ADMINISTRATORS - WHO'S WHO
Reading First Pa
PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Susan Popielski, Pennsylvania Reading First Co-Director
 Susan Popielski is employed by PA Department of Education, working as a regional coordinator in the Division of Federal Programs and program manager of the Consolidated Review of federal programs. She began her career teaching elementary and middle school students in Central PA. During her teaching career, she served on committees that included topics such as curriculum writing.
717-783-1330
spopielski@state.pa.us
Deb Fulton, Pennsylvania Reading First Co-Director
 Deb Fulton currently coordinates programming for Pennsylvania Reading First including professional development and technical assistance. Deb also serves as an educational consultant and state lead in Reading for PaTTAN (Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network) . Entering her 31st year in education as a teacher and administrator, Deb's experience and involvement includes the areas of Reading, Special Education, Elementary Education, School Wide Intervention (Response to Intervention), Data Analysis, Progress Monitoring, and State and Federal projects.
800-360-7282 ext. 3416
dfulton@pattan.net
BERKS COUNTY INTERMEDIATE UNIT
Patrick Detterbeck, Program Administrator
 Patrick Detterbeck is currently the program administrator of Curriculum, Staff Development, and Related Services for the Berks County Intermediate Unit. He is a member of the state Reading Committee. He previously has served as an elementary teacher, reading specialist, mathematics specialist, curriculum coordinator, director of assessment and federal programs administrator.
484-256-1966 - patdet@berksiu.org
Lori Gerber
 Lori Gerber is one of several Berks County Intermediate Unit employees who are responsible for handling administrative tasks for the Reading First program. Lori is responsible for processing all Reading First invoices, making hotel reservations for the technical assistants, and ordering catering services for all Reading First meetings across the Commonwealth. She has been a BCIU employee since June 1999 and has worked with the Reading First program for the past three years. Lori is married, has seven grandchildren, and has always lived in Berks County.
610-987-8421 - lorger@berksiu.org
Maryanne Simons
 Maryanne Simons is a secretary at the Berks County Intermediate Unit who is responsible for administrative tasks for the Reading First Program. Maryanne is responsible for reserving rooms for all Reading First workshops, managing registrations for Reading First professional development activities, preparing handouts and all related paperwork for the workshops, and processing all workshop evaluations. She has been an employee of the BCIU since April 2002 and has worked with the Reading First Program for the past two years. Maryanne and her husband, Dave, have three children and reside in Berks County. In her spare time she enjoys reading and going to the local hockey games.
610-987-8491 - marsim@berksiu.org
UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURG
READING FIRST EXTERNAL EVALUATION TEAM
Dr. Rita M. Bean
 Dr. Rita M. Bean is Professor of Education, School of Education, University of Pittsburgh. She received her B.S. from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania; her master's degree and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. Previously, she taught at the elementary level and also served as reading supervisor, K-12. She has published in many different journals and monographs on the topics of reading curriculum, diagnosis and remediation in reading, adult literacy, professional development, and preparation of reading specialists. Her newest book, The Reading Specialist: Leadership for the Classroom, School, and Community, focuses on the role of the reading specialist, especially related to improving reading performance of all students in a school. Current research focuses on the development and evaluation of early literacy reading programs and instruction for struggling readers. She has also studied extensively the role of the reading specialist and literacy coach in improving student achievement for all students. She is co-director of the evaluation team for Reading First in Pennsylvania.
Naomi Zigmond
 Dr. Naomi Zigmond is Professor of Special Education in the Department of Instruction and Learning, School of Education, University of Pittsburgh. She received her Ph.D. from Northwestern University in 1966, majoring in language pathology and learning disabilities. She held a number of clinical, academic, and administrative positions at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston University before joining the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh in 1970. Dr. Zigmond has been an active special education researcher and teacher for nearly 40 years. Two themes run through her research. First, she is interested in the secondary and post-secondary school experiences of students with mild disabilities, the impact of graduating or dropping out, and the improvement of high school programs for this very vulnerable population. Second, she is interested in the organization of special education services for students with learning disabilities in elementary and secondary schools and the impact of program organization, particularly full inclusion, on student achievement. For the past several years, Dr. Zigmond has led a team of researchers and practitioners in the development of the statewide alternate assessment for students with significant disabilities, the PASA. She has also completed a number of evaluation studies for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Bureau of Special Education and as a result of that experience was invited to co-direct the External Evaluation of the Pennsylvania Reading First initiative.
Gregory H. Turner
 Gregory H. Turner, Ed.D., M.B.A., M.P.H. is a research assistant professor in the Department of Instruction and Learning, School of Education, at the University of Pittsburgh, where he helps to coordinate the Reading First External Evaluation Project. Prior to his academic career, Dr. Turner spent 20 years working as a hospital administrator and in several health-care related non-profit organizations. He has worked with the School of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Board of Education. As a member of the Reading First External Evaluation Project, his current work focuses on the area of professional development and the work of Reading First literacy coaches and principals with classroom teachers. Dr. Turner received his bachelor's degree (Anthropology) and M.P.H. degree from the University of Illinois, Chicago, an M.B.A. degree from Loyola University of Chicago, and his Ed.D. from the University of Pittsburgh.
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