Trainer Profiles
Lona T Adler, Teacher Trainer
Carole Friedman, Teacher Trainer
Neil Gross, Teacher Trainer
John Jenkins, Teacher Trainer
Nancy Klein, Teacher Trainer
Sheri Klugmann, Autism Training Specialist; Teacher / Parent Trainer
Susan Kosberg, Teacher Trainer
Carmen Lloyd, Teacher Trainer
Linda Polsky, Teacher Trainer
Robert Schwartz, Teacher Trainer
Bonnie Taylor, Parent Trainer, Autism Specialist
Lisa Tazartes, Executive Director/Teacher Trainer
Lona T Adler, Teacher Trainer
Lona brings an extensive and varied background in education that includes 35 years as a New York City Public School classroom teacher, reading teacher, writing specialist, mentor/coach, assistant principal, teacher trainer and instructional specialist. As an instructional specialist on the district level and through the Office of School Improvement and Comprehensive Planning at Central Board, she provided on-site support, resources, training, and technical assistance to schools in the areas of assessment, curriculum content, organizational design, and team building. In addition, Lona has been a collaborator on several school redesign efforts and an adjunct instructor in the education departments of several universities. Lona holds a BA in Education from Brooklyn College, an MS in Reading from CW Post University, a New York State Education Department School Administrator /Supervisor (SAS) certification, a New York State Education Department School District Administrator (SDA).
Carole Friedman, Teacher Trainer
When Carole retired from her position as a principal with the New York City Department of Education, she was not yet ready to retire from the field of education entirely. As a Ramapo trainer and coach, Carole brings her understanding of the needs of school professionals and the vital skills that she developed during her 33 years in education. She draws on her experience as a principal, assistant principal, staff developer, and teacher to provide professional development for teachers and train them to change student behavior by changing their own behavior; this in turn enables teachers to devote valuable classroom time to instruction instead of management. Her special expertise in developmentally appropriate education provides valuable insights into childhood behavior.
Neil Gross, Teacher Trainer
Neil has been both an educator and an administrator in Westchester and New York City for over 38 years. He has experience teaching children with learning disabilities on elementary and secondary levels. His experience in New York City ranges from working in residential schools for emotionally challenged students to facilitating a total communication program for the deaf and hard of hearing. Neil was responsible for the implementation and development of a character education program in a highly successful alternative high school in Rye, New York. He has focused on developing programs for students and families of students challenged with emotional and social issues. The programs he has developed have provided a support community able to assist families with the myriad issues they face in today’s challenging world. He is also the recipient of the “Educator Overcoming the Odds Award” from Student Advocacy of Westchester. Neil has a Masters Degree from New York University in Special Education and completed his administrative work at Pace University.
John Jenkins, Teacher Trainer
As a Learning and Development Specialist with a doctoral degree in Education from New York University, John has served as a training consultant with Kaplan K-12 services and schools throughout the New York City system. He has also been a principal at both charter and public schools in the New York City area. His doctoral research is on the experience of adolescent males in urban schools. John’s areas of expertise also include literacy; teacher training and development; and diversity, social justice, and inclusion. John received an SAS/SDA Certificate in Administration and Supervision from Baruch College, CUNY, and an M.S. in Secondary Education and English from Herbert H. Lehman College. He received his B.A. in English from the University at Albany.
Nancy Klein, Teacher Trainer
Nancy’s commitment to public education has spanned over 30 years. Nancy holds New York State certification in Special Education in grades K-12. She holds a Masters of Science in Special Education and has done postgraduate work in School Psychology. Her experience includes working with students with both learning and behavioral challenges in a variety of settings. Nancy is certified by Cornell University’s Therapeutic Crisis Intervention program for supporting behavioral management strategies for both staff and students. Her experience as a coach includes implementing professional development activities and individual coaching sessions, and supporting instructional and behavioral best practices.
Sheri Klugmann, Autism Training Specialist; Teacher / Parent Trainer
Sheri is a Queens College graduate and earned both a Masters degree in Elementary Education from Hunter College and a Masters degree in Early Childhood and Special Education from Touro College. Sheri was trained at the YAI/New York League for Early Learning, where she studied and gained skills on Applied Behavior Analysis. After working as a general and a special education teacher in various public schools throughout New York City, she joined the YAI full-time as a Special Education Itinerant Teacher, working both at home and in school settings as a 1:1 shadow for children with PDD, Asperger’s Syndrome, severe speech and language delays, social delays, and behavior challenges.
Susan Kosberg, Teacher Trainer
Susan has been an educator in Westchester and New York City for more than 35 years. Her diverse experience includes classroom teaching to children with learning challenges and regular education students, and college- and graduate-level courses in Education. She has presented professional development workshops at the Superintendent’s Conference Day and for the NYS Department of Education. Susan has participated on numerous panels for educational conferences and associations, including “Effective Practices in Instruction with Children with Disabilities” for the Council for Exceptional Children at Manhattanville College. In addition, Susan has been teaching a college field experience course in special education for counselors at Camp Ramapo every summer for more than 20 years.
Carmen Lloyd, Teacher Trainer
Carmen is an experienced educator with an extensive background in school leadership and training. In her 35 years as an educator, she showed progressive advancement from classroom teacher to staff developer, assistant principal, and principal in New York City Public Schools and in the Non-Public sector. As a New York City principal, Carmen spent 13 years in the Chancellor’s District, where she focused on restructuring failing schools and closing the gap in educational achievement for high-risk, underachieving students. She has advanced degrees in Educational Administration and Supervision from Long Island University, C.W. Post College and a Masters in Education from Hunter College in New York.
Linda Polsky, Teacher Trainer
Linda has taught in New York City public schools for more than 25 years and was an assistant principal in a performing arts school for 6 years. She holds a Ph.D. in Administration and Supervision, as well as a BS and MS in Education. Linda continues to work with new teachers in her role as a Mentor with the Department of Education. In her work for Ramapo for Children, she helps teachers learn the skills necessary to be stronger and more effective in their classrooms.
Robert Schwartz, Teacher Trainer
Formerly the Principal of Greenburgh Eleven USFD at Children’s Village in Dobbs Ferry, NY, and Assistant Principal of Newtown High School in Queens, NY, Bob taught in elementary- , middle- , and high schools in NYC for 12 years, many of them as a special education teacher. His areas of expertise include special education, crisis intervention, and behavior planning. Bob is a product of the New York City educational system and graduated from S.J. Tilden H.S., in Brooklyn, NY. He holds an M.A. and P.D. in School Psychology and an M.A. and P.D. in School Administration and Supervision from Brooklyn College of the City University. Bob earned his undergraduate degree from Hunter College of the City University of New York.
Bonnie Taylor, Parent Trainer, Autism Specialist
Bonnie received her doctoral degree in Psychology from the Graduate Center of The City University of New York, where she concentrated in neuropsychology. She completed an autism-focused postdoctoral fellowship at the Seaver and New York Autism Center of Excellence at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. There, she participated in cutting-edge research in autism spectrum disorders, and conducted behavioral evaluations for children and adults with autism. Bonnie has also gained extensive experience working with individuals with developmental disabilities in community-based settings, including F•E•G•S and the JCC of Manhattan. Her work with people with autism spectrum disorders has included conducting diagnostic assessments and functional behavior analyses, evaluating and implementing programs, curriculum development, and facilitating social skills groups for young adults with Asperger’s. Bonnie brings to the Ramapo staff a font of knowledge and autism-specific experience for leading staff trainings.
Lisa Tazartes, Executive Director/Teacher Trainer
Lisa holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Swarthmore College. She has taught special education and is an experiential education specialist. Lisa is also certified in adventure-based counseling and life space crisis intervention. A member of the Ramapo staff for more than 15 years, she is a graduate of the Executive Level Program of the Institute for Non-Profit Management at Columbia University. Lisa is a founding director of both Ramapo’s Challenge and Adventure Retreats and Ramapo Training. Her career has been devoted to building the skills and capacity of educators and youth service professionals. Lisa is also the 2007 recipient of the prestigious Zella Bronfman Award, in recognition of her role as a change agent who is helping to transform the delivery of services to people with disabilities.
