About the Governing Board
REL Northeast & Islands is guided by a Governing Board whose membership includes the education commissioners and secretaries, or their designees, from all nine REL Northeast & Islands jurisdictions, along with representatives of diverse stakeholder groups from across the region, including higher education officials, district superintendents, principals, researchers, union members, professional association leaders, and nonprofit executives.
The Governing Board is charged with overseeing the programmatic work of REL Northeast & Islands. Board members help identify and prioritize the high-leverage education needs of the region; review research plans and training, coaching, and technical support products and activities; and assist with outreach and dissemination efforts. The Board provides strategic guidance to ensure REL Northeast & Islands carries out its activities with maximum effectiveness and efficiency and collaborates with other RELs and education organizations.
The REL Northeast & Islands Governing Board meets three times a year—one virtual meeting and two in-person meetings held in one of the region's nine jurisdictions.
Members of the Governing Board
Board Chair: Pender Makin, Commissioner, Maine Department of Education
Board Vice Chair: Gladys I. Cruz, District Superintendent, Questar III BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Services), New York
Board Secretary: Celeste Bowler, Assistant Superintendent, East Providence School District, Rhode Island
Also pictured: George Coleman and Robert Rader, regional and content advisors to the Board.
Connecticut
- Miguel Cardona, Commissioner, Connecticut State Department of Education
- Charlene Russell-Tucker (commissioner’s designee), Deputy Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Education
- Marie Salazar Glowski, Assistant Executive Director, Connecticut Association of Schools
- Deborah Richards, Director of Student Services, Capitol Region Education Council
Also pictured: Jerry White, regional advisor to the Board.
Maine
- Pender Makin, Commissioner, Maine Department of Education
- Amy Johnson, Co-Director, Maine Education Policy Research Institute, University of Southern Maine
- Barbara Moody, Child and Family Services Director, Midcoast Maine Community Action Program
Massachusetts
- Jeffrey C. Riley, Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)
- Kendra Winner (commissioner’s designee), Research and Evaluation Coordinator, DESE
- Ethan Cancell, Executive Director, Assessment, Accountability, Technology & Student Data Research, Brockton Public Schools
- Fernanda Kray, State Relations Specialist/Standards Researcher, WIDA at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Also pictured: Gary MacDonald, regional advisor to the Board.
New Hampshire
- Frank Edelblut, Commissioner, New Hampshire Department of Education (NHDOE)
- Bridey Bellemare, Executive Director, New Hampshire Association of School Principals
- Anna M. Parrill, Principal, Clark-Wilkins Elementary School
New York
- Betty A Rosa, Commissioner, New York State Education Department (NYSED)
- Allison Armour-Garb (commissioner’s designee), Senior Advisor, NYSED
- Gladys I. Cruz, Superintendent, Questar III BOCES
- Jerome Steele, Chair, Education Department at Sage Colleges and Education Leadership Doctoral Program, University at Albany East Campus
Also pictured: Nelson Colon, regional advisor to the Board.
Puerto Rico
- Eligio Hernandez Pérez, Secretary of Education, Puerto Rico Department of Education (PRDE)
- Aixamar Gonzalez (commissioner’s designee), Chief Academic Officer, PRDE
- Orville Disdier, Interim Executive Director, Institute of Statistics
- David Haddock, Vice President of Program and Administration, Puerto Rico Community Foundation
Rhode Island
- Angelica M. Infante-Green, Commissioner, Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE)
- Celeste Bowler, Assistant Superintendent, East Providence School District
- Colleen A. Callahan, Director of Professional Issues, Rhode Island Federation of Teachers & Health Professionals
- Scott Gausland, Director, Office of Data and Technology Services, Rhode Island Department of Elementary & Secondary Education
Vermont
- Daniel French, Secretary, Vermont Agency of Education (AOE)
- Heather Bouchey (secretary’s designee), Deputy Secretary of Education, AOE
- Jay Nichols, Executive Director, Vermont Principals’ Association
- Elaine Pinckney, Superintendent, Champlain Valley School District
U.S. Virgin Islands
- Racquel Berry-Benjamin, Commissioner, U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Education (VIDE)
- Dee Baecher-Brown, President, Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands
- Winona Hendricks, Secretary, Virgin Islands Board of Education
Governing Board Regional and Content Advisors
- Mary Canole, Former School Leadership Consultant, Council of Chief State School Officers
- George A. Coleman, Early Childhood Consultant, Cooperative Educational Services
- Nelson Colon, President & CEO, Puerto Rico Community Foundation
- Gary L. MacDonald, Chairman, Maine SAD #72
- Robert Rader, Executive Director, Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE)
- Jerry White, Former Superintendent, Island Schools, Matinicus Island, Denniston, and Greenbush
- Heather Gage, President, EDgagement Consulting