About Us
Instructor Bios
Learn more about our teachers!
Emily Brown
Co-Founder
Emily was born and raised on the Gold Coast of CT, and now lives in Darien with her husband and two kids.
Mahjong quickly became a passion of hers, and teaching the game is just as fun as playing. Her number-sense and positive, welcoming personality endear her to all her students.
Beyond mahjong, Emily captains a USTA tennis team and is the president of Darien Softball.
Jamie Dalton
Co-Founder
Jamie has lived in Darien, CT since 2018 with her husband and two young children. She was introduced to mahjong through her 101-year-old Chinese grandmother, Jamie quickly developed a deep love for the game and felt a strong connection to its heritage.
Beyond mahjong, Jamie enjoys reading, needlepoint, walking with friends and her dog, relaxing at the beach, and spending time with her family.
Claire Mohamed
Instructor
Our California girl, Claire, moved to CT in 2022 after living all over the country (living in Colorado, Texas, Indiana, and NYC) before settling down in and falling in love with our amazing community.
Claire was drawn to mahjong for its unique combination of being social & cerebral.She loves to see the joy it brings other women and their friends!
When she is not teaching, Claire can be found driving her 5 kids all over town in her very own Uber XL and learning how to be a cat mom to her two new kittens!
Bethany Walsh
Instructor
Bethany grew up in New Hampshire and went to college in CT. She has lived in Boston, NYC and moved to Darien in 2017 where she lives with her husband and son.
After learning Mahjong from her friend Jamie, she quickly developed a love for the game and the community that came with it. She began helping friends get into the game and even taught her 5 year old son a version before joining the GCMC team.
Outside of Mahj, Bethany loves tennis, the beach and spending time with her family.
Cathy Schulz
Instructor
Cathy grew up in Darien and moved back in 2015. She learned how to play Mahjong last spring, and after her very first lesson, she was hooked!
She loves how social the game is, it brings her together with friends, friends of friends, and family in a lighthearted and meaningful way. It’s community-building at its core - the perfect mix of luck, chance, and skill. And no matter who wins, everyone is genuinely happy for them!
When Cathy is not playing Mahjong, you’ll find her on the tennis court, skiing or sailing, at Equinox early in the morning, out to lunch or dinner with friends, or driving her kids all over Fairfield and Westchester County!
Annalee Gioiella
Instructor
Annalee grew up in Ohio and moved to New York City after college, where she met her husband. She has now lived in Connecticut for the past 12 years and has two boys, one dog and love everything Darien has to offer.
Annalee was introduced to mahjong through her mom, who played with friends, but she didn’t begin playing herself until a friend invited her to take lessons together at the DCA. Having grown up playing card games with her family, she took to mahjong quickly and has loved watching the game grow in popularity.
She is especially grateful to GCMC for bringing the community together in such a fun and welcoming way.When she’s not playing mahj, Annalee can usually be found on the tennis court, walking her neighborhood, out on the Sound with her family or catching up with her sister on the phone.