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Nancy Proulx, Director
508.626.4034
nproulx@framingham.edu
Vanessa Cavallaro graduated from Fairfield University with a Bachelors Degree in English Writing and Communication. Vanessa completed her undergraduate nutrition requirements at Framingham State University and then attended Tufts Medical Center and Tufts University for her dietetic internship and graduate work in Nutrition and Nutrition Communication.
Vanessa is registered as a Licensed Dietitian (RD/LDN). In addition to teaching online, Vanessa has taught nutrition at Emerson College, and has led workshops and trainings around the country for a variety of audiences, including teachers and other school staff. For a decade Vanessa has worked on childhood obesity prevention both in MA and nationally for the MA Department of Public Health, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and Action for Healthy Kids.
She currently lives just outside of Seattle, WA and works for the Nestle Infant Nutrition/Gerber Products Company on their Start Healthy Stay Healthy program.
Kim Cochrane
Kim Cochrane holds a Certificate in Advanced Graduate Studies in Educational Leadership from Salem State University, a Master of Library Science from Simmons College, and a BA from Middlebury College in American Studies. Kim is the Curriculum Librarian at Framingham State University; she specializes in preK-12 curriculum, children’s literature, and educational technology. She was instrumental in developing the NASA Educator Resource Center at Framingham State, which opened in the fall of 2011.
Kim loves to be outdoors, and to sail whenever possible. Her two Bernese Mountain Dogs, keep Kim and her husband busy (vacuuming dog hair!).
Tina Cortis
Tina Cortis received a Masters in Education Technology from Lesley University in 2003 and a BA in English and Elementary Education from UMASS Amherst in 2001. Before having triplets in 2006, she taught 5th grade, 6th grade, and K-5 Technology for the Stoughton Public Schools. She has been teaching online technology courses for the Norfolk County Teachers Association since the summer 2010. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Tim; children, Michael, Isabella and Ava and puppy, Tripper; hiking, gardening, reading on her Kindle, as well as, hosting parties for friends and families in our home.
Allison Doak
Alison is a Registered Dietitian and Nutrition Educator. She graduated from Colby College, and earned a Master's of Science in Food and Nutrition from Framingham State University. Alison provides nutrition education in a variety of settings, including the classroom, the web, and in individual counseling with families. She also provides workshops and nutrition consulting services to schools and other organizations working to promote childhood nutrition and employee wellness. Alison enjoys spending time with her husband and two young children, whom she is already teaching to cook!
Mary Ellen Dubois
Mary Ellen DuBois graduate from Regis College in 1991 with a Bachelors Degree in Mathematics. Her advanced educational work includes a Masters in Education from Curry College, and a Masters in Curriculum Instruction and Technology from Framingham State University. Before Mary Ellen started teaching for Framingham State University online in September 2000, she taught seventh grade mathematics for 6 years.
Dr. Evgenija Garbolevsky
Evgenija Garbolevsky has received her BA in History in 2003 from Framingham State University. In 2004, she received her MA in Gender Studies and Comparative History and in 2011 her Ph.D. from Brandeis University. She was awarded the IREX Fellowship to live and research in Bulgaria in 2006-2007. She has published several scholarly articles and presented her work at conferences, such as “The Conferences of Popular Culture” in San Francisco. She is the author of the article “Voices from the Edge: Caught between the Madonna and the Whore – The Representation of the Prostitute in Modern Italian Cinema” presented at a conference of the National Center for Curriculum Transformation Resources on Women “Turkey at the Crossroads: Women, Women’s Studies, and the State” in Istanbul and Bodrum, Turkey, 2005.
She is the author of the books "A Church Ossified? Repression and Resurgence of Bulgarian Orthodoxy, 1944-1956.” Sofia: Asconi-Izdat, 2005 and “The Conformists: Creativity and Decadence in the Bulgarian Cinema 1945-1989” Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2011. She is the co-editor of "Russian-Jewish Emigrants after the Cold War: Perspectives from Germany, Israel, Canada, and the United States" Waltham, MA: Brandeis University (The Center for German and European Studies): 2006. Since 2005, she teaches European, World, and Women’s History at Framingham State University.
Dr. Patricia Hamblett
Dr. Hamblett is an educator who has worked as a classroom teacher, math/science resource specialist, and district curriculum coordinator. Her areas of expertise include curriculum development, instructional practice strategies, and effective assessment practices. She is currently an adjunct professor at Framingham State University and collaborates on a variety of professional development projects.
Christanne Harrison
Christanne Smith Harrison has a bachelor’s degree in Dietetics from Brigham Young University and a Masters in Public Health from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She worked as an out-patient dietitian in a migrant health center in Arizona and then as the Nutrition Training and Outreach Coordinator at the Massachusetts Department of Education. She organized training for school personnel on nutrition and food service topics.
Ms. Harrison currently works as a school nutrition consultant and teaches online graduate courses. She enjoys developing and presenting training for professionals that work in schools and child care.
Denise Hobby
Denise earned a Bachelor’s degree in Consumer Sciences and a
Masters of Education in Nutrition Education from Framingham State
University. Denise teaches Computers in Nutrition Education as well as
professional development online trainings for a variety of audiences. She also
provides nutrition education and healthy cooking techniques training for
clients, childcare providers, parents and teachers.
Dr. Lorretta Holloway
Dr. Lorretta M. Holloway is an Associate Professor of English at Framingham State University. She has a B.A. from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, a M.A. from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and a Ph.D. in 19th-century literature from the University of Kansas. She specializes in 19th-century British literature but also teaches freshman writing courses as well as courses on women writers, drama, and children's literature. Her K-16 work includes creating and teaching a professional development course on teaching gifted and advanced learners K-8, participating in the group invited to compare the Common Core to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, joining a six-member team to represent Massachusetts in a convening of the governing states of the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC), and serving on the state’s Gifted and Talented Advisory Council. She created and organizes both “Conversations”: FSU’s Secondary and Post-Secondary Initiative (where high school and college faculty discuss student transition issues and gaps between high school and college expectations) and FSU’s College Readiness for Parents program. Currently, she serves as vice-chair of the Worcester Education Collaborative, a local education fund.
Nadine Lynn Johnstone
Nadine Lynn Johnstone teaches at Framingham State University, Dean College, and Grub Street Inc. She received her MFA in creative writing from Columbia College Chicago and is working on the revision of her novel, Distance. Nadine has been published in The Drum, Chicago magazine, and Hair Trigger, among other publications. She has worked in all aspects of writing: as a literary magazine editor, newspaper and magazine reporter, fiction contest judge, story performer, and creative writing instructor.
Beverly Luskin
Beverly Luskin has twenty-seven years experience in private and public schools as a college visiting senior lecturer and full-time temporary instructor, principal, K-5 curriculum coordinator, math and science supervisor, classroom teacher, and reading specialist. She has fourteen years experience as a consultant and instructor for the AIMS Education Foundation, conducting teacher workshops throughout the U.S. for math and science in the elementary classroom. She has aslo created and facilitated online courses in Poetry in the Elementary Classroom, Integrating Reading and Writing Strategies, Writer's Workshop in the Classroom, Interactive Reading and Math, and Children’s Literature in the Elementary Classroom.
Ms. Luskin is currently a visiting senior lecturer at Framingham State University teaching Early Childhood and Elementary Student Teaching Supervision, Integrating the Language Arts, and Literacy Instruction for Diverse Learners.
Heather Macpherson
Heather Macpherson graduated from Regis College in 2000 with a Bachelors Degree in English. She also has a Master’s in Education from Salem State College. She is a high school media specialist, and has worked in education for nine years. Heather hopes to pursue a second masters in English. She also teaches graduate level coursework for Norfolk County Teachers Association.
Aimee McAlpine
Aimee holds an EdM from Harvard University and a BA from Emmanuel College, both degrees in education. Her professional work began as an elementary teacher in the Brockton Public Schools. In addition to her work as an elementary classroom teacher, she has worked as a technology curriculum specialist, professional development trainer, college instructor, and instructional designer. Currently, she is the Coordinator of Instructional technology at Massasoit Community College.
Deeply rooted in her educational philosophy is the belief that technology is an essential tool in all aspects of teaching and learning. She also believes it is her responsibility as a 21st century educator to provide students with the necessary skills, and exposure to tools, that will ensure their success in the digital age and beyond. Aimee enjoys working with teachers to support their skill development in the area of technology as a means of enhancing teaching and learning in classrooms.
Karen McGrail
Karen McGrail is a registered (RD) and Licensed Dietitian (LDN). She teaches a variety of graduate and undergraduate courses at the University, including Introduction to Nutrition Practice, Computer Applications in Nutrition, Pediatric Nutrition, and Computers in Nutrition Education. Her areas of specialty include pediatrics, technology and nutrition education.
Dr. Deborah Merriam
Dr. Deb Merriam worked with students in grades K-12 in both general education and special education, served as a school guidance counselor, and as a student support team chair. A lifelong learner, she earned a post-doctoral M.Ed. in online learning and always looks forward to learning from her graduate students. A firm believer in student-centered learning with high standards and flexibility, Deb applies similar theory to practice strategies at the graduate level as she did with the youngsters in her care.
Joanne Najarian
Joanne Najarian graduated from Lesley University with a Master of Education in Technology in Education. Before entering the world of teaching Joanne worked as a computer programmer and web designer. Her professional work began as a technology curriculum coordinator for a private school in Watertown, MA. In addition to her work as an elementary classroom teacher, she has worked as an instructional technology specialist, professional development trainer, and online instructor. Currently, she is the Elementary Technology Integration Coordinator for the Hopkinton Public Schools.
Robin Robinson
Robin Robinson is the Director of Education Technology and Support at Framingham State University (FSU), where she has worked since 2002. Robin and her staff support students, faculty and staff in their use of technology in the teaching and learning environment. Robin is the co-facilitator of the FSU Quality Matters course design initiative and currently co-chairs the Mobile Task Force with the Director of User Services. Robin is the co-NERCOMP Blackboard Sig Master, FSU liaison to Mass Colleges Online (MCO) and has been an active participant in the annual MCO e-Learning Best Practice conference. Robin was the Director of Distance Education prior to her promotion in the fall of 2010 to her current position. Robin earned a Master's degree in Technical and Professional Writing from Northeastern University in Boston, and worked in Publishing before coming to the University.
Dr. Edward F. Sacco
Dr. Sacco is a former Reading Specialist, Director of Reading and Language Arts, a Curriculum Director and an Assistant Superintendent who took an early retirement from public school education. He has a B.S. in English, a Masters in Reading, a CAGS in Administration from Northeastern University and a Doctorate in Language and Literacy from UMass. He currently teaches graduate courses in Literacy and Language Arts both on campus and online, plus supervises practicum and student teachers at FSC, and has also taught at Emmanuel College, Lesley University and other local colleges. Dr. Sacco's research interests include online instruction, secondary school reading and study skills, and struggling readers.
Clair Waterbury
Clair Waterbury is the Instructional Technologist at Framingham State University. As a part of the Education Technology team at FSU she assists faculty, students and staff in the use of current technologies, as well as, researching and developing new ways to integrate technology into the teaching and learning environment. Most recently Clair has been leading an iPad pilot study with a biology professor; the research study focuses on Mobile Technology, eTextbooks and the impact they have on learning and student engagement. Clair has her Master's in Instructional Technology and taught in the K-5 school system for three years. Clair has had the pleasure of being a part of a program sponsored by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology “Let’s Make Movies” camp for over four years. She assisted with researching, developing and teaching movie making skills to students in grades 3-12 attending the camp.
In her spare time, Clair enjoys spending time with her husband and being a new mom. She also enjoys reading, running, watch old movies and listening to music and spending time with family and friends.
Bill Wolfson
Bill Wolfson, is a founder and principle of Engineering Lens. His passion is about creating excitement and joy in life long learning experiences.
Bill is an electrical engineer with a BSEE from Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn and a Master’s degree from Trinity College in science. He is a founder and principle of Engineering Lens that is creating a program to excite children about learning through an interdisciplinary approach with engineering and thinking skills. He is currently collaborating with the CEEO group of Tufts University on a NSF research grant about this topic.
Engineering Lens is developing a professional development program to be used by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts teacher training schools. This program shows PreK-5th grade teachers that they know more about engineering design than they think and it can be used as a connector between literature and math and science learning. The approach is to engage students, show them the relevance of learning science and mathematics and introduce the students to the concepts of innovation and entrepreneurship.
