Hatha

The entire specialized Learning Services staff at Greenwich Education Group is dedicated to helping their students reach their full emotional, social and academic potential.

(Alphabetized by last name below.)

Nancy Grejtak, MA, MBA
Executive Director, Specialized Learning Services

As Executive Director of GEG's SLS Group, Nancy leads the teams responsible for developing and implementing best practice programs for students with learning differences. This includes Pinnacle School, Specialized Academic Services (tutoring for students with learning differences), Behavior Services, Speech and Language Services, Executive Function Coaching, Specialized Evaluations, and Social Skills Training. Prior to joining GEG in 2008, Nancy was the Director of Pupil Services in the Los Altos School District in California, where she was responsible for administration of the special education and psychological services programs for the district. In that role she developed a comprehensive autism support program for her constituency, and spearheaded collaborative practices between parents and district staff. Nancy also was a Resource Specialist and Inclusion Specialist teacher in Sunnyvale School District for nine years, where she was honored as Teacher of the Year.

Nancy received her undergraduate degree from University of California at Santa Barbara, a Masters in Business Administration from Pepperdine University, and a Masters in Special Education from Santa Clara University. Her volunteer interests have ranged from the Williams Syndrome Association, where she was on the Board for many years and served as President (1996-1998), to her current involvement in the Connecticut Council for Exceptional Children, where she serves on the Program Committee. Nancy lives in Darien with her husband, son and two very active Portuguese Water Dogs.

Stephanie Aldworth, MEd
Special Education Teacher

Stephanie Aldworth's teaching career began in Brookline, Massachusetts. She earned a B.S. from Boston University and her M.Ed. from Lesley University. Stephanie held dual certification for Elementary and Special Education while in Massachusetts. She served in various special education teaching positions during her nine years at Pierce School in Brookline, eventually piloting an inclusion program for the Upper Learning Center. After moving back to Greenwich, Stephanie acquired her CT state certification for Special Education grades K-12. She spent a year at Whitby School working as part of their academic support team with a focus on grades PK-3, while also teaching one on one and small group enrichment classes for math. Stephanie joined GEG in 2010, teaching at Pinnacle and tutoring students in the afternoons. Stephanie's primary focus at Pinnacle is math. She believes that the best way to be an effective teacher is to create a bond of trust with students, and she works hard at establishing this connection with each student. Stephanie uses a mix of creativity, humor, and high standards to help each student reach their full potential. Stephanie lives in Cos Cob with her husband Scott and 5 year old son, Leo. She enjoys reading, cooking, running around outside with her son, and having family dance parties.

Justyna Balzar, BA
Social Skills Teacher/ABA Therapist

Justyna graduated from Fordham University with a BA in Sociology and Economics. She started to work with children on the autistic spectrum as a teenager, continuing all throughout her college years. She was trained in many different interventions while working with families privately on home programs. Justyna's primary background is rooted in ABA therapy and she plans on pursuing her BCBA in the future, but she also has training in RDI, Son-Rise, Verbal Behavior, and the Lindamood Bell Visualising Verbalizing program. In her spare time Justyna loves reading and running with her 3 year old daughter on the beach.

Beth Cirulis, MEd
Director of Special Education, GEG Schools

Beth Cirulis holds a BS in Special Education and a Masters in Education Administration. She began her career as a middle school special education teacher in Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa, where she was honored as the outstanding district special education teacher. She moved on to the sunnier life in Arizona, where she continued her work in special education middle school, and then became Principal and Director of Special Education for Pinnacle Education, Inc., a statewide charter school district. Continuing her pursuit for better programs for Arizona students, Beth joined Sequoia Choice Schools, another statewide charter school district, where she served as Assessment Coordinator, Vice-Principal and Principal. She joins GEG as a seasoned special education and general education administration professional, with 14 years of experience serving students and leading faculty in challenging educational environments.

Beth serves as the Director of Special Education for all of the Greenwich Education Group Schools. With many years of experience in Special Education, compliance and consulting, she empowers both staff and students to create effective and positive learning environments. She is also serving as the Dean of Faculty for Spire, Pinnacle and Beacon, ensuring that our GEG Schools teachers have the resources and support necessary to their success.

While taking in the amazing culture, character and sites of the Northeast, Beth enjoys spending time at the gym, going to the movies and watching sporting events. Through work and play, her priorities include building and maintaining positive personal and professional relationships, and continuing to grow and learn with and from others.

Alisa Dror, PhD, BCBA
Head of Pinnacle School
Clinical Director of Behavior Services, GEG Schools

Dr. Alisa Dror holds a MA and PhD in Special Education and is a NYS certified special education teacher. She is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and a Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) program certified consultant. Alisa performs dual roles at GEG, as Clinical Director of Behavior Services and as Head of Pinnacle School. In the latter role, Alisa oversees assessment, intake and coordination of services to Pinnacle students. She is responsible for developing and implementing Pinnacle’s social and therapeutic curricula. Additionally, she provides behavioral assessments and support plans to the students in Beacon, Spire and Pinnacle. As Clinical Director of Behavior Services, Alisa supervises our team of behavior therapists and BCBAs, and designs and supervises implementation of behavioral and social skills programs for children and adolescents.

Prior to joining GEG, Alisa worked for 14 years developing curricula to meet the behavioral, educational and social needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorders. She served for nine years as the Director of Clinical Services for Tri-State Learning Center in New Rochelle, and five years with Center for Autism & Related Disorders (CARD) as a behavior therapist and clinical supervisor. She has also worked extensively with families of individuals with ASD, providing them with training and support to address their child's behavioral and social development. Additionally, she has conducted social groups, consulted with public and private schools, provided community and professional trainings, and serves on the board of a parent advocacy group.

In her leisure time, Dr. Dror enjoys traveling and exploring new destinations both near and far with her family, friends and 4 year old daughter. She is an avid runner, hiker and connoisseur of great food.

Cherisse Harris, MA
Administrative Coordinator

Cherisse is a graduate of Western Connecticut State University where she earned a BA in Psychology and MA in English (specialty in Creative Writing). While earning her BA, she worked as an Executive Assistant in the Graduate Studies Dept, and as a counselor to troubled children (ages 2-12) at Family & Children’s Aid. Cherisse then entered the publishing world, working as an Editorial Administrative Asst and Researcher at In Style Magazine and Time Inc. Most recently, she was a Benefits Coordinator at United Health Group, but it was 3-yr old son, Devon, who re-motivated her to seek a job working for the well-being of children. She and Devon live in Bridgeport.

Shevon Morris, MPS
Special Education Teacher

Shevon Morris is certified to teach K-8 in New Jersey and Florida, and holds a masters degree in Special Education from Manhattanville College. She has taught elementary grades 1st – 4th in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Colorado and St. John USVI. She will be doing her supervised special education teaching at Pinnacle and Beacon starting in September 2011. Shevon enjoys outdoor activities, participating in athletics and working out at the gym. She lives in Stamford with her husband, Marc, and two dogs, Guido and Deegan.

Tammy Moscrip, PhD, MSW
Executive Director, The Spire School
Director of Clinical Services, Greenwich Education Group

Tammy holds a doctorate in Psychology from Columbia University, and earned her master’s in social work with a concentration in clinical practice with children & families. Tammy is particularly interested in the intersection of the brain, cognition, and behavior. By integrating her knowledge of neuroscience and learning theory, she helps students develop cross-disciplinary skills and strategies that address short-term goals for academic success, as well as long-term goals that involve essential life skills such as organization, time management, confidence-building, and emotional regulation. In addition to teaching advanced topics in psychology, statistics and research methodology, Tammy also serves as a life coach and executive function coach. Her approach utilizes a strengths-based instructional methodology and cognitive behavioral therapy techniques that complement the unique social-cognitive-behavioral profiles that shape individual students’ learning styles and academic success. In addition to her work with students, Tammy enjoys SCUBA diving, traveling, and motorcycle riding.

Joanne Sabato, MA, CCC-SLP
Director, Speech and Language Services

Joanne is an ASHA certified Speech-Language Pathologist serving children with speech, language and hearing disorders for over 30 years. She is currently licensed in CT, NY, RI and FL and is the former Executive Director of Central Speech, a multi-disciplinary therapy center that provided Speech, OT and Special Education to children from birth to 21 years throughout Westchester County. Joanne has developed programs, supervised professionals and has extensive experience with a wide range of speech and language disabilities including: articulation and phonological disorders, feeding, oral motor, autism spectrum disorders, language learning disabilities, developmental delays, social language (pragmatics) and literacy. She has worked in TEACCH programs, ABA and Greenspan’s Floor-time and developed a program combining all three to provide interventions to preschool children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders. She has created and presented numerous workshops for parents and in-service training for therapists and teachers.

For over 30 years Joanne has worked as a speech-language pathologist in private practices, public, charter and Montessori schools. Her philosophy is holistic in approach and strives to look at how communication difficulties, and their various complexities, impact the whole child. She believes that evaluation is an on-going process and involves collaboration between parents, teachers and the child. This approach allows her to zero in on both the child’s greatest needs and strengths, and to use those strengths to help develop the weak areas, while building self esteem in the process.

Christiana Shafer, MS, BCBA
Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Executive Function Coach

Christiana Shafer is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) who holds an MS in psychology and behavioral neuroscience from Rutgers University in New Jersey. Her graduate coursework consisted of topics in applied behavior analysis (ABA), the brain, cognition, and developmental psychology, with research focusing on learning during the infancy period. She later went on to practice ABA at Rutgers’ Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center (DDDC) Early Intervention (EI) program. At the EI, she worked with one-to-three-year-olds with autism spectrum disorders and communication delays. During her tenure at the DDDC, Christiana also worked in family training, school consultation, staff training, and home-based tutoring for elementary and middle school children with autism. Christiana earned her BA in psychology and human development from DePaul University in Chicago. At DePaul, she tutored public school students in the America Reads program, counseled college students at the career center, and worked as a lifeguard and swimming instructor. Christiana currently lives in Stamford. In her spare time, she enjoys being outdoors, gardening, hiking, swimming, and rock climbing, as well as being indoors doing yoga, cooking, baking, and playing with her cat, Lionel.

Saasha Sutera, PhD
Clinical Psychologist

Dr. Saasha Sutera is a licensed Clinical Psychologist. She earned her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Connecticut and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Institute of Living’s Grace Webb School, a therapeutic day school in Hartford. In her role at Greenwich Education Group, she conducts neuropsychological, developmental, and personality assessments. She also serves as a “life coach” for some of the students at Spire School, where she utilizes a strengths-based approach to cognitive behavioral intervention, while being mindful of how early attachment experiences influence later relationships. Prior to joining Greenwich Education Group, Dr. Sutera has provided clinical services to children of all ages in a variety of settings, including therapeutic schools, Birth to Three programs, outpatient clinics, community mental health centers, and medical and psychiatric hospitals. She has published research articles about early screening and diagnosis of autism, and she has co-authored a book chapter related to the genetic, neurological, and behavioral correlates of autism. She has also presented at the International Neuropsychological Society meeting and the International Meeting for Autism Research. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, snowboarding, traveling, and reading.

Megan Wade, BS
Special Education Teacher

Megan Wade earned her BS degree in Special Education from Union University in Jackson, TN. She is certified to teach special education grades K-12 in the state of Tennessee, as well as regular education grades K-8. After earning her degree from Union University, Megan taught special education students in grades K-5 at an inner city elementary school in Tennessee for 2 years, which she considers a very rich, and rewarding, experience. She then moved with her husband Chad to Stamford, CT where was an assistant at the Windward School in White Plains, NY. Megan is currently working on earning her MS in Literacy at Western Connecticut State University. She is also in the final stages of earning her state of Connecticut teaching certificate. Megan and Chad love to read, spend time outdoors, video chat with our friends and family in Tennessee, and explore the New England area.