Meet Magnolia Consulting

Partner

Christie Schutz Vincelli, Ed.D.

Dr. Schutz Vincelli is an award-winning teacher, presenter and school administrator with over 15 years of experience in Pre-K-12 education. She has a demonstrated history of working in the education management industry and is skilled in MTSS/RTI, special education, staff development, teaching, educational technology, research, program and curriculum development.  

Following her bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Music Education from The College of New Jersey, she went on to earn her master’s of arts degree in Special Education from Rider University.  Upon graduation, Dr. Schutz Vincelli was presented with an award for Excellence in Special Education. Her doctorate of education degree focused on educational leadership and administration from Seton Hall University, where she was recognized by the university for her research publication.

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 masters 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 17 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

Caitlin Colandrea, Psy.D.

Dr. Colandrea currently works for Old Bridge Township Public Schools in Old Bridge, New Jersey as the supervisor of intervention services. She received her masters in Educational Psychology and her professional diploma in School Psychology from Kean University and her doctorate in School Psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Dr. Colandrea’s areas of expertise include: program evaluation, co-teaching, Response to Intervention (RTI) implementation, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), data-based decision making, academic and behavioral interventions, reading interventions and literacy instruction at the elementary level, professional development, supervision and evaluation, assessment, and data management systems

Consultant

Donna Curtis

​​Donna has 20+ years of special education experience with an emphasis in behavioral management and developing analytical curriculum for social-emotional learning. She has worked in a variety of settings, ranging from the classroom, in-center, in-home, and consulting. Her work aims to bring meaningful behavior changes that are functional and important to increase quality of life by collaborating with parents and other professionals. 

Her experiences include early intervention, social skills, functional communication training, verbal behavior training, instructional design, parent training, staff training, and functional analyses. In addition, she’s interested in staff training on ABA applications in order to ensure student success and generalization of skills across multiple settings.

Consultant

Megan McCormick

Megan brings more than 27 years of experience in special education and intervention services to our team. She was a special education teacher, CSE/CPSE chairperson and director of special education in NYS public schools for 17 years. She has extensive experience with special education regulations, NYS Mandates, RTI/MTSS, Medicaid reimbursement/maximization and state reporting. She is an accomplished learning and training professional with expertise in blended learning, virtual learning/training, process improvement and consultation.

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, M.S.E.

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. candidate

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.