New England Educational Research Organization

Board Directors

Officers

EMILIE

REAGAN

President

Claremont Graduate University

Emilie Mitescu Reagan is an Associate Professor in the Claremont Graduate University School of Educational Studies. She is also Co-Principal Investigator for the University of New Hampshire Teacher Residency for Rural Education (TRRE) program. Emilie's research focuses on social justice-oriented teacher education policy and practice, using primarily quantitative and mixed methods research.

AMY

RYAN

Immediate Past President

Boston College

Amy Ryan is the Assistant Dean for Field Placement and Outreach at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College. In this capacity, she oversees field placements for teacher candidates, actively partners with faculty in the Teaching, Curriculum and Society Department, and serves on the Catholic Education Committee and the Donovan Urban Scholars Advisory Board. Before joining Boston College, Dr. Ryan served as the Deputy Superintendent of the Catholic Schools Office in the Archdiocese of Boston. She led the implementation of a new student information system and adaptive online assessments across the elementary schools. Dr. Ryan is currently the Immediate Past President of NEERO and an active member of the NEERO Board.

JESS

GREGORY

Secretary

Southern Connecticut State University

Jess L. Gregory is an Associate Professor in the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Department at Southern Connecticut State University, where she teaches Educational Leadership courses across both the sixth-year administrator certification and doctoral programs. Jess has published many peer-reviewed, empirical journal articles as well as conference papers, books, and several chapters in edited volumes.

KRISTEN

BONANNO-SOTIROPOULOS

Communications Director

Bay Path University

Kristen Bonanno-Sotiropoulos is the Program Director of Special Education and English as a Second Language Graduate Programs at Bay Path University. Kristen is also an educational advocate working for children with exceptionalities and their families. She has co-authored several international books and book chapters related to the unique needs of students with disabilities and effective instructional programs and practices. She is regular presenter at local and national conferences and serves as an Educational Surrogate Parent for the Massachusetts Federation for Children with Special Needs.

TOM

SCHRAM

Historian

Univeristy of New Hampshire

Tom Schram has worked for over thirty-seven years in education, ranging from K-6 teaching to higher education teaching, research, and administration. His scholarly agenda and expertise encompass teacher education program development and policies, rural teacher residency programs, school-university partnerships, ethnographic and field-based qualitative research design and methods.

SARAH

ENTERLINE ROCH

Vice President & Conference Chair

St. Mark's School

Sarah Enterline Roch is the Director of Institutional Research at St. Mark’s School (Southborough, MA). Sarah received her Ph.D. from Boston College in Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation, and served as the first Director of Assessment and Accreditation at BC’s School of Education. Sarah has participated in NEERO since 2004, received the inaugural Kim Fries Award, and been a member of the Board since 2018.

JESSICA

PAWLIK-YORK

Treasurer

University of Hartford

Jessica Pawlik-York is the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Education, Nursing, and Health Professions at the University of Hartford. She has more than 20 years of experience in higher education with roles in both student and academic affairs. Pawlik-York is a seasoned faculty member teaching courses in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality studies, as well as in History, and Education.

THERESE

AJTUM-ROBERTS

Conference Director

Northeastern University

Therese Ajtum-Roberts has devoted most of her career to creating inclusive, equitable, and engaging learning environments. For nearly twenty years, she has supported instructors' use of technology, backwards design, and UDL principles to create a responsive, equitable, and inclusive curriculum for all learners. Therese’s research interests focus on faculty and in-service teachers' professional development, teaching with technology, and how teachers create responsive, equitable, and inclusive learning environments.

DEB

PATTERSON

Special Projects Director

Western New England College

Deb Patterson is Chair of the Education Department at Western New England University in Springfield, Massachusetts, and the licensure officer for WNE. In addition to the NEERO board, Deb also serves on the Massachusetts Colleges of Teacher Education (MACTE) board.

Regional Representatives

OLCAY

YAVUZ

Connecticut Representative

Southern Connecticut State University

Olcay Yavuz is, Internship Coordinator and an Associate Professor in the Southern Connecticut State University Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Department where he teaches courses in School Law, School Finance, Doctoral Inquiry Seminar, Leadership Perspectives, Program and Personnel Evaluation, Quantitative Methods in Educational Leadership, Organizational Development, Advanced Research Methods, Learning Theories, Leadership Development, School Leader Field-Based Internship as well as Dissertation Advisement and Defense.

LISA ANDRIES

D'SOUZA

Massachusetts Representative

Assumption College

Lisa Andries D'Souza is a Professor of Education at Assumption University in Worcester, Massachusetts. Her research interests include teacher preparation, history/social science education and middle school education. She has been an active member of NEERO since 2005. Lisa is passionate about supporting undergraduate/graduate students and beginning faculty in their pursuit of educational research.

EDWARD

LEHNER

New York Representative

Brooklyn Community College

Edward Lehner is an Associate Professor in Education and Academic Literacy at Bronx Community College. He is a seasoned research methodologist with extensive training in qualitative and quantitative frameworks. His research currently focuses on blockchain applications combining data sciences and higher education. In particular, he centers his efforts on cryptocurrencies and their ability to fund education, science, and, broadly, education and art endowments. To understand cryptocurrency valuation metrics, Edward has combined qualitative methodologies with data science, a complex and heterodox space, where there is much to research.

KELLY

CLARK/KEEFE

Vermont Representative

University of Vermont

Kelly Clark/Keefe is an Associate Professor at the University of Vermont. Her primary appointment is in the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies program, where she teaches graduate courses in qualitative research and social foundations of education. Kelly’s research brings theories of affect and educational subjectivity to bear on a range of topics including: the role of bodies, place, and movement in shaping educational identity; stratified versions of schooling; and conceptual analyses of educational leadership.

Julie

Dellamattera

Maine Representative

University of Maine

Julie DellaMattera is an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education; preceptor in the Honors College; and School Director for Educational Leadership, Higher Education, Human Development, and Peace Studies in the College of Education and Human Development at UMaine. Julie has a myriad of early childhood education experiences in both public and private sectors and in profit and non-profit agencies across the State.

CLARISSA M.

UTTLEY

New Hampshire Representative

Plymouth State University

Clarissa M. Uttley is a Professor of Education at Plymouth State University in Plymouth, NH. She is the program coordinator for the MEd in Curriculum & Instruction and teaches courses in research design, assessment, and human-animal interaction.

LEILA

ROSA

Rhode Island Representative

Rhode Island College

Leila Rosa is currently the interim Director of the TESOL program and an assistant professor with the Department of Educational Studies at Rhode Island College. Her research centers on immigration trauma and its impact on the educational placement and identification of students who are English language learners in urban settings. She takes a special interest in the climate of deportation and the implications on children and youth that live in a mixed-status home. She has taught courses in the Department of Educational Leadership with the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, and the Department of Special Education at the University of South Florida.

JEFFREY

SANTICOLA

Outside the New England Representative

Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Chef Jeffrey Santicola has split his first six years at Indiana University between the Culinary Arts Academy and the Hospitality Management Department, where he currently serves as the food and beverage instructor. Chef Santicola chairs the students run restaurant facility, open to both IUP campus personnel and Indiana's local community. Chef Santicola is completing his Doctorate in Education specific to Curriculum and Instruction. He also serves as the Hospitality Management Department lead advisor and a college mentor for students in the University College.

Strand Directors

CHRISTINE

CLAYTON

Teaching & Teacher Education

Pace University

Christine is an associate professor of education and the program director of initial certification programs at Pace University in Pleasantville, NY. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in curriculum, assessment, content literacy, and research. She has published several peer-reviewed articles about inquiry learning and professional development as well as about teacher education and teacher performance assessment. The work of a nine-year professional development project was the subject of her first book in 2020, Inquiry in tandem: Student and teacher learning in secondary schools.

GAIL

PRELLI

Leadership, Policy, & Education Reform

Bridgeport University

Gail is an Associate Professor Educational Leadership at the University of Bridgeport. She is a retired public school administrator.

AUBREY

SCHEOPNER TORRES

Higher Education

Saint Anselm College

Aubrey is an Associate Professor in the Education Department at Saint Anselm College. Her research interests include competency-based education, teacher retention, teacher preparation, and Catholic education with methodological areas of expertise in qualitative research design as well as mixed methods, including development, use, and analysis of interview, observation, and survey protocols.

SEBASTIAN

MONCALEANO