Meet Our Team
Westport Leadership Team
Sarah Rinaldi | Director
Sarah received her BFA in Art/Education from Manhattanville College and her MFA from College of New Rochelle, where she studied under artists who work in a variety of mediums such as printmaking, sculpture, and watercolor.
As an undergrad, Sarah interned in the education department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. She later worked as the Children’s Programming Director for 8 years at Citibabes, a private facility in SoHo, NYC. During this time Sarah created and implemented a variety of classes specializing in the arts. Sarah then spent three years working as the Director of a reggio emilia program in Connecticut, where she developed an authentic art curriculum that focused on fine artists and techniques.
Sarah continues to work on her own art inspired by nature, working mainly in watercolor and printmaking. Sarah is excited to be part of the One River School’s team to continue to build amazing programming.
Emma Reid | Assistant Director
Emma Reid graduated from SUNY Purchase with a BFA in Graphic Design. She works in many artistic mediums but her focus is mainly on design and illustration. As a freelancer, she works on everything ranging from movie posters to tattoo design. Art has always been a fundamental part of her life and she hopes to help others acquire the skills they need to make it a part of theirs. At One River she is able to really put this into practice!
Maija Krasts | Director of Education
Maija received her BFA with honors in Fashion Design from Parsons School of Design and a BA in International Relations from American University. Before moving to Westport with her family, she worked as a senior designer for a national womenswear brand in NYC. In addition to teaching at One River, she was an instructor at the New England Fashion+Design Association. As an illustrator, she works primarily in marker, gouache, watercolor and ink. Maija has spent years sharing her love of art and design with kids in local public schools and is excited to help students of all ages and abilities find their inner artist through the unique One River experience. She also loves that her youngest students know her
as “Maija Papaya”!
In-Studio Educators
Katia Claude | Instructor
Katia Claude was born and raised in France before moving to Montreal where she studied Fine Art at the University of Quebec in Montreal. She was an instructor at the French American International school and studied at the San Francisco Studio School in Contemporary Art for her own practice. Katia is a visual artist with oil painting being her strong medium of expression. She moved to Connecticut in 2019 and has found a great fit at One River School.
Hannah Bertrand | Instructor
Hannah received her BFA in Art with a concentration in drawing from the University of Rhode Island. Her artwork is inspired by her love of nature, especially animals and flowers. Her artwork is typically created with soft pastels or oil paint. She previously served as Activities Coordinator for an assisted living facility, where she used her love of art to nurture creativity and expression in seniors affected by dementia. She is excited to be teaching at One River and foster creativity in another generation.
Lilah Heyman | Instructor
Lilah Heyman graduated from Fairfield University in 2021 with a BFA in Studio Art and minors in Education, Graphic Design, and Marketing. In 2023, she graduated from Western Connecticut State University with an MFA in Painting. Lilah is primarily a painter, focusing on contemporary still lives and interior scenes in both oils and acrylics. She also creates through drawing, printmaking, and embroidery. Lilah is passionate about nurturing the gift of creativity and the love of learning in young students.
Ashley Green | Instructor
Ashley Green received their BFA in Animation + Game Arts from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth - College of Visual and Performing Arts. She began her art journey in traditional mediums, but now focuses on digital media including both 2D and 3D. Ashley’s work uses their Japanese-American upbringing and cultures to inspire their art. Outside of teaching, they work as a freelance character and environment concept artist in the gaming industry. She is from Fairfield and brings her own creative and quirky spin to teaching the next generation of artists!
Olivia Porretta | Instructor
Olivia Porretta is an award winning filmmaker, animator, and teacher who graduated from the School of Visual Arts with a Bachelors in Animation. She specializes in storyboarding and animation, and has produced countless short films-- many of said films have been selected for film festivals and have won numerous awards, including Best Production Design and Best in Show. She is also the recipient of the BAFTA King's Scholarship for her Thesis Grant. She has also worked for numerous clients including Titmouse, Studio Yotta, Showtime, Cartuna, Nathanlove, and more. Olivia loves working with students who want to tell stories and create their own unique worlds through art and animation.
Jonah Johnson | Instructor
Jonah Johnson received his degree in Studio Art from Pasadena City College in 2025. He has been designing and creating characters and cartoons from a very young age and continues to develop his work through illustration and character-driven artwork. Jonah primarily works in graphite, colored pencil, markers, and acrylic paint, and enjoys exploring expressive line, color, and storytelling through his art. Originally from Southern California, Jonah is passionate about sharing his love of drawing with students and enjoys helping them build confidence, develop their own characters, and experiment with different materials and techniques.
Veronica Arias | Instructor
Lory Tomassi | Instructor
Lory is a studio artist and experienced teacher who believes that everyone is creative and that making art should be joyful, exploratory, and a little bit fearless. She’s taught students of all ages in schools, co-ops, and community settings, encouraging them to build skills, express themselves, and enjoy the process.
She’s also a lifelong learner and proud One River student, always exploring new techniques and materials to bring fresh energy into her classes.
When she’s not teaching or creating, Lory is spending time with her family.
Mitch Vecchione | Instructor
Mitch is a Connecticut based Illustrator and Visual Development artist. He received a BFA in Illustration from Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts in 2019. He began as a traditional artist working in gouache, charcoal, and oils until he came across digital and animation. He freelanced for a few years with comics and games before going back to earn an MFA in Visual Development from Academy of Art University. Outside of teaching he is a freelancer for studios in the games and animation industry. He has worked on numerous games as a character designer and background painter. Mitch loves sharing his passion for art with the staff and students here at One River.
Emily Curran | Instructor
Emily Curran received their Associate's Degree in Illustration from Pratt Institute in 2017. They create a lot of story based work through comics or picture books. Their primary mediums are gouache, colored pencils, and ink to create colorful, whimsical pieces. Emily is from Norwalk and is excited to work with children within their home community. Emily finds a lot of joy in teaching art to kids and encouraging their artistic pursuits.
Maya Jackowitz | Instructor
Maya Jackowitz received her BFA in Printmaking with a minor in Book Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2023. Her work explores her connection to the natural world and rural life through various mediums. Reminiscent of traditional American folk art, Maya’s work contains a multitude of repeating motifs, imagery and colors, focusing on feelings of softness and nostalgia. Maya specializes in creating one of a kind stained glass hangings and adornments, hand crafted prints, as well as ceramic homeware, and knit garments.
Bella Papadopoulos | Instructor
Bella Papadopoulos received her BFA in Digital Media and Design, with a focus in Motion Design and Animation from the University of Connecticut. She began drawing traditionally from a very young age, but eventually tried and now focuses on digital media. She is a digital artist and animator who loves to work on the preproduction of media, such as storyboarding, character and weapon concept art, and animatics. Bella is very excited to help spark that interest in art with the students at One River, wanting to help provide the enjoyment of creating to as many as she can.
Join Our Team
Career opportunities at One River School allow passionate artists, educators and lovers of art to share their love and knowledge of art and enhance the lives of people they connect with everyday.