About Ascanius: The Board of Directors

Mrs. Kristen Bortner teaches Latin at Collinsville High School in Collinsville, Illinois, the home of the world's largest ketchup bottle. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Classics (Latin concentration) from the University of Virginia and a Master's degree in Literacy Education from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Mrs. Bortner's professional memberships include the American Classical League, the Illinois Classical Conference, and the Illinois Reading Council. A Virginia native, Mrs. Bortner taught Latin in the Chesterfield County Public Schools before moving to Illinois.

As Director of Marketing and Development for Ascanius, Mrs. Bortner helps to explore and act upon new and current fundraising and grants possibilities, and to coordinate publicity, public relations, and outreach projects.

Doug Bunch is an attorney at the Washington, DC law firm of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, he graduated summa cum laude from the College of William & Mary with a Bachelor's degree in Government and Latin. He also served as Campaign Director for a member of the Virginia General Assembly. Mr. Bunch is also a 2003 graduate of Harvard University's Graduate School of Education, from which he holds a Master's degree in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy. At Harvard, he was a member of the Education and Law Society, and served as an intern in the Boston office of the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, where he worked closely with attorneys to enforce federal laws that protect students from discrimination on the basis of race, gender, age, and disability.

Mr. Bunch's professional involvements include membership in the Classical Association of Virginia, the Classical Association of the Middle West and South, and the American Classical League. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages and and is Chairman of Global Playground, Inc., an organization dedicated to building schools and funding other educational projects in developing countries.

Ms. Suzanne Henrich is a Latin teacher at Boston Latin Academy in Boston, Massachusetts. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Classics from Lawrence University in Wisconsin, and a Master's degree in Teaching Latin and Classical Humanities from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Mr. Kevin Jefferson is a Latin teacher and Latin Club sponsor at Woodgrove High School in Loudoun County, Virginia. He graduated from the University of Virginia with a major in Classics (Latin concentration). In 2006, he served as Latin Instructor at LatinSummer Alexandria. While in Charlottesville, he coordinated Classics Day, an annual Certamen and enrichment event for middle and high school students. He is a member of the Classical Association of Virginia, the Foreign Language Association of Virginia, and the American Classical League. His personal interests include music, mythology, spoken Latin, and epic poetry.

As Director of Student Programs for Ascanius, Mr. Jefferson helps to design, organize, and coordinate both the major LatinSummer programs and smaller student outreach programs. He is also editing new volumes of lessons activities to introduce elementary school students to the ancient world. At this time, Mr. Jefferson also serves as the organization's webmaster.

Irene Morrison-Moncure is a graduate student in the PhD program in Classics at The City University of New York. She graduated from the College of William and Mary in 2011, completing an honors thesis on Latin pedagogy at the college level. This is her second year with LatinSummer and Roman Explorers. Her interests include Roman epic, animal metaphors in poetry, and helping students apply to graduate school.

As Assistant Director of Student Programs, Irene fosters relationships with local schools and Latin teachers and facilitates advertisement and fundraising for student programs.

Mr. Matthew Webb is a Latin instructor for the Milton, Massachusetts Public Schools, where he helped institute the teaching of Latin in the district’s elementary schools. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Classical Languages and Literatures from the University of Maryland, and a Master's degree in Teaching Latin and Classical Humanities from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He has also studied at The American University of Rome. A recipient of the Outstanding Maryland Classicist Award, Mr. Webb has over a decade of experience teaching on the elementary through collegiate levels in the public and private schools of the Mid-Atlantic and New England.

Mr. Webb is the author and editor of several publications related to Classics pedagogy, and has served as Chair of the American Classical League's Excellence Through Classics for Elementary and Middle School Levels Committee. Mr. Webb's other professional memberships include the ETC's Exploratory Latin Exam Committee, the National Latin Exam's Writing Committee, Founder/Emeritus Member of the Medusa Mythology Exam Committee, and the Classical Association of New England.

As Executive Director of Ascanius, Mr. Webb coordinates the day-to-day operations of the organization and helps to shape its goals and vision. In his role as Director of Teacher Programs, Mr. Webb develops and coordinates workshops for teachers, and helps to develop and compile publications for both teachers and students.

Mr. Bryan Whitchurch is a Latin teacher whose career has taken him to a wide variety of locations. He holds a Bachelor's degree in History with an emphasis on Latin and Greek from Utah State University as well as a Master's degree in Teaching Latin and Classical Humanities from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. To date he has taught one year in the DC metro area at Battlefield High School (Prince William County), in Boston at Boston Latin School and currently teaches in New York City at Brooklyn Latin School. Mr. Whitchurch has particularly strong interests in the oral and aural aspects of Latin and is a frequent participant in oral Latin conferences and events throughout the Central and Eastern US. Outside of Latin teaching he enjoys singing, distance running and salsa dancing. To read more about him and his materials, visit magisterwhitchurch.net.