Mr. Michael Acquilano is the Assistant Director of Upper School and Director of College Guidance. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Hobart College and a Master of Arts in History from Rutgers University. Mr. Acquilano came to the Academy in 1997 as Director of Development. One year later, he added college advising and teaching to his responsibilities. As a member of the History faculty, Mr. Acquilano has taught United States History as well as numerous Upper School elective courses. Also at the Academy, Mr. Acquilano serves as the Girls Junior Varsity Lacrosse Coach.

In 2001, Mr. Acquilano became the full-time Director of College Guidance. He is a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the New York State Association for College Admission Counseling (NYSACAC) and the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools (ACCIS). Mr. Acquilano is a Past President of the New York State Association for College Admission Counseling where he also held the positions of Chief Delegate and Government Relations Co-Chair. He has presented on college counseling and admissions at numerous state and national conferences. Mr. Acquilano is also a member of the Princeton’s Review’s National College Counselor Advisory Board.

Prior to joining the Academy, Mr. Acquilano spent six years at Wagner College, four in the admissions office as Associate Director of Admissions and Assistant Director of Admissions and two in Development. He was an Admission Counselor at Hobart College and is a Past President of the Hobart College Alumni Association. Other outside interests include history-related travel and serving on the Board of Directors of the Conference House Association on Staten Island. Mr. Acquilano and his wife, Giovanna, are the proud parents of three children, all of whom are Academy students, Grace ’18, Kate ’22 and Nicholas '26.

Read more about Mr. Acquilano in The Princeton Review...

Mr. Crane is the Academy’s Academic Dean, an office he has held since 2004. He joined the Academy faculty in 1991, and prior to his current position, he served as the History department chair and the Head of Middle School.

Mr. Crane is an independent school graduate, and he holds a Bachelor or Arts in History from Kenyon College and an M.A.L.S. in Social Studies from Wesleyan University. As Academic Dean, Mr. Crane is responsible for the new faculty, the professional growth and appraisal program, the Academic Leadership Council and the Grade 9 London trip. He also teaches Grade 9 World History and AP European History. Prior to coming to the Academy, Mr. Crane worked at Lawrence Academy in Groton, MA and the Gow School in South Wales, NY.

In addition to his Academy responsibilities, Mr. Crane serves as his Kenyon College class agent, and he sits on the Board of the Staten Island Historical Society. He is the parent of two Academy students, Claire’15 and Charlie’22, and is married to Caroline Stirn Crane ’83. When he is not at school or with his family, Mr. Crane likes to read and to go fly-fishing.

David Gordon, Ph.D. is the Director of the Patrick Academic Resource Center. Prior to becoming a member of PARC, Dr. Gordon was an Assistant Professor of Special Education in the Education Department at Wagner College for six years. David worked closely with pre-service educators to find a passion for educating students with disabilities while simultaneously increasing their cumulative New York State certification pass rate from approximately 75% to 90%. David has extensive experiences working with students who learn differently at all age levels, and many of his instructional methods and strategies involve a developmental learning component. At a national level, David was the President of the Division of Physical, Health, and Multiple Disabilities, within the Council of Exceptional Children, and was a founder and inaugural President of the Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Educational Specialists.

As a person with a specific learning disability, Dr. Gordon brings this personal perspective with him when focusing on educational issues for people who learn differently. With this in mind, David has a passion and history of creating and improving educational systems to better serves students. Recently, David defended his dissertation and earned his Ph.D. from Syracuse University in Special Education with a focus on acquired learning disabilities. David has sought and received approximately $200,000 in grants. Many of these grants focused on programming and research related to innovative educational technology opportunities for learners with and without disabilities. David has been involved with numerous civic programs, most recently moderating a session in Washington, DC sponsored by the U.S State Department for the Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative. This session was moderated by Dr. Gordon with the State Department’s Special Advisor for Disability Rights, Judy Heumann.

Mr. Mazella is the Academy’s Director of Athletics, a position he has held since 2015. He is also an Upper School English teacher and joined the Academy faculty in 1996. Prior to his current position, Mr. Mazella served as the English Department Chair and Upper School Dean of Students.  A long-time English teacher in Grade 9, Mr. Mazella has also taught Upper School English electives, Public Speaking, and Middle School English courses.  A New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) Coach of the Year, he is one of Staten Island’s longest-tenured varsity basketball coaches and has been Head Coach of the Boys’ Varsity Basketball Team for the past 20 years.  Mr. Mazella also has coached the Girls’ Varsity Soccer Team and is currently coaching the Academy’s Middle School soccer teams.     

Mr. Mazella is a proud Academy alumnus (Class of 1990) who earned a Bachelor of Arts in both English and Psychology from Boston College before getting his Masters of Arts in Psychological Studies from Seton Hall University.  As Director of Athletics, Mr. Mazella is responsible for the athletic offerings and programs throughout the school. He currently serves as the President of the Athletic Conference of Independent Schools (A.C.I.S.), which Staten Island Academy participates in a majority of its sports. He is also one of the Directors at University Basketball Camp, one of Staten Island’s oldest and most successful summer sports camps.    

A father of three -- Georgia, Lily (’33), and Michael (’35) – Mr. Mazella is married to Jamie Savino-Mazella (’95), a history and English teacher in the Academy’s Middle School.