Meet our Team
Our Advisory Board
NELRC is directed by the needs and priorities identified by the board. Each state team is entitled to four voting seats filled by the state ABE director, professional development, and practitioner representatives.
Connecticut
Susan Pierson – Connecticut State Department of Education
Anthony (Tony) Sebastiano – EdAdvance
Aileen Halloran – Adult Training & Development Network of Capitol Region Education Council
Svetlana Grishtaev-Smith – VRABE Regional Adult Based Education
Kristin Hempel – EASTCONN
Maine
Thelma Regan – Piscataquis Valley Adult Ed Cooperative
Massachusetts
Wyvonne Stevens-Carter – Massachusetts Dept of Elementary & Secondary Ed
Lisa Cook – Somerville Center for Adult Learning Experiences (SCALE)
Victor Tavares – SER Jobs for Progress
Luanne Teller – World Education, Inc.
New Hampshire
Sarah Bennett – NH Department of Education
Deanna Strand – Dover Adult Learning Center
Ginette Chandler – Second Start
Lauren Osowski – Nashua Adult Learning Center
Rhode Island
Patricia Bellart – Mentor Inc. dba RIRAL
Joan Ford – Community College of Rhode Island
Jill Holloway – The Governor’s Workforce Board
Philip Less – Rhode Island Dept of Elementary & Secondary Ed
Karisa Tashjian – Rhode Island Family Literacy Initiative/ALLAccess
Vermont
Robin Castle – Vermont Agency of Education
Peter Fish – The Tutorial Center, Inc.
Hal Cohen – Vermont Adult Learning
Carol Shults-Perkins – Central Vermont Adult Basic Education, Inc.
Michelle Tarryk – Northeast Kingdom Learning Services
The Change Agent Magazine
The Change Agent provides socially relevant content, powerful student writing that inspires discussion, and ready-to-use, CCR-aligned lesson plans – all oriented toward a multi-level audience.