Leadership

The Vision Coalition of Delaware is led by a Leadership Team of education, business, government, nonprofit, and community stakeholders from across the state. To learn about these leaders, click their photos for short bios.

During the Student Success 2025 plan development, there was substantial contributions by a Steering Committee and six Working Groups. Scroll down to learn who served on these groups.

Leadership Team

Shelly Cecchett

Executive Director, Kent Sussex Leadership Alliance

Jon Cooper

Director of Health and Wellness, Colonial School District

Katrina Daniels

Principal at the Colonial Early Education Program

Carlos de los Ramos

Chair, Delaware Hispanic Commission

Joe DePaulo

Co-Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, College Ave Student Loans

Kevin Dickerson

Superintendent, POLYTECH School District

Dorrell Green

Superintendent, Red Clay Consolidated School District

Gary Henry

Dean, University of Delaware College of Education and Human Development; professor, School of Education and Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy & Administration

Paul A. Herdman

President and CEO, Rodel

Logan S. Herring

Chief Executive Officer at the WRK Group

Mark Holodick

Delaware Secretary of Education

Stephanie Ingram

President, Delaware State Education Association

Lisa Lawson

Deputy Superintendent, Brandywine School District

Kirsten Olson

CEO, Children & Families First (CFF)

Rob Rescigno, Ed.D.

Board Member, Southern Regional Education Board

Lindsay Rice

Senior Director of Academic Partnerships, Wilmington University

Shelley Rouser

Chairperson, Associate Professor for the Education Department, Delaware State University

Justina M. Thomas

Vice President for Academic Affairs at Delaware Technical Community College

Bettina Tweardy Riveros

Chief Public Affairs Officer, Chief Health Equity Officer, ChristianaCare

Margie López Waite

Chief Executive Officer at Las Américas ASPIRA Academy

Marcus Wright

Member, Seaford School District Board of Education

Steering Committee

With an eye on the future, the Leadership Team of the Vision Coalition has established an even broader Steering Committee to assess the current state of public education and identify potential opportunities to build on the state’s successes.

(Note: Names, titles, and organizations were last updated August 2015.)

Amber Augustus

Teacher, John Bassett Moore Intermediate School, Smyrna School District (2011-12 Delaware Teacher of the Year)

Bobbi Barends

Dean of Instruction, Delaware Technical Community College

William Bush

Vice President, Caesar Rodney School District Board of Education

Harriet Dichter

Former Executive Director, Delaware Office of Early Learning

Kevin Dickerson

Director, Support Services, Sussex Technical School District

Thère du Pont

President, Longwood Foundation

Rick Gessner

Vice President, Delaware Market Liason and CRA Business Development Officer, Capital One 360

Daryl Graham

Vice President of Philanthropy & Community Engagement, JPMorgan Chase

Terri Hodges

President, Delaware Parent Teacher Association

Chandlee Kuhn

Retired Chief Judge, Family Court of Delaware

Michael Marinelli

President, Delaware Association of Independent Schools; Headmaster, Archmere Academy

Maria Matos

President and CEO, Latin American Community Center

Jennifer Nauman

Principal, Shields Elementary School, Cape Henlopen School District

Lindsay O’Mara

Policy Advisor – Education, Office of the Governor

Laurisa Schutt

Executive Director, Teach For America-Delaware

Gary Stockbridge

CEO, Delmarva Power

Michelle Taylor

President and CEO, United Way of Delaware

Jeff Taschner

Executive Director, Delaware State Education Association

Rod Ward

CEO, CSC Corporation, Inc.

Joanne Weiss

Consultant, Weiss Associates LLC; former Chief of Staff to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and director of the federal Race to the Top program

Working Groups

About 100 Delawareans who are engaged in the state’s public schools were recruited to serve across six Working Groups. The members of these Working Groups met over the spring of 2014 to discuss and collaboratively develop recommendations to inform the draft vision for the next decade of public education in Delaware.

The Working Groups were:
- Personalized Learning
- Early Learning
- Ensuring Post Secondary Success
- Educator Support and Development
- System Governance, Alignment, & Performance
- Fair & Efficient Funding

(Note: Names, title, and organizations were last updated August 2015, during the development of Student Success 2025)

Personalized Learning

Theresa Bennett

Education Associate, English Language Arts Curriculum, Delaware Department of Education

Matt Burrows

Superintendent, Appoquinimink School District

Pat Bush

Director, Technology Resources and Data Development, Delaware Department of Education

Karen Clifton

Curriculum Specialist, Lake Forest High School, Lake Forest School District

Guillermina Gonzalez

Executive Directory, Delaware Arts Alliance

Mike Hojnicki

Chief Officer of Policy and Communications, Delaware Department of Technology and Information

Robyn Howton

English Language Arts Teacher, Mount Pleasant High School, Brandywine School District

Donna Johnson

Executive Director, Delaware State Board of Education

Sandra Smith

Former Director of Accountability and Assessment, Indian River School District; Co-Chair

Gary Stockbridge

President, Delmarva Power; Co-Chair

Bryan Tracy

Chief Executive Officer, Elcriton, Inc.

Clint Walker

General Counsel, Barclays, Inc.

Michael Watson

Chief Academic Officer, Delaware Department of Education

Sandra Williamson

Associate Professor and Chair, Applied Technology in Education (MET), College of Education, Wilmington University

Early Learning

Dawn Alexander

Former Pre-K Teacher, Warner Elementary School, Red Clay Consolidated School District; Preschool Expansion Coordinator, Colonial School District

Sherlynn Aurelio

Literacy Specialist, Eisenberg Elementary School, Colonial School District

Madeleine Bayard

Vice President, Policy & Practice, Rodel Foundation of Delaware; Co-Chair, Early Learning Council of Delaware; Co-Chair

Melissa Browne

Former Vice President, Lifelong Learning, Latin American Community Center; Co-Chair

Harriet Dichter

Former Executive Director, Delaware Office of Early Learning

Courtney Fox

Head of School, First State Montessori Academy

Kim Graham

Family Services Director, Christina Cultural Arts Center

Rena Hallam

Associate Director, Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Education

Paul Harrell

Co-Chair, Commission on Early Education and the Economy

Kelly Hunter

Former Director, Early Development and Learning Resources, Delaware Department of Education

Thelma Jamison

Owner and Principal, Our Future Childcare

Barbara McCaffery

Former Purchase of Care Administrator, Delaware Department of Health and Social Services

Leslie Newman

CEO, Children & Families First

Kim Pridemore

Director, Early Childhood Center, Terry Campus, Delaware Technical Community College

Kelli Thompson

Director, Capacity and Knowledge Development, Nemours Health & Prevention Services

Betty Gail Timm

Administrator, Office of Child Care Licensing, Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth, and Their Families

Meredith Stewart Tweedie

State Solicitor, Delaware Office of the Attorney General

Ensuring Post Secondary Success

Rick Gessner

Vice President, Delaware Market Liaison and CRA Business Development Officer, Capital One 360; Co-Chair

Darren Guido

Supervisor of Instruction, Capital School District; Co-Chair

Jose Aviles

Former Director, Admissions, University of Delaware

Don Baker

Executive Director, Forum to Advance Minorities in Engineering (FAME)

Judi Coffield

Former Director, Early College High School at Delaware State University

Merv Daugherty

Superintendent, Red Clay Consolidated School District

Robert Ford

Director, Corporate Engagement, Delaware Business Roundtable Education Committee

Clifton Hayes

Principal, Delcastle High School, New Castle County Vocational Technical School District

John Hollis

Senior Advisor, Community and Government Affairs, Nemours Health Prevention Services

Kimberly Joyce

Associate Vice President, Academic Affairs, Delaware Technical Community College

Jacqueline Mette

Casey Family Program Education Development Project Leader, Delaware Family Court

Shana Payne

Director, Office of Higher Education, Delaware Department of Education

Joel Simon

School Counselor, Cape Henlopen High School, Cape Henlopen School District

Shawn Stevens

Vice President, Lifelong Learning, Latin American Community Center

Rachel Turney

Chief, Employment, Training, and Policy, Delaware Department of Labor

Dana Diesel Wallace

President & CEO, Schools That Lead

Christian Willauer

Former Director, Community and Economic Development, West End Neighborhood House; Director, Community and Economic Development, Cornerstone West

Educator Support & Development

Susan Bunting

Superintendent, Indian River School District; Co-Chair

Paul A. Herdman

President & CEO, Rodel Foundation of Delaware; Co-Chair

Deborah Stevens

Director, Instructional Advocacy, Delaware State Education Association; Co-Chair

Diane Albanese

Teacher, Mariner Middle School, Cape Henlopen School District

Michele Brewer

Chair, Technology, College of Education, Wilmington University

Tim Brewer

Science Teacher, St. Georges Technical High School, New Castle County Vocational Technical School District

Lamont Browne

Executive Director, EastSide Charter School, Family Foundations Academy

Heath Chasanov

Superintendent, Woodbridge School District

Ashley Dalzell-Gray

Regional Vice President, Delaware Parent Teacher Association

Jennifer Davis

Former President, Delaware School Counselor Association; Education Associate, Student Services and Special Populations, Delaware Department of Education

Elizabeth Diaz

Director, Teacher Leadership Development, Teach For America-Delaware

Cristy Greaves

Principal, H.O. Brittingham Elementary School, Cape Henlopen School District; Administrator Vice Chairperson, Professional Standards Board

Jim Hudson

Member, Indian River School Board of Education

Donna Mitchell

Former Executive Director, Professional Standards Board, Delaware Department of Education; Interim Assistant Professor, College of Education, Wilmington University

Lynn Okagaki

Dean, College of Education and Human Development, University of Delaware

Jesse Parsley

Special Educator, Milford Central Academy, Milford School District

Christopher Ruszkowski

Chief Officer, Teacher Leader Effectiveness Unit, Delaware Department of Education

Matt Swanson

Executive Chair, Innovative Schools

Jackie Wilson

Director, Delaware Academy for School Leadership, University of Delaware

System Governance, Alignment, & Performance

Vicki Gehrt

Superintendent, New Castle County Vocational Technical School District; Co-Chair

Daniel Rich

Professor, School of Public Policy and Administration; Director, Urban Affairs and Public Policy Doctoral Program, University of Delaware; Co-Chair

Gary Ferguson

Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, Christiana Care Health System

John Filicicchia

Assistant Principal, Lake Forest Central Elementary School, Lake Forest School District

Richard Forsten

Vice President, Appoquinimink School Board of Education

Meredith Griffin

Education Committee Chair, Interdenominational Ministers’ Action Council of Delaware; Senior Pastor, Harvest Christian Fellowship

Susan Haberstroh

Former Chief, Policy and External Affairs, Delaware Department of Education; Chief, Policy and External Affairs, Delaware Department of Education

Pat Heffernan

Member, Delaware State Board of Education

Paul A. Herdman

President & CEO, Rodel Foundation of Delaware

Terri Hodges

President, Delaware Parent Teacher Association

Mark Holodick

Superintendent, Brandywine School District

Michele Johnson

Teacher, Towne Point Elementary School, Capital School District

Patricia Oliphant

Former Director, Sussex Academy of Arts & Sciences

Rob Rescigno

Director, Doctor of Business Administration Program, Wilmington University

Jeff Taschner

Executive Director, Delaware State Education Association

Jim Taylor

Partner, Saul Ewing, LLP

Fair & Efficient Funding

Ed Ratledge

Director, Center for Applied Demography & Survey Research, University of Delaware; Co-Chair

Rod Ward

CEO, Corporation Service Company, Inc.; Co-Chair

H. Raye Jones Avery

Executive Director, Christina Cultural Arts Center

David Blowman

Deputy Secretary of Education, Delaware Department of Education

Meaghan Brennan

Director, Budget Planning, Development, and Administration, Delaware Office of Management and Budget

Patty Dailey-Lewis

Deputy Attorney General, Family Division Delaware Department of Justice

John Ewald

Former Superintendent, Laurel School District

Ed Freel

Policy Scientist, Institute for Public Administration, University of Delaware

Jerry Gallagher

Chief Financial Officer, Smyrna School District

Ned Gladfelter

Principal, Claymont Elementary School, Brandywine School District

Mike Jackson

Deputy Controller General, Delaware Office of the Controller General

Dennis Loftus

Senior Advisor, Delaware Academy of School Leadership, University of Delaware

Paul Ramirez

Former English Language Arts Teacher, Howard High School of Technology, New Castle County Vocational Technical School District; Assistant Head of Academics, Freire Charter School

Mark Stellini

Chair, Board of Trustees, Delaware Technical Community College; Principal, Assurance Media

John Taylor, Jr.

Executive Director, Delaware Public Policy Institute, Delaware State Chamber of Commerce (deceased)