Please note that facilitator bios are submitted by each facilitator. DESE lists trained facilitators as a service to districts interested in using this planning process but does not make recommendations. Rather, those interested in hearing more about facilitation experience and credentials should contact facilitators directly.
Cindy Bohne, MBA, is a previous chair and member of the Winchester School Committee, Town Meeting and Winchester Educational Facilities Planning and Building Committee. She successfully led two debt-exclusion override campaigns, completed two teachers' union negotiations, co-chaired the redistricting committee for Winchester Elementary Schools, and served on the Advisory Board of EDCO Collaborative. Cindy is a passionate advocate for public education, and has spent decades facilitating or consulting on strategic planning, communications, policy analysis, leadership/board development and evaluation for a range of educational organizations, including: Medway, Winchester, Hopkinton, Malden and Masconomet Regional School Districts; Cummings Foundation, National Geographic Education Foundation; United Way of Boston; Outward Bound; AmeriCorps; The Institute for Higher Education Policy: and Presidio Leadership Center. She has an undergraduate degree in secondary education, an MBA in social entrepreneurship, and is an Education Policy Fellow of the Institute for Educational Leadership.
Allan Cameron, Ph.D., brings over 25 years of leadership and facilitation experience to PfS. His facilitation style blends humor, candor, and active listening. He strives to ensure all participants are engaged, all voices are heard, and all perspectives are considered when developing shared goals and priorities. Currently, he is the superintendent of Wrentham Public Schools and an adjunct professor in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College. Prior to that, he worked as an administrator, teacher, and counselor in public school districts in Massachusetts and Connecticut. He has received several awards for leadership and teaching, including the Milken Educator Award, Donald J. White Teaching Excellence Award, and multiple US Army and Army Reserve Component (National Guard) Achievement Medals.
Abbey Dick, M.A., is the ELA Curriculum Coordinator for grades 5–12 for the Chelmsford Public Schools. She has worked in public education for twenty-three years in a variety of roles, including as a grades 6-12 ELA teacher, a literacy specialist for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Director of Humanities for the Malden Public Schools. She was a member of the Assessment Development Committee for the grade 10 ELA MCAS. She has presented at the National Council of Teachers of English, Massachusetts Reading Association, and National Writing Project conferences. Abbey holds a B.A. from Assumption College, an M.A. from Westfield State University, and an M.Ed. from Fitchburg State University (Educator Leadership Institute through the ACCEPT Collaborative).
Elise M. Frangos, Ed.D. is the current Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment for the 4 districts of the Old Rochester Superintendency #55 where she co-facilitated the development of their current 5-year strategic plan. For the past seven years using PLCs, she has led teams to: align curriculum, foster teacher leadership, adopt writing across the curriculum, embrace project-based learning, increase family engagement, and develop standards-based report cards. At Old Rochester she leads mentoring and induction, sheltered English instruction, and she helped bring district technology to 1:1. Prior to Old Rochester she was the English Director for Mass Insight for Research and Education and the Director of Reading and English for the Arlington Public schools. A frequent presenter on literacy, writing and trauma-sensitive education, Elise has provided professional development at DESE conferences and in states such as Texas, Arkansas, Virginia and Connecticut. Elise believes that through the efficient PFS process, all stakeholder voices are honored resulting in an exciting and achievable Strategic Plan customized to the district.
Ruth Gilbert-Whitner, M.Ed., Ed.D. is a Planning for Success facilitator and an experienced coach in the New Superintendents Induction Program. Ruth became involved in Planning for Success in 2015 while serving as the Superintendent of the Whitman-Hanson Regional School District, a position she held for over nine years. Since retirement from Whitman-Hanson, she has facilitated Planning for Success in school districts, educational collaboratives, and vocational-technical high schools. Ruth wholeheartedly supports DESE's Planning for Success program.
Robert (Bob) Harris, M.M., Ed.D.. With 37 years of successful leadership experience in K–12 public education, including 10 years in the role of Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources in Lexington Public Schools, and 14 years as a local union president in the Athol-Royalston Regional School District, and most recently as the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) for the Pittsburgh Public Schools (2018-2019), Bob brings a unique labor-management perspective to the facilitation process in both high-performing and under-performing school districts. Focused on creating high-performing teams, Bob uses a facilitation process that values the contributions of all stakeholders, and one that builds a climate of trust and consensus through developing caring and respectful professional relationships. Bob believes these conditions lay the groundwork for open and honest communications, create a safe environment in which participants are willing to take risks, and result in meaningful and actionable strategic plans. Currently, Bob works with school leaders and policy-makers in the areas of strategic thinking and planning, leadership development, executive coaching, educator mentoring and induction programs, organizational design and development, collective bargaining strategy, education negotiations, and labor and employee relations. In 2017, Bob was recognized by Education Week as a 'Leader to Learn From'.
Lori Likis, Ed.D., is a consultant specializing in the development of district improvement and action plans using Planning for Success (PfS), an inclusive, community-based process. She has facilitated the development of plans in over 60 districts, including those of numerous Gateway Cities as well as suburban and regional districts, vocational high schools, and educational collaboratives. Lori led the design of PfS, and the creation of its DIY resources, while working as a consultant to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. She also created and led the PfS Facilitator Training Program and multiple PfS Action Plan Networks, and presented PfS at numerous conferences, including MASS, MASS/MASC, and AASA. Lori previously served as a school and district administrator and has published in Educational Leadership.
Amy B. McKinstry, M.Ed. ( amckinstry@nps.org or amck1441@yahoo.com) has 25 years of education experience as a teacher, principal, ELA curriculum coordinator, director of curriculum, and is currently the superintendent of the Northbridge Public Schools. She has been selected to work with MA DESE as a collaborator and thought partner on several different projects including: PLN for Supporting Evaluator Capacity, Online Calibration Tool Pilot Project, Refining and Piloting the New Teacher Rubric, DESE's TEEM Videos (Transforming Educator Evaluation in Massachusetts) and DESE's MA Calibration Project Design Committee. Amy has also presented at several DESE, MSSAA and MASS sponsored conferences and provided professional development to other districts on various topics, including: educator evaluation, leveraging learning walks, and curriculum development.
Albert E. Johnson-Mussad, Ph.D., serves as a staff consultant in leadership and instruction at the Collaborative for Educational Services. In this role, he facilitates professional development for school leaders, teachers and other licensed educators in the areas of effective instructional leadership; effective instructional strategies for English learners; secondary literacy education; and improving outcomes for students living in poverty. Albert also facilitates curriculum review and revision, and conducts educational program evaluations. Dr. Mussad led the training-of-trainers component of DESE's Leading Educational Access Project (LEAP). He has taught K–12 English learners and high school Spanish. Albert served as a curriculum and instruction supervisor, director and assistant superintendent, and also served as an elementary school principal.
Kristan Rodriguez, is a distinguished educator and best-selling author, recognized for her contributions, including the prestigious Ansin Intercultural Research Award from Boston University. As the CEO and founder of Commonwealth Consulting Agenda, LLC (CCA), she is dedicated to fostering high achievement outcomes and driving systemic change. Dr. Rodriguez has provided expert guidance, professional development, and technical assistance to schools/organizations across the U.S. and internationally. Dr. Rodriguez is an accomplished educational leader who has excelled in various roles, including Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, Director of Curriculum, Principal, Assistant Principal, Curriculum Coordinator, and English teacher. Dr. Rodriguez has also authored numerous resources such as the UDL Progression Rubric (2018, 2024), the MA Coherence Guidebook (2023), and the MTSS Blueprint (2018, under revision for 2025). With a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from Boston College, an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from Gordon College, and a B.S. in Secondary English Education from Boston University, Dr. Rodriguez brings a wealth of knowledge to her work.
Last Updated: February 21, 2025