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

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. 

Project Admin

Shelly Hoot, M.S.

Shelly brings 33 years of experience in special education, MTSS/RTI, and literacy to the Magnolia Consulting Group. Prior to becoming a director of special education within New York State public schools, she taught as a special education and first-grade teacher. She also spent a year traveling and teaching teachers about the Science of Reading and Orton-Gillingham approach to support struggling readers.

Shelly’s work has always been driven by her belief that all students can learn given the appropriate supports within an inclusive environment.

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, 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.

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.