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Hi everyone! My name is Teri Kinney. I am a the Associate Director of Professional Development Design for ELA. I have been with Amplify for 10 years and have worked on developing the ELA curriculum, creating the differentiation in the lessons, training teachers and now developing the sessions and materials that are used in the field for trainings and supporting all the PLSs. Before coming to Amplify, I taught in NH, Seattle, WA and Brooklyn, NY for 8 years. I now live in Providence, RI with my husband, 3 sons and a crazy dog! We love anything involving the outdoors- camping, hiking, skiing, going to the beach and bike riding. I look forward to meeting you all!

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Hi Team! My name is Shane Cusumano. I work as a Professional Development Partnership Manager for Middle School ELA. I joined Amplify in 2014. In the past, I've both run and designed  professional learning. I now  iad in managing trainers and coaches working on the team. I also partners with teachers, coaches, and administrators all over the country to successfully implement Amplify ELA professional learning in their districts and schools.

Prior to joining Amplify, I  worked as an educator for over 13 years, in both St. Louis and DC. Following that time, Shane worked as a Teacher, Educational Technology Specialist, and Technology Camp Director.

Outside of work, I enjoy cooking, traveling, history, and anything outdoors. I can't wait to work with each and every one of you this year!

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Hello Team! My name is Sarah Kitzmiller. As a Professional Development Partnership Manager for Middle School, I continue to build knowledge about Amplify ELA and our district partners to support them on their implementation journey towards success!

Before Amplify, I worked for 20 years in public education in North East Tennessee serving as a regional personalized learning coach serving 17 districts, a district literacy and math coach, instructional design specialist, administrator, RTI coordinator for middle schools and classroom teacher.

My family and I live in Kingsport, TN. We have a golden doodle named Maggie. In our free time we love to attend Barter Theatre plays, watch and play a variety of sports ( Go Vols! ), spend time outdoors,  visit with family, and read a good book!
Welcome to Amplify! I am excited to work with you!

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I am incredibly excited to join the 2022 Amplify ELA Professional Learning Specialist Team!

Over thirty-two years ago, my love of writing and the written word led me to pursue a career in education.  My entire career was invested in one school district but included a wide variety of academic extra curricular activities and diverse leadership roles. Throughout my tenure at St. Marys City Schools, I taught grades 5, 6, 7, and 8.  My diligent work ethic, desire to excel, and commitment to helping others led to many professional growth opportunities including work as a Literacy Design Collaborative Coach and Trainer for Battelle and work as the Northwest Ohio Regional Director for Power of the Pen, a non-profit creative writing program for seventh and eighth grade writers. Although I am a seasoned veteran, I refused to allow myself to become too old to implement innovative instruction or fall behind in the integration of technology in the classroom. In the last four years of my career, I loved implementing our online curriculum from a competing company and saw the great potential with digital content!

My husband Rick and I live in Lima, Ohio, and share five children and seven - soon to be eight - beautiful grandchildren.  We enjoy golf, football, musicals, travel, and the gift of time with family and loved ones. Our favorite travel destination is West Palm Beach, Florida, and we hope to call it home some day soon! The temperatures there are more suited to our hobbies than temperamental Ohio weather!

My recent retirement in February of 2022 has enabled me to explore career options to invest my skills and experience. From limited exploration of Amplify’s ELA curriculum, I am excited to fully explore the program and support teachers in their adoption and implementation of a powerful online curriculum.  I truly cannot wait to begin training!

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Hi Y'all,

I'm Sandy Brunet. I come to you with 10+ years experiences as a Principal in K-12, TK-6 and 6-8 schools in the public and charter world. I've worked in education in Hawaii, California and here in Florida. Before becoming a Principal I taught K-8, general education, gifted, ESOL, math, ELA, world studies and managed state testing.

I'm excited to take on this new adventure. When I am not working, I can be found on my paddle board in the ocean, or hanging at the shore with my two sons. my husband and our Cavachon puppy, Charley.

I look forward to getting to know all of you!

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Hi there! My name is Kari Whaley. I live in the Orlando, Florida area and have been teaching in Central Florida for 9 years, first in K-12 and recently for a university.
I have experience teaching social studies, ELA, and more electives than I can remember. At the university-level I teach courses on leadership, student success, and goal setting, and I lead continuing education courses in DEI-related and community building content.
I spend my free time with my partner, Pete, who is active duty Air Force and my son, Reyce, a 12 year old, virtual-schooled 6th grader. Most of our family conversations center around how precious our Scottish-fold cat is.

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My name is Rebecca Smith and I am coming to Amplify with experience as a High School/ middle school teacher, principal, Director of Middle Schools,  Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, and Educational Consultant.  I am delighted to have the opportunity to assist teachers and other school leaders with supporting reading skills for their students.  I love to travel, have a lovely dachshund, Barney and have been married to my husband John for 39 years. We have a daughter who lives in the Bay Area / San Francisco and we visit her as often as we can.  I live near Charlotte NC and enjoy exercising, reading, writing, and music. I am delighted to join this ELA Middle School team.

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Hello Team! My name is Alexandra Graham and I am super excited to join Amplify as a Professional Learning Specialist!

I live in Charleston, SC and have been in education for 7 years. During my career I have served as a 7th and 3rd grade teacher, academic coach, and middle school program developer. I have worked in underserved communities to help bring the best education to all students, regardless of background or economic status.

In my free time, I enjoy cooking and playing with my dog, Apollo, and tortoise, Hercules. I also enjoy kayaking, and traveling. This summer I am spending time in Thailand and Saint Martin.

I am ecstatic to join you all as learning specialist and I can't wait to assist other educators in my region in implementing the best reading practices!

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Hello Everyone! My name is Maria Iliana Castillo-Takase, but I go by "Iliana" instead. I came to the U.S. from Mexico 14 years ago, and I'm currently living in Texas. I am very excited to join Amplify and to have the opportunity of working closely with the Professional Learning Specialist team.

I have almost ten years of experience as an educator, having taught in a variety of settings and in multiple teaching modalities. In addition to teaching, I have delivered training sessions for pre-service and in-service teachers, given talks at conferences and workshops, built instructional programs and curricula, and conducted research involving the use of emerging technologies to enhance language learning. I have also volunteered my professional skills in a wide range of areas and sectors, held multiple internships abroad, and provided professional coaching and development for faculty and academic staff.

I recently got married and have two beautiful dogs named "Caspian" and "Nismo." In my free time, I enjoy reading, drawing, watching indie movies, cooking, and playing board games.

I can't wait to start this new chapter in my career, and I look forward to meeting all of you soon!

Iliana

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Hello all! My name is Dominique Creppel, and I have been teaching for 7 and a half years.

My first teaching position was a semester of 11th grade American Literature, but the bulk of my experience has been in 8th ELA. In this last school year, I transferred to high school, and taught AP Language and Composition, English IV, and Dual Enrollment: English 101.

I am born and raised right outside of New Orleans, Louisiana. My wife is active duty Navy, and we have just moved to Jacksonville, Florida. Packing (and unpacking -- so much unpacking) my classroom and my personal books has given me the opportunity to reflect on my favorite interactions with students the the what texts we have loved (and hated) over the years. I'm genuinely looking forward to jumping back into middle school!