Our Team

Dr. Lisa Auslander

Principal Investigator / Project Director

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Cristen Cairl

Instructional Coach

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Dr. Jennifer Chard

Project Advisor

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Anabel Encarnacion

Bilingual Instructional Coach

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Chanel Gaither

Program Assistant

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George Horvath

Assistant Director, Fiscal Operations

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Dr. Elaine Klein

Co-PI/ Senior Advisor

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Gayle Maslow

Research Assistant

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Aaron Pollard

Fiscal & Operations Manager

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Klara Seddon

Assistant Director, Program Operations

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Virginia Skrelja

Director ENL/ ELA, NYSED-Bridges Curriculum

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Wanda Tejada

Research Associate

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Lliana Villegas

Math Curriculum Developer / Senior Instructional Coach

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Camille Wynter

Senior Fiscal Consultant

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Expert Reviewers

cloud-recentDr. Nancy Cloud is a national leader in literacy and pedagogical practices for English language learners, especially struggling readers, having published several important books and papers on the subject including, most recently, Teaching adolescent English Language Learners:  Essential strategies for middle and high school (Cloud et al. 2010) and Literacy instruction for English Language Learners:  From research to practice (K-8) (Cloud et al. 2009). Among other major projects in literacy for English language learners, Dr. Cloud also led in the development and implementation of a one-year transitional, accelerated literacy program and curriculum for 9th graders in two Rhode Island school districts, with a very strong professional development component. The program, using the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) of Hord et al. (2006) as a guide through the process, has been in operation since 2007 and will serve as a model for the professional development component of Bridges.

s200_andrea-decapuaAndrea DeCapua, Ed.D. Teachers College Columbia University, is an educator, researcher, and educational consultant with over thirty years of experience in the field, both here and overseas.  She has held academic appointments at various institutions, most recently at New York University, Florida Atlantic University, and Long Island University–Hudson.  Her interests include second language acquisition, culture, and second language learners in the classroom.  In addition to her teaching and writing Dr. DeCapua has published numerous articles in a variety of academic journals and has authored/co-authored several books, including a series on struggling English learners. Dr. DeCapua has also provided extensive teacher training and development to pre-service and in-service teachers and is a frequent presenter and trainer at national and international conferences, and school districts around the country.  More information is available on her personal website andreadecapua.com or on malpeducation.com.  You can also follow her on Twitter @andreadecapua.

Deborah J. Short, Ph.D., has served both as an external evaluator for the Bridges project and, more recently, as a reviewer of the Bridges LL SIFE curriculum. She is the Director of Academic Language Research & Training and provides professional development on sheltered instruction and academic literacy worldwide. As a former Division Director at the Center for Applied Linguistics, she co-developed the research-validated SIOP Model for sheltered instruction and directed research on English language learners for the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Rockefeller Foundation, and U.S. Department of Education. Previously, she taught English as a second/foreign language in New York, California, Virginia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  Her publications include professional journal articles, SIOP Model books, and ESL textbooks for National Geographic Learning.

gabriela_uro_1Gabriela Uro is the Director for English Language Learner Policy and Research for the Council of the Great City Schools, where she is responsible for all matters pertaining to ELLs. As part of the legislative team, she works on legislative matters relevant to ELL’s, both with Capitol Hill and the Administration. She is the lead for Strategic Support Teams reviewing ELL programs in Council districts, and providing technical assistance, as needed. She is the Council’s lead for ELL issues related to the implementation of the Common Core or new state standards in member districts.  Ms. Uro has led or co-authored a number of publications including A Framework for Raising Expectations and Instructional Rigor for English Language Learners, the comprehensive report on English Language Learners in America’s Great City Schools, and Succeeding with English Language Learners–an influential study that revealed systemic factors contributing to improving ELL achievement in large urban districts. Ms. Uro oversees several grant-funded projects focused on improving instructional rigor for ELLs, totaling close to $3 million