top of page

VITAL EDUCATORS DIRECTORY

Noelle Short

Noelle Short

FEH BOCES Director of Special Programs

NYS Region:

North Country

Role:

Administrator

Organization/Affiliation:

BOCES

Email:

Phone:

518-891-1330 ext.1064

LinkedIn:

ABOUT:

New to FEH BOCES as of June 2023, and I work with all component districts in our region. Prior to working for FEH, I served as Superintendent/Principal of Long Lake CSD for 7 years. My classroom teaching experience was in 7-12 English Language Arts both in New York State and Massachusetts. I am passionate about serving small, rural school districts and their unique needs.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE:

School District Leadership
School Building Leadership
7-12 English Language Arts

Cheryl Herman

Cheryl Herman

Teacher Center Director

NYS Region:

Western New York

Role:

Other

Organization/Affiliation:

Other

Email:

Phone:

716-731-6800

LinkedIn:

ABOUT:

Highly experienced professional seeking to further develop the skills of educators across New York State with a focus on educational technology and virtual teaching tools and strategies. Proven experience with training adults in all formats of learning including in-person, hybrid and virtual. Coming with 25 years of experience in the education industry and excellent organization, management and people skills; willing to serve as a team player and collaborate with others to develop and provide highly effective professional learning opportunities.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE:

Technology Tools and Apps
Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Education
Computer Science & Digital Fluency Standards
Social and Emotional Learning
Student-Centered Learning

Allison Leckinger

Allison Leckinger

Instructional Technology Support Teacher

NYS Region:

Finger Lakes

Role:

Instructional Technology Specialist

Organization/Affiliation:

District or School

Email:

Phone:

LinkedIn:

ABOUT:

Over 20 years of experience; starting as a special education mathematics teacher and now a Teacher on Assignment. Two main responsibilities in TOA role - the first is Instructional Technology, supporting district staff as they integrate technology within their classrooms as well as design and offer online Professional Learning courses for staff; the second is Virtual Academy of Rochester, managing our district Learning Management System (Agilix).

AREAS OF EXPERTISE:

Designing engaging virtual lessons that incorporate personalized learning, SEL and CRE practices; Integrating various edtech tools instructional technology within student learning experiences; Managing district LMS; Using Google for Education.

Mariah Kramer

Mariah Kramer

Director of Student Services

NYS Region:

Western New York

Role:

Administrator

Organization/Affiliation:

Charter School

Email:

Phone:

716-912-3758

LinkedIn:

ABOUT:

Director of Student Services with experience in curriculum design and development, literacy learning, special education and English Language Learners/MultiLingual Learners. Over 25 years in the field of education with over 10 in administration.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE:

Curriculum design
Literacy
Technology integration
Special education
ELL/MLL

Dave Miller

Dave Miller

Associate Professor

NYS Region:

Finger Lakes

Role:

Teacher Preparation Program Faculty

Organization/Affiliation:

College or University

Email:

Phone:

LinkedIn:

ABOUT:

Dave Miller is the Associate Director, Center for Learning in the Digital Age, at the Warner School of Education, University of Rochester. His focus is entrepreneurship in education, online teaching and learning, and digitally rich teaching and learning in K-12 schools. Extensive experience in the digitally-rich teaching realm for both K-12 and higher education and directing high-impact, multi-dimensional projects with multi-year timelines and multi-million dollar budgets. Strengths include guiding program development and implementation accompanied with expertise and success in building enthusiastic, mission-oriented teams.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE:

Entrepreneurship; online teaching & learning; digitally-rich teaching & learning; project management; grant administration; interviewing; research in educational AI

Deborah (Deb) Alverson

Deborah (Deb) Alverson

School Counselor

NYS Region:

Mid-Hudson

Role:

Counselor/Social Worker

Organization/Affiliation:

District or School

Email:

Phone:

801-837-0046

LinkedIn:

ABOUT:

I was born & raised in Brooklyn, NY; however I took what I consider a hiatis from NY in 2007 and moved to Utah. I then completed grad school in California (Sacramento), moved to Wyoming for my 1st year of school counseling, back to Utah for 7 years, and then Barrow, Alaska for 4 years. I currently serve as a school counselor & trauma coach in Twin Towers Middle School. I have 4 adult sons and 2 granddaughters and a grandson due in April. I love traveling, theater & family time.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE:

I am an expert in Secondary Traumatic Stress, Healing from the Inside out, Rebooting one's resilience, counseling, building relationships, restorative practices and conversations, circle groups, and I am on the NYSSCA Board as Region 3 Governor.

Christopher Stalker

Christopher Stalker

Supervisor of Special Programs

NYS Region:

Central New York Region

Role:

Administrator

Organization/Affiliation:

BOCES

Email:

Phone:

LinkedIn:

ABOUT:

In my current position at OCM BOCES I oversee the Regional Summer School Program (RSS), Virtual Learning Academy Program (VLA), and New Teacher Immersion Program (TIP). This has allowed me to communicate directly with our 23 component districts and develop excellent collaborative partnerships. As part of this role as VLA Principal, experience was gained through developing a daily schedule, creating professional development for teachers, creating intervention strategies for struggling students, communication with component districts, and many other achievements for an innovative new program. I have worked with teachers during the evaluation process to create an engaging learning environment for all students to thrive in a virtual setting.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE:

Working as a teacher for nearly 20 years and 5 years as an administrator at BOCES I have developed skills in the areas of building a culture of innovation, student engagement, collaboration, team building, continuous improvement and leadership skills

Angela Affronti

Angela Affronti

Director of Technology

NYS Region:

Finger Lakes

Role:

Administrator

Organization/Affiliation:

District or School

Email:

Phone:

585-924-3252

LinkedIn:

ABOUT:

Angela was raised in Ontario, NY and attended Wayne Central High School. She is an alumni of Ithaca College, New York University, and SUNY Cortland. She spent her professional career at Ithaca City School District, OCM BOCES/CNYRIC, and Cortland Enlarged City School District. Angela and her husband moved to the Rochester area from Ithaca, NY in 2020 and now is the Director of Technology for Victor Central School District in Victor, NY. In Victor, she leads a team of technicians and an instructional technology teacher. She resides in Webster with her husband and toddler.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE:

Leadership, Project Management, Program Evaluation, Collabortion, Staff and Professional Development.

Ike Shaw

Ike Shaw

Instructional Technology Coach

NYS Region:

Mid-Hudson

Role:

Instructional Technology Specialist

Organization/Affiliation:

District or School

Email:

Phone:

845-594-1484

LinkedIn:

ABOUT:

I am an instructional technology coach for the Kingston City School District in Kingston, NY. My work supporting teachers with technology integration is informed by my time as a classroom teacher, technology coordinator, private school administrator and educational non-profit executive director.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE:

Microsoft 365 apps, instructional design, online/blended learning, professional development, music education, audio production, community-building through play.

Katrina Canallatos

Katrina Canallatos

Director of Special Education

NYS Region:

Mohawk Valley

Role:

Administrator

Organization/Affiliation:

District or School

Email:

Phone:

(518)993-4000

LinkedIn:

ABOUT:

I am a public sector school administrator with eight years experience in leadership, complex problem-solving, and outcome driven solutions. I am a tech savvy communicator dedicated to delivering data-driven and person-focused successes. I have a great deal of experience and passion for: Special Education, Response to Intervention, MTSS, Social Emotional Learning, and Curriculum Development.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE:

Training and Professional Development, Data-Driven Decision Making, Evaluation and Assessment, Organizational Leadership, Special Education, Rti, MTSS, Crisis Intervention, Student Engagement, Post Secondary Transition Planning, Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Sparkle Peters

Sparkle Peters

Teacher

NYS Region:

New York City

Role:

Teacher - High School

Organization/Affiliation:

District or School

Email:

Phone:

LinkedIn:

ABOUT:

Teaching in NYCDOE for 12 years , in middle and high school education. Currently working the the first NYCDOE virtual public High school as a CS educator and Ed Tech Director . Served as Ed tech coordinator and Technology integrationist in all of my previous positions.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE:

Educational Technology
Special Education
Google for Education
Adobe Creative
Esports in education
Staff Development
Digital Citizenship
Competency based teaching

Kerry Smith

Kerry Smith

Instructional Support Specialist Technology Innovation

NYS Region:

Western New York

Role:

Instructional Technology Specialist

Organization/Affiliation:

District or School

Email:

Phone:

LinkedIn:

ABOUT:

I taught multi-age grade 4/5 and then grade 4 for 23 years at the same school before moving into my current role in 2020. At that time our district went one to one with devices to students. I work with teachers, students and admins K-12 helping incorporate technology into their daily/weekly lessons.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE:

I enjoy finding new ways to add technology into what teachers are already teaching! I have experience with Seesaw, Canvas, MinecraftEDU, CoSpaces, Flip, Marty the Robot, and other various edtech tools!

New York State Education Department Logo

The content of the TALE Academy was produced in whole or in part with funds from Contract C014452 and does not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the New York State Education Department (NYSED), nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by NYSED. In addition, NYSED, its employees, officers, and agencies make no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, currency, or suitability of the content herein and disclaim any express or implied warranty as to the same.

​

All original TALE Academy materials may be used by educators under the “fair use” rule of copyright law. Fair use is permitted for all original TALE Academy materials without a request of permission. However, full credit must be given to any materials adopted, adapted or used. All TALE Academy website materials provide a full list of citations for this purpose at the conclusion of the “READ” documents.

bottom of page