Staff

Since early 2020, Yvette and Lynroy Henry have been ABC of Westport’s resident directors and have day-to-day responsibility for running the Glendarcy House. Yvette was born in Aruba. She has an administrative college degree from Aruba where she worked as a medical coordinator in charge of arranging medical care for critically ill patients abroad. She worked in New York as an internal audit supervisor for many years. Yvette currently works as a medical assistant for Norwalk Hospital, in one of their primary care offices in Darien. Yvette enjoy all sports and has coached volleyball. She was an elementary and middle school gym teacher in Aruba and speaks several languages.

Lynroy was born in Antigua and moved to Queens, New York, at 15 years old. He went to Andrew Jackson High School, then went to BMCC where he attained an associate degree in science. Later, Lynroy went on to get his Bachelor of Science in physical education at York College, working as a personal trainer along the way. Lynroy also worked as a physical education teacher, track coach, volleyball coach, baseball coach and owned his first gym in Aruba for ten years before moving to Westport in 2007. As a Westport resident, Lynroy managed a fitness center for the first couple of years and has owned Body Pulse Fitness

Center for the last eight years. Yvette and Lynroy’s three children went through the Westport school system. Lynroy also has been an assistant coach for the girls’ track team at Staples for the last five years and specializes in life-coaching, especially with youth. He was also the president of a non-profit organization call Roots of Bolans Development Group for six years and is currently the president of Open Doors Foundation, which he founded a year ago. Lynroy’s passion and mission in life is to educate, enlighten and empower future generations by opening doors of opportunities to those who have limited access and ability.

Recently hired Chef Dyshae Baldwin joined ABC of Westport in April of 2021. Dyshae grew up in Bridgeport and has a great combination of classical cooking training and practical experience.

He’s been a great addition to the program making meals for the scholars. ABC of Westport not only hired Dyshae for his amazing and delicious cooking abilities, but also because of his engaging and positive personality, which has been a great addition to the program.

Kevin Green is in his seventh year as the program’s Math and Science Tutor. After spending 15 years in finance, he has made his way back to his passion, education. Kevin is an adjunct Professor of Physics at the Stamford campus of UCONN, and his main interest since college is astrophysics. Kevin lives in Westport with his wife and two children who are his main priority when he takes a break from the academic world. One of Kevin’s favorite places to visit is Paris, France, because he loves French cuisine. Kevin’s specialties include physics and math.

Christine Pakkala joined the ABC of Westport team this year as our English & Social Studies tutor. Christine is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop MFA. She was a Fulbright Scholar (1994) in Helsinki, Finland, where she translated modern Finnish poetry. She taught 7th and 9th grade English at Horace Mann and has published essays in Salon, BrainChild and Serendipity and is the 2013 winner of the Ladies Home Journal essay contest.

She’s the author of Last-But-Not-Least Lola Going Green, which was the winner of the Santa Monica Public Library’s Green Prize, and a novel for teens, Jasmine and Maddie, which was a VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocate) Top Shelf pick and a Bank Street Best Book.