Leadership and Faculty
DJ Kaplan, Program director
A Cleveland native, DJ lived in New York for the last five years and was excited to move to the DC area. Currently finishing his 5th year in school-based education, he holds a Master’s degree in General and Special Education from Hunter College.
DJ previously served as a homeroom teacher for students with diverse learning needs in a variety of classroom settings. He is passionate about helping students of all abilities grow their love for learning while using multisensory programs to differentiate learning across all subject areas. In addition to the classroom, DJ has experience from the world of informal education in both camp and youth group settings. Outside of the classroom walls, DJ loves to try different restaurants and go to the theater.
debra drang, director of special education
Currently in her 24th year in education, Debra holds a Ph.D. in Special Education from University of Maryland. She has served in a variety of capacities including classroom teacher, itinerant teacher, mentor, teacher trainer/coach, and researcher. Debra has a strong record of applying current, research-based best practices to everyday classroom life. Her areas of expertise include inclusion, universal curriculum design, tiered instruction/intervention, classroom management, and progress monitoring. Debra is a foodie and loves to read.
laura hardy, Social Worker/Social Emotional Learning Specialist
Laura Hardy has 20 years of experience working in schools, 14 of which have been as the Middle and Upper School Social Emotional Support Specialist for Sulam.
At Sulam, Ms. Hardy worked individually with students, guided teachers in behavioral management, and served on the leadership team. Ms. Hardy earned her Masters in Social work from University of Pennsylvania and loves sports, especially skiing and sailing with her family. She lives in DC with her husband Kevin and their 3 daughters.
samantha haas, instructional assistant
Samantha Haas received her B.S. in Human Services (with a concentration in Early Childhood Development and a minor in Disability Studies) and her M.A. in Early Childhood Development and Programming from the University of Delaware.
Samantha was a teacher at Early Head Start in 2021-22 in Wilmington, DE, and taught Hebrew School in Wilmington from 2019 to 2022. She was also a Jewish Inclusion Fellow at Respectability, a Washington-based nonprofit organization that advocates for people with disabilities, in 2021.
Samantha worked at Camp JCC in Rockville, MD, where she served as an Inclusion Counselor, Senior Counselor, and Unit Head since 2018. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys traveling and spending time with friends and family.