Shira M. Cohen-Goldberg, Ed.M. is currently the Director of Product Development at the HILL for Literacy, Inc. She received a BA from Barnard College, Columbia University in English and Education, a certificate in Program Planning, Management, Monitoring and Evaluation from Boston University and an Ed.M. in Language and Literacy from Harvard Graduate School of Education. Prior to working at the HILL, she was a Literacy Coach in Chelsea, MA. She also served as a Reading First Implementation Facilitator for the Massachusetts Department of Education, and a classroom teacher in New York City and California. Ms. Cohen-Goldberg’s interests include facilitating vocabulary development, working with English Language Learners, and the whole-school change process.

Cara Dellaterra is currently a facilitator at HILL for Literacy, Inc. She received a BA from Merrimack College in Elementary Education and Psychology. Currently she is serving as the Boston-based Data Collection Manager for a Goal 3 IES Grant-Enhancing Core Reading Instruction (ECRI) for the University of Oregon. Prior to working at the HILL, she was a second grade teacher in a school system with diverse needs. She has also held positions incorporating technology into education and working with high needs students.  Cara’s research interests include facilitating effective literacy instruction, working with English Language Learners, and the whole-school change process.

Tera B. Dunn, M.Ed., CAGS is a HILL facilitator who works primarily with our Connecticut K-3 Literacy Initiative. She has a B.A. in Communication Sciences from the University of Connecticut, an M.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Hartford, and a Sixth Year Degree in Educational Leadership from Southern Connecticut State University. Previously she’s worked as a Teacher, Literacy Interventionist, Paraeducator, and Director of Curriculum Development. She’s also the co-author of three children’s books and the accompanying interdisciplinary lessons.

Jennifer Borden Fleischmann, CAGS  is currently a Facilitator at HILL for Literacy, Inc. She received her undergraduate degree from Stonehill College and her Master’s Degree from Tufts University where she had the opportunity to work at the Center for Reading and Language Research.  She went on to earn an advanced degree in Educational Leadership.  Early in her career as an educator, she developed a passion for early intervention and prevention of reading disabilities.  She has worked as a Reading Specialist, Literacy Coordinator and Educational Consultant.  She has led teams, schools and districts in initiatives that focus on effective utilization of data, implementation of high quality reading instruction and multi-tiered systems of support.  She has worked at the state level in Massachusetts, providing professional development to teachers through BayState Readers and Reading First as well as serving on the team supporting the development of the recent Mass Literacy initiative.

Jenna Gampel received her undergraduate degree from Northeastern University, and her Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Literacy from Lesley University in 2010. She worked as a Master Teacher in 1st, 2nd, and 4th grade at Conservatory Lab Charter School in Boston for seven years, as well as the Teacher Induction Coach and Director of Professional Development for Conservatory Lab and the Transformational Literacy Project. Jenna is passionate about the power of creating high quality work with students. Her work and classroom are featured in an Expeditionary Learning professional development video series entitled: “Inspiring Excellence: A Culture of Quality in Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, in the Arts, and in Science.” Her work is also featured in the book, “Transformational Literacy.” Jenna is a frequent presenter at Expeditionary Learning conferences and Harvard’s Arts and Passion Driven Learning Conferences. In 2013 and 2015, Jenna was a finalist for Expeditionary Learning’s Klingenstein Teacher award. She was also 1 of 5 finalists for Massachusetts Teacher of the Year in 2014.

Cherie Kent, Ed.M is a facilitator at the HILL for Literacy, Inc. She comes to the HILL with more than twenty-five years of experience as an educator. The sixteen years she spent as a classroom teacher, primarily in Worcester Public Schools, enabled her to develop a deep understanding of teaching and learning, data driven instruction within an RTI model, as well as school and classroom culture. These experiences, along with her love of teaching and learning, has translated into her ability to develop strong, working relationships with teachers and administrators that allow for them to work collaboratively in order to facilitate positive change within the organizations in which she worked. For ten years, she worked in a few suburban communities as literacy coach, curriculum and instruction leader, data coach, and reading specialist. Beyond that, Cherie spent a year as a consultant for the Early Grades Literacy Grant through DESE, and most recently as the Director of Literacy and Title I for the Wachusett Regional School District. Through her work, Cherie has planned and presented professional development, lead team meetings and data meetings, modeled best practices in classrooms and participated in opportunities to support teachers with individualized coaching as needed. Her hope is that, through her work, she will continue to support teachers and administrators in a way that empowers them to become the leaders in literacy and instruction within their organizations. Cherie lives in Central Massachusetts with her husband, two youngest children, and her two dogs.

Kaitlin M. Leonard, Ph.D. received a BA in elementary education and special education from Providence College. She also received a Masters of Education from Fitchburg State University. Currently, she is serving as an external literacy coach for Connecticut Kindergarten through grade 3 Literacy Initiative (CK3LI). The initiative is part of the CT Education Reform that supports schools in implementing research-grounded practices to improve the reading abilities of children in kindergarten through third grade. In addition, Kaitlin served as an expert literacy coach for an IES Grant, Enhancing Core Reading Instruction, for the University of Oregon. She is presently one of the HILL trainers for the Enhanced Core Reading Instruction Workshop. Previously, Kaitlin worked as a special education teacher and classroom teacher in a school district that served as a model for RTI and the Scott Foresman Reading Street Program. She was also involved in the HILL school-wide literacy change first-hand as a teacher and witnessed the benefits. Her interests include aiding schools to implement effective core literacy programs and instruction, and facilitating a school-wide literacy change.

Diana Malkin, M.Ed., CAGS has worked in public education for over 20 years, with experience at all levels, from Kindergarten through Post-secondary settings. She earned a BA in Visual Arts from UC San Diego, an M.Ed. in Bilingual Special Education with a concentration in Learning Disabilities from the University of Texas at Austin, and an M.Ed./CAGS in School Psychology from Worcester State University. She has been a general educator, special educator, school leader, and school psychologist at various grade levels. Diana has taught graduate level courses in Literacy and Assessment. For many years, Diana led a team of educators that designed implementation models, provided PD to teachers and administrators, and monitored the implementation of schoolwide programs in special education and student support for urban, suburban, and rural school change projects across the country and in the UK. She also worked with school systems in MA, CT, and NY to design, execute, and sustain research-based models of continuous literacy improvement through a multi-tiered system of support. She is also a Nationally Certified School Psychologist. 

Kelly Soule MA, CAGS is a HILL Facilitator who works primarily with our Connecticut K-3 Literacy Initiative. She received her M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Connecticut and also holds a C.A.G.S. in Reading and Language Development from Fairfield University. She has teaching experience in both the US and the UK, and is trained in Orton-Gillingham, Enhanced Core Reading Instruction, Journeys, and Reading Street programs.

Michelle Taylor, M.Ed., is a Facilitator with HILL for Literacy.  In her current role Michelle supports districts to implement systems, structures and practices that lead to improved reading outcomes for students.  Michelle graduated from Wheelock College with her Bachelor’s in Human Development with a concentration in Early Childhood Education in 1999.  After teaching first grade for many years, in 2008 Michelle earned her Master’s degree in Reading from Salem State.  As a Reading Specialist Michelle provided reading intervention services for students in grades K-5.  Michelle’s passion for high quality reading instruction lead her to become a district ELA Coordinator which afforded her the opportunity to launch the Makepeace Literacy Leadership Center, a partnership with Carver Public Schools, A.D. Makepeace Co. and HILL for Literacy.  Through the Makepeace Center Michelle organized professional outreach and development opportunities for Reading Specialists across the South Shore of Massachusetts. 

Lisa Ziobron, M.A., is a HILL Facilitator who works primarily with our Connecticut K-3 Literacy Initiative. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education from Central Connecticut State University and her Master of Arts Degree in Reading and Language: Elementary from University of Saint Joseph. Lisa has worked as a special educator, classroom teacher, paraprofessional, and reading interventionist. Her interests include applied behavioral analysis training with autistic children and learning new teaching strategies.

Chris Moore has spent most of his career helping fortune 100 companies leverage marketing technology to create personalized, long-term relationships with their customers. His focus has always been to ensure that business outcomes are well defined and quantified, and that operations are executed to meet expectations. Chris has held leadership roles in client services for both start up and large corporations.  In 2017, Chris joined the HILL to repurpose digital marketing tools and tactics into a HILL solution that can help transform early literacy education. He is an advocate for public education and wholly supports the notion that education is the great equalizer.

MarcyKate Connolly is the Marketing Director at HILL for Literacy. She has a B.A. from Hampshire College in Music & Literature, and a M.S. in Arts Administration from Boston University. Her past experience includes marketing roles at the Phoenix Symphony, ArtsEmerson, and the Palace Theatre, and as executive director of Opera NH. MarcyKate is also a New York Times bestselling childrens’ book author of middle grade and young adult fantasy novels. You can learn more on her website, MarcyKate.com.

Megan Lanoue is the Tech Support Specialist & Research Coordinator at the HILL and manages research project logistics and provides support to state, district, and school projects. She has BA in Social Communications from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Prior to coming to the HILL, she worked in the for-profit sector in the areas of logistics and operations management and customer support.