MEET OUR STAFF
Program Leaders
TEC Campus School Director
Meredith Faletra, M.Ed - Program Director
Meredith Faletra has served as the TEC Campus School Director since the opening of the TEC Campus School in 2014. She takes pride in the expertise, dedication, and teamwork that is demonstrated each day by the eclectic and exemplary staff of the TEC Campus School. Meredith embarked upon this position following her teaching career at TEC that began in 1999. Meredith taught students with intensive special needs at the middle, high school, and transition levels. Meredith attended Boston College (B.A. and M.Ed) and actually completed her student teaching experience with TEC! She grew up locally in this area and has a sibling with Angelman Syndrome who has strongly influenced her profession. On the home front, Meredith enjoys coaching her twin son and daughter in basketball.
Special Education Services Coordinator
Melissa Bowman, M.Ed - Special Education Services Coordinator
Melissa Bowman received her undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. She received her general education teaching license at UMass Boston as well and later pursued her license in moderate disabilities through Bridgewater State University. Melissa received her Master's degree at Simmons University. She worked as a special educator for fourteen years before earning her special education administrators license through Bridgewater State University. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her two children, and visiting family in New Hampshire.
Related Service Coordinator
Ellen Van Wert - Physical Therapist & Related Services Coordinator
Ellen received her Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree in Seattle in 2010 after working with adults and kids with disabilities in various settings including schools, adaptive recreation settings, and camps. Since then, she has worked as a PT in Washington and California in different settings including early intervention, preschool, and a medically based outpatient clinic for kids with neuromotor disorders aged 0-21 years old. She is certified in a pediatric management and treatment technique from the NDTA. Ellen has worked at TEC since she moved back to MA in 2019 to live closer to her family. She has also begun supporting TEC administratively part-time as the Related Services Coordinator.
Nurse Leader
Kerry Kubera, RN - Nurse Leader
Kerry received her Bachelors of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Psychology from UMass Boston followed by her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from UMass Boston. She has been working in pediatrics with medically complex children for 22 years. Since 2014 she has been employed by TEC as the Nurse Leader. She is DESE certified. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She enjoys staying active, hot yoga, running and time on the beach.
Alyssa Gauthier - Nurse
Alyssa graduated from The Tri-county LPN program in 2019. Prior to receiving her Practical Nursing License, Alyssa worked as a CNA for five years. She has experience working with people of all ages and abilities, but found working with children is her favorite place to be. In her spare time she enjoys Kayaking, drawing, and spending time with family and friends.
Teachers
Kelly Adler, M.Ed. - Special Education Teacher
Kelly received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Northeastern University. She then went on to receive her masters degree in Severe Special Education at Boston College. Before coming to The Education Cooperative, Kelly worked with medically fragile students at the Kennedy Day School at Franciscan Children’s for 10 years. She is currently in her 6th year at TEC as a special educator. Outside of work, Kelly enjoys spending time with her sons Theo and Sammy and her husband Justin.
Dana Asselin - Special Education Teacher
Dana received her bachelor’s degree from St. Lawrence University in Global Studies with a minor in Caribbean and Latin American studies. She received her master’s degree in Moderate Disabilities from Curry College. Before coming to TEC eight years ago, she worked at The May Institute. In her free time, Dana enjoys spending time outside and being with her two daughters and husband.
Thomas Bruffee, M.Ed - Transition Specialist
| Thomas is in his fifteenth year teaching for The Education Cooperative. In addition to having his M.Ed., Thomas has licensure endorsements as a Transition Specialist and SEI educator. He specializes in working with transition-aged students and their families. Thomas has been working in the field of special education in various roles and capacities since 1988. He also has an extensive history working in the food service industry, which includes restaurant management, catering, food preparation and serving. |
Brittany Hickey - Special Education Teacher
Brittany has been working at TEC Campus School since the 2017/18 school year. She started as a teaching assistant, then worked as an RBT and is now teaching. Brittany enjoys spending time with her friends, family, dogs, and bunnies.
Patricia “Trish” Kelly, M.Ed - Special Education Teacher
| Trish received her bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst in Political Science and her Law Degree from Suffolk University. After practicing law for 14 years, Trish changed careers and earned a certification and a master’s degree in Moderate Special Needs from Bridgewater State University. Trish is the lead teacher in the TEC Transition 1 program located at Westwood High School. In her leisure time, Trish enjoys spending time with her family and friends, solving crosswords and reading mysteries, and walking her “toddler with a tail”, aka her dog, Valkyrie. |
Ian Mills - Special Education Teacher
Ian received his dual bachelor’s degree in English & Communications in 2016 from UMass Amherst. He is currently enrolled in a Masters initial licensure program for Special Education from Bridgewater State University and is anticipated to graduate in spring of 2024. Ian started at TEC in the spring of 2021 as a teacher’s assistant and became a classroom teacher in the spring of 2023. He holds a provisional license in Special Education for students with Severe Disabilities. In his spare time he enjoys running, traveling, and playing with his dogs.
Caitlyn Nelson - Special Education Teacher
Caitlyn received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Salem State University. She is currently enrolled in a masters program through Bridgewater State University. Caitlyn started at The Education Cooperative as a teaching assistant and then joined the team as a classroom teacher. This is her first year teaching students with intensive special needs of varying ages. In her free time she enjoys summer weather, being outside, and spending time with her daughter.
Erin Ohnemus, M.Ed - Special Education Teacher
Erin Ohnemus received her undergraduate degrees from Bridgewater State University earning a BSE in Severe Special Education and a BS in Psychology. She received her masters degree in Severe Special Education from Fitchburg State University in December 2021.Erin has been working at The Education Cooperative since the Fall of 2018. Erin has a passion for utilizing Assistive Technology (AT) to increase communication skills and access to education and leisure for students with complex profiles. Outside of school, Erin enjoys dancing, reading and hiking.
Kara Robertson, M.Ed - Special Education Teacher
Kara Robertson received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Severe Special Education at Bridgewater State University. Along with her education degree, Kara has a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts and brings that creativity to her lessons in the classroom. Her high energy and enthusiasm is infectious in the classroom. She has worked at The Education Cooperative for over 7 years now. In her free time, Miss Kara Robertson is a huge nerd, who enjoys painting and watching cartoons.
Shawn Simpson - Special Education Teacher
Shawn is a graduate of Southern Connecticut State University. At school he was a member of the national gymnastics team and an NCAA all-American. He has always felt the need to work with children and has done so through coaching gymnastics, teaching adaptive dance classes, as well as teaching in the special education field. He enjoys traveling, gardening and cooking and spending time with his rather annoying, but cute, dogs.
Sharon Wardner - Literacy Specialist
Sharon has been working at TEC for 33 years and has experience teaching students of all ages and abilities within TEC’s different programs. She is currently working as a reading specialist, receiving a M.Ed in literacy from Bridgewater State University. She is MA certified in speech, language and reading and is trained/certified in Wilson Reading System Level 1. She lives on Lake Archer in Wrentham with her husband. In her free time, Sharon enjoys spending time with family and friends, gardening, boating, reading, biking and going to the beach.
Related Service Providers
Speech-Language Therapy
Katherine Choi - Speech-Language Pathologist
Katherine received her Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Disorders from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and her Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Worcester State University. She currently holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and is licensed by the State of Massachusetts and the Department of Education in Massachusetts. Prior to coming to TEC, Katherine worked at Crossroads School in Marlborough and most recently SEEM Collaborative in Wilmington. She loves to travel, bake, hike and spend time with her husband and 1 year old daughter. Katherine is excited to join the TEC Campus team!
Ann Fogarty - Speech-Language Pathologist
Ann received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Maine and her Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from Northeastern University. She currently holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology, a certification from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), and is licensed by the Department of Education in MA. She worked as a rehabilitation nurse at Maine Medical Center and New England Rehab Hospital. Prior to coming to TEC in 2005, Ann worked as an SLP at Waltham-Weston Hospital (now Children’s Hospital Waltham), the VA Medical Center in Brockton-West Roxbury, and the former Charms Collaborative. Ann supports a wide range of communication needs in most of TEC’s programs. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family, going to the gym, running, swimming, watching movies, and reading. Basketball is a favorite family past-time!
Tara Galvin - Speech-Language Pathologist
Tara received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of the Holy Cross in English and her Master of Science degree from Northeastern University in Speech-Language Pathology. She currently holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and is licensed by the State of Massachusetts and the Department of Education in Massachusetts. Prior to coming to TEC, Tara has worked as an SLP in early intervention, schools and skilled nursing facilities. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends and looks forward to traveling more.
Jane Perera - Speech-Language Pathologist, M.S. CCC-SLP, ATP
Jane received her Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Oberlin College and her Masters degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Teachers College, Columbia University. She has been an SLP for 21 years, working in a variety of settings, most recently at the Cotting School in Lexington, and is thrilled to join the staff of TEC this Fall. She lives in Roslindale with her husband, teenaged son and Toby the dog, and enjoys spending time outdoors, especially by the lake.
Occupational Therapy
Kathy Branagan - Occupational Therapist
Kathy received her master's degree from Boston University in Occupational Therapy. This is her 16th year working in the Campus School at TEC. Prior to her degree in OT, she worked for eight years in residential settings with adults with challenges. Kathy is trained in Therapeutic Listening, Safe and Sound Protocol, the Willbarger Protocol and Sensory Integration techniques. Kathy enjoys spending time with her two grown children and her dogs, and gardening.
Christy Chambers - Occupational Therapy Assistant
Christy has been with TEC for 33 years. In 1998 she graduated from Mt. Ida College with a degree in Occupational Therapy and has been working as a COTA for 25 years. This Jersey Girl enjoys power walking, yoga and reading on her patio. One of her guilty pleasures is watching all medical shows, HGTV and The Chosen. She is happy to talk about her 2 sons and will gladly show you a picture or two of her 3 beautiful grandsons and grandpuppy. Christy has created a YouTube channel called Christy’s OT Corner because there was a need for functional, self help videos for special needs students. It is available to the public with the intent to help many.
Dana Simons - Occupational Therapist
Dana graduated from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT with a BS in Health Sciences and a Masters in Occupational Therapy. Dana has experience in settings such as acute care, inpatient rehab, and sensory integration clinics. Dana has a passion for working with children to improve their independence. In her spare time, she enjoys crocheting, baking, and doing yoga.
Physical Therapy
Ellen Van Wert - Physical Therapist & Related Services Coordinator
Ellen received her Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree in Seattle in 2010 after working with adults and kids with disabilities in various settings including schools, adaptive recreation settings, and camps. Since then, she has worked as a PT in Washington and California in different settings including early intervention, preschool, and a medically based outpatient clinic for kids with neuromotor disorders aged 0-21 years old. She is certified in a pediatric management and treatment technique from the NDTA. Ellen has worked at TEC since she moved back to MA in 2019 to live closer to her family. She also supports TEC administratively part-time as the Related Services Coordinator.
Marie Joyce, PT, MPH - Physical Therapist
Marie received a Bachelors of Science in Physical Therapy from Quinnipiac College and a Masters in Public Health from UMASS Amherst. She has been working as a pediatric physical therapist for over 15 years and is a new addition to the TEC Campus School, joining in December of 2021. In her free time, Marie enjoys cooking and spending time outdoors with her famIly.
Sharon Shoemaker - Physical Therapist
Sharon received her Bachelor’s degree in Physical Therapy from Russell Sage College in Troy, NY. She has worked at a variety of settings, providing physical therapy services to individuals of all ages from infants through seniors. She joined TEC in 2019. Sharon enjoys visiting with her family throughout the Northeast, reading/listening to book, learning ASL , and seeing live music.
Music Therapy
Mara Herrera, MT-BC, NMT-F - Music Therapist
Mara has been working at TEC Campus School since 2016, specializing in integrated related service delivery. She graduated from William Carey University with a Bachelors in Music Therapy and received her fellowship in Neurologic Music Therapy from The Academy of Neurologic Music Therapy. In addition to music therapy, Mara is the music director of her home church in Boston and a piano instructor at her private studio.
Adaptive Physical Education
Stacey Spaner - Adaptive Physical Education
Stacey received her Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from Plymouth State University in Plymouth, NH. She has worked in Special Education for the past 17 years. She also volunteered as a youth soccer coach for her son’s team and coached Girls High School Freshman soccer. Stacey enjoys watching her son play baseball and basketball and spending time with family and friends and her dog Rudy.
Behavioral Services
Janet Goossens
Janet received her Masters in Psychology/ABA from UMass Dartmouth and earned her BCBA certification in May of 2012. She previously worked at the Darnell School for children with behavioral problems. She has worked at TEC since 2018, overseeing students who require behavioral services. In her free time, Janet enjoys reading and spending time with family and friends.
Vision Services
Jeanne Gottfried, M.Ed/CTVI - Teacher of the Visually Impaired
Jeanne received her bachelor’s degree in special education from SUC Buffalo in 1977, master’s degree in Intensive Special Education from Rhode Island College in 1980, where she met her fabulous husband Bill. She earned her Certificate of Advanced Education Studies as a Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI) from Boston College (1999). She worked full time as both Early Childhood classroom teacher and TVI at TEC for 39 years and now is semi-retired, working part time as a TVI. She is married to Bill Kirtley, also a TVI at TEC, and has two grown daughters. She has always surrounded herself with dogs, cats, plants, and books. In her spare time she loves reading, gardening, and year round walks on the Rhode Island beaches. She serves as a board member of the Rhode Island Holocaust Education Center and is on her temple’s social action committee addressing the needs of refugees in Rhode Island. She lives in Providence, RI.
Bill Kirtley M.Ed/CTVI - Teacher of the Visually Impaired
Bill received a Master's degree in Severe Special Needs in 1980 from Rhode Island College. It was here that he met his wife, Jeanne, who has worked at TEC for many years. In 1999, he received a CAES degree in Visual Impairments(TVI) from Boston College. His first job with a disabled population, after returning from military service, was in a group home for adult men. Later he worked at Wrentham State School, Meeting Street School, and worked at Perkins School for the Blind in the Deaf-Blind unit. Bill lives in Providence, RI, has two adult daughters, and has always had dogs and cats. In his spare time, he enjoys sports and walking year round on RI’s beautiful beaches.
Kerry Kubera, RN - Nurse Leader
Kerry received her Bachelors of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Psychology from UMass Boston followed by her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from UMass Boston. She has been working in pediatrics with medically complex children for 25 years. Since 2014 she has been employed by TEC as the Nurse Leader. She is DESE certified. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She enjoys staying active, hot yoga and time on the beach.
Allison Rondeau, RN - Nurse
Allison received her Bachelor's Degree in Nursing from Regis College in 2011. She has been working as a nurse at TEC in various classrooms since May of 2013. In her spare time, Allison enjoys spending time with her husband Dan and daughter Clara, spending time with family on the beach in Scituate, and dancing.
Laura McCarthy, RN - Nurse
Laura received her Bachelors of Science in Nursing at UMASS Boston. She has worked in pediatrics with medically complex children for 24 years and has worked at TEC for 5 years. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and spending time with family and friends.
Theresa Bechet, RN - Nurse
Theresa brings many years of experience in residential, school and hospital care. She started her nursing career in 1993 as a Licensed Practical Nurse. In 2011, she advanced her nursing degree and became a Registered Nurse. She has focused her career working in both adult and children neurological settings focused on intellectual disabilities and psychiatric disorders. She is thrilled to be part of the TEC community. Away from work, Theresa enjoys kayaking, boating and time with family & pup.
Teaching Assistants
TEC Campus School Teaching Assistants are valuable members of the team that service each student. Teaching Assistants fulfill a variety of roles within the classroom, school, and community settings, including job coaching. They are in constant collaboration with the professional staff and participate in ongoing training. Depending on classroom needs, staff members may have certifications such as Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) or Registered Behavior Technician (RBT).