with students who would like to find the joy in mathematics!
Josh Thornton. Head of Social Media, Film and Photography.
Josh is a Philadelphia native, a photographer, content creator, a graphic designer and the founder of “A Photography Thing” - a venture that combines his love for teaching and inspiring people, with his love of art and design. Josh’s creative background started in graphic design. Josh is also an athlete. In 2011 he was named one of Philadelphia's top personal trainers by Philadelphia Magazine. Today, Josh spends much of his time creating and teaching photography, and building innovative social media formats. His mission is to inspire kids to think for themselves and to follow their dreams.
Mark Altschuler. Lead Guide for Sciences.
Mark brings a wealth of engineering and physics expertise to our Montessori program. He was involved in digital image processing during the early days of CAT scanners, machine vibration analysis, and radar systems engineering. Beyond his professional achievements, Mark is a passionate music enthusiast, having written a book on Michael Jackson's life and music. He enjoys exploring new music genres, as well as scuba diving, hiking, backpacking, and cross-country skiing. Mark is also interested in astronomy, practices Tai Chi, and envisions a future where AI integration enhances human existence.
Ricardo Johnson. Spanish Guide.
Prior to Quadrat, Ricardo worked as an English teacher in Colombia. His journey towards becoming a teacher was colorful, involving various chapters like coaching a local Philly football team, earning two degrees in Mass Media and Communication, and working as a sports writer. Ricardo is a multi-faceted individual, a published author and a talented barista. He prides himself on being an adaptable "jack-of-all-trades" and enjoys dipping his toes into many different projects. Ricardo's advice to students echoes his own experiences: "You don't have to only focus on one thing; you can be great at multiple things."
Alice Tarantin. Digital Associate.
Alice is an international marketer, traveler, artist and yoga instructor who loves volunteering and working with children. She seeks to integrate her artwork with data driven marketing to create transparent and memorable campaigns. She is also passionate about mindfulness practices for adults and kids alike. With academic experience in economics, marketing and design, she supports Quadrat's digital and visual presence from her current home base in Germany.