OUR BOARD

  • Jennifer is a Special Education teacher of over 15 years. Her Master’s Degree is in Special Education from Boston University. She now serves as a consultant and advocate for families of Special Needs children in the greater Washington DC area. Jen received the Inclusion Teacher of the Year in 2015 as well as other accolades for her work with the special education community.

  • Christine Hersh is a Physician Assistant for over 20 years and holds a Masters of Science and Masters of Physician Assistant Studies specializing in Education. She currently works with University Orthopaedic Associates (UOA) in Somerset, New Jersey where her passion lies in the operating room. At UOA, she is the coordinator for the Total Joint Replacement Program, Spine Program, and Bundle Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) Program. Highland Park has been home for over 12 years which she shares with her husband, three children, dog, hamster and snails!

  • Danielle has been an educator for 14 years, teaching in a variety of settings, including general education, special education, and reading intervention. She is passionate about helping students build confidence and achieve academic success through personalized, research-based instruction.

    A proud graduate of Rutgers University, Danielle earned her master’s degree in Learning, Cognition, and Development, equipping her with a deep understanding of how students learn and grow. She is also certified as an Orton-Gillingham Specialist, demonstrating her expertise in structured, multi-sensory approaches to literacy instruction.

    With a commitment to creating inclusive and engaging learning environments, Danielle strives to empower all students to reach their full potential.


  • In her 13 years as a New Jersey educator, Mary Clairmont has been privileged to work with students and teachers in a variety of K-5 settings. Mary graduated from The College of New Jersey in 2009 in elementary education and English. She obtained a Master's Degree in Special Education, focusing on literacy instruction in 2015 also from The College of New Jersey. Currently, Mary currently teaches an inclusion third grade classroom at Bartle Elementary School in Highland Park. She is Responsive Classroom trained and has had the privilege of helping coordinate after-school and summer tutoring and enrichment programs for the district. She is recently Orton Gillingham comprehensive level certified as well as works with Raising Hands Tutoring, a nonprofit organization in Highland Park. In the past year, Mary has also worked as an educator fellow with Rutgers Community Engaged Anti Racism Project, developing lessons for implementation in the elementary classroom.

  • Kate Rousmaniere is a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at Miami University, Oxford Ohio. Her research and teaching interests are the history of education and gender, leadership and disability issues in education. Kate earned her Ph.D. from the Teachers College at Columbia University.

    Kate is also involved in local government, serving as mayor of the City of Oxford since 2015.

  • Emily Bosk is an Associate Professor at Rutgers School of Social Work. Her research focuses on promoting child and family wellbeing and treating complex trauma. She works closely with states and community agencies to develop and implement innovative approaches to families involved with the child welfare system.

Other Team Members

Tom Adolph, Consultant

Carmen Herzog, Translator

Diana Guevera, Translator