About Us
EDSS consists of a small group of practicing educators who know the value of high-quality support for school districts and students. Our goal is to support the learning process any way possible. EDSS offers support to schools, districts, parents, and students.
All of our EDSS staff are available to work with individual schools and districts. We can work with small cohorts of 5, as well as perform keynote speaker work for entire districts. Please reach out if you have any questions.
Dr. Peter Dufresne Bio
Peter is a career educator who has been a teacher, building principal at the elementary, middle and secondary levels, curriculum director, and acting superintendent. Currently serving as the Chief Academic Officer at Knovva Academy, his career has led him to have the opportunity to serve as a school administrator for sixteen years in both large urban and small rural schools.
Peter was the principal of West Springfield High School when the newly created freshman academy known affectionately as Terrier House in West Springfield High School became recognized as a model program. The Terrier House, which was recognized by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges as one of only sixteen model programs in New England in 2006 reduced freshman retention rates by 22% in a single year. He is also the co-author of “A Culture of Ethical Leadership” published in Principal Leadership magazine in 2009.
Peter is also proud of developing school-to-college partnerships and pathways with West Springfield High School and American International College as well as the Southern Berkshire Regional School District and Bard College. These partnerships allowed many students to access college coursework. Further, this work created multiple first generation, college graduates.
Peter has been fortunate to work with schools around the world including the smart city in NEOM (Saudi Arabia), Dubai, Egypt (SAFWA), Peru, and Ecuador, as well as many schools in the United States. Further, Peter was the centerpiece of education articles in Authority Magazine and US News and World Report in 2022 for his work in supporting classroom teachers and students. Peter was also pleased to be the keynote speaker at multiple Model G20 summits and school convocations.
Peter completed his Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership at the University of the Cumberlands in 2021. Several research groups published his research study “International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme Students Compared To Like Peers.” Peter also consults on school scheduling, professional development, and organizational development when not leading the Knovva Academic Team. Peter is working on a school leadership book with many of his EDSS colleagues.
B.A. - History and Political Science - Western New England University
M.Ed - Educational Leadership - University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Ph.D - Organizational Development and Leadership - University of the Cumberlands
Dr. Peter Gillen
Pete is an active Principal of the largest Middle School in his region. An administrator and teacher for 20 years, Pete has experience as an award-winning middle and high school English teacher, collegiate and high school coach, and middle-level administrator. In 2007, Dr. Gillen was selected as a recipient of the Harold W. Grinspoon Excellence in Teaching Award for his work as a high school teacher. In 2016 Pete was selected as a '40 Under 40' Award Winner by Springfield College and BusinessWest Magazine respectively. In 2019, Pete was honored as the Edmund K. Fanning Award Winner as the Massachusetts State Principal of the year by the Massachusetts School Administrator Association.
Pete currently serves on the Board of Directors for the New England League of Middle Schools and on two commissions (Middle-Level Education and the Middle-Level Athletics Commission) for the MSAA. Peter has been a featured presenter at the NELMS annual conference in Providence, RI annually since 2016 and at the MSAA annual conference in Plymouth, MA since 2020.
Pete authored 'Turning Chrome into Gold' for the Massachusetts State EdTech Blog and was a contributor to Matt Macaluso's Book, "Pull Your Head out of Your Assumptions: What Great Teachers Know About Teaching." Currently, his full-length book currently titled, 'The Soulful Leader' co-authored with Dr. Timothy Allen, is in its final stages of completion.
Dr. Gillen is the co-founder of NPT, LLC. an educational consulting firm in Western Massachusetts that provides many free services to schools and has presented workshops to educators around the Nation.
B.A. - English/Secondary Education - Springfield College
M.Ed - Education Administration - Springfield College
Ed.D - Leadership and Management - William Howard Taft University
Dana Housey
Dana is a lifelong educator who has taught mathematics at the secondary and continuing education levels. Dana loves teaching mathematics and more importantly loves learning. The practicality and applicability of mathematics is mind blowing and she does her absolute best to share her passion for mathematics with her students. Dana is currently a high school mathematics teacher at Wilbraham Monson Academy where she teaches a wide range of subjects including College Algebra, Honors Geometry, Algebra 2, and Advanced Placement Statistics. Her passion and love of statistics has her involved as an active reader for the College Board Advanced Placement Exams and a facilitator for review sessions for Pioneer Valley Cluster.
Dana has previously taught mathematics at public high schools where she developed and implemented statistics curriculums. Dana was a lead adjunct instructor at Bay Path University where she taught and designed both undergraduate and graduate courses in various areas of mathematics. While at Bay Path, she also served as a professional mathematics coach who designed individual learning plans for students. Dana also had the privilege of being an instructor and facilitator for math MTEL courses for future educators.
Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Mathematics -Western New England University
Master of Arts in Mathematics -Western New England University
Camie Lamica
Camie Lamica is a Certified Public Accountant and a MA Certified School Business Administrator. For over 22 years Camie has worked in regional, vocational and large city school departments. Her experience ranges from managing school budgets of $100+ million, overseeing all human resources functioning, and procurement. Further, Camie has overseen MA School Building Authority building projects, grants management, and operational services for facility, food service, and transportation. Previously Camie audited municipalities and school districts for Melanson Heath & Co.
Dr. “CJ” Leyland
Dr. Constance “C.J” Leyland has been working in Management, Sales, Insurance, Staffing, and Education for over 20 years. Dr. CJ is a champion for change and mentorship. She was the Dean of Business and Accounting department for American National University and Southern States University. She values mentorship beyond the classroom and is a part of the Global Mentorship Initiative.
Additionally, she mentors students in the Global Educational Management program at another university. Dr. Leyland has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications with a minor in Business Administration from Cal State San Marcos, an MBA degree from The University of Phoenix, and a Doctorate in Business Administration with a concentration in International Business from Argosy University. Currently, she is pursuing an M.S. degree in Information Technology with a concentration in Cyber Security at Southern New Hampshire University. She believes in paying it forward and makes it her mission to put personal and social responsibility to help others who want to better themselves through academics or a career change. She is also a member of NSLS Sigma Alpha Pi as a fully inducted member.
Mistie Parsons M.Ed
Mistie Parsons is an established and successful instructional leader, with experience coaching teachers and leaders alike. She started her career teaching high school math and supporting students grades 6-12 through college access programming. For the last twelve years, Mistie has been in school leadership roles, supporting mostly secondary teachers and leaders towards school improvement efforts. She has written curricula and coached teachers across all content areas and has effectively supported them to reach all learners through a variety of strategies. She has also worked to develop school leaders to create and sustain instructional and cultural priorities that led to increased outcomes for students in core content, tested areas, graduation rates, attendance rates, and access to higher level coursework. Having worked in urban and rural spaces in Massachusetts and New England, Mistie understands the complexity of needs and the importance of adapting to the students you have. She is also currently getting her doctorate in Education and stays current on what’s working in classrooms and school/district leadership. Mistie is passionate about education, believes all students can achieve, given the right support and looks forward to working with you and/or your organization!
John Ragno LMHC, School Adjustment Counselor
John Ragno is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with many years of therapeutic experience. An alum of Springfield College, he served as a member of the graduate counseling staff in 2011. He continued his career by specializing in substance abuse and anger management for those involved in court deferment and post-incarceration. During this time, he worked with various patients, some of whom had spent years of their lives in psychiatric facilities with diagnoses ranging in severity, such as anxiety, depression, mood, and thought disorders. He left the non-profit sector to enter public education. John was a Dean of Students at the middle school level in the Springfield Public Schools, where he was also a coach for PBIS. He then transitioned to the elementary level, taking on a role as a School Adjustment Counselor, where he further developed a broad range of skills working with children and families. He found the necessity of collaborating with teachers, as they were his greatest asset to affecting change with students. He is currently employed as a School Adjustment Counselor at West Springfield High School. During this time, he has been trained in Responsive Classroom, served on different committees, and volunteered as a wrestling team coach. Aside from his school work, he also maintains a modest private practice.
His mission as a counselor and educator is to help those in need with his experience and training. Through his roles, he has gained extensive experience working with children, adolescents, and families. He is committed to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Solution-Focused Therapy. He is dedicated to helping others through his work and teaching the skills needed to help others during difficult times.
Outside of office hours, he loves exploring his many interests, such as fishing, biking, and a variety of recreational activities with his two kids alongside his wife, Heidi, a fellow educator.
Dr. Beth Regulbuto
Dr. Regulbuto holds a B.S. in Accounting from Central Connecticut State University, a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Endicott College, and an EdD in Educational Leadership from the University of the Cumberlands. Beth has over 20 years of accounting and budgeting experience in both the private and public realms. Beth began her public education career in 2007 as the Business Manager in the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District. She was quickly promoted to Associate Superintendent for Finance due to her acumen. Beth won 5 straight Meritorious Budget Awards from MASBO.
In 2017 Beth became the Southern Berkshire Regional School District Superintendent. In that time she has navigated through a regional school district with 5 separate towns. Beth is an expert at maximizing her budget dollars to further student achievement.
However, Beth’s biggest accomplishment is being a mom to 3 great kids and being a daughter to the real-life “Costanzas”! Beth is happy to share her knowledge of the budget process and how to make sure you squeeze the most from school budgets and grants.
Maria A. Silvestri, M.Ed
Maria A. Silvestri, M.Ed., has led an impressive career in administration and education, holding administrative positions for all grade levels, pre-K through graduate school. Currently working as Vice Principal of Curriculum and Instruction at the high school level, Maria is also a graduate-level adjunct professor at local colleges, creating and teaching classes such as Supervision and Evaluation, Designing Effective Curriculum, and Designing PD to Support Developing and Veteran Educators. Maria is widely known for her implementation of successful administrative programs, her ability to successfully maximize teacher/student potential, and her ability to synthesize and analyze data to help increase success.
In 2007, Maria established one of the first professional learning communities in Western Massachusetts, known as the “Terrier House,” and was awarded recognition by NEAS&C (New England Association of Schools and Colleges). She has since brought her expertise overseas, developing an international learning project with a high school in Valdarno, Italy.
Maria has contributed to and presented a number of industry workshops including: “Working with the Teenager to Enhance Engagement in the Classroom”, “Understanding the Teenage Brain”, Maximizing Teacher Potential Through Supervision and Evaluation”, “Analyzing Data to Increase Student Success”, and “Designing Assessments in an Equitable Classroom”. In her commitment to education, Maria has
served as chairperson on NEAS&C visiting teams over fifteen times, overseeing the accreditation of schools across New England.
Maria has a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Psychology and a Masters in Administrative Education - along with extended graduate training in gifted and talented education. She loves her children and in her spare time enjoys cooking and doing needlepoint.
Dr. Adrienne Smith
Dr. Smith brings 17 years of community college experience. Most recently at Holyoke Community College (HCC), where she retired as the Dean of the School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics at Holyoke Community College. Prior to that, she served as the Dean of Engineering Technologies and Mathematics at Springfield Technical Community College. Before that, Smith served as associate professor and coordinator of Electronics Technology at Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester. Her professional accomplishments span many areas of academic program development and enhancement, enrollment management and retention, diversity responsiveness, and regional and community partnership coordination.
Dr. Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s degree in Engineering Management from Western New England University, where she was the first African-American woman to graduate with a degree in engineering, and she earned a doctorate in education from UMass Amherst with competencies in community-college leadership, educational policies, and administration.
“I love being in STEM,” she said. “I’m very passionate about STEM, but I’m more passionate about increasing the numbers of women and underrepresented minorities in STEM. That was the subject of my dissertation.”
A graduate of Springfield Technical High School, Smith started her professional life as an electrical engineer (and the first female engineer) at Digital Equipment Corp. in Springfield, MA.
“I am quite confident that Adrienne’s depth of experience and knowledge as an engineer, as a full-time faculty member at a community college, and her administrative and management skills in the STEM disciplines will make her an asset to the HCC community,” said Monica Perez, HCC vice president of Academic Affairs.
We are proud to have Dr. Smith as a member of EDSS!
Dr. Sara Whitcomb
Dr. Sara Whitcomb is a Professor and Director of the doctoral training program in School Psychology at the University of Massachusetts. She is a former classroom teacher, special educator, and is currently also a licensed psychologist with expertise in school-based behavioral health, multi-tiered systems of support, and social-emotional and behavioral assessment. Dr. Whitcomb has authored a number of books and articles on these topics, and she has provided consultation and professional development to districts across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the United States.
B.A.--Elementary Education, Moderate Special Needs, Psychology--Boston College
M.Ed.--Human Development and Psychology, Risk and Prevention--Harvard Graduate School of Education
Ph.D.--School Psychology--University of Oregon