Reviewer Biographies
Every resource included in the LINCS Resource Collection is subject to a rigorous internal and external review process conducted by subject matter experts who have been been approved by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE), Division of Adult Education and Literacy across the 16 topic area collections.
LINCS Reviewers
Kaye Beall
Kaye Beall directs the LINCS Professional Development Center, which partners with states to provide evidence-based professional development and training and provides technical assistance to state offices in meeting the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) requirements of establishing and operating a high-quality professional development system. Ms. Beall also coordinates World Education’s online professional development initiative. She has worked in adult literacy since 1980, serving in various roles: instructor, local adult education program director, consultant, program development director, training coordinator, and state outreach coordinator. She holds a Master’s degree in library science from Indiana University.
Topic area(s): Evidence-based Professional Development
Meryl Becker-Prezocki
Meryl Becker-Prezocki is a standards professional developer and former senior associate for curriculum, instruction, and professional development for Kentucky Adult Education. She served as subject matter expert for the College and Career Standards group in the LINCS Community from 2012-2015. Previously, she served as a teacher, having worked with students at all levels. Ms. Becker-Prezocki is a board member of the National Association for Adults with Special Learning Needs and a tireless advocate for students with learning challenges. She holds a bachelor's in elementary education from the University of Illinois, Chicago and a master's in special education from Illinois State University.
Topic area(s): College and Career Standards, Disabilities in Adult Education, Evidence-based Professional Development
Linda Oldham Burns
Linda Oldham Burns has worked in the higher education field since 1989 and specializes in financial aid. She is a financial aid specialist for the Kansas Board of Regents and has also served in admissions and registrar capacities. Ms. Burns holds a bachelor’s in business administration from Washburn University and a master’s in higher education with an emphasis in student personnel from the University of Arizona.
Topic area(s): Financial Literacy
Miriam Burt
Miriam Burt is manager of adult English as a second language (ESL) projects at the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) and oversees technical assistance offered to those working with adults learning English. She served as a subject matter expert for the Adult English Language Learner group in the LINCS Community from 2012-2015. Ms. Burt has over 35 years of experience – the majority of it in adult education both in the United States and abroad – in ESL instruction, program administration, teacher training, curriculum development, program planning, and evaluation. She holds a master’s in ESL from the University of Minnesota.
Topic area(s): Adult English Language Learners, Career Pathways
Sharon Casapulla, Ed.D.
Sharon Casapulla is the Director of Education and Research for the Office of Rural and Underserved Programs at the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine at Ohio University, and the director of the Rural and Urban Scholars Pathways program. She was most recently the associate director for the Stevens Literacy Center, at the Patton College of Education, Ohio University. She participated in literacy-related research projects while directing the work of the Central/Southeast Adult Basic Literacy Education (ABLE) Resource Center, which provided professional development, technical assistance, and resources to ABLE practitioners across Ohio. With over 20 years of experience in education, and almost half in adult education, Dr. Casapulla has held many different positions, including middle and high school teacher in traditional and alternative settings, tutor, instructional coach, and curriculum developer. She holds a master’s in curriculum and instruction from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and a doctorate in educational administration from Ohio University.
Topic area(s): Disabilities in Adult Education, Diversity and Literacy, Evidence-based Professional Development, Science
Laura Chenven
Laura Chenven is the director of the Healthcare Career Advancement Program (H-CAP), a national organization of major healthcare employers and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) unions supporting incumbent worker career advancement in healthcare. Ms. Chenven has extensive experience in the field of adult education and workforce development with labor and management partnerships, including leadership of education programs in two service worker unions – healthcare and janitorial. Ms. Chenven previously worked for the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) Working for America Institute. In this position she worked with local labor workforce investment board (WIB) representatives and healthcare unions to support effective partnerships within the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) system. Ms. Chenven holds a master’s in reading with an adult literacy specialization from Lehman College -The City University of New York.
Topic area(s): Adult English Language Learners, Career Pathways, Postsecondary Completion
Marie Cora
Marie Cora teaches online courses and provides technical assistance in professional development for a variety of clients nationally. She is a presenter at workshops and conferences on issues including classroom assessment, data use, English language literacy, and classroom management. Ms. Cora’s experience includes work as a classroom teacher, program director, professional developer, and project manager for local and nationwide initiatives. She has worked with the LINCS project since 2004 in various capacities and is presently a national LINCS trainer. Ms. Cora holds a bachelor’s in Spanish linguistics and a master’s in teaching English as a second language (TESL) from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Topic area(s): Adult English Language Learners, Assessment, Evidence-based Professional Development, Program Management
Hope Cotner
Hope Cotner is currently the vice president for Community College Initiatives at the Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD). She has provided technical assistance to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education’s (OCTAE) Adult Basic Education Career Connections Project, Policy to Performance, and Designing Instruction for Career Pathways. Ms. Cotner serves as director of the North Carolina Network for Excellence in Teaching—a statewide professional development network for community college faculty, and a partner on OCTAE’s Moving Pathways Forward initiative. She holds a bachelor’s in journalism from the University of Oklahoma.
Topic area(s): Career Pathways
Susan K. Cowles
Susan Cowles is a consultant to adult basic education projects and programs. She served as subject matter expert for the Science group in the LINCS Community from 2012-2015. Ms. Cowles has taught in middle school, high school, and community college settings. For 13 years she was an instructor in adult basic/secondary education at Linn-Benton Community College, Oregon. Ms. Cowles was a Literacy Leader Fellow with the National Institute for Literacy from 1996-1997, and has led professional development programs at the state, regional, and national levels. She served as coordinator of the multi-year Science/Math Special Project for the Oregon State Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development, bringing in cohorts of Oregon adult basic education instructors for an entire year of professional development on integrating ocean sciences into the teaching of basic skills. Ms. Cowles holds a master’s in education from Stanford University.
Topic area(s): Math and Numeracy, Science
JoAnn Crandall, Ph.D.
Jodi Crandall is the former co-director of the Massachusetts Program for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and director of the interdisciplinary language, literacy, and culture doctoral program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). Previously, she was vice president of the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL), where she established the National Clearinghouse on Adult English as a Second Language (ESL) Literacy (NCLE) and directed several refugee and immigrant education projects. She has worked in a number of areas of adult ESL, including teaching, curriculum development, program evaluation, standards development, research, professional development, and teacher education. Dr. Crandall is a founding member and former secretary-treasurer of The International Research Foundation for English Language Education (TIRF) and is chair of the CAL Board of Trustees. She holds a master’s in applied linguistics and a doctorate in sociolinguistics from Georgetown University.
Topic area(s): Adult English Language Learners
Judith Diamond
Judith Diamond has worked in the fields of adult and secondary education as well as publishing for more than 25 years. Her specialty areas are English as a second language (ESL), mathematics, and technology. She has helped adult education programs with staff development, material selection, and curriculum design. During this process, she has designed and developed online training modules and train-the-trainer workshops for education. She holds a combined bachelor’s degree in philosophy and education from Wayne State University, a master’s in English with an emphasis on linguistics from Northern Illinois University, and 30 hours of coursework in the field of mathematics, with additional study in history and political science.
Topic area(s): Adult English Language Learners, Math and Numeracy
John Dowdell
John Dowdell is the director of the Gill Center for Business and Economic Education at Ashland University. He coordinated the development and funding for the Teachers Academy for Personal Finance in Ohio, in collaboration with the State of Ohio Treasurer’s office. The Academy trained over 1,500 Ohio teachers (grades 9-12) on the implementation of personal finance content in Ohio schools. Mr. Dowdell also serves as the editor of the Journal of Correctional Education and has an extensive background in research and funding for correctional education. He holds a master’s in curriculum and instruction.
Topic area(s): Correctional Education, Financial Literacy
Helen Nell Eckersley
Nell Eckersley is the director of instructional technology and communications at the Literacy Assistance Center (LAC) in New York City, and served as subject matter expert for the Technology and Learning group in the LINCS Community from 2012-2015. Ms. Eckersley began her career in adult education as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher, becoming an ESL program director in 1998, and then moving to the Literacy Assistance Center to work as a professional developer. These days the major focus of her work is incorporating digital literacy into adult teaching and learning, using social media as a catalyst. She holds a master’s in public administration from Columbia University.
Topic area(s): Technology and Learning
Marsha Ellis
Marsha Ellis is a faculty development specialist in human resources organizational development at Alamos Colleges. Ms. Ellis began her education career in adult education as a GED, ESL instructor, and college transition specialist. She served as a mentor for adult education instructors for the Texas Adult Education Teacher Credential Project at Texas State in San Marcos. She also teaches life and career skills to youth and adults ages 16 years old and up to prepare them for college and careers. Ms. Ellis holds a master’s in adult learning and teaching/human resources from the University of Texas, San Antonio.
Topic area(s): Adult English Language Learners
Heather Erwin, J.D.
Heather Erwin works as an education and technology consultant for agencies serving incarcerated students. Within the LINCS Community, she served as subject matter expert for the Correctional Education group from 2012-2015. As a consultant to the Correctional Education Association (CEA), Ms. Erwin helped launch the first successful implementation of handheld mobile devices delivering educational resources to secure classrooms. She has participated in a number of U.S. Department of Education and White House sponsored conferences and working groups focused on advancing the use of technology to deliver education content to incarcerated students, aiding reentry and reducing recidivism rates. Ms. Erwin is co-founder of the non-profit Unlocking Education, and co-author of the U.S. Department of Education policy brief Education Technology in Corrections (2015). Ms. Erwin is a graduate of the University of Iowa College of Law and is currently pursuing a doctorate specializing in adult education at Northcentral University.
Topic area(s): Correctional Education, Diversity and Literacy, Technology and Learning
Susan Finn Miller, Ph.D.
Susan Finn Miller is a teacher and teacher educator who has worked in adult literacy education for over 21 years. She currently serves as the English as a second language (ESL) content expert in Pennsylvania, where she strives to provide high quality professional development to teachers. She serves as a moderator for the LINCS Adult English Language Learners, Assessment, and College and Career Standards groups, and as a LINCS trainer. Dr. Finn Miller has presented at numerous national conferences and served on the project team for English Language Learner University (ELL-U), a national professional development network for adult ESL teachers, where she developed and facilitated study circles and training events on various topics. She has also delivered training on contextualized instruction as part of the Adult Career Pathways project and on evidence-based reading instruction for the STudent Achievement in Reading (STAR) initiative. Dr. Finn Miller continues to teach a wide range of adult education classes including ABE, GED, academic English, work prep, citizenship, and transition classes. She holds a doctorate in language, literacy, and culture from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and teaches graduate courses related to adult literacy.
Topic area(s): Adult English Language Learners, Career Pathways, Evidence-based Professional Development
Lynda Ginsburg, Ph.D.
Lynda Ginsburg is the senior research associate for mathematics education at the Center for Mathematics, Science, and Computer Education at Rutgers University. She has taught mathematics for many years to adult basic education (ABE)/General Educational Development (GED), high school, and community college students, and has worked with parents who are simultaneously learning math for themselves and to help their own school-aged children. She has written extensively about adult numeracy and enjoys working and learning with adult educators who have the goal of examining and improving adult numeracy instruction. Dr. Ginsburg holds a doctorate in mathematics education from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
Topic area(s): Math and Numeracy
Daphne Greenberg, Ph.D.
Daphne Greenberg is a professor in the Department of Educational Psychology, Special Education, and Communication Disorders at Georgia State University (GSU), and is principal investigator of the Center for the Study of Adult Literacy (CSAL), a national research center on adult literacy funded by the U.S. Department of Education. She also leads GSU’s Adult Literacy Research Center, which works in conjunction with the CSAL to develop an interdisciplinary understanding of adult literacy and how best to address the low levels of it in the U.S. Her research has appeared in numerous academic journals, including the Scientific Studies of Reading, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, Journal of Learning Disabilities, Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, and Annals of Dyslexia. Dr. Greenberg is a founding member of the Georgia Adult Literacy Advocacy group and the Literacy Alliance of Metro Atlanta. She has tutored native and nonnative English speaking adults and has helped communities organize and develop adult literacy programs. She holds a doctorate in educational psychology from the City University of New York.
Topic area(s): Assessment, Reading and Writing
Debra Hargrove, Ed.D.
Debra Hargrove has been in adult education for the past 25 years. She began her career in Florida, writing and directing a statewide professional development project called Florida TechNet. From 2000-2014, Florida TechNet provided online professional development and other technology support to Florida educators and educators across the nation. Dr. Hargrove moved back to her home state of Texas in 2014 and is currently the director of professional development and design for the Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy and Learning (TCALL) at Texas A&M University. Her passion is in online learning development and using social media as a tool for professional learning. She holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Florida Atlantic University.
Topic area(s): Technology and Learning
Lilian H. Hill, Ph.D.
Lilian Hill is a program coordinator of adult and higher education for the Department of Educational Studies at the University of Southern Mississippi. She has worked in the field of adult education for over 30 years, teaching adult students in non-credit continuing education courses, as well as teaching and advising at the undergraduate level. Between 1999 and 2005, Dr. Hill was an education specialist for a school of pharmacy where she taught patient communications. She holds a master’s in adult education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/University of Toronto and a doctorate in the same subject from the University of Georgia.
Topic area(s): Health Literacy
Steven Hinds
Steven Hinds teaches math and devises professional development projects and related curricula, especially for programs that serve adults and other students who have had difficulty learning mathematics. He is the director of Active Learning in Adult Numeracy (ALAN), through which he has led curriculum and professional development projects in four states. He also teaches adult numeracy in the adult education department of Truman College, City Colleges of Chicago. Previously, Mr. Hinds was a curriculum developer at the Center for Elementary Mathematics and Science Education at the University of Chicago, where he wrote and field-tested lessons for the newest edition of Everyday Mathematics. He has worked as a university mathematics professional developer at The City University of New York (CUNY) central office, where he co-founded CUNY Start, a well-regarded alternative to traditional mathematics remediation for community college freshmen. Mr. Hinds also serves as a mathematics education subject matter expert for a variety of U.S. Department of Education-funded projects. He began his career in education as a high school math teacher in New Haven, Connecticut, where he also conducted pre-service and in-service professional development for the Connecticut Department of Education and the New Haven Public Schools. He holds a bachelor’s in economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master’s in sociology from the University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom.
Topic area(s): College and Career Standards, Math and Numeracy
Judy Hofer
Judy Hofer has over 25 years of experience in adult education as a teacher, professional development specialist, researcher, and more recently, as the director of an adult education program in Taos, New Mexico. Ms. Hofer was the co-researcher on the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy’s (NCSALL’s) multi-year study of teacher change in adult education. With a focus on connecting research and practice, she developed a number of professional development models and guides for practitioners, including study circles on learner motivation and adult multiple intelligences, and a sourcebook on the impacts of violence on learning. For several years, Ms. Hofer was the director of professional development for adult education in New Mexico, and continues as chair of the state’s professional development steering committee for adult education. Ms. Hofer holds a master’s in non-formal adult education from the Center for International Education at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Topic area(s): Evidence-based Professional Development, Program Management
Janet Isserlis
Janet Isserlis has worked with adult immigrant and refugee learners since 1980, and in professional development for the past 20 years. Her particular focus has been on basic language and literacy acquisition, practitioner-driven research, and the impact of trauma on learning. Ms. Isserlis has worked for the most part in the northeastern United States. However, she also spent four years in British Columbia working with immigrant, refugee, and Canadian-born learners and practitioners. At present, she divides her time between working with and teaching students at Brown University, and working with adult educators and other practitioners at the Rhode Island Adult Education Professional Development Center. Ms. Isserlis holds a master’s in English as a second language (ESL) and cross-cultural studies from Brown University.
Topic area(s): Adult English Language Learners, Correctional Education, Evidence-based Professional Development
Brooke Istas
Brooke Istas is the instructional coordinator for the Cowley College Adult Basic Education Program. She is also an adjunct mathematics instructor at Cowley College and the current LINCS Community moderator for the Correctional Education, Financial Literacy, and Math and Numeracy groups. She is a member of the Mathematics Association of America, American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges, Leadership in Mathematics Education, Association for Women in Mathematics, American Mathematical Society, and Commission on Adult Basic Education. Ms. Istas obtained a bachelor’s with honors in mathematics from Southwestern College in Kansas, a master’s in adult and continuing education from Kansas State University, and is pursuing a doctorate in adult education from Kansas State University.
Topic area(s): Math and Numeracy
Kimberly A. Johnson, Ph.D.
Kimberly Johnson is the Director of Faculty and Instructional Development for the Minnesota State Colleges & University System (MnSCU), the largest single provider of higher education in the state of Minnesota. The system includes 31 institutions: 24 technical and community colleges and seven state universities spread across 54 campuses. Her teaching and research focuses on effective teaching of adult learners, including postsecondary, adult basic education (ABE), and English as a second language (ESL). Dr. Johnson has designed and facilitated professional development workshops and initiatives both nationally and internationally for teachers in adult education and postsecondary settings on a variety of topics, including principles of adult teaching and learning, second language teaching and learning, career and academic readiness, and teacher preparation, support, and supervision. She holds a bachelor’s in English from the State University of New York at Brockport, a master’s in English as a second language, and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from the University of Minnesota.
Topic area(s): Adult English Language Learners, Evidence-based Professional Development, Postsecondary Completion
Deborah Kennedy
Deborah Kennedy is the associate vice president for adult English language education at the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL). She directs CAL’s English for Heritage Language Speakers (EHLS) program, which enables native speakers of critical languages to develop professional proficiency in English in order to obtain employment with the federal government. Ms. Kennedy also directs CAL’s work with the Center for Advanced Proficiency in English (CAPE) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. CAPE provides an online instructional program in professional writing for federal personnel who are non-native speakers of English. Her other projects include working with the Federal Trade Commission to develop a financial literacy and consumer protection website for English learners and adults with low levels of literacy in English and Spanish. She holds a master’s in Near Eastern Language and Civilization from Harvard University, a master’s in teaching English as a second language from American University, and is pursuing a doctorate in linguistics from Georgetown University.
Topic area(s): Adult English Language Learners, Financial Literacy
Rochelle Kenyon, Ph.D.
Rochelle Kenyon is a nationally known professional development trainer and educator who specializes in adult education, literacy, and disability issues. She has presented training on diverse topics throughout the United States and served as moderator and subject matter expert for the LINCS Learning Disabilities Discussion List and Community Group from 2003-2015. Dr. Kenyon has taught at all levels, from pre-school to adult education. She holds bachelor’s and master’s in special education/exceptional student education with emphases in learning disabilities, developmental disabilities, and other disability issues, and a doctorate in educational leadership with an emphasis in adult and community education.
Topic area(s): Assessment, Disabilities in Adult Education, Math and Numeracy
Jinhee Kim, Ph.D.
Jinhee Kim is an associate professor and family finance extension specialist at the University of Maryland, College Park. She teaches courses in personal and family finance. Dr. Kim has developed, implemented, and evaluated financial education and counseling programs for a variety of audiences - from low to moderate income individuals and families, employees at workplaces, teachers, financial educators and counselors, human service providers, volunteers, and more. Her research interests are financial strain and food insecurity in relation to family and health outcomes. She also investigates financial socialization of youth and young adults, intergenerational transfer of time and financial assets, and financial management of immigrants. Dr. Kim serves on the board of the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education. She holds a doctorate in resource management from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Topic area(s): Financial Literacy, Health Literacy
Jacqueline Korengel, Ed.D.
Jacqueline Korengel is assistant vice president for the Kentucky Adult Education Council on Postsecondary Education. She returned to Kentucky in 2011, after living and working in New England for six years with Rhode Island Adult Education and then as training officer and assistant vice president for Dime Bank in Connecticut. Her educational and career experiences have included workforce training and development, educational television and integrating multimedia into instruction, and administration and facilitation of professional development, college- and career-transitions, high school equivalency, strategic partnerships, and braiding funding streams. She holds a master’s in business administration from Georgia State University and a doctorate in workforce/occupational education from Clemson University.
Topic area(s): Career Pathways, College and Career Standards
Cathy Kozlowicz
Cathy Kozlowicz is the founding executive director of Literacy For All (LFA) and College STILL Achievable (CSA). Ms. Kozlowicz has more than twenty years of experience working in literacy programs helping low-income, English language learners, refugee, and family literacy students be successful in their academic, professional, and personal endeavors. She started a grant-funded Burmese family literacy program and developed a basic reading program into high school and college completion, employment readiness, and health literacy programs. Ms. Kozlowicz has written more than 1,500 news, features, and health stories for local and national publications and presented literacy-based research at national and international conferences. She holds a master’s in international psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and is pursuing her doctorate in postsecondary and adult education from Capella University.
Topic area(s): Adult English Language Learners
Winston Lawrence, Ed.D.
Winston Lawrence has had over 30 years of experience in adult and continuing education. He has worked at the Literacy Assistance Center (LAC) in New York City conducting professional development for adult literacy teachers and other community educators around adult literacy instruction, popular education, and health literacy. A signature part of the health literacy activities was providing health literacy skills-based training to adult literacy teachers and developing joint partnerships between literacy and healthcare agencies. He has taught ABE/GED in community based organizations, with the New York Department of Education, and at the City University of New York. Dr. Lawrence has also worked at the University of Guyana as a lecturer in sociology and as a director of programs and community organizer within the Institute of Adult and Continuing Education. He holds a master’s in adult education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, and a doctorate in the same area from Northern Illinois University.
Topic area(s): Health Literacy
Libby Livings-Eassa
Libby Livings-Eassa is a founding partner of The Divergent Group, an educational consulting firm, and the current president of the National Career Pathways Network (NCPN). At present, she also serves as a coach for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Youth Career Connect grant program and provides technical assistance across the country to implement and build capacity in career pathways systems. Ms. Livings-Eassa served as a subject matter expert for the U.S. Department of Education’s 21st Century Community Learning Center and Designing Instruction for Career Pathways Technical Workgroups, and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Adult Career Pathways Institute. Ms. Livings-Eassa was awarded the National Association for Career Pathways Leadership’s 2012 Innovation in Adult Education award as dean of adult education for the Florida College System. She was a contributing author to The Career Pathways Effect (2012) and Career Pathways: Education with a Purpose (2005). She holds a master’s in education from Troy State University.
Topic area(s): Career Pathways, Postsecondary Completion
Charles A. MacArthur, Ph.D.
Charles A. MacArthur is a professor of special education and literacy in the School of Education at the University of Delaware. He is currently principal investigator of a research project to develop a curriculum for basic writing courses in community colleges. For the previous five years, he served as principal investigator for a research project on decoding in reading instruction in adult basic education. Additionally, Dr. MacArthur served as editor of The Journal of Special Education for five years, and continues to serve on the editorial boards of several other journals. He has published over 100 articles and book chapters and edited several books, including the Handbook of Writing Research and Best Practices in Writing Instruction. He holds a master’s and doctorate in special education from American University.
Topic area(s): Reading and Writing
Freddie J. Martin, Ph.D.
Freddie John Martin brings over 25 years of combined experience in program management of large-scale and complex national projects and the development of federally-funded fellowship, internship, and mentoring programs for medical students and graduate students seeking careers in education, government administration, and public health. His Just In Time Training series provides nearly a dozen capacity building packages for community, faith, and education-based nonprofits seeking to expand their services and revenue base. He holds a doctorate in educational administration and policy studies from Northwestern University.
Topic area(s): Program Management
Robin Matusow
Robin Matusow is a workforce disabilities specialist and former vocational rehabilitation counselor. She has worked with administrators of large public systems to develop disability policy and processes. Ms. Matusow administered adult education services to students with disabilities at Miami-Dade and served on several Florida Department of Education committees that focused on helping students with learning disabilities transition to postsecondary education and/or training. Ms. Matusow is a certified rehabilitation counselor (CRC). CRC is a nationally recognized certification used by private and federal disability services providers. She holds a master’s in education in counseling, with a specialization in disabilities, from Florida Atlantic University.
Topic area(s): Career Pathways, Disabilities in Adult Education, Diversity and Literacy, Program Management
Julie McKinney
Julie McKinney has worked for World Education, Inc. for 15 years on a variety of health literacy projects focused on improving collaboration between the fields of adult literacy and health education, and creating resources including curricula for teachers and health educators. She originated and developed the LINCS Health Literacy special collection and co-wrote the resource guides: Culture, Health and Literacy and Family Health and Literacy. Ms. McKinney moderated the Health Literacy Discussion List, and more recently, Community Group, for the LINCS Community from 2005-2015. She holds a bachelor’s in biology from Brown University and a master’s in exercise physiology from Northeastern University.
Topic area(s): Health Literacy, Science
Kathi McLendon
Kathi McLendon has over 35 years of experience in adult education as a former teacher, local program director, state staff member in West Virginia and North Carolina, and state director in West Virginia from 1993 to 2003. In 2003, she started her own consulting firm, Strategic Training and Resources, Inc., and has worked with a number of state and national organizations on literacy-related initiatives. Ms. McLendon is currently the dean of College and Career Readiness at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, North Carolina. She oversees a variety of adult education initiatives that serve more than 8,000 students annually. Ms. McLendon holds a master’s in adult education and post graduate coursework from Marshall University.
Topic area(s): Evidence-based Professional Development, Program Management
Pam Meader
Pam Meader, a former high school math teacher, has taught math in adult education for over 25 years. She recently joined Technical Education Research Centers (TERC) as co-director of the System for Adult Basic Education Support (SABES) Center for Mathematics and Adult Numeracy professional development initiative. Most recently, she helped co-develop Adults Reaching Algebra Readiness (AR2) with Donna Curry. She is a national trainer for LINCS and Adult Numeracy Instruction (ANI) and is secretary and past president of the Adult Numeracy Network. Ms. Meader enjoys sharing techniques for teaching math conceptually, from Basic Math through Algebra, and has co-authored the Hands On Math series for Walch Publishing in Portland, Maine. She holds a bachelor’s in secondary education and mathematics from the University of Southern Maine.
Topic area(s): Math and Numeracy
Jane Meyer
Jane Meyer serves as an English language arts expert panel member for the Promoting College- and Career-Ready Standards in Adult Basic Education (ABE) project. She is also a member of the national STudent Achievement in Reading (STAR) planning team, a certified STAR trainer of trainers, and has presented at numerous state and national conferences. Ms. Meyer has worked as a family literacy teacher and Even Start facilitator, and is currently the coordinator of Adult Basic and Literacy Education for Canton City Schools in Ohio. She holds a bachelor’s in elementary education with a concentration in education media, and a master’s in curriculum and supervision from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
Topic area(s): Evidence-based Professional Development, Program Management, Reading
Debbie Mills
Debbie Mills is the director of the National Career Pathways Network (NCPN) and founding partner of The Divergent Group. Ms. Mills currently serves as developer, writer, and subject matter expert (SME) for the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration’s (DOLETA) Career Pathways and Credentials Technical Assistance Six Key Elements of Career Pathways Toolkit (2nd Edition), a grantee coach and SME for DOLETA’s Youth CareerConnect project, and a National Advisory Group member for the Center for Law and Social Policy’s (CLASP) Alliance for Quality Career Pathways (AQCP) initiative. Ms. Mills is an experienced secondary and postsecondary classroom teacher and a former workforce development grant administrator at the postsecondary level. She has written or contributed to several publications and articles including College & Career Readiness Toolkit (2012); Florida Adult Education Career Pathways Toolkit (2011); and Career Pathways Advisory Committees Toolkit (2011). She holds a bachelor’s in career occupations and master’s in technology from Eastern Illinois University.
Topic area(s): Career Pathways, Program Management
Eric Milou, Ph.D.
Eric Milou is a professor of mathematics at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey. Dr. Milou has taught at Rowan for the past 17 years and served six terms as the president of the Rowan University Senate from 2007-2013. He previously served as president of the Association of Mathematics Teachers of New Jersey, the program chairperson of the 2007 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) annual meeting, and has extensive speaking experience on standards-based reform in mathematics. He is one of the authors of digits, a Pearson all-digital middle school textbook, and was the recipient of the Max Sobel Outstanding Mathematics Educator Award in 2009. Dr. Milou holds a doctorate in mathematics education from Temple University.
Topic area(s): Math and Numeracy
Stephanie Moran
Stephanie Moran is an adult educator and the General Educational Development (GED) program manager at the Durango Education Center in Durango, Colorado, and has been an adjunct instructor for Southwest Colorado Community College in literature, reading, and composition. She taught at six colleges and universities and spent 10 years at Middle Tennessee State University in the English department. She served as secretary for the Colorado Adult Education Professional Association (CAEPA) from 2006-2010. Ms. Moran designed bridge program curriculum to prepare GED and high school graduates to transition to college, an adult career pathways course, a study skills course, and theme-based instruction college courses. Ms. Moran has served on the Durango 9-R School Board since 2012. She holds a master’s in English from Bowling Green State University.
Topic area(s): Career Pathways, Reading and Writing
Judy Mortrude
Judy Mortrude directs the Alliance for Quality Career Pathways (AQCP) initiative at the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP). She has over 30 years of experience developing, delivering, and managing education projects for workforce development, particularly with low-literacy and high-barrier populations. Ms. Mortrude was the lead administrator for Minnesota’s largest Adult Basic Education (ABE) consortium before moving to the Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development in 2009 to staff the Minnesota FastTRAC Adult Career Pathway cross-system initiative. Minnesota FastTRAC aligns workforce development, community and technical colleges and ABE to produce better education and employment results for Minnesota’s working learners. Ms. Mortrude holds a bachelor’s in English/secondary education from Saint Cloud State University and a master’s in English literature from DePaul University.
Topic area(s): Career Pathways
Sylvia Duran Nickerson
Sylvia Duran Nickerson began her career in the field of adult education in 1985. From 1996-2012, she provided leadership to New Mexico's largest and most comprehensive adult education program at Dona Community College of New Mexico State University (NMSU). During her tenure, she served as president of the state's adult education association, on the regional workforce development board, and earned numerous prestigious state, regional, and national level awards for leadership and program excellence. At present, she serves on the Governor's Hispanic Education Advisory Committee, and is an analyst for New Mexico Legislature and National GED Testing Service. Ms. Duran Nickerson holds a master's degree in educational administration from NMSU.
Topic area(s): Evidence-based Professional Development, Program Management
Nancie Payne, Ph.D.
Nancie Payne is President/CEO of Payne & Associates, Inc. and has been internationally recognized for more than 35 years of work with individuals and families who have non-apparent disabilities. Dr. Payne owns and operates a full-service learning center and provides professional development, consultation, coaching, transition assistance, and accommodation development focused on adult education, literacy, rehabilitation, training and workforce systems, and environments. She holds a doctorate in adult education and postsecondary specialization from Capella University.
Topic area(s): Correctional Education, Disabilities in Adult Education, Diversity and Literacy, Evidence-based Professional Development
Dolores Perin, Ph.D.
Dolores Perin is a senior research associate and professor in psychology and education in the health and behavior studies department at the Community College Research Center (CCRC) at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has conducted research on adult literacy, writing skills, developmental education, contextualization of reading and writing instruction, interventions for academically underprepared postsecondary students, and academic-occupational integration. Dr. Perin directs the reading specialist master’s program, and as a New York State licensed psychologist, has experience with reading disabilities in children and adults. She is also a co-author of Writing Next, a report on writing instruction for adolescent students. She holds a doctorate in psychology from Sussex University in the United Kingdom.
Topic area(s): Career Pathways, College and Career Standards, Postsecondary Completion, Reading and Writing
Andrew Pleasant, Ph.D.
Andrew Pleasant is the program manager for Canyon Ranch Institute’s partnerships. He has led and participated in hundreds of presentations and training sessions in the United States and around the world on the topics of health literacy, science, risk, and environmental communication. He has taught at Cornell University, Brown University, and Rutgers University. Dr. Pleasant served as a temporary advisor at the World Health Organization (WHO) Health InterNetwork in Geneva, Switzerland and reviewed and evaluated the long-term sustainability and local ownership of the Health InterNetwork India pilot project. He holds a master’s in environmental studies from Brown University and a doctorate in communication from Cornell University.
Topic area(s): Health Literacy, Science
Donna D. Potter
Donna Potter works for Kentucky Adult Education as a senior associate in the areas of curriculum, instruction, and professional development. In her 30 years of work with the Kentucky education system, Ms. Potter delivered professional development on the topics of the college and career readiness standards, health literacy, English as a second language, program improvement and development, and learning disabilities in adults. Ms. Potter is a founding member of Kentucky’s Health Literacy Board and continues to serve on the board to bring health professionals and adult learners together to promote clear and effective communication. She holds a master’s in education from the University of Kentucky with 10 hours of graduate study from the University of Pennsylvania specializing in family literacy and adult education.
Topic area(s): Career Pathways, Evidence-based Professional Development, Program Management
David J. Rosen, Ed.D.
David J. Rosen was the director of the Adult Literacy Resource Institute, the Greater Boston Regional Support Center of the Massachusetts System for Adult Basic Education Support (SABES), at the University of Massachusetts Boston, from 1986 to 2003. As an independent consultant since 2003, in the past two years he has provided consulting and professional development services to: Jobs for the Future; Portland State University’s Learner Web Project; Georgia State University’s Center for the Study of Adult Literacy; Literacy Partners of New York City; Teknimedia Corporation; the University of Massachusetts at Amherst Graduate School of Education; a partnership of international funders of children’s literacy on the design of an international competition to advance children’s reading skills through the use of technology; and YouthBuild International for a multi-year vocational training program for out-of-school youth in Haiti, including the establishment of digital literacy centers in YouthBuild vocational training centers. He holds a doctorate degree in education evaluation from the University of Massachusetts School of Education.
Topic area(s): Evidence-based Professional Development, Technology and Learning
Lindsay Rosenfeld, Sc.D., Sc.M.
Lindsay Rosenfeld is a social epidemiologist at Brandeis University’s Heller School – Institute for Child, Youth and Family Policy, where her work focuses on the social determinants of child health, particularly racial and ethnic health inequities. She is also an adjunct assistant professor at Northeastern University, Bouve College’s Institute on Urban Health Research and Practice, and a scholar with Health Literacy Studies, Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Rosenfeld has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in epidemiology, child public health, racial and ethnic health inequities, and health literacy – at Brandeis University, Northeastern University, and the Harvard School of Public Health. She holds a bachelor’s in women’s studies from Brown University, and both a master’s and doctorate in public health from the Harvard School of Public Health.
Topic area(s): Health Literacy
David Scanlon, Ph.D.
David Scanlon is an associate professor of special education in the Lynch School of Education at Boston College. He was formerly an assistant research scientist at the University of Kansas, Center for Research on Learning. He conducts research and teaches about effective interventions for child, adolescent, and adult populations with mild to moderate disabilities. Dr. Scanlon specializes in content-area and higher-level literacy tasks and strategic teaching and learning. He holds a master’s in vocational-special education from the University of New Hampshire and a doctorate in special education and rehabilitation from the University of Arizona.
Topic area(s): Disabilities in Adult Education, Reading and Writing
Barbara Woodford Stapleton
Barbara Stapleton is the associate director for career and technical education in workforce development for the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR), serving as board liaison to institutions and providing training to campuses within the state. She has 14 years of higher education experience and over 17 years of marketing, sales, and professional development experience. Before joining KBOR, Ms. Stapleton worked as the senior regional account executive for Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation in the Rocky Mountain Region and provided professional development training for educators and administrators, as well as financial literacy training for trainers and students at educational institutions throughout the region. She holds a bachelor’s in political science from Purdue University and a master’s in management from Baker University.
Topic area(s): Financial Literacy
John Strucker, Ed.D.
John Strucker is an independent consultant in adult literacy, assessment, and English as a second language. From 2007 to 2011, he worked for World Education, Inc. as a project manager and researcher in adult literacy and teacher education. For 11 years prior to that, he served as a research associate at the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) and lecturer in education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He has served as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE), the National Institute for Literacy, Statistics Canada, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the Educational Development Center, Inc. Dr. Strucker holds a master’s and doctorate in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Topic area(s): Assessment, Adult English Language Learners, Evidence-based Professional Development, Reading
Judith Taylor, Ph.D.
Judith Taylor has 30+ years of experience working with programs to help low-income/lower-skill adults and youth enter and succeed in technical training programs and jobs. Much of her work has been incorporated into the concept of “career pathways”: coordinated policies and programs to support individuals through the education, training, and a sequence of jobs to attain family-supporting incomes. Dr. Taylor’s background includes vocational-technical education (focus on underrepresented populations) and workforce development at the state level, followed by a number of years at Jobs for the Future, where, among other projects, she helped develop and then managed the Breaking Through initiative. For the past several years, she has worked as a consultant researching, evaluating, and/or writing about career pathways, the power of contextualized curricula to advance lower-skill adults, stackable credentials, financial aid options for innovative technical programs, and developing career pathways into the health care professions. She holds a doctorate in history and women’s studies from Arizona State University.
Topic area(s): Career Pathways
Juliana Taymans, Ph.D.
Juliana Taymans is a professor of special education and director of the special education and transition services program at George Washington University. She teaches master’s courses focused on literacy and instructional strategies for adolescents and adults with disabilities, as well as doctoral courses in recent research trends in disability studies. She serves as a researcher and developer for the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education’s (OCTAE) Learning to Achieve program. Dr. Taymans was recently guest editor for the Journal of Learning Disabilities special issue that focused on adults with learning disabilities in adult education. She holds a master’s in special education from George Washington University and a doctorate in special education from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Topic area(s): Correctional Education, Disabilities in Adult Education, Diversity and Literacy, Evidence-based Professional Development, Reading
Lynda Terrill
Lynda Terrill has 30 years of experience working with both native and non-native speakers of English in literacy, workplace, family literacy, academic, civics, technology, assessment, and special needs contexts. Currently, she is an adult English as a second language consultant (ESL) and instructor. Prior to her current role, Ms. Terrill was the technical assistance and web coordinator at the Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA) at the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL). She taught for over 12 years at the Arlington Education and Employment Program (REEP). Ms. Terrill received a master’s in English from the University of Utah.
Topic area(s): Evidence-based Professional Development
Amy Trawick, Ph.D.
Amy Trawick is a program director and assistant professor of the Higher Education Graduate Program in the Department of Leadership and Educational studies at Appalachian State University. Her research focuses on contextualized approaches to teaching and learning, college transition programs for underprepared adults, and adult reading instruction. In 2008, she was recognized by the Literacy Research Association with the J. Michael Parker Award for Contributions to Adult Literacy Research. Dr. Trawick has served as an expert consultant for a number of national education initiatives in the field of adult basic education, including Equipped for the Future (EFF), STudent Achievement in Reading (STAR), Standards-in-Action (SIA), and the Adult Education Great Cities Summit. She holds a doctorate in curriculum and teaching from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Topic area(s): College and Career Standards, Reading and Writing
Patsy Vinogradov, Ph.D.
Patsy Vinogradov is the director of ATLAS, housed in the Hamline University School of Education. Her teaching and research focuses on literacy development and teacher education for adult learners, including adult basic education and English as a second language. As director of ATLAS, Dr. Vinogradov collaborates with the Minnesota Department of Education staff on multiple projects focused on identifying, planning, designing, and evaluating the training and professional development needs of ABE/ESL administrators, teachers, and support services staff across the state. She also develops and facilitates workshops for practitioners in the state on topics including English language instruction, second language acquisition, literacy development, multilevel classrooms, visual literacy, classroom management, and teacher collaborative inquiry. She holds a master’s in teaching English as a second language and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from the University of Minnesota.
Topic area(s): Adult English Language Learners, Evidence-based Professional Development, Reading and Writing
Kathleen Williams, Ph.D.
Kathleen Williams has taught listening/speaking and writing classes for adult English language learners at the English Language Institute of Notre Dame of Maryland University, and first-year composition classes designed specifically for English language learners enrolled at Towson University. She has also served as an instructor in the Masters in TESOL program at Notre Dame of Maryland University and in the graduate-level Speech Language Pathology Program at the University of the District of Columbia. Her current research interests include student/teacher discourse in multilingual and multidialectal classrooms, academic writing instruction for English language learners and speakers of non-mainstream varieties of American English, and the history of language variation in the U.S. She holds a master’s in TESOL from Notre Dame of Maryland University and a doctorate in linguistics from Georgetown University.
Topic area(s): Adult English Language Learners
Alice (Leecy) Wise
Alice (Leecy) Wise has a long history of teaching foreign, second language, and native language acquisition from literacy to college-level proficiency. Ms. Wise is a retired tenured instructor at El Paso Community College and early Peace Corps administrator in Brazil. As an independent consultant, she creates curriculum materials and courses to prepare low-level readers to succeed in job training, and has trained teachers (pre-K-12 and adult education) online, through live-video, and onsite on a variety of topics: early reading acquisition, real-life math instruction, instructional technology, adult education instruction, ESL instruction, and cultural influences on learning. She currently moderates the Diversity and Literacy and Reading and Writing groups in the LINCS Community. She holds a master’s in Spanish, with a minor in linguistics, from the University of Texas at El Paso, and has taken post-graduate courses in adult education and technology for instruction.
Topic area(s): Adult English Language Learners, Technology and Learning, Reading and Writing
Cynthia Zafft, Ed.D.
Cynthia Zafft is the principal investigator and trainer for the LINCS Region 1 Professional Development Center, and the senior advisor for the National College Transition Network (NCTN) at World Education, Inc. Her areas of expertise include professional development for adult educators, curriculum and program development related to transition, and postsecondary education for nontraditional students, including students with disabilities, and grant and publication writing. Prior to World Education, Dr. Zafft worked at the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts, where she coordinated several federally-funded transitions to postsecondary education and employment projects for students with disabilities. She also worked as the coordinator of disability services at the Massachusetts Bay Community College, Wellesley Campus, serving over 300 students each semester. She holds a master’s in critical and creative thinking in math and science, and a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Massachusetts, Boston.
Topic area(s): Disabilities in Adult Education, Health Literacy, Postsecondary Completion, Science