EASTCONN Board; RESC Alliance

2020-2021 EASTCONN Board Members & Leadership

The invaluable commitment of EASTCONN’s Board of Directors ensures the agency’s ongoing success. Representing EASTCONN-region boards of education, each director helps guide and approve agency programs and services, and assists the agency in its mission to serve the learning needs of all northeastern Connecticut’s public schools and communities.

EXECUTIVE BOARD OFFICERS

Chairman, Ms. Joan Trivella, Woodstock Academy Vice-Chairman, Ms. Valerie May, Pomfret Public Schools Secretary/Treasurer, Ms. Katherine Paulhus, Mansfield Public Schools

EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS

Mr. Herb Arico, Willington Public Schools Dr. Judy Benson Clarke, Regional District #8 Ms. Amy Blank, Union Public Schools Ms. Terry Cote, Eastford Public Schools Ms. Mary Ellen Donnelly, Hampton Public Schools Mr. Michael Morrill, Putnam Public School Mr. Rod Perry, Scotland Public Schools Ms. Lydia Rivera-Abrams, Killingly Public Schools Mr. Matthew Smith, Lebanon Public Schools

BOARD MEMBERS

Ms. Sonia Greene, Woodstock School District Ms. Laurie Marquis, Canterbury Public Schools

LEADERSHIP

Gary S. Mala, Executive Director

Shawn Brodeur, Facilities Kimberly Bush, Transportation Services Larisa Carr, ECHIP Administrator Katrina Cote, Nursing Facilitator Andrew DePalma, Technology Solutions Diane Dugas, K-12 Student Services, Leading & Learning Services Diane Gozemba, Early Childhood Initiatives Melanie Marcaccio, Human Resources Amy Margelony, K-12 Special Education Services Edward Martin, Business Office Heather Plourde, Food & Hospitality Services Dona Prindle, Marketing & Communications Rich Tariff, Adult & Community Programs Joni Weglein, Finance

RESC ALLIANCE

EASTCONN is one of Connecticut’s six public, non-profit, Regional Educational Service Centers (RESCs). RESCs were established by state statute decades ago to provide costeffective, high-quality, education-related programs and services that respond to public school districts’ needs. While each RESC is responsible for offering education services in their own regions, membership in the statewide RESC Alliance effectively augments their capacity to serve not only their region’s needs, but also more broadly, those of the CSDE education system. Alliance membership encourages RESCs to collaborate, share critical expertise and resources, and expand their service-providing capacity. The power of the RESC Alliance lies in its focus on excellent outcomes for all Connecticut students and staff, and on its devotion to saving local taxpayer dollars. EASTCONN and its RESC Alliance partners continue to advocate at the state level for adequate education funding for towns and increased financial support for public schools, whose budgets have been hit hard by the pandemic.

Connecticut’s 6 RESC Alliance members, including EASTCONN, identified a number of legislative Alliance priorities in 2020-2021, including:

• Incentivizing increased regional collaboration among local schools and supporting sustainable funding formulas for magnet schools of choice. • Providing equitable, sustainable funding for early childhood programs, Education Cost Sharing, special education and related services. • Supporting new teacher and administrator development and minority teacher recruitment.