975 NW 95th Street Miami, FL 33150 • 305-306-2660
© 2025 Jewish Leadership Academy. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use. Privacy Policy. Standards of Ethical Conduct. Non Discriminatory Policy.
Website Managed & Maintained by [L]earned Media
Frances Alexander has taught English from grades 6-12 in a variety of school settings: public, charter, French, Quaker, Independent, and now Jewish. She decided to become a teacher after volunteering in Egypt, where she studied abroad in college as a student of Arabic. That experience inspired her to become a Teach for America corps member in Washington DC, her hometown. In her previous role at Ransom Everglades, she taught 7th-10th grade English for six years and was the faculty advisor to Tedx and student government.
A native of Mexico City, Mexico, Vanessa is passionate about the future of Jewish education and believes that in today’s classrooms sit tomorrow’s innovators and decision makers.
Vanessa has more than 15 years of experience in Jewish Day Schools in South Florida and beyond. During her five year tenure as Director of Admissions at Brauser Maimonides Academy, she led the implementation of innovative recruitment strategies leading to historically high enrollment figures. Later, at Lehrman Community Day School, she designed and implemented a continuous enrollment system that has been used as a model for other Jewish Day Schools in the United States and Canada.
Vanessa believes that choosing a school is one of the most important decisions parents make and applies a professional and approachable philosophy, understanding the magnitude of this decision and the impact it has on each student individually.
Vanessa holds a B.S. in Political Science from ITAM (Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology) in Mexico City, and has also lived in Israel where she attended the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Mechina. A fluent English, Spanish, and Hebrew speaker, Vanessa is an alumna of Prizmah’s Atidenu Program and of the JTS’ Day School Leadership Training Institute, and she is often invited to speak at Independent Schools and Jewish Day School Conferences across the country.
Dr. Ochatt holds a PhD in Biological Chemistry from the University of Buenos Aires, an MBA from the University of Miami, and a Masters of Education in Leadership from the University of West Florida. She conducted her postdoctoral work on cell and molecular biology at The Rockefeller University, and post-graduate research at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, and at the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratories.
Dr. Ochatt served as the MD/PhD Program Coordinator at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine before leaving to become the STEM Chair at MAST Academy. In 2011, Claudia was the recipient of Beckman Coulter’s Science Educator of the Year Award and in 2021 she was named Florida’s Biology Teacher of the Year by the National Association of Biology Teachers.
Prior to joining JLA, Dr. Ochatt taught AP Biology, Honors and Forensic Chemistry, and Anatomy and Physiology at Ransom Everglades.
A native of Brazil, Yamit Linde spent her formative teenage years in Israel and arrived in Miami as a junior in high school. During her time in Israel, Yamit learned firsthand how vital and enriching Jewish education can be. Having lived in different countries and cities throughout her life, she appreciates and cherishes South Florida’s unique diversity.
Yamit holds a BA in International Relations and an MBA with a concentration in marketing from Florida International University, and is fluent in English, Portuguese, Spanish, and Hebrew.
Over the course of her 14 year career as a marketing and communications executive, Yamit has held leadership positions in industry leading brands like Grey Goose, Dove, and Panerai. Prior to joining JLA, Yamit owned her own consulting agency, where she was responsible for developing and implementing communication strategies for clients in the fashion, luxury, food, and hospitality industries.
During her free time, Yamit enjoys traveling and going to the beach with her husband Steven, and two young children, Levi and Lennon.
