Alumni – Institute for Recruitment of Teachers

The IRT Effect: Charting Ph.D. Completion

Leislie Godo-Solo, IRT ’91
Education Programs Specialist, Institute for Recruitment of Teachers

Recently, I was chosen to participate in the 4^th annual cohort of the Phillips Academy Head of School Leadership Development Program (HOS-LDP) alongside 11 other individuals from the following schools: Pomfret School, St Paul’s School, Deerfield Academy, Lick- Wilmerding High School, and Phillips Academy. The 8-month program consisted of an in person, two-day leadership retreat, twice-monthly cohort meetings with guest lecturers and readings, 10 hours of professional coaching, the opportunity to enroll in a leadership course taught by Harvard’s online Business School, a capstone project and presentation that addressed a departmental or institutional priority, and a closing dinner including a certificate award ceremony.

Moments of Joy

What were the moments that made you smile, instances that brought you joy or accomplishments and success that buoyed your spirits this past year? Your joyful memory is a reminder of the bright spots within our community and important to highlight. A collection of these positive experiences are below. If you have a moment of joy that you would like to share in an upcoming issue, please let us know!

Alan Gao, IRT ’25
Here’s a photo of me making dumplings with my family. Every time I go home, we make dumplings together and it brings me a lot of joy, especially because food is an important love language for my family.

IRT Alumni Access to Career Pages

The online IRT Alumni Network is an exclusive space for alumni engaging with each other in many ways. Did you know there is a job board, which includes postings from schools and institutions within the network that you can use to reach our online community or apply for a position yourself?

Thank you Alumni Panelists!

Leislie Godo-Solo, IRT ’91 and the IRT staff would like to send heart felt gratitude to the 27 alumni who participated in 10 Alumni Panels this advising season. Your time and expertise are greatly appreciated, and your encouragement of the next cohort of educators is unwavering. Please know that your continued support of IRT as an Alumni Panelist is vital to future cohorts and the organization! Again, a million thanks!

Alumni Accolades, January 2026

Donavan Ramon, IRT ’08
On February 11th, Dr. Ramon will be discussing a current book project on images of fight scenes in memoirs by Black men.

Fernando Tormos-Aponte, IRT ‘09
Congratulations to Dr. Tormos-Aponte who has been appointed to the Board of Directors for Women for a Healthy Environment. He is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh.