Neag School Accolades – March 2026

Throughout the academic year, the Neag School is proud to share the latest achievements of its faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

Explore their most recent promotions, awards, retirements, publications, and more:

Dean’s Office

Ellie Campbell holds a trumpet.
Ellie Campbell is the 2026 recipient of the Rogers Educational Innovation Fund. (Photo courtesy of Ellie Campbell)

Ellie Campbell, of CREC Academy of International Studies, has been named the Neag School of Education’s 2026 Rogers Educational Innovation Fund award winner. The director of bands and theater will receive $5,000 to support her innovative project titled, “Amplifying Equity: Professional Music Production for Title 1 Students,” which will create a professional-grade recording studio where students can develop their creative expression and transferable STEM/technical skills. Read more about Ellie and her project on UConn Today.

Researchers, including doctoral student Tobey Duble Moore, with the Neag School’s Center for Education Policy Analysis, Research, and Evaluation, prepared a research brief regarding special education outplacement in Connecticut. Read more in the UConn Today article.

Jennie Weiner co-authored “Evaluation of Professional Learning Masterclass on Science of Reading Final Report for the Center for Connecticut Education Research Collaboration” (CCERC). Morgaen Donaldson co-leads CCERC with the Connecticut State Department of Education.

The Neag School’s Alumni Board hosted a virtual mock interview event in February. The event drew 40 students and 23 alumni. The event began with remarks by Alumni Board President Shay Lewis ’20 6th Year and Dean Jason G. Irizarry, followed by a presentation from Kaitlyn Anderson ’09 (ED), ’10 MA, of the Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills on career resources for both students and alumni. Participants were then assigned to breakout rooms for mock interviews and networking. 

Department of Curriculum Instruction (EDCI) and Office of Teacher Education

A banner hangs on a brick wall and reads "Beyond Labels: The Many Stories of the West Hartford Community."
The Morris and Judy Sarna Breaking Bias & Creating Community Program held two events in West Hartford in early March to fight hatred and build community. (Mikala Kane/Neag School)

Kathleen Lynch and John Settlage, along with others, co-authored “The Effects of Early Childhood Science Educational Interventions on Children’s Science Achievement” for the January issue of The Elementary School Journal.

The Morris and Judy Sarna Breaking Bias & Creating Community Program held two events in West Hartford in early March to fight hatred and build community. Designed in collaboration with teachers at the town’s two high schools, the interactive educational program seeks to help students understand other people’s perspectives, strengthen their community, and explore connections between past events and today’s society. Alan Marcus has led the yearlong collaboration with the school district, which hosted the events so community members could experience all aspects of the program and its cutting-edge technology. View photos from the event.

Over winter break, Lauren Midgette, co-hosted a Winter Break Book Club with Neag School’s Leadership in Diversity (LID) student group at UConn Storrs. Students, alumni, and faculty discussed We Want to Do More Than Survive” and engaged with guest speaker Satoria Ray on abolitionist teaching. View photos from the event.

Group of smiling females of color.
(Photo courtesy of Dominique Battle-Lawson)

The Neag School’s Leadership in Diversity (LID) student group provided professional development for faculty at The Independent Day School in Middlefield, Connecticut, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Led by Dominique Battle-Lawson, the workshop addressed microaggressions, anti-bias education, and equitable practices, equipping educators with strategies to foster inclusive, culturally responsive learning environments. View photos from the event.

UConn’s Neag School, Department of English, and Connecticut Writing Project, co-sponsors of the 33rd annual Letters About Literature contest, recognized Connecticut’s winners for the 2025-26 academic year. Read about the contest and this year’s winners on UConn Today.

Department of Educational Leadership (EDLR)

Two professional females on a stage speaking.
Paige Bjerke, on the left, and Danielle DeRosa were invited speakers at The Ethel Walker School. (Photo courtesy of The Ethel Walker School)

The Sport Management program participated in Connecticut Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz’s press conference in Canton, Connecticut, last month to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of National Girls & Women in Sports Day. The event honored the athletes, leaders, and advocates breaking barriers and building a stronger future. View a photo from the event.

Paige Bjerke, a student in the sport management program, and Danielle DeRosa were invited speakers at the Ethel Walker School in honor of celebrating National Girls & Women in Sports Day in February. View photos from the event.

Faculty members in the Higher Education Student Affairs (HESA) program, including H. Kenny Nienhusser, Milagros Castillo-Montoya, Jillian Ives, Adam McCready, Saran Stewart, and Frank Tuitt, are recipients of a William T. Grant Foundation Rapid Response Research Grant. They will collaborate with the President’s Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration to identify institutional policies and practices to mitigate disruptions in the educational pathways of undocumented and international students.

Sport Management program alumni, including Ajhanai “AJ” Keaton ’21 Ph.D.,  Kaitlyn Chen ’25 MS, and Carli Cutler ’20 (ED) were profiled in recognition of National Girls & Women in Sports Day.

Preston Green and Elizabeth Zagata, a doctoral student in educational leadership, co-authored “
Students With Disabilities and School Vouchers: The Need for New IDEAs” for a special issue of Journal of Special Education Leadership.

Kelly Lyman and Paul Freeman ’07 ELP, ’09 Ed.D., an instructor with the Executive Leadership Program, presented at a NEASCsponsored Learning Summit in Dubai in February Both were invited by NEASC to share their expertise with public and private school professionals as part of the UAE Education Strategy 2033 initiative.   

Jillian Ives and Milagros Castillo-Montoya, along with another colleague, co-authored “You Should Think About Teaching. You’re Really Good at It: Instructors’ Starting Points for Teaching Minoritized Students” for the 2026 issue of Journal of Diversity and Equity in Educational Development.

Patti Bellamy-Mathis and Veronica Jacobs will serve as co-project directors for a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Grant – Rapid Response: Reinvesting in Racial and Indigenous Health Equity Research. The project will focus on community-based participatory action research with five Hartford Public Schools, focused on school wellness structures and policies. 

Department of Educational Psychology (EPSY)

In December, experts from around the nation gathered at UConn Storrs to take the first steps toward changing special education policy and re-establishing civil rights protections for Students of Color. Led by Neag School faculty Nicholas Bell and Zachary Collier, as well as Verónica Vélez from Western Washington University, the event outlined a vision for a new QuantCrit policy center that will prioritize innovative research methods and analysis, along with community collaborations, to advance racial and disability justice. Read the UConn Today article.

All School Psychology faculty attended and presented at the annual National Association of School Psychologists convention in February in Chicago, Illinois. There were 13 presentations from UConn faculty and current students.

Faculty/Staff

Kylie Anglin was appointed co-chair of the Methods Section for the 2026 Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE) and chair-elect for the SREE Open Science Affinity Group.

Nicholas Bell was asked to be on the leadership council of CAKI (Coalition Advancing Knowledge and Impact) and was asked by Johns Hopkins to be an ICQCM Fellow (Institute in Critical Quantitative, Computational, & Mixed Methodologies). The Institute Fellows Program brings together the nation’s first transdisciplinary network of methodologists of color devoted to the advancement of critical quantitative and computational methodologies, as well as their integration into mixed methodologies.

Cara Bernard, along with current and former students, performed with Pentatonix as part of a surprise chorus of 75 singers in their New York holiday show.

Melissa Bray presented “Mind Body Health Strategies” at the Council for the Directors of School Psychological Programs in January in Puerto Rico. Bray was also appointed to a three-year at-large board member position for the American Psychology Association.   

Todd Campbell was quoted in a UConn Today article about UConn’s Environment Corps (E-Corps). Campbell is a principal investigator. He, along with alumna Hannah Cooke ’25 Ph.D. and others with the UConn Indoor Air Quality Initiative, also published a lesson plan on the National Science Teaching Association website titled, “How can we clean our classroom’s air?”

Tutita Casa receives an award from another woman.
Tutita Casa recently received the Robert Rosenbaum award from the Associated Teachers of Mathematics in Connecticut. (Photo courtesy of Megan Staples)

Tutita Casa recently received the Robert Rosenbaum award from the Associated Teachers of Mathematics in Connecticut (ATOMIC). The award honors someone who exhibits outstanding commitment and successful service to the entire mathematics community in Connecticut.

Sandra Chafouleas and Emily Wicks
Co-founders of For Your Best Self, Sandra Chafouleas and Emily Wicks, attend the 2026 Kidscreen Awards. (Photo courtesy of Sandra Chafouleas)

Sandra Chafouleas authored “Solving the Youth Loneliness Epidemic” for a February issue of Psychology Today. As co-founder of Feel Your Best Self, Chafouleas attended the 2026 Kidscreen Awards in San Diego, California, in February, where the FYBS team was a finalist for the second time.

Morgaen Donaldson has been chosen for an “Anonymous Reviewer of the Year” award from Education Finance and Policy. Awardees are selected for both providing high-quality feedback to submitted articles and for being willing to consistently review.

Nicholas Gelbar was profiled by the Collaboratory on School and Child Health.

Wendy Glenn authored “Complicating the Country: Rural Identities and Environmental Values in Youth Fiction” in the February issue of International Research in Children’s Literature.

Preston Green participated in a virtual lecture, “School Finance, Race, and School Choice,” for the Georgetown Law Race Equity and Education Law Clinic in February.

James Kaufman co-authored chapters “Generative AI’s Impact on Creativity and Equity: Another Great Equalizer or the Rich Get Richer” and “Creative Chicken Coming Home to Roost: Generative AI, Long Imagined, is Finally Here” for the book “Generative Artificial Intelligence and Creativity” (Academic Press, 2025), which he co-authored.

Jessica Koslouski, Jacqueline Caemmerer, and Sandra Chafouleas, along with colleagues from Northeastern University, co-authored “Influence of Student and Teacher Characteristics on Teacher Ratings of Students’ Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Functioning: A Scoping Review” in Psychology in the Schools. The same three faculty, along with alumna Amy Briesch, also recently published “Consequential-validity centered measure development: An illustration using the ESSY Whole Child Screener” in the Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment.

Alexandra Lamb and Jennie Weiner co-authored “Logics of Educational Technology Reform” in the March 2026 issue of the American Journal of Education.

Kathleen Lynch co-authored “Beyond the Shutdown: Tracking Language Growth in Early Head Start Children Before, During, and After COVID-19” for the February issue of Child Development. She and John Settlage also co-authored, along with other colleagues, “The Effects of Early Childhood Science Educational Interventions on Children’s Science Achievement” in the March 2026 issue of The Elementary School Journal.

Adam McCready co-authored “Using Cross-Sectional Multilevel Modeling to Examine the Relationships Between Macro Masculinities and Men’s Outcomes” for the January issue of American Psychological Association. He also published an advice column titled “Stand Up to Bullying: What Campuses Can Do About an Overlooked Crisis” for the Winter 2026 issue of Liberal Education.

Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead was appointed co-editor-in-chief for “New Directions for Evaluation.

Jennie Weiner published “Care Work: How It Impacts Women Leaders” for National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

Students

Four college students stand next to the Heisman Trophy.
The Neag School’s sport management program hosted its 10th annual Sport Business Conference on Feb. 15 in McHugh Hall at UConn Storrs. (Photo courtesy of Kate Boget)

The Neag School’s sport management program hosted its 10th annual Sport Business Conference on Feb. 15 in McHugh Hall at UConn Storrs. More than 130 students connected with industry professionals through keynotes, panels, and networking. The student-run event was organized by the Sport Business Association. Read more in UConn Today.

Music education students, led by Cara Bernard, performed in front of an audience of 19,000 at the Pentatonic Holiday Show in New York City, New York, in December. View a recording here.

Marcus Harris, a Ph.D. student in the research methods, measurement, and evaluation program, was awarded an IBACS Graduate Summer Fellowship from UConn. He will work with Dr. Arielle Keller in her ACORN Lab in UConn’s Psychological Sciences department, with a focus on developing and testing AI-assisted tools that can be integrated into peer-based “ReproducibiliBuddy” workflows. Harris also recently won first place in the 2026 Holmes Scholars AACTE Preconference Dissertation Funding Competition for his dissertation titled “Inclusive Reproducibility: Building Usable Rubric for Social Scientists.”

Lexi Hastings ’25 (ED), who is currently pursuing a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs, was recently featured in UConn Today for being recruited to play for Boston in the new Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL) this summer.

Katherine Mack, a doctoral student in curriculum and instruction, and Todd Campbell, along with others, co-authored “Community Science Data Talks” for the August issue of Science and Children.

Alumni

Benjamin Briskin ’17 (ED), ’19 MS was promoted to assistant director of accommodations at UConn’s Center for Students with Disabilities.

Kolin Ebron 21 Ph.D. accepted a position at Manchester Community College as director of opportunity programsHe previously held a similar position at Eastern Connecticut State University.

Fany DeJesús Hannon 08 MA was profiled by UConn University Communications about her role as dean of students.

Desi Nesmith ’01 (ED), ’02 MA, ’09 6th Year  was appointed executive director of the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC). Nesmith joined CREC as assistant executive director in 2024. Prior to joining CREC, he served as assistant superintendent of Bloomfield Public Schools and as deputy commissioner at the Connecticut State Department of Education.

Lisa M. Romano ’24 ELP was appointed assistant superintendent for the Naugatuck Board of Education. Prior to that, she was an elementary school principal for the same school district.  

Stephen Slota
’07 (ED), ’08 MA, ’14 Ph.D. co-authored a book, “The Worldbuilding Workshop: Teaching Critical Thinking and Empathy Through World Modeling, Simulation, and Play” (MIT Press Direct, 2025).

Paul Singleton II ’17 MA, ’24 Ph.D. has been named a 2026 Northern Virginia 40 Under 40 honoree.

Congratulations to our Neag School alumni, faculty, staff, and students on their continued accomplishments. If you have an accolade to share, we want to hear from you! Please email neag-communications@uconn.edu with any news items.

Neag School Accolades: January 2026

Throughout the academic year, the Neag School is proud to share the latest achievements of its faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

Explore their most recent promotions, awards, retirements, publications, and more:

Dean’s Office

Matthew Lemberger-Truelove
Matthew Lemberger-Truelove, Letitia Neag Morgan Chair for Educational Psychology, holds his medallion after the investiture ceremony. (Shawn Kornegay/Neag School)

The Neag School of Education celebrated the investiture of Matthew Lemberger-Truelove as the Letitia Neag Morgan Chair for Educational Psychology in the Gentry Building in December. The ceremony highlighted Lemberger-Truelove’s nationally recognized scholarship in counselor education, his commitment to student mental health and equity, and the impact of his community-based research. He shared reflections on the mentors, family, and communities that shaped his work, and a vision for school mental health grounded in student strengths, cultural wealth, and justice. View photos from the event.

Dorinda Carter Andrews of Michigan State University
Dorinda Carter Andrews from Michigan State University presented a Neag School professional development session in November. (Zara Ellis/Neag School)

The Neag School hosted a professional development session on “Teaching in Turbulent Times” with Dorinda Carter Andrews of Michigan State University in November. Her workshop explored how faculty can foster humanity, cultural relevance, and civility in the college classroom through humanizing and culturally relevant pedagogies. This session was part of the Neag School’s three-part professional development series supporting faculty and researchers as they navigate today’s higher education climate while sustaining their commitments to equity and social justice. View photos from the event.

Jodi L. Carr joined the Neag School in January as director of assessment, accountability, and accreditation. Carr comes to the Neag School from Radford University, where she served as director of assessment. Prior to that, she was the program manager for academic affairs at Texas A&M University. She earned her Ph.D. from George Mason University.

Department of Curriculum and Instruction (EDCI) and Office of Teacher Education

Graduate students from the Neag School’s Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates (TCPCG) came together in December to showcase action research conducted in special education K–12settings and secondary classrooms across Connecticut. Held at the Hartford Public Library’s Center for Contemporary Culture, the TCPCG Research Expo brought together students, faculty, staff, administrators, and district partners to learn from and with one another. View photos from the event.

Tutita Casa, along with Neag School alumni Anna Strauss ’23 (ED), ’24 MA, Jenna Waggoner ’23 (ED), ’24 MA, and Mhret Wondmagegne ’23 (ED), ’24 MA, was interviewed by The Math Learning Center about strategies for teaching mathematics.

Two high school students participate in an activity during their visit to the Neag School.
Two students from Manchester High School participate in an activity during their visit to the Neag School. (Shawn Kornegay/Neag School)

The IB/M English education cohorts gathered in the Gentry Building in November for a fall celebration, spending time reflecting on gratitude and sharing their work through writing and art. View photos from the event.

Sixteen students from Manchester High School visited UConn Storrs in November to explore careers in education, led by Neag School alumni Ryan Jones ’04 (ED), ’05 MA, and Jacob Skrzypiec ’13 (ED), ’14 MA, a current Ed.D. student. The visit was organized by Alyssa Hadley Dunn and Neag School master’s student Sofia Oyola Morales. Students attended music and elementary methods classes, then heard from current Neag Schoolstudents about their paths to teaching and the support they’ve found at the Neag School. View photos from the event.

Department of Educational Leadership (EDLR)

The Building Bridges, Informing Practice Speaker Series—co-sponsored by the Neag School and the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents—brings research and practice together to support Connecticut’s district and school leaders. The first of the four-part speaker series, “Principals’ Professional Learning: The How, the What, and the Why” was held virtually in November, led by Morgaen Donaldson, associate dean for research at the Neag School. The session shared insights from a national mixed-methods study on principals’ professional learning. Participants explored what effective principal learning looks like, how districts can support leadership growth, and how school leaders can advocate for research-informed practices in their local contexts. View information on the speaker series.

Neag School’s Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) graduate program students participated in HESA Day at the UConn Student Union in December. First-year HESA students presented research posters based on their practice briefs that focused on various topics, and second-year HESA students presented projects showcasing their learning about dialogue across differences and its implications for personal and educational development. In addition to the students in attendance, HESA faculty, as well as HESA alumni and campus partners from across the University, joined the event. View photos from the event.

Department of Educational Psychology (EPSY)

An adult female writes on a white board.
A participant at the Spencer Foundation-funded conference participates with brainstorming activities on civil rights protections. (Zara Ellis/Neag School)

The Neag School of Education received funding from the Spencer Foundation to host a conference advancing civil rights protections for students of color. Held at the UConn Student Union and the Neag School’s Gentry Building in December, the convening brought together scholars, leaders, and community partners. Over two days, participants worked to envision a new QuantCrit Policy Center focused on community-centered quantitative research to challenge educational inequities—particularly in special education—and advance racial and disability justice. View photos from the event.

Gifted Education faculty and graduate students had a combined 17 posters and conference presentations at the National Association for Gifted Children annual conference in November in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Jacqueline Caemmerer and Jessica Koslouski presented at the Advancing School Mental Health Conference in Orlando, Florida, in December.

Michael Coyne was interviewed on the Teaching Literacy Podcast about research he is leading, which found that a popular oral-only phonemic awareness program may not improve students’ reading outcomes.

Del Siegle, D. Betsy McCoach, E. Jean Gubbins, and Neag School alumna Carolyn Callahan ’73 Ph.D. co-published “A Decade of NCRGE Findings on Gifted Education” for the December issue of Gifted Child Today.

Cartoon image of Feel Your Best Self animated video.
UConn’s interdisciplinary partnership Feel Your Best Self created a new animated shorts series, which has been nominated as a 2026 Kidscreen Award finalist. (Courtesy of Feel Your Best Self)

Brandi Simonsen co-edited the second edition of “Handbook of Positive Behavior Support” (Springer Publishing, 2025). Michael Coyne, Susannah Everett, Jennifer Freeman, Brandi Simonsen, and fellow UConn faculty members, along with Neag School alumni Kathryn “Kate” Dooley ’17 Ph.D., Laura Kern ’11 MA, ’17 Ph.D., and Sarah Sinnott ’25 Ph.D., all co-authored chapters in the book.

Feel Your Best Self, an interdisciplinary initiative at UConn and co-founded by Neag School’s Sandra Chafouleas, is a finalist for a Kidscreen Award for the second time. Its new animated shorts series earned a finalist nod for Best Digital Series (Preschool). The Kidscreen Awards recognize top programming and digital media worldwide, with past entries from PBS Kids, Nickelodeon, and BBC Studios. Read more on UConn Today.

Faculty/Staff

Cara Bernard conducted a chamber singers group at von der Mehden Recital Hall at UConn Storrs in December in honor of  Jamie Spillane, UConn’s director of choral studies, who retired last fall. View the recording.

Melissa Bray
co-authored “Attention to Task and Work Completion: Helping Handout for School” for the National Association of School Psychologists and “To G or Not to G, That is Our Question on Early Childhood Developmental Assessments” for the December issue of Journal of Pediatric Neuropsychology.

Todd Campbell co-authored “Planning for the Unexpected: How Uncertainty Drives Scientific Practice” for the November issue of The Science Teacher.

Sandra Chafouleas made numerous community presentations on behalf of Connecticut Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Partnership, including the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE)/Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS) Conference in November in Hartford, Connecticut.

Casey Cobb co-authored a chapter, “Racial Homogenization in Arizona’s Rural Charter Schools,” for the book “Navigating Charter School Landscapes” (Emerald Publishing Limited, 2025).

Kiah DeVona ’25 Ph.D. started a new position at the Neag School as a postdoctoral research associate. She also serves as adjunct faculty for the Department of Educational Leadership.

Morgaen Donaldson
Morgaen Donaldson, associate dean for research at the Neag School of Education, is working with the Connecticut Department of Education to investigate K–12 student performance statewide in the post-pandemic period. (Defining Studios/UConn)

Morgaen Donaldson was interviewed for UConn360 about the pandemic’s effects on student performance and well-being.

Preston Green co-authored an article on rural schools and school choice that was featured by UConn Today and the National Education Policy Center.

James Kaufman co-authored research, which was featured by Forbes. Kaufman also co-authored “Does Creativity Have a Genius Bias?” for the December issue of Center for Open Science, and co-published a chapter, “Inspiring Creativity in Others,” for the book “The Artist’s Life: The Heartbeat of the Creative Person” (Cambridge University Press, 2025), which he co-published.

Joseph Renzulli was awarded an honorary doctorate (doctor honoris causa) by the University of Brasilia in recognition of his decades of contributions to gifted education. View the event recording. Renzulli was also ranked as a 2025 ScholarGPS Scholar for exceptional performance and accomplishments in education.

Del Siegle authored “Marrying AI and the Internet to Meet Gifted Students’ Learning Needs” for the December issue of Gifted Child Today.

Tracy Sinclair gave the keynote presentation, as the organization’s current president, at the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division on Career Development and Transition International Conference in Denver, Colorado, in October.

Laura Steacy is part of a team that launched a new database/tool to support teachers and literacy researchers titled the Developmental English Lexicon Project (d-ELP). Read more in a UConn Today article. Steacy also co-authored “Exploring Theoretically Relevant Word Reading Instructional Elements: Moving Beyond Component Training Toward Building Strong Lexical Representations in Children With Dyslexia” for the October issue of Mind, Brain, and Education and “Is the Role of Set for Variability in Word Reading Influenced by Conditions Leading to Partial Decoding?” for the August issue of Scientific Studies of Reading.

Students

Lexi Hastings
Photo courtesy of UConn Athletics.

Erin Abrams and Jacob Lasek, seniors in the music education program, are featured in The Daily Campus in an article about a campus recital.

Zachary Boudah, a graduate student in the Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) program, published an opinion piece in the CT Mirror about parking at UConn.

Lexi Hastings ’25 (ED), a sport management alumna and current graduate student in the Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) program, was drafted by Boston in the inaugural Women’s Pro Baseball League. Prior to the draft, she was featured in the Hartford Courant.

Khadija Shaikh, a graduate student in the Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) program, was recognized by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NAPSA), Region 1, as Connecticut’s Outstanding Graduate Student Award.

Jacob Skrzypiec ’13 (ED), ’14 MA, a doctoral student in the Ed.D. program, moderated a conversation with Kimberlé Crenshaw at the National Council for the Social Studies annual conference in Washington, D.C., in December. Crenshaw, a professor at Columbia Law School and expert on race and gender issues, spoke about her vision for a more inclusive, multiracial education system, and the challenges and successes teachers face in the current national climate.

Alumni

Glenn Adamo
Photo courtesy of the Sports Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

Matthew Abate ’23 (ED), ’24 MA is the recipient of the Katie Powell Remembrance Grant from the Tolland Education Foundation to fund the purchase of musical equipment. Abate is a music educator at Tolland High School in Tolland, Connecticut.

Glenn Adamo ’78 (ED), after a 40-year career shaping sports media and pioneering broadcast innovations, was inducted into the 2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, alongside Lee Corso, Greg Gumbel, Jerry Jones, and other sports figures.  A leader at NBC Sports, the NHL, NFL, and New Jersey Devils, he launched the NFL Network and Thursday Night Football and helped redefine how fans experience sports worldwide. The ceremony was held in New York City, New York, in December.

Alan Addley ’07 ELP, ’14 Ed.D. was named interim superintendent of Milford Public Schools. Addley previously served as superintendent of Darien Public Schools before retiring last June.

Cynthia “Cyndi” Callahan ’15 6th Year, ’24 ELP was appointed director of teaching and learning for Wethersfield Public Schools. She most recently served as principal of the Langford School in East Hartford, Connecticut, where she was recognized as Connecticut Elementary School Principal of the Year in 2022.

Jennifer Frese-Miller ’15 6th Year, ’20 ELP was appointed assistant superintendent for Wethersfield Public Schools. She previously served as assistant superintendent for Regional School District 17 in Higganum, Connecticut.

Jeffrey Newton
Photo courtesy of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents.

Jeffrey Newton ’13 ELP, superintendent of East Lyme Public Schools, was recognized by the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents as the 2026 Connecticut Superintendent of the Year. Read more on UConn Today.

Darren Schwartz ’09 6th Year was featured in a CT Insider article about his first full year as superintendent of Waterbury Public Schools.

Perry Zirkel ’72 Ph.D., ’76 JD was recognized with the inaugural Dr. Mary Lynn Boscardin Excellence in Special Education Research Award from the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE). Zirkel is university professor emeritus of education and law at Lehigh University and is widely recognized as the nation’s leading authority on special education law. His scholarship, teaching, and service have shaped the field for more than 40 years. The Neag School’s Dr. Perry A. Zirkel Distinguished Teaching Award is named in his honor.

In Memoriam

Frank J. Alagna ’78
Raymond F. Brown ’70
Kathleen Cahill ’78
Barbara L. Caldwell ’71
Elizabeth R. Cawley ’56
Susan B. DeDeo ’68
John W. Flood ’64
Dorothy R. Gilliam ’55
Stephen J. Gregorski ’75
Laura A. Gubernat ’92
Jean U. Johnson ’53
Vincent J. Lanzalotta ’54
Peter A. Muzeroll ’75
Suzanne E. Murphy ’66
Ann M. Orza ’88
Judith B. Paesani ’77
Anita G. Plaskett ’83
Frank W. Riley ’70
Lawrence P. Shea ’69
C. Kevin Synnot ’20
Nancy B. Walker ’85
Timothy S. Zeuschner ’86
Edward J. Zieger ’59