Partner

Christie Schutz Vincelli, Ed.D.

Dr. Schutz Vincelli is an accomplished educator, renowned for her expertise in teaching, administration, and educational leadership across the Pre-K-12 spectrum. With over 19 years of invaluable experience in education management, she has consistently delivered exceptional results and garnered recognition for her contributions to the field. Her proficiency spans a diverse range of areas including MTSS/RTI implementation, special education, staff development, educational technology integration, research, and curriculum development. An award-winning teacher, presenter, and school administrator, Dr. Schutz Vincelli has demonstrated a passion for fostering academic excellence and empowering both students and faculty. 

As co-owner/partner of Magnolia Consulting Group, Dr. Schutz Vincelli has added entrepreneur to her resume, demonstrating her versatility and leadership beyond traditional education roles. In this capacity, she leverages her extensive knowledge and experience to provide strategic guidance and innovative solutions to educational institutions and organizations.

Dr. Schutz Vincelli’s academic journey began with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Music Education from The College of New Jersey, laying a solid foundation for her subsequent achievements. She furthered her education by obtaining a master’s degree in Special Education from Rider University, where she was honored with the prestigious Excellence in Special Education award.

Following her doctorate in education with a focus on educational leadership and administration from Seton Hall University, Dr. Schutz Vincelli pursued post-doctoral work at Florida Institute of Technology, specializing in Applied Behavior Analysis. This additional expertise further enhances her ability to address the diverse needs of students and educators, and underscores her commitment to continuous professional development.

In addition to her roles within education, Dr. Schutz Vincelli continues to provide both in-person and virtual presentations for national school districts and organizations, leveraging her expertise to inspire educators nationwide. Her insights and expertise have also been featured in prominent publications including the Journal of AASA research and Ed Surge Magazine, further establishing her as a thought leader in the field of education.

Driven by a passion for transformative education and a dedication to ongoing professional development, Dr. Schutz Vincelli remains steadfast in her mission to inspire and empower the next generation of learners and leaders.

Founder & Advisor

Frankie Jones

Ms. Jones is a results driven leader and high energy individual contributor with 25 years of experience in educational technology. She has a track record of success in supporting growth and scale for organizations ranging from small start ups to Fortune 1000 corporations. Her expertise lies in training, implementation, account management, project management, product management, operations and sales.

Consultant

Virginia Alonso, Ph.D. Candidate

Virginia joins our team with over 30 years of experience in mathematics education and training. She worked as a 7th-12th grade mathematics teacher, an assistant principal, director of curriculum  and university professor. She has extensive knowledge of state mathematics standards, curriculum and assessment alignment, and learning pathways. She brings to Magnolia expertise in supporting teachers with instructional practices that support equitable student learning in mathematics, including inquiry-based practices and productive classroom discourse strategies.

Consultant

Tiffani Borcherding, M.Ed.

Tiffani’s experience in public education consists of more than seven years in various roles, including high school classroom teacher, department chair, and program specialist. She received her masters in education from the University of Texas, focused on building equitable outcomes within the constraints of systemic bias. Her areas of expertise are creating strategy, anticipating challenges, and planning for multiple potential outcomes in the design, implementation, and management of post-secondary high school programs. She is driven to build programs that create opportunities for students through post-secondary education and training that prepares them for career success and achievement of equitable economic advancement.

Consultant

Carol Cannerelli, J.D.

Dr. Cannerelli has been involved in education since 1982 with master’s degrees in School Psychology and in Reading Education. She was a School Psychologist in New Jersey and in New York State for nine years. She then practiced law in both private and public sectors for 19 years where she represented several school districts. While practicing law in the public sector, Dr. Cannerelli served as a Director of Human Resources and Legal Services in two school districts. She then served as Director of Special Services for a large district in South Jersey.

Dr. Cannerelli is a strong leader with broad experience in special education compliance, IEP development, assessment of special needs students, anti-discrimination investigations and procedures, and public employment law. She has provided professional development to attorneys as well as school district employees.

Consultant

Allison Egert, Ed.D.

Allison’s passion and life’s work has been centered around educating and providing services to children and working with teachers to develop their capacities through professional development. A speech-language pathologist, learning specialist, educational evaluator, and prior school administrator, she holds a doctorate in special education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her advanced certificate in educational leadership from Harvard’s School of Continuing Education furthers her understanding and desire to form partnerships with school districts and respective stakeholders with the goal of making a difference in educating young people.

Consultant

Lauren Alicia Goodwyn, Ph.D., BCBA

Lauren brings a wealth of experience in clinical work, supervision of aspiring BCBA candidates, working with adults who have a variety of diagnoses, and serving as a consulting behaviorist for both general and special education populations within public schools to the Magnolia Consulting Group. She has worked with a wide variety of neurodiverse individuals and also serves as an adjunct professor for Seton Hall University’s Master’s program in Applied Behavior Analysis.

Throughout her career, she has focused on effective staff training, development and supervision of clinical programming, along with program evaluation. She is especially passionate about working with individuals of all backgrounds, as well as training frontline staff, teachers, social workers, counselors, and families to manage interfering behaviors with students and address behavioral concerns. She holds a Ph.D. in Applied Behavior Analysis from Caldwell University. 

Consultant

Katie Leo, M.Ed.

Katie Leo, M.Ed. has 15 years of experience in New York City’s public school system, working in an ICR classroom, coaching staff, analyzing data, and creating intervention plans. She has hands-on experience working with populations in high Economic Need Index communities, and in communities where 55% of the students’ home language is one other than English. She is the mom of two, her son having significant learning challenges. 

Katie is skilled at identifying challenges to learning, and understanding various perspectives, which allow her to develop realistic and actionable data-based intervention strategies that create optimal learning environments. She is dedicated to cultivating a growth mindset and leading change within educational settings, focused on fostering relationships with parents and staff to establish long-lasting, positive impacts on learning and development.

Consultant

Karry Mullins, M.A., C.A.S.

With over 30 years in public education, Karry’s expertise includes MTSS/RTI, PBIS, SEL, differentiation and special education. Karry spent 10 years teaching in various elementary positions and then spent 20+ years in several leadership positions including elementary principal, director of special education services, and assistant superintendent in a small city district in upstate New York. Her work has always been driven by her belief that each child has the talent and ability to thrive and meet the challenges of a complex and rigorous curriculum when given the appropriate supports in a safe and engaging environment.  

Consultant

Meredith Thomas, Ph.D.

Meredith is a passionate and dedicated educator with 20+ years of experience in the classroom from Pre-K to college. Her work expanding services and restructuring the gifted and talented program for Holmdel School District is now an exemplar in the state, making her one of New Jersey’s leading authorities on gifted and talented education. Accordingly, she regularly presents at conferences and serves as a resource for other educators. 

Meredith’s work has been published by Educational Viewpoints, NJEA Review, Promise Magazine, NEA Today, and NJAGC. She has also co-authored a mentor text entitled Amplify Learning: A Global Collaborative. Currently, she is pursuing a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Teaching from Northcentral University, with a focus on effective gifted programming and instructional strategies. 

Consultant

Jenna Zatz, Ed.D.

Jenna is passionate about ensuring equitable education is accessible to all students so that each learner can reach their fullest potential. As a special education teacher specializing in autism and ABA programs, she has regularly worked with students in self-contained and in-class support settings. As a teacher leader, Jenna has facilitated professional development on best educational practices, behavior modification, data-driven decision-making, and foundations of ABA.

Currently, Jenna is pursuing an Ed.D. degree at Rutgers University, with research focused on the impact of K-12 education as it relates to postsecondary outcomes for individuals with autism. She is also working toward her behavior analyst certification, all while continuing to publish research. 

Consultant

Michelle Kaas, Ed.D.

Dr. Kaas has been involved in education since 1993 when she began her career in the Coatesville Area School District as a second-grade teacher. From there she moved to the fourth-grade classroom and took on many teacher leadership roles. She earned the Human and Civil Rights award for her work on the district’s Read Across America program and began her career-long interest in serving the needs of New Teachers. In 2003 she became a building administrator in the William Penn School District. This was the first of her administrative experiences and a continuation of her commitment to Title I schools and their students. After earning her Doctorate from Widener University, Dr. Kaas moved into district level leadership roles in both the virtual and brick and mortar setting.

Having committed her career to serving students of all ability levels, Dr. Kaas brings experience in building and maintaining high-quality Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), developing research based New Teacher and New Leader Induction programs, and improving instructional practices through effective supervision, high-quality feedback and data driven decision making.

Consultant

Alexa Thomas, M.S., M.Ed.

Ms. Alexa Thomas is a seasoned educational leader with over two decades of experience driving impactful change across education and nonprofits. With expertise in leadership, specialized program development, educational technology, and professional development, she optimizes resources to foster mindful, collaborative learning environments.

Alexa, a former NYC Teaching Fellow, holds a M.S. in Urban Education from Mercy College. She furthered her expertise as a Special Education Leadership Scholar at Bank Street College in NYC, graduating with an M.Ed. in Leadership for Educational Change.

An energetic presenter and trainer, her mission is to serve students by developing adults using a multi-lensed approach, drawing from her experience as a former assistant superintendent, director, and special educator.

Consultant

George McCloskey, Ph.D.

George McCloskey, Ph.D. is a professor and Director of School Psychology Research in the School of Professional and Applied Psychology of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and holds Diplomate status with the American Academy of Pediatric Neuropsychology. Dr. McCloskey has amassed 40 years of experience in test development, teaching, research, and assessment and intervention work with a wide range of clients and has presented numerous workshops on the use and interpretation of psychological and neuropsychological assessment instruments for school districts and intermediate units and state, national and international professional associations.

He was a Senior Research Director and the Clinical Advisor to the Wechsler Test Development Group for The Psychological Corporation (now Pearson Assessments) and Associate Director of Test Development for AGS (now Pearson Assessments). He directed the development of the first edition of the KTEA and co-authored the KTEA Error Analysis System and has consulted on the subsequent KTEA revisions and directed the development of the WISC-IV Integrated and consulted on the development of the original WIAT and the WIAT-II.

Consultant

Darlyne de Haan, Ed.D.

Darlyne, a published author on Multilingual Learners in the STEM Classroom and former Forensic Scientist and Environmental Chemist, is passionate about changing the FACE of STEM to mirror the world in which we live.  Darlyne has served in several capacities during her 20+ years in education from the classroom to leadership positions as an Instructional Specialist for the New Jersey Department of Education, Vice Principal, and Director of Curriculum and Instruction.  Her expertise in STEM, Math, and Science all with a specialization in instructional strategies for multilingual learners has made her an often sought out presenter and Keynote at international and national conferences.

Darlyne is the recipient of the coveted Fulbright Award for Administrators for Fulbright Leaders for Global Schools, where she traveled to Singapore to partake in the International Education Administrators (IEA) seminars and worked with Singapore’s Ministry of Education.

Darlyne holds a doctorate degree in Organizational Leadership with a concentration on Multilingual Learners, and two master’s degrees: one in Educational Leadership and a second in Curriculum and Instruction.  

Darlyne is fluent in English and advanced in Spanish.

Consultant

Catherine Havens

Catherine has dedicated 25 years to the field of special education, beginning her career as a teacher in an elementary self-contained classroom for children with Autism. She later obtained her BCBA certification and transitioned into roles as a Behavior Analyst and Autism Program Coordinator. A proud graduate of Penn State University, Catherine earned her undergraduate, graduate, and BCBA certification through PSU.

Currently serving as the Supervisor of Special Education for North Brunswick Township Schools, Catherine oversees the implementation of high-quality special education programming while championing the district’s mission of equity and excellence. Her expertise spans Autism, Behavior Disabilities, Social Emotional Learning (SEL), and supporting family needs. Over the last five years, she has spearheaded the district’s mental health initiative, establishing a multi-tiered system of support for SEL and creating Behavior/SEL Data Teams.

As the sibling of a young man with cerebral palsy, Catherine’s advocacy for individuals with disabilities is both a personal and professional mission, which she has pursued throughout her life.