Custom Board Retreat Facilitators
 |
Dr. Frank Chiachiere Location: Long Island Topics: Roles and Responsibilities of School Board Members & Superintendent, Goal Setting, Superintendent Evaluation Process, Conflict Resolution, 1st Year Superintendency |
| Dr. Frank Chiachiere has served as the President of the Valley Stream UFSD 13 Board of Education as well as President of the Valley Stream Central High School District Board of Education over the past thirty years. As field representative for the New York State School Boards Association, Frank has visited school boards both upstate and downstate where he has conducted workshops on Roles and Responsibilities. In addition, he is Executive Director of EdCareerCoach, an educational consulting company in Malverne, NY, specializing in career coaching for schoolteachers wishing to become school leaders. Frank is an associate with the executive recruiting firm School Leadership LLC where he has recruited over three dozen school superintendents. Frank spent his professional career as a high school teacher, department supervisor and middle school vice principal. Currently he is a member of the Graduate Faculty at Stony Brook University where he teaches research in the School of Professional Development. | |
 |
Lisa P. Davis Location: Long Island & Westchester Topics: Roles and Responsibilities of School Board Members & Superintendent, Goal Setting, Superintendent Evaluation Process |
| Lisa Davis is a seasoned consultant and facilitator specializing in education policy, leadership and board governance. Since 2012, she has served as co-coordinator of the New York Education Policy Leadership Program, a yearlong professional development initiative in partnership with Fordham University Graduate School of Education and PNW BOCES. This program equips education leaders with strategic insights to navigate today’s evolving policy landscape. Previously, Lisa was the Executive Director of the Westchester Putnam School Boards Association (WPSBA) from 2008 to 2019. Under her leadership, WPSBA expanded its programming, workshops, and outreach efforts while strengthening its regional advocacy and visibility. She served for nine years on the Chappaqua Board of Education (1998–2007), including two years as board president, and was president of WPSBA from 2005 to 2007. In addition, she has served on numerous regional and state commissions focused on education policy and governance. | |
 |
Dr. Sean T. Douglas Location: Long Island Topics: Roles and Responsibilities of School Board Members & Superintendent, Goal Setting, Superintendent Evaluation Process |
| Dr. Sean Douglas is a licensed clinical social worker and has been employed as a school social worker for the past 27 years in the Uniondale School District. He also served as Summer School Assistant Principal and Principal, and was recently appointed as the Principal of the Alternative Night School. Dr. Douglas has also served as an Adjunct Professor at New York University, Fordham and Long Island University. He also currently serves as a consultant to the New York State School Boards Association where he conducts Board Retreats on Board/Superintendent Relations, Evaluating the Superintendent, Strategic Planning and Role and Responsibilities of Board Members and Superintendents. | |
 |
Anjeanette Emeka Location: Capital Region Topics: Roles and Responsibilities of School Board Members & Superintendent, Goal Setting, Superintendent Evaluation Process |
| Anjeanette (Anjie) Emeka has been providing half- and full-day Custom Board Retreats through NYSSBA since 2023. Anjie is currently the president of the Board of Education of her home district in Saratoga Springs, NY where she has been a trustee since 2017. Her roles have included a year as vice president and three as president, and the past three years she has also served as vice president of the Adirondack Area School Board Association. Anjeanette presented a session on onboarding new trustees at the 2024 NYSSBA conference and you can catch her speaking on board leadership on an episode of The President's Gavel. | |
 |
Dawn Fucheck Location: Hudson Valley Region Topics: Roles and Responsibilities of School Board Members & Superintendent, Goal Setting |
| Dawn Fucheck has served as an Adjunct Facilitator with NYSSBA since 2012. A retired member of the Board of Education for the Newburgh Enlarged City School District, Dawn served three consecutive terms, including six years in an officer role. During her time on the Board, she graduated from the School Board Institute, earned her the Board Master Award, and was honored with the Leadership in Governance award. A visionary and results-driven leader, Dawn has achieved success in both educational and community arenas. She is known for her exceptional communication skills, inspiring others and energizing individuals to collaborate toward shared goals. Her ability to build consensus among diverse groups has earned her respect as an effective and influential leader. | |
 |
Selica Y. Grant, Esq. Location: Capital Region Topics: Roles and Responsibilities of School Board Members & Superintendent, DEI |
| Selica Grant is the first woman of color to be appointed as the Chief Administrative Officer at the New York State Thruway Authority, where she provides executive direction and management oversight for the Department of Administrative Services. Her department includes key areas such as Internal Controls & Risk Management; Personnel & Performance Management; Labor Relations; Employee Safety; Accessibility, Equity & Employee Engagement; Office & Building Services and Training & Employee Development. Selica has also served as Chief Diversity Officer and Chief Risk Officer & Special Counsel at the NYS Department of Labor, Director of the Division of Equal Opportunity Development, and the American with Disabilities Act Coordinator. In these positions, she championed workforce development, diversity, equity, inclusion, and risk management across state agencies. Selica also advises the NYS Chief Diversity Officer, the Commissioner of Civil Service, and the Executive Committee for Diversity, Inclusion, and Equal Opportunity on all existing and proposed policies, procedures, practices and programs relating to or affecting equity and equality initiatives. | |
 |
Dr. John Gratto Location: Adirondacks Topics: Roles and Responsibilities of School Board Members & Superintendent, Goal Setting, Superintendent Evaluation Process, 1st Year Superintendency |
| John Gratto served for 23 years as a Superintendent of Schools in New York State in districts ranging from 450 to 4,500 students. Twelve of those years were in northern NY, seven in the capital district and four on Long Island. In addition, he worked for five years as a K-12 principal. From 2012 to 2022 he worked as a professor of Educational Leadership at Virginia Tech teaching a variety of courses to prepare future principals and superintendents of schools. Dr. Gratto has also served as the President of the Virginia Professors of Educational Leadership, a Member of the New York State Education Commissioner’s Advisory Council, a Blue-Ribbon School Review Panelist for New York State Elementary Schools, President of the Champlain Valley Athletic Conference and Executive Secretary of the Essex County School Boards Association. | |
 |
Dr. Stephen Hampe Location: Central New York Topics: Roles and Responsibilities of School Board Members & Superintendent, Goal Setting, Superintendent Evaluation Process, Conflict Resolution |
| Stephen Hampe has spent his life helping others. After graduating college, he began front line work in mental health and later shifting to education, spending ten years teaching HS in NYC. Returning to graduate school, he earned a doctorate in clinical/forensic psychology, finishing his training at CNY Psychiatric Center, bringing him and his family to Rome in 2007. Dr. Hampe served a term on the Rome CSD Board of Education, during which he was clerk in the second half of his first year, elected vice president in the second, and president in his final year. Steve joined the NYSSBA CBR team in 2022 and has since presented retreats across Central and Western New York. | |
 |
Dr. Thomas Reardon Location: Capital Region Topics: Roles and Responsibilities of School Board Members & Superintendent, Goal Setting, Superintendent Evaluation Process, 1st Year Superintendency, Conflict Resolution |
| Dr. Tom Reardon has enthusiastically been working with NYSSBA as a retreat facilitator for six years, working with boards from all parts of New York State. As a practicing Superintendent, he believes in maximizing his almost 25 years in public education (teacher, assistant principal, principal and superintendent for the last ten years) to make custom retreats practical for all participants. When he is not working as a Superintendent or Retreat Facilitator, Dr. Reardon serves as Core Lecturer in the Siena College Teacher Preparation Program, teaching courses pertaining to adolescence, middle school theory and practice, as well as working with student teachers during their student teaching semester. He has been on staff at Siena for 17 years. He has published numerous pieces relevant to Board Collaboration, Budget Planning and best pedagogical practices at the middle level. | |
 |
John Schiess Location: Western New York Topics: Roles and Responsibilities of School Board Members & Superintendent, Goal Setting, Superintendent Evaluation Process |
| John Schiess is a retired school administrator in western New York. He has served as a teacher, director of information technology, assistant superintendent and interim superintendent. John has experience in education, human resources management, technology and training. | |
 |
Heather Zellers Location: Western New York & Southern Tier Topics: Roles and Responsibilities of School Board Members & Superintendent, Goal Setting, Superintendent Evaluation Process |
| Heather Zellers is currently a member of the Seneca Falls School Board and serving as board president for three years. Heather is also currently the Director of Information and Advocacy for the NYS Rural Schools Association and serves as a trustee for the National Rural Education Foundation. Heather has experience in education-related advocacy, policies, operations, strong interpersonal and communication skills to foster relationships, team leadership, collaboration, and management experience. Heather’s work also includes establishing and fostering growing relationships with community partners, service agencies, legislative representatives, and member districts all while working closely with other State associations to ensure rural representation in all groups. | |