Official Site of The State of New Jersey

Paul Barbato, Ed.D. (Chairperson), 4th term

Dr. Paul Barbato is the Director of Special Services and the Local McKinney-Vento liaison in the Dumont public schools. Dr. Barbato serves on the following: NJ Emotional and Behavior Program Quality Indicator (EBPQI) Panel (NJDOE), New Jersey Association of Pupil Services Administrators (Immediate Past President), New Jersey Special Education Administrators Association (Board Member), NJ Principal and Supervisors Association (Special Education Committee), and the Bergen County Special Services School District Advisory Committee (Board Member). Dr. Barbato was awarded the 2014 Special Education Administrator of the Year from NJASA, NJAPSA, and the Centris Group. Dr. Barbato is also a Board member of Dumont's Stigma Free Committee. Dr. Barbato serves as an Adjunct Professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University, New Jersey City University, and Hudson County Community College in New Jersey. Dr. Barbato is also a New Jersey Leaders to Leaders (NJL2L) and New Jersey EXpedited Certification for Educational Leadership (NJEXCEL) Mentor and teaches within the NJEXCEL and New Jersey Teacher Leader Certification (NJTLC) Programs of New Jersey Principals and Supervisor Association (NJPSA).

Jocelyn Gottlieb, Assistant Chairperson, 2nd term

Jocelyn Gottlieb joins NJ-SSEAC as a parent of children with a disabilities, including one with multiple disabilities and one who has a speech-only Individualized Education Program (IEP). Shortly after moving to Glen Ridge, NJ, she became involved in the Glen Ridge SEPAC, which she co-chaired for two years. During that time, she developed an Abilities Awareness Week which was held across three elementary schools, engaging dozens of parents, multiple administrators, and teachers across buildings. The goal was to enhance students’ knowledge of various disabilities and to increase their appreciation of these differences among their peers. It was a first step to a larger goal of building a school community that supports all of its students equally, regardless of need. She was elected to a three-year term on the Board of Education in 2020, where she participated in the audit of special education programs. Re-elected in 2023, Jocelyn continues to serve on the BOE, chairing the Negotiations committee and serving on the Policy and Personnel committee. Professionally, Jocelyn received a master’s in business administration from Yale School of Management. She has worked in numerous social service and workforce development organizations, and is currently an Independent Consultant in this field. Her experiences as a nonprofit leader, elected board official, parent, and district volunteer have given her a nuanced understanding of how public, nonprofit, and personal spheres intersect. 

Pam Brillante, Ed.D., 2nd term

Dr. Pam Brillante works in higher education as a Professor at William Paterson University in the Department of Special Education, Professional Counseling and Disability Studies.  As a previous County Supervisor for the New Jersey Department of Education as well as the Early Childhood Special Education Specialist, Pam has focused her educational career on working with, but not limited to, assistive technology, the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Wilson Reading Intervention, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Her advocacy, grant writing, and service to the special education community extends far beyond her work with the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators (NJAECTE), Council for Exceptional Children Division of Early Childhood and the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Pam identifies her focus around the investment and collaboration of expanding high-quality early childhood programs and inclusive practices.

John Worthington, Esq., 2nd term

John Worthington attended the Rutgers University School of Law and is currently employed by LEGAL ONE as an Education Law Specialist, the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association/The Foundation for Educational Administration (NJPSA/FEA). John was also the previous Director of the Office of Special Education Policy and Procedure and Acting Director for the Office of Special Education. Prior to his leadership role at the New Jersey Department of Education, he was the Manager for the Bureau of Policy and Planning, Coordinator of Policy and Development, Director of State Board Appeals, Hearing Examiner, and Coordinator of Dispute Resolution. John is a current member of the New Jersey, Pennsylvania and United States Supreme Court, Third Court of Appeals, and United States District Court, District of New Jersey Bars.  John also identifies as a parent of a student with a disability.

Dorothy McMullen, Ph.D., 2nd term

Dr. Dorothy McMullen is employed and tenured with Elizabeth Public Schools. She currently holds the rank as the Director of Special Projects. Some of her responsibilities include oversight of coordinating early intervention services, K-3 literacy interventions, and local policies around intervention and referral services (I&RS) and the Visual and Performing Arts. She is currently driving her district’s alignment for I&RS to the New Jersey Tiered Systems of Support (NJTSS) model, which includes conducting trainings and building capacity across all grade levels. She has had experience collaborating with the NJDOE on several projects including the Facilitated IEP Program Pilot and the IDEA Data Center partnership for reducing disproportionality. She reflects on her experience as an adjunct professor at New Jersey City University and currently at William Paterson University for Learning Disability Teacher Consultant (LDT-C) Preparation and Special Education Teacher Preparation courses. Dorothy is also a parent of a student with disabilities.

Elizabeth Alves, 2nd term

Elizabeth Alves is an educational leader and advisor specializing in integrating STEM and inclusive practices for neurodiverse learners in K–12 settings. She currently serves as President of the Learning Disabilities Association of New Jersey (LDANJ) and is an active member of IEEE’s Pre-University Committee, supporting the TryEngineering initiative with a voice focused on inclusion and accessibility.
Elizabeth’s career spans over twenty years, dedicated to improving outcomes for students with learning differences through program design, teacher coaching, and policy work. At Benway School—a therapeutic institution for students with behavioral and emotional challenges—she has led collaborative engagement activities that promote career readiness and literacy intervention.  Elizabeth is a Board Member of LDA America and a Professional Advisory Board Member of Metasage Alliance. Elizabeth’s ongoing mission is to diversify STEM and engineering fields by supporting students of varying backgrounds and abilities, ensuring equitable access and post-graduate success for all learners for the betterment of humanity.

Margaret McDonald, Ed.D., 2nd term

Dr. Peggy, McDonald is a Coordinator for Professional Learning and Special Projects at the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association/Foundation for Educational Administration (NJPSE/FEA).   She began her career in special education as a teacher of the deaf, speech correctionist, educational audiologist and interpreter for the deaf.  She moved on to the NJ Department of Education where she held a variety of positions including consultant for the deaf, transition grant coordinator, manager of special education monitoring, Director of the Office of Special Education Programs and ultimately, Assistant Commissioner of the Division of Student Services before moving on to NJPSA/FEA.  Peggy holds state certification as an elementary and special education teacher, teacher of the deaf, supervisor, and learning disabilities teacher consultant.

Cynthia DeFina, Ph.D., 2nd term 

Cynthia DeFina has a twenty-year tenure in the New Jersey Association of School Psychologists (NJASP). She was appointed as the youngest president of NJASP to date. She earned a Ph.D. in Psychology and wrote her dissertation examining special education service for a district’s preschool program over the course of several years. In 2021, she was the keynote for New Jersey City University’s (NJCU) Pedagogy Day, discussing topics related to the special education population during the Pandemic. Additionally, she presented to NJCU’s Educational Leadership cohorts on Equity and Social Justice: Supporting Schools. Her voice for NJ-SSEAC is driven by her passion for guidance and research on retention rates, student engagement, the pandemic’s impact on young children and creating goals and strategies to address equity and social justice in special education. Cynthia currently acts as Supervisor of Special Education for Secondary Education in Sayreville, NJ and coordinates Extended School Year “Camp XL” for over 400 students in Sayreville School District. Cynthia is also an Adjunct Professor for Seton Hall University and New Jersey City University. Her professional affiliations include the Council for Advancement and Support in Education (CASE), Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), Innovations in Special Education Technology, New Jersey Principal and Supervisor Association (NJPSA), National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), and New Jersey Association for School Psychologists (NJASP). 

Sonya Bertini, 1st term

Sonya Bertini is a current adjunct professor at Rowan University in Southern New Jersey. She also sits as an executive board member on the NJ Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (NJTESOL)/NJ Bilingual Educators (NJBE) Association. Sonya’s professional background includes over forty years of experience teaching bilingual students with a focus on supporting students who identify as “twice exceptional” (i.e., multilingual learners who identify with a disability). She was both a general education teacher and a self-contained special education teacher. She joined the executive board of the NJTESOL/NJBE Association in 2010, where she participated on a Special Education Interest Group. In 2012, she went on to become a certified and acting Learning Disabilities Teacher Consultant (LDTC) on Vineland Public School’s child study team. During this time her work focused on evaluating students who identified as being multilingual with a suspected disability. Additional professional activities included being appointed to the NJDOE Bilingual Advisory Committee in 2003 and 2019, serving on the Spanish Review committee for NJASK in 2004 and 2008, and, in 2016, sitting on the WIDA ACCESS 2.0 Standard Setting Panel to advise on the proficiency level cut scores for all domains.  In 2019, she received the New Jersey Department of Education’s Exemplary Educator Award and, in 2024, received a commendation from the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater in Virginia for her work in developing lesson plans for Defiant Requiem Foundation and the Leo Baeck Institute.

Amanda Villamar, 1st term

Amanda is a parent of three children, two of whom are students with disabilities. Her life experiences include being an individual with a disability and growing up with a sibling who was diagnosed with Autism. Amanda herself has dyslexia. Professionally, her career started in early intervention and social work. When she became a parent, her priorities shifted. Before becoming an independently contracted special education advocate serving families that have children with disabilities, she worked at SPAN as a program coordinator and trainer. Amanda communicates a passion for “helping families and professionals build a bridge rooted in collaboration and creative problem-solving”. She recently sat on the Emotional and Behavior Program Quality Indicators (EBPQI) panel facilitated by the Office of Special Education. Her priorities were identified in the areas of Least Restrictive Environment, Transition Services, and Early Literacy. Currently, Amanda is also pursuing her PsyD in school psychology at Rutgers University. 

Gladasia Trotman, 1st term

Gladasia Trotman is a seasoned education professional with over two decades of experience at North Star Academy Charter School of Newark, where she currently serves as Director of Special Education. Beginning as a Middle School Special Education Teacher in 2006, Gladasia's journey evolved through roles including Senior Special Education Manager, Learning Disabilities Teacher-Consultant and Special Education Instructional Leader/Coordinator. Her expertise encompasses developing and supervising Child Study Teams, managing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), and ensuring compliance with federal and state mandates. Gladasia holds a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary and Special Education and African American Studies from Syracuse University, a Master of Arts in Education Leadership, Management, and Policy from Seton Hall University, and a Post Master’s Certification as a Learning Disability Teacher-Consultant from Montclair State University. She possesses certifications in Standard New Jersey Elementary Education (K-5), Standard New Jersey Special Education (K-12), Standard New Jersey Supervisor, and Certificate of Eligibility Principal, reflecting her commitment to enhancing educational opportunities for students with disabilities through structured support and rigorous academic standards.

Joshuah McAllister-Carlani, 1st Term

Mr. Carlani is a Licensed Behavior Analyst and Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). He has experience as a special education teacher working across K-12, specifically focused on students with Autism and social-emotional needs. He is an adjunct professor in the School of Education at The College of New Jersey and works as a Behavior Specialist in the Montgomery Township Public School District. He previously served as a BCBA Advisory Panel Member for the NJDOE to assist in the development of the Best Practices for Public School BCBAs document. His research on supporting fathers of children with complex disabilities has been published in Young Exceptional Children journal and presented at international conferences, including the AAIDD Annual Meeting and the International Youth Scientific and Practical Conference on Deaf-Blindness in Moscow, Russia. 

Kerri Walsifer, 1st Term

Kerri Walsifer is currently the Director of Pupil Services for the Howell Township School District and serves as the McKinney Vento and Division of Child Protection and Permanency Liason for Howell. She has utilized the following certifications in her career as a Learning Disability Teacher Consultant, Elementary and Special Education Teacher as well as district level administrator. She currently co-chairs New Jersey Principals and Supervisor’s (NJPSA) Special Education Committee and serves on the Monmouth University Special Services Academy. She serves as a board member of the Kindness Cafe in Spring Lake Heights that employes adults with meaningful work opportunities for adults with disabilities locally. She has presented and published various topics in the area of Special Education and is a parent of a student with disabilities.   

Christina Battiato, 1st Term

Ms. Battiato brings both research credentials and over twenty years of experience working in Special Education and with Child Study Teams as a special education teacher, Nationally Certified Educational Diagnostician and Learning Disabilities Teacher/Consultant. Christina is a Director of Special Education and local McKinney-Vento liasion in the East Greenwich Township School District, a rural, South Jersey school district. Ms. Battiato is a member of the New Jersey Principal and Supervisors Association's Special Education and Early Childhood committees as well as an active participant in her county administrative group, Gloucester County Administrators of Special Education. She also identifies as a parent of students with disabilities who have experienced pathways of accessing special education services through vocational programs.

Lori Lopez-Lopez, 1st Term

Dr. López-López earned a Diversity and Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University. She has presented research at the Council for Exceptional Children's Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities International Conference on "How community-based instruction can foster an inclusive community for students transitioning into adulthood." She has served on planning committees for the New Jersey Association for Independent Schools, including the "Division Heads and School Leaders Conference," and acts as an NJAIS Leadership Institute Mentor. Her professional affiliations include the New Jersey Association of Learning Consultants, Council for Exceptional Children, and Council for Administrators of Special Education. Dr. López-López is also a parent of a student with disabilities and a Supervisor of Special Education in the Tewksbury School District.