Leadership
Our projects will be staffed by our network of experts. We welcome researchers and practitioners to join our Expert Advisory Committee. If you are interested, contact us today!
Trish Brennan-Gac, JD
Executive Director
Maryland READS is led by Trish Brennan-Gac, JD, who has over 30 years of experience in government and non-profit management where she managed complex, multi-million-dollar technical assistance projects, fostered partnerships to translate research into practice, and managed outreach and engagement campaigns.
Jennifer Bell-Ellwanger, MEd
Acting Board President
Jennifer Bell-Ellwanger, MEd, is the President and CEO of the Data Quality Campaign, a nonprofit advocacy and policy organization centered around using educational data to drive policy decisions. Previously, she worked at the US Department of Education, where she led a team of researchers and policy analysts to provide expertise and support to staff in using best practices to drive policy decisions. She supported similar efforts at the district level both in the NYC Department of Education and in Baltimore City Public Schools. She resides in Baltimore City, MD.
Darin Bartram
Baker Hostetler
Darin Bartram of Baker Hostetler serves as legal counsel and successfully shepherded our application to the IRS to secure our nonprofit status. We are grateful to Baker Hostetler for their pro-bono support.
Laura Gac
Abod and Associates.
Our finances are managed by Laura Gac of Abod and Associates. Laura brings 35 years of experience in accounting and tax preparation, specializing in complex tax preparation. She has worked with a variety of firms across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors including Maryland-based organizations. We are grateful to Laura for her pro bono support.
Board of Directors
Jennifer Bell-Ellwanger, MEd
President and CEO, Data Quality Campaign
Jennifer Bell-Ellwanger, MEd, is the President and CEO of the Data Quality Campaign, a nonprofit advocacy and policy organization centered around using educational data to drive policy decisions. Previously, she worked at the US Department of Education, where she led a team of researchers and policy analysts to provide expertise and support to staff in using best practices to drive policy decisions. She supported similar efforts at the district level both in the NYC Department of Education and in Baltimore City Public Schools. She resides in Baltimore City, MD.
Winsome Waite, PhD
Senior Program Director, Opportunity Institute
Winsome Waite, PhD, has 35 years of experience in K–12 education practice, research, and policy. She is a former Maryland teacher in early childhood, elementary, and secondary schools; an instructor at the graduate level; and a program leader in school district and education nonprofits. She is currently a Senior Program Director at the Opportunity Institute. She resided in Charles County, MD, where she has strong ties and remains active in the community.
Sue Fothergill
Senior Fellow, AttendanceWorks
Sue Fothergill is a Senior Fellow at AttendanceWorks where she also previously served as the Director of Strategic Programming. She has partnered with community members, government actors, business leaders, educators, families, and young people around the country to create and implement innovative solutions to entrenched problems. She resides in Baltimore City, MD.
Ellen O'Neill, MA
Executive Director, Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Education Center
Ellen O'Neill, MM, is the executive director of the Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Education Center, offering IMSLEC-accredited, IDA-endorsed, evidence-based, multisensory techniques in language skills. As the parent of a dyslexic child, Ms. O'Neill is passionate about delivering high-quality education services to children with learning disabilities. She resides in Prince George’s County, MD.
Lisa Blottenberger, MEd
Founder, Boundless Expectations
Lisa Blottenberger, MEd is the founder of Boundless Expectations, providing educational services to children and their families in Southern Maryland. These services include informal diagnostic assessments, consultation, advocacy, and therapy-level tutoring to students with learning challenges. She resides in St. Mary’s County, MD.
Kerri Valencia, EdD
Co-founder, CEO, ConnectEd Consulting, LLC
Dr. Kerri Valencia, CEO of ConnectED Consulting LLC, is an educational leader with decades of experience from Pre-K through higher education. With a background as a Spanish teacher and dual language leader in the U.S. and South America, she prioritizes fostering socio-cultural competence through culturally and linguistically relevant teaching. Dr. Valencia's extensive tenure at Moreland University, spanning roles from teacher candidate to Chief Academic Officer, underscores her deep commitment to teacher development, particularly in literacy instruction. Leading the two-year redesign of Moreland University's teacher preparation program, she embedded the Science of Reading for effective instruction across all grade levels and subject areas. Dr. Valencia currently resides in Montgomery County.
Strategic Advisory Committee
Maryland READS work is informed by the expertise of a range of researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders. Our Expert Advisory committee exists to ensure that the positions we take and the projects we undertake are guided by individuals with deep understanding of the Science of Reading, change management and implementation science, teaching pedagogy, school leadership, and policy development. Meetings are primarily conducted through virtual channels and are scheduled around the availability of committee members.
Expert Advisory Committee
Maryland READS seeks to become a trusted resource among policymakers, practitioners, and members of our state’s reading ecosystem. To offer quality projects and services that inform and improve reading instruction and student reading proficiency, we are developing a network of funders and strategic partners who can support our work. In addition, we are interested in establishing a funder table to support local organizations who are engaging in evidence-based activities to support students and families in their communities. To achieve these objectives, our Strategic Advisory Committee is recruiting members who are willing to engage in fundraising and/or who share their expertise and leverage strategic connections in education and Maryland policy development.
Staff
Trish Brennan-Gac, JD
Executive Director
Trish Brennan-Gac, JD, Executive Director. Trish has over 30 years of experience in helping organizations execute on their mission. She is passionate about harnessing the power of data and research to drive decision making that informs both policy development and implementation at the local level. As a junior in high school, her daughter was diagnosed with dyslexia and she is committed to improving reading instruction and support in Maryland so that every child is taught to become a fluent reader in school. She resides in Montgomery County, MD.
Cary Cuiccio, MSOD
Deputy Director
Cary has 25 years of experience implementing improvement reforms in urban school districts and state education systems, coaching, coordinating technical assistance, and facilitating systems change. She has convened Communities of Practice for state education departments and public university administrators. She resides in Frederick County, MD.
Kate Stewart-Gerry
Project Manager
Kate worked at a large education research organization where she supported complex projects working with school districts across the country. She is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who supported English language and literacy projects during service in Morocco. She is fluent in Spanish and conversational in other languages including Moroccan Arabic. She resides in Prince George’s County, MD.
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