Founders
Olivia Ramsey
Head of School
Olivia is the founder and Executive Director of Smith Street Workshop and Smith Street Maternelle. After completing her Master’s degree at Bank Street College of Education, she taught for ten years in New York, beginning at the Downtown Little School, moving on to the Lycée Français de New York, and finally ending up as one of the founding teachers of PS 58's French Dual Language program in Carroll Gardens.
In the fall of 2013, Olivia started a small tutoring practice out of her apartment on Smith Street. To meet the growing demand for tutoring and academic enrichment in Brooklyn, she founded Smith Street Workshop in 2015.
Before her career as an educator, Olivia studied French and traveled extensively abroad. After graduating with a dual-degree in French and Psychology, she worked as the assistant director to Earlham College’s semester abroad programs in Paris and in Fort-de-France, Martinique. She deepened her knowledge of French by being immersed in the culture, making lifelong French-speaking friends, and now by being a part of the French/American community here in Brooklyn.
Click here to download a PDF of Olivia’s extended biography in English and French.
Claire Coffee
Educational Consultant & Performing Arts Curriculum Coordinator
Claire has been studying the theater arts since age six. She was born in San Francisco and grew up performing in regional theaters throughout Northern California before attending Northwestern University, where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Theater. She has also trained extensively in classical ballet, tap, voice, mime, improvisation, as well as the Stanislavski and Meisner methods of acting. She is currently working toward her Masters in Education from Bank Street College. Claire has been working in television and film for the past twenty years, has written and produced numerous independent pilots, and directed the spoken word portion of acclaimed radio show “Live From Here.” She wholeheartedly believes in the transformative power of the universal language of art. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband Chris, her son Calvin, and their dog Spoiler.