Bianca Adamo is a staff developer for the primary grades. Prior to joining the project full-time, she was a kindergarten teacher and a literacy coach at PS 503 in Sunset Park, Brooklyn as well as a second grade teacher on Long Island. She currently works with teachers in New York City, Long Island, Arkansas, Virginia and California.
Carl Anderson works part-time for the project and is the author of How's It Going? A Practical Guide to Conferring with Student Writers, Assessing Writers, and Strategic Writing Conferences: Smart Conversations That Move Young Writers Forward. Carl speaks frequently on the teaching of writing to districts around the country.
Jane Bean-Folkes Ed.D, has led specialty courses and leadership groups on grammar, spelling and the conventions of language. She is a TCRWP staff developer. Jane lifts the level of instruction in Albany, NY, and Georgia, as well as throughout New York City.
Maggie Beattie, a former middle school teacher, has studied literacy education at Teachers College and leads staff development in New York City, Seattle and Chicago.
Melanie Brown is a TCRWP staff developer and research associate with Lucy Calkins and Kathleen Tolan. Melanie raises the level of reading and writing through her work in Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York City.
Purnima Chopra-Vohra, a former teacher from West-Windsor Plainsboro and Tenafly, NJ, received her M. Ed. from Teachers College before becoming a Project staff developer.
Grace Chough a TCRWP staff developer, is a doctoral candidate at Teachers College and specializes in teaching the qualities of good writing. Grace's work is in schools across the country.
Mary Ann Colbert, a former Reading Recovery teacher and director of literacy for a Bronx district, leads an AP group and two specialty courses on assessing struggling readers. Mary Ann works with schools in Florida, North Carolina, and Buffalo as well as New York City. [(Return to Top)](../our-staff/project-leaders.html)
Kathy Collins is the author of Growing Readers: Units of Study for the Primary Reading Workshop (Stenhouse, 2004) and Reading for Real: Teach Students to Read with Power, Intention, and Joy in K-3 Classrooms (Stenhouse, 2008). Kathy is a keynote speaker at Project Institutes, consults across the country, and speaks frequently at national conferences.
Christine Cook Robson taught grades K-2 in Queens before joining the Project as a staff developer where she leads advanced sections at the summer institutes. She has pioneered new primary writing units and new word study work.
Rebecca Cronin is a primary staff developer whose latest projects center on integrating social studies, reading and writing in K-2 classrooms. She also helps school leaders deepen their knowledge in specialty courses.
Colleen Cruz is the author of Independent Writing—One Teacher, Thirty-Two Needs, Topics and Plans; co-author of Writing Fiction: Big Dreams, Tall Ambitions; and author of Reaching Struggling Writers, K-5. Colleen co-leads a middle school coach group, and in addition to her full-time work in schools throughout New York City, she supports teachers nationally and internationally.
Christy Curran taught in Pinellas County, Florida, and spent many summers leading Writers' Camp (co-sponsored by The Poynter Institute) before joining the TCRWP as a staff developer. Christy works with schools in New York City, of course, and among other places, Jordan.
Dahlia Dallal, a TCRWP staff developer, leads a primary yearlong leadership group and an AP study group. She is also a speaker at national conferences.
Emily DeLiddo brings special expertise in bilingual education to her work at the Project. She taught bilingual and dual language in Massachusetts and Texas before coming to the TCRWP and is currently writing a book on differentiating instruction to meet the needs of ELLs. Emily leads a coaching group, and lifts the level of education in Damascus, Syria as well as New York.
Stacey Fell was a contributing author to the book, Forever After: New York City Teachers on 9/11 (Teachers College Press, 2006), and to the volume Asian and Pacific American Education (Information Age, 2006). Stacey taught eighth grade Humanities before joining the Project.
Shana Frazin taught both primary and upper grades in Los Angeles, and was a faculty member at Pacific Oaks College in California before coming to the Project as a full-time upper grade staff developer. She co-leads an upper grade coach group and supports teachers in Austria, Israel, and California.
Brooke Geller, a TCRWP staff developer, is writing a book on social studies and the writing workshop (Heinemann). Brooke teaches advanced sections at the summer institutes and leads both a coach and a leadership group at TCRWP.
Barb Golub will lead her first Summer Institute section for the July Writing Institute and she currently does consulting work in San Lorenzo, CA. Barb was active in educational policy through the Teachers Network Leadership Institute, and was a primary and upper grade teacher at PS 158 in Manhattan before coming to the Project.
Kara Gustafson is an instructor in the literacy specialist program, and a doctoral student in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching at Teachers College. Kara brings years of experience as a teacher-leader to her current work as a staff developer and has taught throughout the elementary grades focusing on literacy education in inclusive classrooms.
Cory Gillette leads two K-5 coaching groups and was a contributing author to Lucy Calkins' Breathing Life into Essays (Heinemann, 2006), part of the Units-of-Study series for the upper grades. Cory teaches inspired literacy across the country, as well as in Sweden. She was a fourth grade teacher at PS 321 before joining the Project.
Christine Holley, a primary staff developer, leads a K-5 coaching group. She also leads advanced K-2 sections at summer institutes, a literacy coach group, and works with teachers in New York City, Florida and Sweden.
Dana House is a TCRWP staff developer who was a K-5 Literacy Coach and an upper grade teacher at PS 18 in district 7 before joining the Project. She has a degree in literacy education from Teachers College. This summer, Dana will begin taking on a lead role in the Project's work in Israel.
Renee Houser is a staff developer and an expert in all aspects of a 3-8 reading workshop. She supports teachers in New York City as well as in California.
Monique Knight is a staff developer at the TCRWP and she co-leads both a leadership and a coach group. Along with her full-time reading and writing work in New York City, Monique leads staff development in Chicago and Buffalo.
Lauren Kolbeck, a TCRWP staff developer, has pioneered new TCRWP work in the links between literacy and science and in reading-writing connections. Before joining the Project, she taught at PS 29.
Sara Kugler received her masters in Literacy from Teachers College and taught at PS 29 before becoming a full-time staff developer. She supports teachers in New York City as well as in California and in Minnesota.
Garrett Kyle taught high school in Miami, Florida before working as a middle school teacher and a literacy coach in East Harlem. Garrett lifts the level of teaching in New York City, Seattle and Buffalo.
Celena Larkey was a classroom teacher and a writing mentor in grades K-5 before joining the Project as a full-time staff developer. She has played a key role in supporting schools that are using the K-2 Units of Study.
Chris Lehman a TCRWP staff developer for grades 3-8, received his Ed.M. in Education Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University. He supports rigorous literacy work in districts across the country and began the project's work with the Queen Rania Teacher Academy in Jordan. Chris is writing a book on motivating middle school students in writing workshop.
Erik Lepis, a TCRWP primary staff developer, taught in suburban New York where he also led district-wide workshops for teachers on balanced literacy. He is currently completing his post graduate work in Educational Leadership.
Natalie Louis, a TCRWP staff developer and co-author of Writing for Readers: Teaching Skills and Strategies, teaches advanced writing workshops at the summer institutes and is writing a K-2 book on engaging struggling boy writers.
Marjorie Martinelli, co-author of Launching the Writing Workshop, is a primary staff developer at the Project where she has led many leadership groups, coach groups, and AP study groups.
Jerry Maraia taught middle school English Language Arts at The Clinton School for Writers and Artists in New York City before joining the Project as a full-time staff developer. Jerry's article, "A Literary Life," was published in Scholastic's Parent & Child this past year.
Alexandra Marron, a former fifth grade teacher in New York City, received her M.Ed. from Teachers College, Columbia University. In addition to her work with New York schools, she lead staff development in New Jersey, Florida, Ohio and North Carolina.
Enid Martinez has facilitated the Project's closework with Words Their Way and other approaches to phonics. She is writing a book on helping young writers transfer what they learn in word study to their independent writing. Along with her work moving schools forward as a full-time staff developer in New York City schools, Enid helps schools in Arizona, California and across the Caribbean.
Lea Mercantini is in the Literacy Specialist Program at Teachers College. She provides Staff Development to the upper grades in schools in both New York City and Albany, NY. Before joining the Project, Lea was a literacy coach and teacher in North Palm Beach, FL.
Elizabeth Moore, a TCRWP staff developer and doctoral candidate at Teachers College, is deeply involved in much of the Project's content area literacy work for the primary grades. She is also an instructor at Teachers College.
Kristine Mraz, a primary staff developer, co-leads a leadership group on using writing to teach reading. She supports teachers across New York City schools, California and Rhode Island.
Tiffany Davis Nealy, a TCRWP staff developer, was the recipient of theOutstanding Educator Awardfrom the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce. She leads a yearlong leadership group on conferring and small group work and has a special interest in supporting parents.
Sarah Picard Taylor, a TCRWP staff developer, is the author of Teaching Persuasive Writing (Heinemann, 2008). Sarah supports primary literacy work all over New York City, Connecticut and North Carolina.
Cia Pinkerton is Director of Resources at the TCRWP, and a middle school staff developer with the TCRWP. Cia works in schools in New York City, Arkansas and California.
Alison Porcelli, a staff developer with the Project, is the co-author of Boosting English Acquisition (Heinemann, 2008). Alison has pioneered work on the intersection of choice time and literacy.
Audra Robb taught middle school in New York City before joining the Project as a staff developer. She co-leads a middle school coach group and supports teachers throughout New York City, Chappaqua and Washington.
Kate Roberts, a middle school staff developer and screen writer, leads a leadership group on using drama to lift reading and writing. Kate is writing a book on ways teachers can use their own writing as a teaching tool.
Alexandra Roman is a member of an action research team that develops best practices for English Language Learners. Alexandra does much to raise student acheivement in New Yoprk and Bristol, CT. She was a dual language teacher at PS 24 before joining the Project as a Staff Developer. (Return to Top)
Rachel Rothman taught primary grades and supported literacy work in California prior to joining the Project as a full-time staff developer. She currently works with teachers in New York City, Virginia, California, and Connecticut.
Hannah Schneewind is a Project Staff Developer for the primary grades. She presents at calendar days for the Project and is a former first and second grade teacher from PS 321 in Brooklyn, district 15.
Shanna Schwartz, a TCRWP staff developer, works with leadership groups, conducts think-tanks, and supports educators across the US and in Mexico. She is author of Making Your Teaching Stick (Heinemann, 2008).
Jen Serravallo is co-author of the book, Conferring with Readers: Supporting Each Student's Growth and Independence (Heinemann, 2007). She is deeply involved in the Project's work on weaving together science and the writing workshop for grades 1-5.
Ami Shah Mehta, leads an AP study group, co-leads a coach group, and supports literacy work all over New York City, Ohio, and Houston, TX. She has spoken often at national conferences.
Emily Smith is earning her doctorate at Teachers College, Columbia University while working as an upper grade staff developer at the Project. Emily teaches advanced sections at the Summer Institutes, and in addition to her work in New York, she raises the bar of student learning across the country and in Paris, France. She was a teacher in Colorado, and at PS 116 in New York City before joining the Project.
Janet Steinberg was a literacy coach in the Bronx before joining the Project as a staff developer. She has special expertise in standards and analyzing student achievement data.
Karma Suttles, a TCRWP staff developer, co-leads a leadership group on choice time. She supports literacy work in New York City schools, Albany and Chicago.
Anne Taranto taught in Honolulu and was a fourth grade teacher at PS 8 in Brooklyn before joining the Project as a staff developer.
Elisa Zonana, a TCRWP staff developer, worked as a middle school teacher and a literacy coach in New York City schools. She recently co-authored Catching Up on Conventions: Grammar Lessons for Middle School Writers (Heinemann, 2009).