Gary’s diverse career in public education includes teaching and administration in preK-12 and university settings. While the primary focus of his work has been in the areas of curriculum and instruction, professional and adult development, and English/language arts with an emphasis on writing instruction; his career took an unexpected path in 2007 as a start-up administrator for a public online school in New Hampshire (The Virtual Learning Academy – www.vlacs.org).
A common thread for many of Gary’s experiences has been the facilitation of collaborations and learning relationships. His middle and high school English/language arts teaching experience included working with parents to immerse them in the writing process along with their children. It culminated with being named Teacher in Residence at the University of New Hampshire, where he taught graduate and undergraduate courses while also supervising pre-service teachers. His research and teaching also created working collaborations between school administrators and teachers in areas including writing across the curriculum and a unique educator evaluation process based on reflective practice that is now formally used in several school districts.
As an administrator, Gary has facilitated collaborations between colleges and high schools that include dual credit options that can lead to an associate’s degree and high school diploma. Community and/or college and school connections include distance-learning collaborations between community/university personnel and high school teachers and classrooms. A recent Next Generation Learning grant has resulted in creating multiple pathways for students to meet course competencies and earn credit through community resources. Gary is a member of the ACES’s Youth Leadership/Education Team and serves as a Director on the Board of Directors.
Gary grew up in Weymouth, MA, received his undergraduate degree from Northeastern University, and has graduate degrees from Idaho State University and the University of New Hampshire in the areas of administration, and literacy studies. He lives in Newburyport with his wife, Ellen and has two children and grandchildren living in great places to travel — San Francisco and Vienna, Austria.