Susan A. Collins
Tanya Odom
Tanya Odom is a consultant, facilitator, trainer, teacher and speaker. She has conducted hundreds of workshops for adults and youth around the United States and the world on: Diversity Education, Human Rights Education, Intercultural Awareness, Teambuilding, Hate Crime Prevention, Conflict Management, Educational Equity, Girls' Leadership Development, Youth Engagement, and Parental-Community Involvement. Tanya has worked on issues of educational reform, standards and equity, bilingual education, and overall school and district improvement efforts. She has created curriculum and professional development for educators dealing with issues of changing communities, tolerance, equity and the creation of "caring and learning classrooms." She is skilled in many active, participative, and experiential learning methods. Some of her special training has included: being trained as a coach by the Center for Creative Leadership, and training in the Difficult Conversations methodology. Tanya is the co-author of Evaluation in the Field of Education for Democracy, Human Rights and Tolerance. Tanya also works with corporations in the United States and Europe in their efforts to address diversity issues and create sustainable change in organizations. She has worked with such clients as Starbucks, Microsoft, JPMORGAN CHASE, NYSE, American Express, and Johnson and Johnson. She is fluent in Spanish. Special Areas of Focus: New School Initiatives/Diversity and Inclusion/Teambuilding
Lillian C. Montalbano
A retired Assistant Principal Security and Assistant Principal Organization, Lillian Montalbano also served in the NYC public school system as a teacher, coach, Coordinator of Student Activities (COSA) and Transportation Coordinator. During her thirty-two year career in the NYC Department of Education she received The Brooklyn and Staten Island High Schools Outstanding Administrator Recognition Award, The NYC Police Department (NYPD) Certificate of Appreciation and The Division of School Safety Certificate of Appreciation. Additionally, Lillian serves as the Managing Director of PCM Associates.
Special Areas of Focus: School Safety and Security/Administration/Organization
Darryl Ordell
Darryl Ordell is trained in many interactive and creative training methods that are participant focused and designed to maximize energy and involvement. As a performer he has tremendous experience with a variety of different populations and learning tools and has worked with schools in and around the country developing programs to help students with the difficult transition from middle school to high school. Darryl has also conducted hundreds of successful diversity and conflict resolution trainings for teachers, counselors and other school personnel.
Special Areas of Focus: Middle School Initiatives/Conflict Resolution and Diversity
Tami L.Farber, MSW
Tami L. Farber brings you more than twenty years of experience working in the US and internationally in child and youth development, education and organizing for national and international government and non-governmental organizations, schools and the for-profit sector. Tami has extensive experience in the development and implementation of programs, curriculums, and building community partnerships, development of training materials and facilitating learning sessions for the global educational and social welfare community. She has a wealth of experience working with urban and rural communities, children with special needs, and refugee/immigrant populations. Tami is a dynamic trainer, educator and organizer and uses an experiential learning approach ensuring 100% engagement in all of her workshops. Special Areas of Focus: Diversity and Intercultural Education, Mediation and Conflict Resolution, Advisory Programs, Collaboration and Community Partnerships, Peer Leadership, Program Evaluation, After School Programming
Jared Robinson
Jared Robinson combines his national and international background in improvisational theater with his experience as an educator to design and deliver workshops in communication skills, conflict resolution, and teambuilding. His unique approach to teaching and learning has earned him recognition for designing and delivering student and adult workshops that are customized to meet the needs of all learners. Jared has had great success with students who face special academic and social/emotional challenges; engaging students by encouraging and mentoring them as they create, write and perform their own plays. An experienced facilitator, he holds a B.A. degree in Communication from the University of Tennessee and is a graduate of the Second City Conservatory in Chicago. Special Areas of Focus: Diversity and Intercultural Education, Youth Development, Interactive Theatre.
Cynthia Darvin Vega
Cynthia Darvin Vega worked for the NYC Department of Education for sixteen years as a teacher and supervisor of English, ESL and History and is a writer and co-founder of a proposal that resulted in the creation of a new and innovative NYC public school. Cynthia brings her knowledge and experience in effective instruction, curriculum design, and classroom management to all of her highly interactive workshops. As a coach/mentor she provides teachers at all stages of their professional career with the opportunity for individual growth and development. Special Areas of Focus: Coaching and Mentoring, Developing Smaller Learning Communities, Team Building, Literacy, Conflict Resolution, Classroom Management, and Building Culturally Responsive Educational Organizations.
Jason Gerald
Jason Gerald is a native New Yorker, and a 27 year veteran of the NYPD. During his career, Jason served in the Midtown Precinct South as a primary training instructor and coordinator of training for over four-hundred and fifty employees, and at the Police Academy where he provided state-certified instruction in various police-related subjects. Jason holds a B.A. from John Jay College and a Masters in Public Administration from the JFK School of Government. Jason has built on his experience and expertise to design and deliver highly interactive workshops to students, parents, and school staff on topics that foster better relationships among the members of the many communities that make up NYC. Special Areas of Focus: Community Relations, Violence Prevention, Conflict Resolution, Gang Activity, and Respect for Diversity.
Steve Dansiger
Steve Dansiger, M.A., started out in the NYC Department of Education as a high school English teacher, becoming a diversity trainer after the Crown Heights riots broke out a block away from his school. Since his 1991 involvement in the healing in that neighborhood, Mr. Dansiger has worked internationally as a trainer, educator, and therapist in the fields of diversity, multicultural education, leadership, conflict resolution, stress and time management, substance abuse education, prejudice reduction, anger management and teambuilding. Special Areas of Focus: Conflict Resolution/Diversity/Teambuilding
Verna Lauria
Verna Lauria's more than 30 years of experience in the NYC public school system includes serving as an Assistant Principal Pupil Personnel Services, District Executive Assistant Pupil Personnel Services, and Regional Director for Student Placement Youth and Family Support Services . Verna has been recognized citywide (Overcoming Obstacles Educator of the Year Award and United Activities Unlimited Educator of the Year Award) for her expertise in the field of student support services and for taking a leadership role in developing borough wide task forces which brought together schools, school safety, the NYPD and the District Attorney's office to identify and address common challenges. Special Areas of Focus: Student Support Services /Guidance /School Safety and Security
Herb Hogan
Herb Hogan is a highly accomplished educational administrator with extensive experience on the junior high school, high school and district office level. A former Principal of a campus school and Assistant Principal Guidance, he is recognized as a results oriented, decisive leader with proven success in student support, academic programs and problem solving. Herb was honored as an Outstanding Educator of the Year by the NYC Department of Education for his work as a mentor and coach to new and aspiring teachers, assistant principals and principals. Special Areas of Focus: Administration/Student Support/Middle and Junior High Schools/Campus Schools
Shadia Marji
Shadia Marji isan experienced trainer, educator, activist, consultant, and social worker. She is renowned for her interactive trainings ongender, identity, diversity/cultural competency, human rights, social work withgroups, community organizing, leadership development, team building and facilitation withyouth and adults in both schools and non profits in NYC. She has worked in the youth development field for over 9 years and is committed to partnering with youth for social change. Special Areas of Focus: Diversity, Gender Issues, Youth Development, Facilitation, Teambuilding, Community Organizing and Creative Engagement
Linda Trabman
Linda Trabman, Ph.D., is recognized citywide for her expertise and experience as an educator and dean of discipline. Linda presently supervises and mentors aspiring teachers in the areas of classroom management and cultural competency skills at major colleges in the NYC Metropolitan area and works with the NYC Department of Education in the areas of conflict resolution and violence prevention. Linda is a Certified Mediation and Negotiation Specialist and Diversity Trainer and has designed and taught classes in these areas to students, staff and parents for over twenty years. Special Areas of Focus: Conflict Resolution/Classroom Management /Diversity/School Safety and Security
Dawn Rannie-White
Dawn Rannie-White, M.S., is a dynamic consultant, trainer and facilitator and who brings more than 20 years experience effectively working with at-risk youth in urban settings. She is highly skilled in providing focused, interactive and experiential training experiences to all members of the school community. Dawn has extensive experience in developing and implementing curricula and facilitating trainings in the areas of conflict resolution, behavior management, facilitation, communication skills, anger management and parent education. Special Areas of Focus: Conflict Resolution/Anger Management/Communication Skills/Meeting Facilitation
Judith R. Gerstman
Judith R. Gerstman has had an extensive career in the NYC Department of Education as a teacher, guidance counselor, Director of Student Support Services and as Regional Administrator of School Based Programs. As Director of Student Support Services, and part of the Community Superintendent's cabinet, Judith developed partnerships with numerous mental health agencies. Through workshops and school visitations, Judith provided guidance counselors, administrators and pedagogues in elementary and middle schools with the skills and knowledge to more fully address the social, emotional and intellectual needs of the child. Judith has established a citywide reputation as an extremely professional and effective educator and leader. Special Areas of Focus: Elementary and Middle School Student Support Services/Guidance
Catherine Kalina
Catherine Kalina is a retired high school principal who served diverse populations in New York City and its surrounding suburbs for ten years. As an adjunct professor of education at St. John’s University and Queens College CUNY she has brought her thirty years experience in effective instruction, curriculum design and classroom management to the supervision of student teachers and teaching fellows. Special Areas of Focus: Coaching and Mentoring, Developing Smaller Learning Communities, Team Building, Data Mining, Strategic Instructional Planning, Resource Management, School Safety, Conflict Resolution, Classroom Management and Building Culturally Responsive Organizations.
Michele Luc
Michele Luc is an experienced facilitator and consultant who began her career as an HIV/AIDS educator and safer sex trainer. For 11 years, she worked as a trainer and Director of Training at Global Kids, Inc, where she developed curricula on social justice and international issues. She has co-coordinated gender-based programs for girls, facilitated peer-education programs, and conducted professional development for educators and youth organizations interested in experiential learning. In addition to working extensively in NYC, she has facilitated interactive workshops in Croatia, South Africa, and Haiti. Special Areas of Focus: Diversity & Cultural Sensitivity, Gender-based Programs, Global/international Issues, Using the Arts to Engage Youth and Adults
Joseph Michaels
Joe Michaels is a world class meeting facilitator who has planned and facilitated more then 600 meetings at the local, regional and international levels. He has been recognized as a "world class" meeting facilitator and selected by state and local governments to facilitate numerous challenging public forums. Joe has certificates in consensus building, mediation, informed consent, team building and conflict resolution. Joe has facilitated workshops on the skills needed to conduct effective meeting and meeting facilitation skills throughout the country. Special Areas of Focus: Meeting Facilitation/Effective Meetings/Teambuilding
Joan Grossman
Joan Grossman was a public school elementary teacher in Concord, MA for thirty years. She also studied, taught and provided professional development to her colleagues in the areas of conflict resolution, cooperative learning and equity awareness issues. She subsequently wrote manuals and facilitated workshops throughout the United States to K-12 educators and administrators, parents, students and librarians on these topics. Joan has served as a mentor and coach for elementary school student teachers and future administrators and teaches two courses, Issues in Schooling and Family, Community and School at the undergraduate and graduate school level.
Special Areas of Focus: Elementary Education/Conflict Resolution/Diversity
Maureen Bruschi
Maureen Bruschi brings a strong business background to PCM Associates with more than 20 years of AT&T Human Resources experience, including organizational planning and development, change management, leadership development, coaching, team and meeting facilitation, performance management, career management, and employee communications/relations. Maureen holds an M.B.A. in Management from Hofstra University. She has been recognized nationally and internationally for her ability to work in ambiguous, unstructured environments during conceptual stages of projects and her strong written and verbal communications skills, outstanding project management abilities and organizational skills. Special Areas of Focus: Meeting Facilitation/Teambuilding
Eleanor O'Connor
Eleanor O'Connor is a retired NYC high school principal. She also served as a district Project Achieve Coordinator where under her leadership major improvements were made in attendance and the drop out rate decreased significantly, and as a district Supervisor of Guidance/Pupil Personnel where she was recognized for the support she provided principals and assistant principals. Upon retirement Eleanor mentored principals in IMPACT schools. Under her guidance, these schools made significant reductions in the number of criminal occurrences and infractions. She is now actively involved in school reform and the creation of small schools in urban schools in New Jersey.
Special Areas of Focus: Student Support Services/ Principal Support/Small School Reform
Sonja Nadritch
Sonja Nadritch served as a school based multicultural coordinator in the NYC public school system for more than thirty years. During her tenure she was recognized by her school and community for training students as peer leaders/facilitators and organizing and implementing programs to enable young people to visit classrooms to teach lessons that promote tolerance for and delivering professional development to staff on topics including Developing a Student Centered Classroom and Infusing Respect for Cultural Diversity into the Curriculum.
Special Areas of Focus: Diversity and Inclusion/Peer Leadership
Jean Weber
A retired NYC public school guidance counselor, Jean was selected Guidance Counselor of the Year for her district. Jean also served as her schools' Mediation and Negotiation Specialist, Multicultural Coordinator, and PM Coordinator of Violence Prevention for students, parents and staff. She was also a member of the district Crisis Response Training Team, an onsite trainer for the Anti-Defamation League World of Difference ProgramŽ, and specialized in developing peer educator programs that outreached to elementary and middle schools to facilitate a smooth transition of students to the high school world. Special Areas of Focus: Student Support Services/Diversity and Inclusion/Conflict Resolution
