Maria Huntington is the Adult Services Administrator for Champlain Valley Education Services (CVES) BOCES in Plattsburgh, NY and started this role in October 2022.  For years, Maria has been an advocate for adult education. She started her journey in adult education in 2011 as a Literacy Volunteer Director and then worked for Capital Region BOCES as the Literacy Zone Coordinator in the South End of Albany in 2015. In 2017, Maria became the Supervisor of Adult Education and continued supporting adult learners in HSE, ESL, and adult training programs like Electrical, HVAC/R, and Welding.  Maria continues to collaborate with multiple community partners to provide the best education possible for adult learners. 

Maria earned her BA from Niagara University in Elementary and Special Education. After graduating she volunteered in Egypt and Sudan with VOICA, a Catholic organization associated with the Canossian Daughters of Charity. Upon returning home, she enrolled in the School of International Training (SIT) in Brattleboro, VT and received her MA in Intercultural Service, Leadership, and Management.  She is very passionate about serving others and helping them reach their full potential. 

Nell Eckersley is the Director of Digital Equity Projects & Senior Advisor for the New York City Support and Technical Assistance Center (STAC) at the Literacy Assistance Center. Nell has been working on ways to integrate digital literacy skills into adult education ever since she developed a project on how to teach basic computer skills in a classroom without computers in 2001. Nell’s current work on digital literacy and adult education includes being a member of the US Adult Digital Learning Advisory Group for the Ed Tech Center at World Ed, a Subject Matter Expert for the DRAW project, a technology advisor for the CILIA-T project, and a resource developer for the LINCS. Her particular areas of interest are strengthening digital literacy skills for adult education practitioners and students, integrating technology into the adult education classroom via mobile devices, and digital inclusion for all.

For several years, Tarin Bready assisted adult students in achieving their educational and career goals. While she has moved to a different facet of education, she recognizes the importance of community access to adult education and high school equivalency programs. To combine multiple famous quotes and produce an overall paraphrase, Tarin believes in endeavoring to leave every space she enters better than how she found it. Therefore, Tarin is appreciative to work with incredible NYACCE members and continue to learn from a specialized group of intelligent, energized people who add value to their respective programs and their communities.

As the Director of Adult and Continuing Education for Schenectady City School District, Jesse Roylance oversees programs enrolling over 2,500 students in HSE, ESL, Career training, incarcerated education, alternative K-12 education, and a rich continuing education program in an inner city environment struggling with poverty and creating successful pathways for its residents. In addition, his office oversees one of the largest High School Equivalency testing facilities in New York State and has created several new training programs working with colleges, employers, community agencies, city agencies, as well as community advocacy groups. Jesse has served on the NYS "TASC" taskforce on the implementation of the new HSE assessment, the Schenectady County College and Career Counseling Center's advisory board, the municipal housing Family Self-Sufficiency board, and is an active member of the New York State Association of Incarcerated Educational Professionals (NYSAIEP), New York Association of Training and Employment Professionals (NYATEP), and ASCD. Jesse has received citations and awards from the Schenectady City Council and the Human Rights Commission for his service to the community. Jesse is a Past-President of NYACCE.

Karen Dispo-De Boos is a long-time North Country resident who lived in Australia for ten years but returned to the North Country when her husband retired from the Royal Australian Navy in 2013. Karen has an extensive background in the nonprofit sector but has also worked many years in marketing, advertising, and public relations. She has been the Program Director for the Asian American Journalists Association and recently served on the advisory board of the antipoverty nonprofit Joint Council for Economic Opportunity of Clinton and Franklin Counties. Karen is currently the Board Secretary for the Adirondack Regional Theatre. Before Karen joined Literacy Volunteers, she was the Deputy Director at the Strand Center for the Arts in Plattsburgh, NY. Karen holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Art History from SUNY Plattsburgh and a Master in Nonprofit Management from Regis University. She lives in Plattsburgh with her husband, three sons, and their two dogs. 

RANDY RAUX

Coordinator, Central & Southern Tier

Senior Coordinator of Adult and Continuing Education

Madison-Oneida BOCES

LIA FESTENSTEIN

Coordinator, Finger Lakes

Executive Director

Office of Adult and Career Education Services (OACES)

Division of Rochester School District

Jacqueline Ashby, executive director and senior vice president of City Year Buffalo, is a passionate collaborative leader driven by social justice and educational equity. Having taught in both Canada and the U.S., Jacqueline brings a wealth of diverse classroom-based experience in both the public and private sector to City Year. Jacqueline taught for Buffalo Public Schools as well as in an adult education program in Buffalo. Most recently, she led a talented team of teachers at Journey’s End Refugee Services, where the adult education program served Buffalo’s newest neighbors as they made their new homes in Western New York. Under her tenure, the program expanded opening a new site to serve an underrepresented community, secured multiple new funding streams including one through the New York State Department of Education, and advanced its mission to provide culturally responsive educational programming to diverse adult and English Language Learners from all over the world while supporting them to achieve their goals.

Originally from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Jacqueline holds a bilingual Bachelor of Arts (French/English) in English literature and gender theory from Collège Glendon as well as a degree in urban adolescent education from York University. She serves on the New York Association of Continuing and Community Education board where she works to increase student access to inclusive and innovative community education programs across New York State. Jacqueline is a committed lifelong learner, who believes in serving her community with creativity and enthusiasm.

In her free time, Jacqueline loves traveling to unique places, camping and biking. She can often be found curled up with a good book, her four cats and dog or sampling the menus at new restaurants in Western New York with her partner.

Chantal Michaux, a dedicated Case Manager at Buffalo Public Schools-Adult Education since 2001, brings a wealth of experience and expertise to her role. Specializing in various aspects of Adult Education, including CTE programs, HSE, ESL, and program and professional development, Chantal has played a pivotal role in supporting students and families throughout the Western New York area.

With a background as a counselor in both K-12 and post-secondary education, Chantal has consistently provided crucial support services. Her commitment to the well-being of individuals extends beyond traditional education, as exemplified during the peak of the pandemic. Serving as a Community Support Specialist for the New York State Department of Health, Chantal passionately delivered educational, community, and mental health services to individuals in five counties across NYS.

Chantal holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and community mental health from the University of Buffalo, coupled with a master's degree in counselor education from Canisius University. Currently on the path to becoming a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Chantal remains a lifelong advocate for adults, youth, and families. Her unwavering dedication ensures that individuals receive the necessary support to attain their educational and personal goals.

NIKEISHA SMOTHERS

Coordinator, New York City

Manager of Operations, Adult Learning Centers

Brooklyn Public Library

SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVES

John Hunt is the Assistant Dean for Pre-College Programs in the Division of Adult and Continuing Education at LaGuardia Community College (CUNY) in the borough of Queens in New York City, where he leads a $8M annual portfolio of non-credit programs in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), integrated workforce development, high school equivalency (HSE), remedial education, and educational and career pathways advisement.

With more than 25 years of experience in the adult education and grants development fields, he has launched and managed contextualized ESOL courses and services for civics and citizenship, parent engagement, and workforce development in the healthcare, retail, and hospitality sectors, including the USDOL Hotel T.E.A.C.H curriculum and the NYC Welcome Back Center for immigrant nurses. He has presented nationally on innovative models of integrated ESOL (“NY-BEST”) and career pathways development, immigrant parent engagement, and skilled immigrant career advisement.

 He previously taught ESOL in Japan with the JET Program, and in Spain and New York with International House, having earned the RSA Cambridge DELTA teaching diploma, along with degrees from Vassar College, New York University’s Graduate School or Arts and Science, and Baruch’s Marxe School of Public and International Affairs (CUNY).  As a first-generation graduate from an immigrant family and a fluent Spanish speaker, he is committed to creating opportunities for new Americans to achieve their American Dreams.