Leadership & Staff

Miriam Kass

Principal Miriam Kass comes from a family of educators. Over the past 15 years, Ms. Kass has worn many hats at Akiba-Schechter. She was the president of the Board of Directors, an award-winning 3rd/4th grade teacher, and most recently the Director of Teaching and Learning. In all her roles, she employed creative strategies and relished opportunities to build community and strengthen characters.
As Principal, Ms. Kass enjoys supporting teachers, collaborating with administrators, and partnering with parents and students. She is committed to helping our teachers and students discover and illuminate the connections between Judaic and General Studies to enrich the important work of inspiring active Jewish citizens.

Ms. Kass has a B.A. in Religion and Education from Carleton College, and a M.Ed. from Lesley College. Before coming to Akiba, she taught at Brookwood School in MA and at the Latin School of Chicago. Students, friends and family know Ms. Kass as a lover of word games, puzzles, biking and birds. She is the mother of two Akiba alumnae. She and her family are residents of Hyde Park, members of Congregation Rodfei Zedek and proud White Sox fans.

Carla Goldberg has been the Akiba-Schechter Early Childhood Director since 2000. Carla started at Akiba in 1991 as a teacher and has since taught in the 1st & 2nd grade, Kindergarten, 3- and 4-year-olds, Ready!Set!Go!, and Parent/Tot. She became Associate Preschool Director in 1996. Carla’s experience teaching the range of early childhood years as well as in the grade school is evident in the thoughtful care Akiba-Schechter places on easing children’s transitions from one year to the next. Carla’s first love is teaching, and she continues to teach in the Parent/Tot class. Carla Goldberg has a BA in Early Childhood Education from the University of Massachusetts, and a Masters in Early Childhood Education for Leadership and Advocacy from National Louis University. Carla has taught Sunday school at Sinai Congregation and was the Early Childhood Educational Coordinator at Congregation Rodfei Zedek. In 2000 Carla was honored with the prestigious Kohl/McCormick Early Childhood Teaching Award. In 2001 Carla was named one of the 10 Chicagoans of the Year by Chicago Jewish News.

Rabbi Bauman is the Head of Judaic Studies and Community Engagement at Akiba-Schechter Jewish Day School. He brings wide-ranging professional and life experiences to this position. Rabbi Bauman has taught Tanakh and Talmud at Solomon Schechter Day School of Metropolitan Chicago and at Robbins Hebrew Academy in Toronto, and he is the rabbi of Lake Shore Drive Synagogue. He also teaches for the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning. He was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps from 2011-2018, stationed in Great Lakes, IL and Okinawa, Japan, among other places.

Heather Waitzman has been at Akiba-Schechter since 2014. Mrs. Waitzman started as the Learning Specialist and became the Director of Student Services in 2017. In both roles, her mission has been to advocate for all students at Akiba and empower them to believe they CAN do anything with the right support and skills taught both in and out of the classroom.
As Director of Student Services, Mrs. Waitzman enjoys working with students, supporting teachers and parents, and collaborating with outside specialists to help create and maintain individual plans for students to attain reachable goals, and feel success through the process. She is committed to empowering students to be their own best advocates and celebrate each success, big and small.

Mrs. Waitzman has a B.A. in Communication Studies, and a minor in Art from Northeastern Illinois University. She has a M.A.T in Special Education from National Louis University. Before coming to Akiba, she taught at Cove School in Northbrook and at New Trier High School in their therapeutic day school program. Mrs. Waitzman enjoys DIY projects, decorating, and spending time at her lakehouse with her family. She is the mother of four. Her older two attend Akiba, and her twins are excited to be future Akiba students. She and her family are residents of Lakeview and love to explore the city together.

Director of Teaching and Learning

Alicia Chipman joined the Akiba faculty in 2017 as a 7th/8th grade Humanities teacher. Since 2019, she has also been serving as the Director of Teaching and Learning. In both of these roles, Alicia continually seeks out new ways to engage both students and teachers in authentic and meaningful learning. She is dedicated to the proposition that all children can and want to learn. She is passionate about promoting student agency and ownership of their learning. Alicia has a BA in American Studies from Carleton College and a MA in Educational Policy with a focus on Global Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She previously taught in Chicago Public Schools for over a decade, first at Logandale Middle School and then Lincoln Park High School. She also has led curriculum and instructional design for a wide range of schools and educational programs as an independent contractor.