LINCS deploys trainers with subject matter expertise across the LINCS Training Catalog content areas that have been approved by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE), Division of Adult Education and Literacy to facilitate OCTAE approved trainings virtually and in-person.
LINCS Trainers
Jeffrey Abramowitz, JD
Jeffrey Abramowitz is the Executive Director of Reentry Services for JEVS Human Services and the Program Director of Looking Forward Philadelphia. Jeffrey was a 2018 Fellow for JustLeadership USA and has most recently served as the Director of Student Services and Workforce Development at the Community Learning Center. He proudly sits on the executive board of the Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE), where he serves as secretary; chairs the State Advocates for Adult Education Fellowship Program; and previously served as the chair of the Literacy Behind and Beyond the Walls Committee. Jeffrey was appointed to the Pennsylvania Reentry Council and serves as chair of the Employment Committee, and he co-chairs the Reentry Committee for the PA Workforce Development Board and also co-chairs the Philadelphia Reentry Coalition. Jeffrey serves on the board of directors of Community Forgiveness and Restoration, is a member of the NationSwell Council, and is an advisory board member of the Philadelphia Petey Greene Program. He was recently selected to serve on the steering committee for Re-Imagine Philadelphia, which is a joint program of the City Office of Budget and the City Planning Commission tasked with designing the public process for the city’s Participating Budgeting Project and Comprehensive Plan. Jeffrey is the producer and host of the award-winning weekly radio and television show “Looking Forward,” broadcast on PhillyCAM Radio WPPM 106.5 FM and PhillyCAM TV (Live Streaming; Xfinity 66/966; Fios TV 29/30; Roku; Apple TV). Jeffrey is a writer, keynote speaker, and lecturer on issues of adult education, workforce development, and criminal justice. He is a subject matter expert for the U.S. Department of Education IET in Corrections project, serves as moderator for the U.S. Department of Education LINCS Correctional and Reentry Education Community Group, serves on the National Association of State Directors of Education and the Barbara Bush Foundation Criminal Justice Work Group, and was a LINCS reviewer for the Literacy Information and Communication System Resource Collection for the U.S. Department of Education.
Topic Area(s): Correctional and Reentry Education
Jody L. Angelone
Jody L. Angelone is currently the Staff Training and Development Coordinator at the Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE) at The Ohio State University. She holds a BS in Elementary Education, with a minor in psychology, from the University of Toledo and an MEd in Education Administration and Supervision from Bowling Green State University. Jody coordinates, develops, and facilitates training for adult educators, including leadership, career pathways, instructional strategies, and assessment. Over the past 28 years, she has worked as an instructor and program administrator in the areas of correctional education, adult basic education, high school equivalency, workplace education, volunteer literacy, and vocational assessment as well as in professional development administration and training. She has served on various boards, committees, and task forces at the local, state, regional, and national levels supporting adult education and community services. She currently serves as president of the national board of the Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE).
Topic area(s): Postsecondary Transitions, Career Pathways, Teaching and Learning
Cynthia Bell
Cynthia Bell is the Director of Numeracy and Workforce Development Services at the Literacy Assistance Center, where she oversees workforce projects and initiatives and develops and facilitates workshops for adult basic education (ABE) and high school equivalency (HSE) instructors on standards-based numeracy instruction and on blending academic and workforce skills. When she is not leading and developing trainings, Cynthia is providing customized coaching to instructors on integrated curriculum design, on blending workforce and academic instruction, and on best practices for teaching and learning mathematics. In 2016, she coauthored the teacher resource book Teaching Adults: A HiSET Exam Resource Book. Cynthia has presented at state, regional, national, and international conferences and is an active board member of the Adult Numeracy Network (ANN) and the National Coalition for Literacy (NCL), an affiliate delegate of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and a national LINCS numeracy trainer.
Topic area(s): Math and Numeracy, Integrating Technology, Teaching and Learning
Gayle Box
Gayle is a retired Senior Associate of College Prep in Kentucky Adult Education. During her 10 years with Kentucky Skills U, Gayle Box was responsible for leading professional development on standards-based instruction across the state. Gayle led Kentucky Skills U’s Standards in Action (SIA) initiative and also coordinated professional learning for math instruction. She was instrumental in the creation of the Kentucky Skills U Lesson Bank. During her tenure with Kentucky Skills U, she served as a panelist for the identification of model standards for mathematics instruction and assessment in adult education. She contributed to the content development of the Handbook for Sustaining Standards-Based Education in Adult Education. Gayle also served as a consultant during the revision of the NRS Educational Functioning Level Descriptors for Mathematics and was selected to serve as a table coach at the Standards in Action (SIA) Implementation Institute in Newark, New Jersey. As a trainer in the LINCS National Professional Development Network, she provides the Standards in Action (SIA) foundational- and advanced-level trainings for mathematics to states. Prior to joining Kentucky Skills U, Gayle spent 5 years as the lead adult education instructor in Perry County, Kentucky. Before moving to Kentucky, she taught choral music in Texas at the middle school and collegiate levels. She holds both a BME and an MEd from Texas State University.
Topic Area(s): Teaching and Learning, Standards in Action (SIA)
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 such as classroom assessment, workplace education, data use, English language literacy, and classroom management. Marie’s experience includes work as a classroom teacher, career advisor, 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 LINCS trainer and resource collection reviewer.
Topic Area(s): Career Pathways, English Language Acquisition, Reading and Writing, Teaching and Learning
Mary Ann Corley, Ph.D.
Mary Ann Corley is an adult literacy consultant and professional learning specialist. In her more than 40 years of experience in adult education, she has worked as a teacher and local program administrator and held the positions of Maryland State GED Administrator and Director of the National Adult Literacy and Learning Disabilities Center. As a Principal Researcher for the American Institutes for Research®, Mary Ann directed the Teaching Excellence in Adult Literacy (TEAL) project (2008–2015), developing resources and online courses for adult educators on proven, research-based instructional approaches, with special emphasis on evidence-based writing instruction. As Director of the California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project (CALPRO) from 2001 to 2008, she led the development of a comprehensive system of professional learning for California’s adult educators, and she organized the Meeting of the Minds national research conferences held in Sacramento in 2004 and 2006. In 1988, the Baltimore County program she directed received the U.S. Secretary of Education's award for Outstanding Adult Basic Education Program. Her primary focus is on translating educational research into practice and creating professional development materials for adult educators on effective teaching practices.
Topic Area(s): Reading and Writing, Teaching and Learning
Mike Cruse
Mike Cruse is the moderator for the LINCS Disabilities and Equitable Outcomes Community Group. He is a U.S. Department of Education Rehabilitation Services Administration Scholar and used his training to become both a K–12 special education teacher and a certified vocational evaluator (CVE). He works as a Secondary Grades Resource Specialist with Arlington Public Schools (Virginia), where he coaches general education teachers on the provision of special education accommodations and sheltered language instruction for English language learners. He is also a contractor CVE for the Maryland State Department of Education's Division of Rehabilitation Services. In 2014, he served the District of Columbia’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education as a Future Urban Education Leader, shaping activities and policies around English language learners, immigrant students, and their families. In 2018, he was awarded a Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching fellowship and spent a semester studying pluralist approaches to education in Israel and Palestine. Mike is currently pursuing additional graduate studies in clinical rehabilitation counseling at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
Topic Area(s): Postsecondary Transitions; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Disabilities and Equitable Outcomes; Career Pathways; English Language Acquisition; Teaching and Learning
Rachel Etienne
Rachel Etienne is the Vice President of Curriculum at Reconstruction. Rachel creates and reviews exemplar curriculum materials aligned to the college and career readiness standards and culturally sustaining principles. With a background in English language arts/literacy, professional development, and curriculum, Rachel has created and curated online curriculum resources for educators, led professional development in literacy for instructional leaders, and coordinated teams of researchers and teachers. Her experience spans support of grades K-12 as well as adult education within schools, districts, states, and professional organizations to improve teachers’ content knowledge and classroom effectiveness while implementing the college and career readiness standards. Before joining Reconstruction, Rachel worked as an Executive Vice President at Student Achievement Partners, a classroom teacher and premier literacy coach for the New York City Department of Education, the Archdiocese of New York, and several nationally recognized charter school organizations. Rachel is also currently serves as nationally certified coach for the U.S. Department of Education Office of Career and Technical Adult Education. Rachel has a BS in Mathematics and Elementary Education from Eastern Michigan University.
Topic Area(s): Standards in Action (SIA)
Susan Finn Miller, Ph.D.
Susan Finn Miller has been a teacher and teacher educator for many years in adult literacy education. She has taught a wide range of adult education classes, including ABE, GED, ESOL (all levels), family literacy, academic English, workforce prep, citizenship, civics, and transition classes. Susan has presented at many state and national conferences and served as a facilitator for various initiatives, including as a coach to the coaches for the Teaching the Skills That Matter in Adult Education (TSTM) project, a subject matter expert for ELL-U and ESL Pro, and a trainer on the College and Career Ready Standards and the English Language Proficiency Standards at the state level. She has taught graduate courses in adult literacy at the University of Pennsylvania and Rutgers University. Susan is the LINCS moderator for the English Language Acquisition Community Group.
Topic Area(s): English Language Learners, Teaching and Learning, Reading and Writing
Barbara Friedlander
Barbara Friedlander, a national board–certified special education teacher, is a Learning and Achievement Specialist in Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland. Barbara is certified in administration and supervision and in equity and excellence in education. With over 30 years of experience in teaching and learning, she has presented at local, state, and national conferences on teaching writing, common core standards, working with multilinguals, and interviewing skills. She is on the board of the Maryland State Education Association Professional Development Team. Barbara is a consultant curriculum writer. She is the coauthor of Powerful Writing Strategies for All Students and the president of the University of Maryland College of Education Alumni Network.
Topic Area(s): Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Disabilities and Equitable Outcomes; Reading and Writing; Teaching and Learning
Mary Gaston, Ed.D.
Dr. Mary Gaston retired in 2017, after 32 years as a South Carolina educator. She spent most of this time working in adult education and family literacy. In her retirement, she works part-time for the South Carolina Office of Adult Education as a professional developer and technical assistance specialist. Mary received her doctorate in Education Leadership from Nova Southeastern University, where she was awarded the Outstanding Dissertation Award for her work on integrating technology into the adult ed classroom. She is an adjunct professor with the College of Charleston, teaching graduate courses for SC Adult Educators, and has been a LINCS trainer since 2017. In 2018, Mary was named COABE’s Outstanding Administrator of the Year. She and her husband Grady live in Easley, South Carolina, and have two children and three grandchildren.
Topic Area(s): Integrating Technology, Career Pathways
KayLynn Hamilton, M.Ed.
KayLynn Hamilton is an Associate Teaching Professor at the Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy at Penn State. KayLynn provides leadership and support to adult education agencies and partners throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the implementation of career pathways strategies, including integrated education and training (IET) and workforce development partnerships through the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s WIOA state leadership initiative. She presents career pathways, IET, and workforce development planning and implementation workshops at local, state, and national forums and is a certified career pathways leader through the National Career Pathways Network. KayLynn serves as the subject matter expert on various OCTAE initiatives, including Teaching the Skills That Matter in Adult Education (TSTM) project, IET Design Camp, and IET in Corrections. Additionally, she proudly serves as a national LINCS trainer. Recent accomplishments include developing a comprehensive Pathway to Success pre-vocational curriculum for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, providing leadership for a statewide reentry services survey for the Pennsylvania Workforce Development Board, and working with the Delaware County Workforce Development Board staff to develop the region’s WIOA plan.
Topic Area(s): Postsecondary Transitions, Career Pathways, Correctional and Reentry Education, Teaching and Learning
Kathy Harris, Ph.D.
Kathy Harris has been interested in adult learning for more than 20 years, primarily teaching English as a second language and digital skills for work, play, health, education, and life. She teaches ESL teacher education courses in the Department of Applied Linguistics at Portland State University, where she is also the Director of the Literacy, Language, and Technology Research Group. Kathy conducts trainings and creates professional development materials for teachers of adult English learners in national projects and also teaches topics including digital literacy and English Language Acquisition to adult learners with limited or interrupted formal education. Her current research focuses on the importance of digital skills and access for adults for purposes of work, health, and education.
Topic Area(s): English Language Acquisition, Integrating Technology, Teaching and Learning
Cindy Heimbach
Cindy Heimbach is the Instructional Development Specialist with the Mississippi Office of Adult Education. She provides professional development and technical assistance to adult basic education (ABE) directors, instructors, and staff in the state. She began her career in adult education in 1989 as a literacy volunteer, later becoming an ABE, GED, and English as a second language (ESL) instructor. She moved into the ABE director position in the Grenada School District and was later honored as the 2007 ABE Director of the Year for the Northern Region in Mississippi. Cindy provides professional development to ABE instructors throughout her state in reading, writing, and English language acquisition. She became a state STAR trainer in 2009 and coordinates the STAR and TEAL (Teaching Excellence in Adult Literacy) projects in Mississippi.
Topic Area(s): Reading and Writing
Kathy Houghton, MA
Kathy Houghton is the Executive Director of Literacy New York. At Literacy New York, Kathy and her staff support adult education programs and practitioners (including community-based, volunteer-centric agencies) across the state with technical assistance, training, and data management. Kathy’s 20+ years of experience in adult and higher education include extensive teaching and training experience in reading, writing, learning disabilities, program management, assessment, English as a second language, and volunteer management. Kathy presents at state, regional, and national conferences. Her knowledge of on-the-ground adult education issues is a plus when training and allows her to connect with participants in looking for ways to improve teaching and learning.
Topic Area(s): Disabilities and Equitable Outcomes, Reading and Writing, Teaching and Learning
Lizelena Iglesias
Lizelena Iglesias is the Director of Adult Literacy Professional Development Services at the Literacy Assistance Center (LAC) in New York. She joined LAC in 2015, with over 8 years of experience designing and teaching high school equivalency (HSE) courses and leading professional development for HSE teachers in a community-based organization. Currently, Lizelena provides training and sustained coaching for adult and youth educators in best practices in literacy and science instruction and in the integration of science, social studies, and literacy instruction and occupational content and skills. Additionally, Lizelena developed the science module of the LAC Academy HSE course, developed science curricula for the Queens Public Library TASC Transition Curriculum project, and has conducted numerous trainings on Spanish HSE. Lizelena is a member of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and the International Literacy Association. Lizelena also serves as the online moderator for the LINCS Science Community Group and is a national LINCS trainer.
Topic Area(s): Postsecondary Transitions; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Integrating Technology; Reading and Writing; Science; Teaching and Learning
Brooke Istas
Brooke Istas, consultant, adult education mathematics subject matter expert, Cowley College mathematics faculty, and PhD student at Southern Methodist University, is recognized nationally for her knowledge of mathematics and mathematical instruction. She has shown herself to be an asset to adult education and the greater mathematics community. She has given presentations at state, national, and international conferences on enhancing mathematical instruction, understanding higher-level mathematical content, teaching math at a distance, and contextualizing mathematics for engagement, and she is always willing to share her learning with others. She understands that adult education is enhanced through collaboration with other adult education programs. Brooke is also devoted to understanding adult learners’ perceptions about mathematics to identify the moment that mathematics anxiety is born. Her research focuses on collecting mathematical journeys through qualitative methods. She is a subject matter expert for LINCS, serving as the moderator for the LINCS Math and Numeracy Community Group. She is also a reviewer and trainer for the math/numeracy online resource collection, part of the LINCS Basic Skills Collection, and a trainer for both math/numeracy and science.
Topic Area(s): Science, Math and Numeracy
Rochelle Kenyon
Rochelle Kenyon is a private consultant and trainer who focuses on topics relevant to adults with disabilities. She received her doctorate in Educational Leadership, a specialist degree in school administration and supervision, a master’s degree in Exceptional Student Education, and a bachelor's degree in Special Education and Elementary Education. She has worked in adult education for the past 49 years as a teacher, educational specialist, curriculum supervisor, school administrator, writer, and trainer and is retired from an administrative position in the Broward County, Florida, public schools. She has been an adjunct professor at six Florida universities. As owner of 21st Century Creative Consulting, she has traveled around the United States presenting in-person training on a multitude of topics, been a keynote speaker at state and national conferences, written online training materials, worked with state and local school boards and agencies, had contracts with numerous states for consulting work, provided guidance to families and persons with disabilities, and served on national professional association boards. She was a volunteer moderator for the NIFL Discussion List beginning in 2004 and continued as a paid consultant with LINCS as a subject matter expert for the Disabilities Community of Practice through 2015. She was both a LINCS trainer and reviewer for the Resource Collection.
Topic Area(s): Disabilities and Equitable Outcomes, Math and Numeracy, Reading and Writing, Teaching and Learning
Jacqueline Korengel
Jacqueline is currently a moderator for the LINCS Professional Development Community Group and a resource reviewer. She is Deputy Executive Director for the Kentucky Office of Adult Education. The last 8 years she has served in the public sector as an educational leader and administrator, responsible for an actionable agenda and for providing programmatic, compliance, fiscal, instructional, and collaborative alignment supports to a statewide federal- and state-funded service provider network. She has experience and expertise in professional learning, technical assistance, performance management, and facilitation of strategic partnerships. She also led and operationalized a training system in a private sector financial organization. She earned a doctorate in Vocational/technical education (human resource development) and holds an MBA. She has published articles on adult learners, locus of control, and adaptive leadership.
Topic Area(s): Teaching and Learning
Chonda Long
At National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), Chonda Long oversees the development, implementation, delivery and evaluation of standards-based professional development programs. She leads NCTM’s webinar program, professional learning services and preconference workshops. Chonda served as a mathematics trainer and coach on OCTAE’s Standards in Action (SIA) initiative, where she provided to state teams implementing their state-adopted standards. She also helped to develop and identify training materials for the states’ in-person and online use. Shonda was a member of the Standards in Action (SIA) development and support team that facilitated the filming of adult educators teaching standards-aligned lessons in mathematics. She developed supplementary materials to accompany the classroom videos to help adult educators understand and implement the demands of the standards’ key instructional shifts. Subsequently, OCTAE invited Shonda to provide Standards in Action (SIA) training to other states through the LINCS National Professional Development Center. She has also served as a subject matter expert on OCTAE’s Advancing Mathematics Teaching and Learning in Adult Education initiative. Before joining NCTM, Shonda was a high school math teacher in Fairfax County Public Schools, VA. She holds a BS in Mathematics from Howard University and an M.Ed. in Curriculum Instruction and Ph.D. in Education from George Mason University.
Topic Area(s): Standards in Action (SIA)
Peggy McGuire
Peggy McGuire is an adult basic education and college and career readiness consultant and training specialist. From 1984 to 1999, Peggy worked as an adult education and literacy teacher and program director in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Since 1999, she has been planning and delivering both face-to-face and online evidence-based professional development activities for adult education teachers and programs in the areas of writing and contextualized work readiness to support instructors in preparing their adult students to function effectively in their roles as citizens and family members and for subsequent career and technical education and work. Peggy also teaches writing at Harrisburg Area Community College and has authored numerous writing instruction resources.
Topic Area(s): Reading and Writing, Teaching and Learning, Postsecondary Transitions
Pamela Meader
Pam Meader, a former high school math teacher, has taught math in adult education for over 25 years. She is a senior professional development specialist for the SABES PD Center for Mathematics and Adult Numeracy professional development initiative for Massachusetts. Pam also co-developed Adults Reaching Algebra Readiness (AR)2 with Donna Curry. She is a national trainer for LINCS and in Adult Numeracy Instruction (ANI). Pam enjoys sharing techniques for teaching math conceptually, from basic math through algebra, and is coauthor of the Hands-on Math series for Walch Publishing in Portland, Maine.
Topic Area(s): Math and Numeracy
Eric Morrison
Eric Morrison is a LINCS/TEAL instructor who has been with the program since its inception. He focuses on deeper learning through questioning and on differentiated instruction, with an emphasis on methods informed by research in andragogy, constructivism, activity theory, and neural plasticity. Mr. Morrison retired in 2017 as the Department Chair for Academic Skills and Reading Faculty at Pima Community College. He served for many years as the faculty lead for access and disability resources. Eric established all assistive technology infrastructure for six campuses and developed over one million dollars in grant funding to support students with disabilities. He was recognized with PCC’s Outstanding Faculty Award and the National Institute of Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Excellence Award. His career includes several years of teaching in K–12 education in Arizona. His publications include articles and case studies published in Careers and the Disabled Magazine and for the former American Institutes for Research National Center on Technology Innovation (NCTI) project. Eric enjoys extending and challenging adult education instructors’ views of what adult students can accomplish, such as by sharing examples of students’ work that contains complex questions and answers and thus shows that essay exams could be produced through a democratized and distributed learning approach.
Topic Area(s): Postsecondary Transitions; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Disabilities and Equitable Outcomes; Integrating Technology; Reading and Writing; Teaching and Learning
Donna Parrish
Donna Parrish has taught mathematics at almost every level from middle school to graduate school for well over 40 years. Many of those years she taught mathematics in a large middle school, then in universities and community colleges on the east coast, before moving to Oregon. She has served as a school administrator, staff developer, and trainer in a variety of settings. Most recently employed by the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission, Donna, a mathematics subject area expert, worked as a course designer and trainer for the Oregon Math Learning Standards Program for Adult Learners. She currently works as a mathematics consultant and writer.
Topic Area(s): Math and Numeracy, Science, Teaching and Learning, Postsecondary Transitions
Dolores Perin, Ph.D.
Dolores Perin is Professor Emerita of Psychology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. For 25 years she directed the reading specialist master’s program at Teachers College, which prepares students for state certification as a teacher of literacy. Her research interests center on the literacy skills of adults with reading and writing difficulties. She edited the Wiley Handbook of Adult Literacy, published in 2020, and is currently writing a book on the writing of academically underprepared adults. The book aims to present research-based teaching approaches for use in adult education and college developmental education programs. Dolores served as a LINCS Resource Collection reviewer for several years and has co-facilitated LINCS study circles. She has published her research in Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, Reading & Writing Quarterly: Overcoming Learning Difficulties, International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, Journal of College Reading and Learning, Community College Review, Community College Journal of Research and Practice, Journal of Developmental Education, Higher Education, Urban Education, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, Exceptional Children, Reading Psychology, and Journal of Educational Psychology. She is a state-licensed psychologist experienced in working with individuals with learning difficulties, including dyslexia.
Topic Area(s): Reading and Writing
Kristi Reyes
Kristi serves as a peer leader and trainer for CALPRO and a writer, trainer, and technology plan evaluator for the Outreach and Technical Assistance Network for Adult Education division of California Department of Education. She was also a coach for the TSTM pilot and for Cohort 3. Kristi is Professor of English as a Second Language in a noncredit ESL program at MiraCosta College, Oceanside, California. She has extensive classroom experience in adult education and in developing and facilitating professional development for adult educators.
Topic Area(s): Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; English Language Acquisition; Integrating Technology; Reading and Writing; Teaching and Learning
Connie Rivera
Connie Rivera guides adults through hands-on and minds-on experiences that allow them to uncover meaning and connections and therefore act with increased confidence in their numeracy. She serves adult students preparing for high school equivalency and brings her passion and varied classroom experience to her role as a training and curriculum development specialist. Connie is proud to have served as president of the Adult Numeracy Network.
Topic Area(s): Math and Numeracy
Susan Roberts
Susan Roberts is an educator whose experience ranges from elementary through postsecondary schools in the areas of instruction, curriculum design, standards-based education/lesson planning, employability skills–infused lesson planning, and grant writing. In the area of adult instruction and adult basic education curriculum design, she offers a vast array of knowledge in standards writing and implementation, soft skills–infused lesson training, forward-thinking teaching strategies, lesson design and coaching, and the organization of learner-centered lessons. Her expertise in soft skill integration translates into customized coaching at the K–12 and adult program levels. Susan is the moderator for the LINCS Teaching and Learning Community Group.
Topic Area(s): Career Pathways, Reading and Writing, Teaching and Learning
Jane Roy
Jane Roy is an educational consultant who has provided expert consulting services on several national initiatives related to standard-based education. This includes developing the College and Career Readiness Standards and the English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standards for Adult Education. Jane has supported numerous states in their efforts to implement standards-based instruction and contributed to the development of a range of tools to support the implementation of standards-based instruction. Jane’s 20 plus years in education also includes teaching, program management, curriculum development, and teacher training and support in English language acquisition/English learners—both in the U.S. and overseas. More recently, Jane directed the Intensive ESL Program at South Dakota State University and taught online courses for South Dakota’s K-12 ESL certification program.
Topic Area(s): Adult English Acquisition, Standards in Action (SIA)
Heidi Schuler-Jones
Heidi Schuler-Jones has worked in adult education since 2006. She participated in the pilot program of the Adult Numeracy Instruction – Professional Development (ANI-PD) project in Georgia in 2010. She has been a facilitator of the ANI training since 2012, when she became a LINCS national trainer for adult numeracy. Heidi has worked with LINCS to facilitate math and science face-to-face trainings and online PD offerings such as Open Educational Resources (OER) and Teaching Excellence in Adult Education (TEAL). In 2016, Heidi joined the SABES numeracy team as a curriculum developer and facilitator. With Donna Curry, she coauthored the Curriculum for Accelerated Math (CAM) and was the lead developer of the Curriculum for Adults Learning Math (CALM). She also facilitated the Adults Reaching Algebra Readiness (AR)2 institutes and the EMPower Math Series trainings for TERC. Heidi currently is the Director of the Adult Numeracy Center at TERC and President-elect of the Adult Numeracy Network.
Topic Area(s): Math and Numeracy, Science, Teaching and Learning
Dahlia Shaewitz
Dahlia is the Vice President of Transition, Disability & Employment at the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL), where she develops strategies and approaches to empower youth and adults with disabilities to create their futures and lead their communities to achieve greater inclusion. At IEL, she oversees a portfolio of work that addresses the systems change and collaboration needed to connect people with disabilities to education and employment opportunities. Since 2012, Dahlia has also served as co-coordinator of IEL’s Education Policy Fellowship Program. In this role, she coordinates a 10-month professional development program to support emerging leaders in education and related fields in acquiring new perspectives and skills needed to function effectively in the increasingly complex and politicized environment of local, state, and national education. She has also supported the national EPFP initiative in developing strategic plans, annual evaluation reports, a logic model, and data review and monitoring of the national program. Dahlia earned a master’s in Diplomacy from Norwich University and a master’s in Writing from Johns Hopkins University.
Topic Area(s): Postsecondary Transitions, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Disabilities and Equitable Outcomes; Career Pathways
Kathryn St. John
Kathy St. John is a freelance adult literacy consultant who enjoys working with programs at the local, state, regional, and national levels. She began working in the field of adult basic education and literacy and English as a second language in 1989. She taught English as a second language (ESL) in Kenya; Washington, D.C.; Chicago, Illinois; and Madison, Wisconsin. She is currently teaching English as a second language in San Jose and Rohnert Park, California. She directed volunteer-based adult literacy programs in Chicago and California. She worked with state organizations and affiliates in six states as ProLiteracy America’s southwest regional representative. Kathy served as the project manager for the ProLiteracy's Dollar General/ProLiteracy America Student Expansion Project, a national research and dissemination project to reduce student waiting lists and improve community referral systems. She was the training and program coordinator for the LINCS Region 4 Professional Development Center from 2010 to 2012. As a LINCS national trainer, Kathy has presented at many local, state, regional, and national conferences. She coauthored and produced the Tutor Ready Reading and Writing text and video materials and is currently working on a project for the California State Library to produce 120 tutor- and staff-authored low-level books for adult new readers.
Topic Area(s): Disabilities and Equitable Outcomes, English Language Acquisition, Reading and Writing
Rebecca Strom
Rebecca Strom has been teaching math since 1994 and has been in adult education since 2007. She holds a BS from Minnesota State University–Mankato and secondary education and middle school teaching licenses in mathematics. She teaches GED/ESL/diploma competition and college readiness math courses in face-to face, hybrid, and online settings. She also co-teaches and supports developmental educational courses through a partnership with South Central Community College. Since being part of the Minnesota Numeracy Initiative (MNI) in 2010, she has become passionate about helping other adult education teachers deepen their personal understanding of math and also build coherence and conceptual understanding (rigor) in their classrooms and courses. She continues to present at state, regional, and national conferences. She has facilitated in-person and virtual trainings and online courses through MNI, the LINCS Teaching Excellence in Adult Literacy (TEAL) initiative, and World Education, Inc. She is currently a trainer for ANI 2.0 and a board member of the Adult Numeracy Network.
Topic Area(s): Math and Numeracy
Juliana Taymans, Ph.D.
Juliana Taymans is a Professor Emeritus of Special Education and Disability Studies at the George Washington University, where she taught courses focused on instructional interventions for individuals with disabilities. Juliana has been active in program development for adults with special needs. She is coauthor of Thinking for a Change and Decision Points, cognitive-behavioral correctional interventions. She was also a member of the team who developed Learning to Achieve, a professional development program for adult educators working with individuals with learning disabilities. Juliana has worked as a special education, evening high school, and adult education teacher.
Topic Area(s): Disabilities and Equitable Outcomes, Correctional and Reentry Education
Christina Terrell
Christina Terrell is a program specialist for the Ohio Professional Development Network at The Ohio State University, where she provides content expertise in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and professional development opportunities and support for educators in K–12 and adult education. For 25 years, Christina has held roles such as ESL instructor, technology specialist, coordinator, instructional designer, and professional development specialist. She is a BEST Plus trainer for the Center for Applied Linguistics and past president of the Ohio TESOL organization. She holds a master’s degree in TESOL from the School for International Training.
Topic Area(s): English Language Acquisition
Michelle Tolbert
Michelle Tolbert, senior program director of workforce development at RTI International, oversees projects focused on improving policies, programs, and resources targeting low-skill adults. She conducts qualitative research and analysis and provides technical assistance to states and programs in the areas of correctional education and reentry, adult education, transitions to postsecondary education, workforce development, community partnerships, and state and federal policy. Her experience in correctional education and reentry includes evaluating prison-based postsecondary education programs, providing technical assistance to programs bridging the gap between the education services offered in prisons and jails and those offered in the community, and developing a guidebook to support the collection and analysis of correctional education data at the national and state levels. She also has authored a broad array of guides, online tools, policy briefs, research reports, and literature reviews on correctional education, transitions to college and careers, industry-recognized credentials, and community partnerships. She has provided technical assistance to states on developing bridge and career pathway programs, integrating adult education content standards into the classroom, and developing or revising funding formulas to incorporate performance-based funding.
Topic Area(s): Correctional and Reentry Education
Alice (Leecy) Wise
Alice (Leecy) Wise is an educational consultant doing what she has loved the most: teacher training (pre-K to adult), college teaching (ESL, basic skills, video technology instruction, reading, and writing), program evaluation, and curriculum development. After taking early retirement from college teaching, Leecy started her own consulting company, which focuses on (a) training teachers to employ best practices for teaching reading, writing, and ESL using adult learning principles; (b) differentiating curriculum; (c) integrating technology into instruction (IET plus); (d) creating open classrooms with OER; (e) STEM preparation; and (f) curriculum development. Until recently, Leecy worked as the LINCS moderator for the Reading and Writing Community of Practice and currently serves as a LINCS trainer and resource reviewer.
Topic Area(s): Postsecondary Transitions, English Language Acquisition, Integrating Technology, Reading and Writing, Teaching and Learning