Executive board officers
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Dr. Amy H. Ryan
Boston College [email protected] Dr. Amy Ryan is the Assistant Dean for Field Placement and Outreach at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College. In this capacity, she oversees field placements for undergraduate and graduate teacher education candidates in programs leading to endorsement and licensure. She also actively partners with faculty in the Teaching, Curriculum and Society Department and serves on the Catholic Education Committee and the Donovan Urban Scholars Advisory Board. Dr. Ryan has more than twenty years of experience supporting PK-12 students, teachers and communities through her work as a classroom teacher, district leader, and university administrator. |
PRESIDENT
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Vice President |
Dr. Stacy Szczesiul
University of Massachusetts Lowell [email protected] Stacy Szczesiul is the Associate Dean of Online Education, Accreditation & Licensing in UMASS Lowell’s College of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Prior to moving to the Dean’s Office in Fall 2021, Szczesiul served as a faculty member in the School of Education for 11 years. During that time, she led the design and implementation of an Ed.D. Leadership in Schooling program that has been nationally recognized for its emphasis on critical improvement science and equity literacy. In her role as Associate Dean, Szczesiul has prioritized efforts to diversify the educator workforce in the Commonwealth by building out high school Grow Your Own pathways in Lowell and Lawrence and partnering with nonprofits like Latinos for Education and He Is Me. She also oversees the Academic Quality Assessment and Development (AQAD) process for all twelve departments in the college and the external accreditation processes for those that require it, including the School of Education’s upcoming formal review in 2027. In Fall 2022, Szczesiul was selected to participate in the revision of the Guidelines for Program Approval as a member of the Ed Prep Advisory group focusing on the integration of anti-racist standards and practices into the review process. Szczesiul is an established researcher with interests in the role of internal and external accountability systems in school improvement and in the occupational expectations of teachers in a changing policy context. She received an Ed.D. in Educatio Policy, Leadership and Instructional Practice from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education in 2009. |
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Patty Emmons
Bridgewater State University Patty Emmons, Ed.D, is currently the Associate Dean of the College of Education and Health Sciences (CEHS) at Bridgewater State University. Prior to that she was a faculty member in the Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education. She taught math methods courses at both the graduate and undergraduate level, child study, introduction to elementary education, and supervised numerous student teachers. She served as the department chair for five years and as the department honors chairperson for six years mentoring undergraduate research students. She is passionate about international education and providing students opportunities to study and teach abroad. Patty has a bachelor’s degree from Central Connecticut State University in Elementary Education, a master’s degree from Connecticut College in Teacher Education, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Central Connecticut State University. |
SECRETARY |
TREASURER |
Dr. Bev Bell
University of Massachusetts Amherst [email protected] Bev is the assistant dean for educator preparation at the College of Education, University of Massachusetts- Amherst. Bev has been involved in higher education in the U.S. for over 21 years and K-12 education for over 16 years in South Africa and Namibia. Along with her work in teacher preparation, Bev has worked on international education projects including the development of national standards and rubrics for teacher preparation and education in Pakistan (2011-2013). Bev has spent many years focusing on developing collaborations and reciprocal partnerships that integrate experiential learning with structured reflection and informed action, both locally and internationally. She is currently collaborating with colleagues, through a Five Colleges initiative, to develop programs that provide opportunities for local community members, para-professionals and teachers on waivers, to earn their initial teaching license. |
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Jennifer Madonna
[email protected] Northeastern University Jennifer Madonna is the Associate Director of Licensure and Field Placement and Licensure Officer in the Graduate School of Education at Northeastern University. Jennifer oversees compliance for all educator preparation programs at the university and develops experiential field opportunities for pre-practicum and practicum candidates. In this role, Jennifer has also served as a Higher Ed Program Reviewer for the MA DESE, and most recently served on the Early Literacy in Educator Preparation Workgroup. Jennifer has worked in the field of education for almost twenty years and holds licensure in both Massachusetts and Connecticut. As a K-12 educator and former Boston Public Schools teacher, Jennifer has worked as an ESL Specialist/Language Acquisition Team Facilitator, Special Education Reading Teacher and Liaison, and Italian Teacher. Jennifer also holds her Principal/Assistant Principal license in MA, and is a Certified Dyslexia Practitioner, trained as a 2017 scholarship recipient in the multi-sensory approach of Orton-Gillingham reading instruction through The Children's Dyslexia Centers of Greater Boston – an IMSLEC accredited program. Jennifer holds a Master of Science in Bilingual/Multicultural Education and TESOL, a Master of Science in Education, and is currently conducting her Cycle I research as a student in the Doctor of Education Program at Northeastern University. Jennifer's research considers how teacher preparation programs might better support pre-service candidates' social-emotional health to withstand the 'praxis shock' of moving from their program of study to the field. Prior to her work in education, Jennifer was an award-winning web marketing designer, working for organizations including the Boston Globe Online, Boston.com, and Digitas. Her first award was presented for her work on Dunkin Donuts' initial online Coolata campaign in 1998. She is seeking the opportunity to blend her teacher education experience and web design and development skills to support MACTE's professional community as the organization's Webmaster. |
WebMASTER |
BOARD MEMBErS FroM PUBLIC INSTITUtIONS
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Dr. Chrisstopher Clinton
University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth Founder of three different school programs: Pilot School, Charter School and Innovation School. Educator in K-12 for 24 years. Consultant work with the Massachusetts Elementary and Secondary Department of Education has resulted in the states development of the Candidate Assessment of Performance (CAP) and the Massachusetts Educator Evaluation System. He is currently serving the department as the Chair designee. |
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Barb Lucas
Westfield State University Barbara Lucas oversees the Teacher Preparation Program and Licensure Office at Westfield State University for the past 11 years. She is responsible for practicum placements for undergraduate, post-baccalaureate and graduate students as well as licensure endorsements for undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, and graduate students. She assists in development and delivery of training for pre-services candidates, Supervising Practitioners and Program Supervisors. In addition, Mrs. Lucas assists with state and national accreditation and data reporting. Prior to working in higher education, Mrs. Lucas worked in a variety of roles in PK-12 districts in Massachusetts. She has advanced degrees in Psychology and her interests include social-emotional learning and relationship building within Ed Prep programs.Barbara Lucas oversees the Teacher Preparation Program and Licensure Office at Westfield State University for the past 12 years. She is responsible for practicum placements for undergraduate, post-baccalaureate and graduate students as well as licensure endorsements for undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, and graduate students. She assists in development and delivery of training for pre-services candidates, Supervising Practitioners and Program Supervisors. In addition, Mrs. Lucas assists with state and national accreditation and data reporting. Prior to working in higher education, Mrs. Lucas worked in a variety of roles in PK-12 districts in Massachusetts. She has advanced degrees in Psychology and her interests include social-emotional learning and relationship building within Ed Prep programs. |
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Loretta Tomes
Massachusetts College of Art and Design Loretta Tomes (she/her) has been the Certification and Teaching Internship Specialist for Massachusetts College of Art and Design since 2018. In this role within the Art Education Department, she is licensure officer, student teaching placement coordinator and CAP Manager for MassArt’s baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate Visual Art educator preparation programs. She holds a Master’s of Leadership in Teaching for Special Education from College of Notre Dame of Maryland. Prior to coming to MassArt, she was a teacher and special educator/case manager in public and nonpublic special education schools - teaching visual art, functional life skills and woodworking. She is also professionally trained and experienced in mediation and meeting facilitation. |
BOARD MEMBERS FROM PRIVATE INStitUtIONS
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Valerie Annear
Springfield College Valerie J.C . Annear joined Springfield College in July 2022 as the Director of Educator Preparation and Licensure after a successful 25-year career in PK-12 Public Education. Ms. Annear earned her B.S. in Education and M.Ed. in Special Education from American International College and received her C.A.G.S. in Educational Leadership from UMASS-Amherst. Throughout her leadership tenure in public education, she supported new educators by designing induction and academic coaching models, educator evaluation systems, and leading curriculum implementation PK-12. She worked for Holyoke Public Schools as the Chief Instructional Officer, East Longmeadow Public Schools as the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction, and the Springfield Public Schools as a special education teacher and as a district-level leader. She has presented nationally for the Wallace Foundation on supporting urban leadership development and at the National Literacy Conference on implementing district-wide literacy improvement efforts. Ms. Annear is a strong advocate for best practices in educator preparation, licensure, and induction. |
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Dr. Shannon Dillard
Elms College Shannon Dillard is an Associate Professor of Education at Elms College. She is a former middle school math and science teacher who received her B.A. from Smith College, and her M.Ed. and Ed.D. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She teaches a variety of methods and content courses at the Elms, but her primary interest is in the teaching and learning of elementary mathematics. She has extensive experience as a curriculum developer, practicum director, and program supervisor. |
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Michelle LeBlanc
Curry College Michelle LeBlanc is currently a full-time faculty member, Department Chair, Licensure Officer and Director of Field Placement at Curry College. She has been a member of the Curry College faculty since 2001, starting first as a program supervisor and part-time instructor. She completed her bachelor’s degree and teacher preparation program at U-MASS Amherst in Early Childhood Education. She earned an MED from Curry College, and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies from Northeastern University. Her professional interests focus on program evaluation, teacher candidate performance and the alignment to evaluation criteria, building readiness in teacher candidates through multiple field experiences and developing the evaluation skills of supervising practitioners and program supervisors. In her current positions, she oversees programs in Education at the undergraduate and graduate levels including Early Childhood Education, Elementary Ed, Moderate Disabilities, Principal/Asst. Principal, Supervisor/ Director, Early Education and Care, Community Education and Out-Of-School Time Education. In addition to teaching and serving as Licensure Officer, she coordinates teacher candidate placements at the College’s off-site campus, develops materials and supports for practicum and pre-practicum experiences, and works on developing relationships with area schools and administrators. She has served on multiple ESE task forces including the Teacher Performance Assessment Taskforce in 2014, in addition to serving as a program reviewer for teacher preparation programs across the state. Over the past year, she has presented with ESE staff on the topic of building CAP into pre-practicum experiences as a basis for building readiness for the practicum. |
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Dr. Deb Patterson
Western New England University [email protected] Deb Patterson is currently full professor and department chair of the education department at Western New England University. She has been a member of the WNE faculty since 1998. She completed her doctorate at UMass Amherst in 1998, with a dissertation focused on using children’s literature to teach math. While a doctoral student she served as field coordinator for the undergraduate teacher education program, ran the support seminar for university supervisors in the field, taught methods courses and taught several courses at the graduate level. She has served on the NEERO board (New England Educational Research Organization) for the past eight years. Most recently she collaborated with other educators and community members to design and implement a parent literacy program, Baby and Me, in the Amherst area. Baby and Me is celebrating its first year of serving families with home visits, free books, and a weekly parenting program. |
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Dr. Raphael Rogers
Clark University Dr. Rogers teaches a variety of courses in Education including Exploring the Power of Youth Knowledge and Activism in the Struggle for Equity Justice in Urban Contexts, Graphic Novels in the Classroom, Multicultural Children’s and Young Adult Literature, Racism and Educational Inequality in the Lives of Youth in Urban Schools, Teaching and Learning, and Ways of Knowing History. He is the author of The Representation of Slavery in Children’s Picture Books: Teaching and Learning About Slavery in K-12 Classrooms (2018) and the forthcoming Representing Black Girl Magic with Contemporary Picture Books (2023). He also has book chapters in Partnership and Powerful Teacher Education (2019) and Frontiers in American Children's Literature (2016). Rogers has collaborated with other Massachusetts educators to create culturally responsive teaching resources for the state’s Department of Education. He is also a member of one of Ed prep advisory groups working on enhancing the program approval process using an anti-racism lens. |
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THERESA SMITH
Merrimack College Theresa Smith is the Director of Field Placement and Licensure in the Winston School of Education and Social Policy at Merrimack College, North Andover. She has worked in educator preparation for several years. She completed her Master of Arts in Teaching History at Salem State University. In her position at Merrimack College she works closely with the Education faculty and staff promoting licensure initiatives through the college’s on-campus and online programs |