About Us
Who We Are
Experts
As co-owners, we are both New York State Certified Teachers, each having 20-years of professional experience.
Passionate
Our unwavering passion to better the community, has led us to create Tommy’s Friends.
Supportive
We bring the expertise, energy, and support that local communities need.
“One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood.”
— Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Meet Our Team
Jennifer Webb, M.S. Ed.
Founder
Jennifer has been a NYS Certified teacher for the past 22 years. Over the course of her career she has had the opportunity to work throughout the country providing instruction to a variety of students. Jennifer’s passion for teaching came at a young age; and has only strengthened as she has progressed in her career over the years.
Jennifer is the mother of three beautiful children and happily married for the past 15 years. During her spare time, Jennifer and her family love to find new hiking trails throughout Long Island and spend time with their lovable Rottweiler, Max.
Melissa Collumbell, M.S. Ed.
Founder
Melissa has had the pleasure of instructing students as a NYS Certified teacher for the past 22 years. Melissa has worked in a variety of teaching environments and has had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of students. When Melissa is not teaching at Tommy’s Friends, she is exploring her creative side. Melissa loves anything that is crafting, and can often be seen working on her Cricut on the weekends.
At home, Melissa is happily married with two amazing children. Melissa is also an avid animal lover, and has two rescue dogs named Sadie and Valor.
Dana M. Basile, M.A. Community Health; M.S. Ed.
Teacher
Dana had been both an elementary classroom teacher and school principal for fifteen years before staying home to be a full time mom. Throughout her educational career, she has taught both general and special education populations, supervised teachers and written curriculums. She also recently became certified in adolescent and adult grief counseling as a way to help families heal through loss and tragedy. She is excited to continue learning with and from the students of Tommy's Friends and in fostering and building inclusivity and respect throughout the community.
Teacher
Karyn is a dedicated educator with over 30 years of experience teaching in public schools across a range of grade levels. Throughout her career, she has been committed to creating supportive, engaging learning environments where students can thrive. Throughout her career; Karyn played key roles in staff development, mentoring educators, and leading community-based programs that supported student and family engagement.
Now in a new chapter, Karyn continues to value lifelong learning and meaningful connections. She is so excited to be a part of Tommy’s Friends where she can support others and help them reach their goals.
Outside of work, she loves spending time with her family, exploring new places through travel, getting lost in a good book, and enjoying the peace of a day at the beach.
