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Our Staff
Learn about our talented staff!
Pamela Andersen,
Technology Coordinator
Before joining Wallingford Adult Education in 1998, Pam worked for 11 years in a human services agency supporting individuals with developmental disabilities. After earning a B.A. in English from UCONN, and a Master's of Arts and Liberal Studies from Wesleyan, Pam taught Computer courses at Gateway Community College. She offered the first computer courses designed especially for students with special needs.
Pam teaches technology skills to ABE, GED, EDP, Workforce Preparation and American Living students.
In 2011 she was awarded the Renee B. Fisher Educator of The Year Award from Connecticut Adult and Continuing Education Association (CAACE).
Pam holds a State of Connecticut Teaching Certificate in EDP.
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Lorraine Anderson,
21st Century Workforce Preparation
Lorraine has worked for Wallingford Adult Education since 1988. She holds a B. S. degree in French, M.S. degree in ESL and a Sixth Year in Reading.
Throughout the years, she has been an ESL instructor, a supervisor and instructor for an INS Amnesty Program, and a master ESL teacher assisting AFS visiting teachers from China, Brazil and Thailand in methods of teaching English as a Second Language. Currently she is the coordinator of a grant program "Workplace Literacy" and instructs in the program.
She also teaches for the Wallingford School System as an ESL teacher servicing ESL students from elementary to high school grades. Many of her students' parents attend classes at the Adult Education Learning Center.
She is married and has two daughters.
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Bette Bertier,
Counselor
Bette holds an M.S. degree in Psychology/Counseling and is a licensed professional counselor. She has been at Wallingford Adult Education for eighteen years. She is available for personal counseling for all students at the Learning Center. This service is for students and it is free and confidential.
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Carol Berube,
Medical Programs Coordinator
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Cathy Charette,
ESL Instructor
Cathy has been teaching the beginning ESL level for Wallingford Adult Education for the past 4 years.Previously, she taught ESL at the elementary level in Wallingford, Meriden, and West Hartford. Cathy has a BS in Elementary Education from CCSU, a MS in Language Arts also from CCSU, and a 6th year degree in Administration and Supervision from SCSU. She is certified to teach the elementry levels PreK-8 and ESL Pre K-Adult.
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Barbara Comstock,
Secretary
Barbara has worked for Adult Education at Sheehan for 34 years. She handles all of the finances including numerous grants, Board of Ed for Adult Ed and the Alternative High School budget. Also, she does all of the purchase orders and works closely with the Business Office. Barbara does the payroll for the entire staff. She works with the staff on the registration of students in the General Adult Education Program. Over see all of the part time clerical staff in the adult education office at Sheehan.
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Paul Flinter,
Director
Paul F. Flinter, Ph.D. is the Director of Wallingford Adult Education and he joined the Wallingford Public Schools in the summer of 2011. Prior to his appointment, Paul worked in the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) and his section had responsibility for areas supporting students’ social, emotional, physical and mental health as well as family engagement. Oversight was given to program areas such as: School-Family-Community Partnerships, Child Nutrition, School Health /Mental Health, Nutrition Education, Safe and Drug Free Schools, After-School, Family Resource Centers, Young Parents Program and Education of Homeless Children and Youth. In his earlier tenure at the CSDE, he was the Bureau Chief of Early Childhood and Social Services and served as an Education Consultant in Special Education. He has been an Assistant Professor and Chairperson of the Special Education Department at St. Joseph College, West Hartford, Connecticut and he was an elementary/special education school teacher for 7 years. His advance degrees are in education psychology and child development and his interests include child and adolescent development, beginning reading and writing instruction, social and emotional growth of children and youth, adult education and parent involvement. He has coauthored several articles and continues work on efforts that assist teachers and schools to be more effective in their instructional practices and involvement with parents.
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Leona Ford,
ESL and Citizenship Instructor
Leona Ford is currently teaching ESL and citizenship at the Adult Education Center. She is a graduate of Adelphi University in Garden City, N.Y., where she earned a B.S. in Education.
While an undergraduate, she studied Spanish culture and Language at the University of Madrid in Spain. She has a M.A. in Education and a M.A. in Sociology from Southern Ct. State University. Teaching for many years at M.Y.Beach school, she developed a love for education and is very happy to be teaching at the Learning Center. Leona also likes to travel, read, garden, and spend time with family and friends.
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Carol Halstead,
Coordinator, English As A Second Language
Carol has worked for Wallingford Adult Education since 1976 as an ESL teacher and coordinator of the ESL program. In 1992 she received and Adult Educator Award from CAACE for outstanding achievement in adult education programs.
In addition to teaching and coordinating the ESL program, Carol is also a Program Facilitator. In that capacity she is responsible for all ESL student achievement testing and its inclusion in the state's database management system.
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Carol Harkawik,
Guidance
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Linda Jeffords,
Sheehan Registration Clerk
Linda has worked for the Adult Education program for 27 years. She handles all of our General Adult Education registrations. Which includes entering into the computer, sending confirmation to students, prepares the wall calendar for each month. And many more responsibilities. She helps the secretary with the phones and walk in registrations. Linda resides with her husband Bob.
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Barbara Kish,
Secretary
Barbara has been managing the Learning Center office at Wallingford Adult Education for seven years. She works closely with the Director and the printers to put together the Spring and Fall catalogs each year. In addition, she has numerous other duties involved in the day-to-day running of the program.
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Michael Kuszpua,
Biology Instructor
Before joining us at Wallingford Education in 2011, Michael served over 8 years as an officer in the United States Army. Michael achieved the rank of Captain and served as a Battery Commander in an Air Defense Artillery Battalion. Michael deployed to Afghanistan as an Embedded Tactical Trainer who trained and advised an Infantry Company of the Afghanistan National Army during their combat and humanitarian operations in Eastern Afghanistan. Michael received his B.A. in Marine Science from the University of Miami and is currently obtaining his M.S. in Science Education from Southern Connecticut State University. Michael currently teaches courses in Marine Biology and Human Anatomy.
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Jean A. Mantzaris,
Guidance
Jean (A.B. Psychology, M. Ed. Counseling, Sixth Year, Administration) is a seasoned educator having spent many years as a Guidance Counselor at the Community College level before coming to Wallingford Adult Education in 1991 as a Career and Guidance Counselor. She became was Director from 1999 - 2011.
She has written several grants and is especially proud of the Family Literacy Program where parents and children learn together. She is privileged to have worked on an Adult Multiple Intelligences Project and is featured on a Multiple Intelligences (MI) website and has published her MI research in the area of career awareness.
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Phil Massaro,
Mentor for online math courses
Phil Massaro joined the Adult Education staff in 2001. He started out instructing Spanish GED students in Math and Science, and then in 2005 added mentoring and instructing of EDP students enrolled in on-line math programs. Phil has a B.S. degree in Mechanical/Metallurgical Engineering and an M.S. degree in Engineering/Industrial Management. He was retired from the Pratt and Whitney Division of United Technologies Corporation as a Manufacturing Engineering Manager, where his focus was on Computer Applications.
Although his education focused on Engineering, teaching is not new to him. In addition to working as a design engineer for jet engine parts, machines and tools, Phil’s 35-year career at UTC often included assistance with the education and training of engineers and shop personnel in the areas of math, mechanics, and computer applications.
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Pamela Moran,
ESL, NEDP Instructor
Pam holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Central Connecticut State University and a Master's degree in British and American Literature from Southern Connecticut State University. She taught English, French, and Reading in the Wallingford Public School System, first at the former Robert Earley Middle School (now the Town Hall) and then at Moran Middle school, for a total of fourteen years. She began teaching in the Wallingford Adult Education Program in 1989 as an ESL teacher and an EDP advisor/assessor, a position she holds to the present.She also serves as the Adult Education staff representative on the Wallingford School System's Professional Development Committee, organizing workshops, training sessons, and guest speakers for the Adult Education teachers' continuing professional growth and learning.
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Lorraine (Lori) Ouellette,
EDP Instructor
Lorraine holds a B.A. in History and Foreign Languages from Albertus Magnus College and an M.A. in History from Trinity College. She has been teaching since 1988. She taught History and Social Studies at St. Mary's High School and Watertown High School. Lorraine began teaching adult education in 1992 at Waterbury Adult Education where whe was an External Diploma Advisor/Assessor, an instructor in GED, Basic Skills, and English as a Second Language and the Coordinator of Enrichment Programs. She has been working at Wallingford Adult Education since 2000 in the External Diploma Program and Basic Skills Program. Lorraine also worked as a library assistant at Yale's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
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Norma Ramos,
Office Staff
Norma has worked at the Learning Center since 1988. Her responsibilities as a bilingual aide and data entry clerk with the DBMS (state data base) make her invaluable to both staff and students. Norma serves as a Spanish translator at the Center, and has provided this service to local businesses as well. She also works with the Family Literacy classes, Family Literacy Camp, and the Saturday Academy.
Norma has lived in Wallingford most of her life, and she resides here with her husband Gabe. She has two sons, Matthew and Brandon, a daughter Cynthia, and she is the proud grandmother of two-year-old Jaiden.
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Bonnie Rees,
Instructor, Online Mentor, High School Credit Diploma
Ms. Bonnie Rees, a 26-year resident of Wallingford, CT, graduated from Southern Connecticut State College with a B.S. degree in Elementary Education, grades 1-8, and an M.S. degree in Reading with a K-12 Reading/Language Arts Consultant endorsement. During her 35-year teaching career in New Haven, CT, she taught and developed reading/language arts programs at the elementary, middle, high school and adult education levels.
Throughout her years in New Haven, she worked diligently to develop reading curriculum, implemented school-wide literacy initiatives, organized and supervised book fairs, served on city-wide reading/language arts committees, presented staff development workshops, and collaborated on the development and publication of a reading program for use at the middle and elementary levels.
As a pioneer in computer-assisted education, Ms. Rees piloted prescription learning programs for middle school and adult education instruction. She also worked with New Haven’s Adult Education staff to develop a distance learning program for off-site instruction in reading. In 1998, Ms. Rees received the city-wide TAPS Award for her work integrating technology with instruction and student learning.
Following her retirement in 2008, Ms. Rees took a brief hiatus from public education only to return to teaching with Wallingford Adult Education in the fall of 2009. She continues her second career working with young adults in the High School Credit Diploma program mentoring students taking online courses and teaching English /Literacy Enrichment classes. Ms. Rees is also an adjunct professor at Gateway Community College teaching academic reading courses in the College Advancement Studies (CAS) program.
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Karen Riccitelli,
Instructor
Karen Riccitelli joined Wallingford Adult Education in 1991 first as an instructor for ABE, GED, and Credit Diploma in the evening program eventually transferring into the morning program.
Karen has over 40 years experience teaching math from Grade 5 through 12 in Connecticut public and private schools as well as Southern Connecticut State University as an adjunct instructor in the mathematics department from which she graduated and received a National Science Foundation grant in 1967.
Karen has taught SAT preparation classes in math, tutored for Middlesex Community College, Wilcox Technical HS, and Sylvan Learning Center as well as homebound for Lyman Hall and Sheehan High School. She especially enjoyed her volunteer time with Recording for the Blind where she recorded math texts for high school and college students, and her year teaching high school math to a class of deaf students.
Karen was invited to be a participant in the 1st Connecticut Adult Numeracy and Mathematics Institute, CANMI, for adult educators of mathematics in Connecticut. She attends conferences and workshops as far away as Chicago to keep current in mathematics education.
Karen has an extensive collection of books on mathematics, one of which dates from 1824 which was found in an antique store. Karen loves suduku and logic puzzles, as well as knitting and reading. Karen has 4 children and 7 grandchildren.
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Jo Rossomando,
Coordinator, GED Program and Adult Basic Education Instructor
Jo began working at the Wallingford Adult Education in 1995. She has a B.S. in Education and is currently working towards a B.A. in Fine Arts at Southern Connecticut State University.
Jo is an ABE/GED teacher and co-coordinator for the GED program. In addition to pursuing her degree, she also works as a university assistant in the ceramics department at Southern Connecticut State University.
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Gloria Stadolnik,
ESL, NEDP, CD Instructor
Gloria started teaching in the Wallingford Adult Education Program as a substitute ESL teacher in 1967. In 1968 she was hired as a PM ESL teacher. From Feb. 1968 through Dec.1970, she was a CT public school teacher. She taught grade 4 students during the day and ESL Monday and Wednesday evenings. She left her full time teaching to be a stay at home mother, but continued her part-time employment as a Wallingford Adult Ed teacher. As time went on, she became an ABE and GED teacher as well, and eventually an EDP Advisor and Assessor in the middle 1980's. She was the coordinator for all four programs at the Wallingford Learning Center and was nominated Teacher of the Month by the Wallingford Board of Education while holding that position. After 21 wonderful years of working for Wallingford Adult Education, she left and became a full time middle school teacher. She remained a middle school teacher at Moran Middle School for 17 years. She taught language arts and reading in the sixth and eighth grades and mathematics, including Algebra, in all three grades. She served as Department Head for the mathematics program at Moran for five years. When Gloria retired in 2007, she was asked if she'd like to return as an ESL teacher which she did. There was a need for more EDP teachers, so Gloria updated her EDP training and became re-certified as an NEDP Advisor and Assessor. She’s also certified to teach math through HS, so she became an on-line mentor for the HS math courses and teaches an Algebra credit class. Well, it has been four years since Gloria retired and started working for Wallingford Adult Education Program and loves every moment of it. She has been married for 43 years to Joseph, has two adult sons and a daughter, and four beautiful grand children.
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Myra Thistle,
External Diploma Coordinator and Online Mentor
Myra Thistle has been working for Wallingford Adult Education for the past ten years. She has a B.S. degree in Special Education. As a program facilitator for the GED, Spanish GED, Adult Basic Skills and the External Diploma Program, she oversees State mandated testing for our site, and generally "keeps track" of student progress.
Myra was the 2002 recipient of the National External Diploma Program Outstanding Advisor/Assessor award and in 2003 the CAACE Outstanding Educator Award.
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Joan Troccolo,
ABE, GED Instructor
Joan Troccolo has been a ABE/GED teacher at Wallingford Adult Education since 2001. Prior to that, Joan taught full-time in the Wallingford School System for 30 years as an elementary teacher and middle school teacher. During that time, Joan served on many school committees, participated in the BEST Program as a cooperating and mentor teacher, and worked to develop curriculum for the school district. Joan is a graduate of CCSU and also completed sixth year studies at St. Joseph's College. Also, Joan has been a member of Delta Kappa Gamma, an international, honorary teaching society, for many years.
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Arthur Volanth,
High School Credit Diploma Instructor
Arthur Volanth is a Social Studies teacher in the Credit Diploma Program who currently teaches a Contemporary World History elective. Mr. Volanth holds a BS in History with Certification from Southern Connecticut State University and is currently working towards the completion of a MA in American History.
Before beginning to teach Contemporary World History for the Credit Diploma Program Mr. Volanth’s most recent teaching experience was as a teaching assistant in an upper level undergraduate Modern American Women’s History course at Southern Connecticut State University.
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Diana Yates-Toman,
Guidance
Diana Yates-Toman, Guidance /Coordinator for Credit Diploma Program
Diana holds a B.A in English and Psychology from Mount St Vincent University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, M.Ed. from The University of Ottawa, Canada in Educational Counseling and a Graduate Diploma in Education( Learning Disabilities and Gifted Ed.) from The University of Connecticut.
At Wallingford Adult Education Diana assists students with program selection for high school completion, Registration procedures, Class scheduling for Credit Diploma Students, general management of the Credit Diploma Program, career counseling interests, preparation and application for college admissions, Financial Aid application and job exploration.
In 1973, Diana was awarded a Canadian government grant for designing a sixth grade health and social studies program. In 1994, she was awarded a grant to improve programming needs of students with learning disabilities as well as a grant to implement a parenting program for single mothers within the local school district of Notre Dame Bay/ Lewisporte , Newfoundland . She has been employed by the Wallingford Board of Education for 14 years.
Diana originates from Canada where she worked in the field of education for 25 years. Past employment includes; Primary and Elementary teacher for nine years; coordinator for Special Services for five years; School Board Psychologist for twelve years; owned /operated a private counseling business which provided counseling services to employees of several corporations, Social Services ,private clients and conducted court ordered family studies pertaining to custody issues.
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