Our Leadership

Moira Kelly
Executive Director + President
Moira Kelly was appointed Executive Director and President of Exploration in 2007. During the summer, she is a familiar face at all three Exploration programs. Since 1985, Moira has held numerous positions at Explo, and in 1994 became the founding Head of the Junior Program. At Northfield Mount Hermon School, Moira served as a dean, a senior member of the admissions department, and house director. She worked in residential life at Simmons College, taught in the Maine public schools, and worked at the Bowdoin College Upward Bound Program. Moira is an honors graduate of Bowdoin College, earned her J.D. at Boston University School of Law, and earned first class honors in law at the National University of Ireland, Galway. In addition, she was a Rotary Foundation Fellow at the University of Nottingham, England, and was a Thomas J. Watson Foundation Fellow. Moira is a long-time chair of an alumni interviewing committee for Bowdoin College admissions, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Independent Schools of New England. In 2008, Moira served as an Associate Producer for the Commission on Presidential Debates, the non-partisan entity responsible for producing the general election presidential and vice presidential debates. She was also a member of the Commission's production teams in 2000 and 2004.


David Torcoletti
Head, Junior Program
David Torcoletti began his career at Northfield Mount Hermon School (NMH) where he taught photography, lived in a dormitory, and coached. He went on to become a House Director, Campus Dean, and eventually, School Dean. David then moved to Milton Academy where he was a teacher and Dean of Students. In addition to leading the Junior Program, David consults and advises independent schools and presents at professional conferences on student life issues. David is a summa cum laude graduate of Ohio University and earned his M.F.A. at Bard College as a Milton Avery Scholar. Each summer, David moves to the St. Mark's campus as the Head of Program, bringing with him his family and two dogs, Sophie and Kirby.


Elliot Targum
Head, Intermediate Program
Elliot Targum began working for Exploration in 1997.  Prior to becoming the Head of the Intermediate Program, Elliot held many positions at Exploration, including Residence Director, Programming Director, and Dean of Day Students.  Elliot was a founding teacher at a Boston charter school and taught math and science in the Cambridge, MA public school system.  Elliot is known as an "idea factory" and one public school teaching colleague described him as "the most progressive teacher in the district."  Elliot's interests and talents are broad.  He was a math correlation specialist at Riverdeep, Inc., working on interactive mathematics software, and he worked with Games-To-Teach, a partnership between MIT and Microsoft's iCampus. In addition, he is the founder of EB Tutoring and juggles flaming torches during the summer at Exploration. Elliot is a graduate of Haverford College and earned his M.Ed. at the Harvard Graduate School of Education where he concentrated in technology and education.


Geoff Theobald
Head, Senior Program
Geoff brings a wealth of experience to the Senior Program. Prior to leading the Senior Program, Geoff was the Academic Dean at Milton Academy where he was responsible for the direction and review of the academic program for 680 students in grades 9 through 12. During his 13-year tenure at Milton Academy, in addition to teaching math and acting as a student advisor, Geoff served as Admissions Director, Financial Aid Director, Assistant Dean of Students, and the Director of the Community Service Program. He also spent seven years as a dorm parent, coached varsity golf, and, as head coach for girls varsity soccer, led his team to three Independent School League Championships and one New England Championship. Geoff was a Morehead Scholar at The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (UNC), where he majored in history and earned his B.A. cum laude. He also earned his masters of social work at UNC.


Barbara Trainor
Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Exploration is one of the few summer programs in the country with a year-round curriculum department committed to creating innovative curriculum and staying abreast of the latest developments in learning and teaching. With many years of teaching experience with a variety of different age groups, Barb brings a passion for hands-on, creative, and interactive learning to Exploration. During her tenure at public schools in New Hampshire, Barb developed and implemented multi-disciplinary curriculum, created a district-wide staff mentor program, and started a student peer tutor program. Through Illinois State University, Barb piloted new math and science curriculum, with a focus on integrating technology into the classroom. She has taught teacher workshops and been a staff development instructor at the Christa McAuliffe Technology Conference, New England College, and the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Barb earned her B.S. in Biology at Cornell University and her Master of Arts in Education, concentrating in mathematics, at New England College.


Ann and Arnold Singal
Founders
Ann and Arnie Singal founded Exploration in 1976. Ann holds a B.A. and an M.Ed. from Boston University and was a teacher in the Massachusetts Public Schools. Arnie holds a B.A. from Harvard College, a Master’s Degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a J.D. from Yale University. He was an administrator at M.I.T. and a freshman advisor.