Project GROW is led by a team of professionals dedicated to advancing training and practice in evidence-based, equity-centered school mental health service delivery.
Tana Connell, Ph.D., LMSW
Project GROW Faculty Partner, Delaware State University · tconnell@desu.edu
Dr. Tana Connell is an Associate Professor and the Master of Social Work (MSW) Program Director in the Department of Social Work at Delaware State University. She holds a Ph.D. and M.S.W. with an emphasis in social welfare from University at Albany. Dr. Connell has over ten years of social work practice experience with children and families in a variety of settings, including family preservation programs, residential treatment settings, and community-based organizations like Girl Scouts. She enjoys teaching courses in human behavior and the social environment, public health, and research methods. Her research interests include child abuse and substance abuse prevention. Dr. Connell is passionate about improving policies and practices that adversely impact underrepresented populations, and she aims to be an advocate for those who are in need. In her spare time, enjoys volunteering with at-risk youth and teaching classes on social-emotional development.
Brynn Fallah, M.S.Ed.
Project GROW MTSS Specialist, Delaware MTSS Technical Assistance Center · bfallah@udel.edu
Brynn Fallah is Project GROW’s MTSS Specialist housed at University of Delaware’s Center for Disabilities Studies as part of the Delaware MTSS Technical Assistance Center and School Age Unit. Brynn received her bachelor’s degree in Applied Psychology and Human Relations from Pace University in New York City. She then continued her adventures in New York and completed her master’s degree in school counseling (K–12) at Hunter College. Brynn is a lifelong educator with experience with youth from birth to grade 12 and a particular passion for supporting the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of school-aged students. Brynn was a school counselor in both New York City and Dover, DE before joining the Center for Disabilities Studies in 2018 as an evaluator for the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Learning Communities. This opportunity led to working as a technical assistance coach on the Delaware Positive Behavior Support (DE-PBS) Project. This allowed her to expand Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) throughout local education agencies in Delaware and promote equity-centered work with the use of data, systems, and practices. Brynn was an MTSS-SEB coach for Project DelAWARE, a 5-year SAMHSA grant, in which 3 school districts received intensive coaching support to integrate mental health supports and services into their MTSS via an Interconnected Systems Framework (ISF). Brynn closed this grant out as its final Project Coordinator. Brynn sees relationships as the center of success and has worked to form connections internally in CDS, UD’s School of Education, the Delaware Department of Education, and state and community agencies, as well as directly with educators throughout the cascade of implementation from school-level to district level and state-level. Brynn is thrilled to extend her training and experience to Project GROW in order to provide support for the mental health needs among children and adolescents.
Nicole Garrity, Ed.D., NCSP
Project GROW Faculty Partner, University of Delaware · garrityn@udel.edu
Dr. Nicole Garrity is an assistant professor specializing in school psychology in the School of Education at the University of Delaware (UD). Dr. Garrity is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP). She began her career in school psychology as a practitioner in public schools in various states (Pennsylvania, California, and Delaware). In her school-based practice, she had the privilege of working with pre-school, elementary, middle, high school, and post-high school students and their families and communities. Her primary focus was on supporting students with disabilities, particularly students with autism, and she fulfilled many capacities such as assessment, intervention, and consultation. Later, she became a training coach for the Delaware Network for Excellence in Autism (DNEA) at UD’s Center for Disabilities Studies (CDS). Dr. Garrity was also an adjunct associate professor and program coordinator within Wilmington University’s (WU) teacher preparation program. Sheis actively involved with the Delaware Association of School Psychologists (DASP) and serves in a leadership role as Government and Professional Relations (GPR) Committee Co-chair. Through her teaching and service at UD, including Project GROW, Dr. Garrity aims to promote the celebration and inclusion of diversity through school psychologists’ cultural responsiveness and systems change for social justice. Ultimately, Dr. Garrity hopes to enable school-based mental health professionals to provide equitable, inclusive, and accessible academic and social-emotional and behavioral health services and support to all children, youth, families, and communities. In addition, Dr. Garrity is interested in developing and advocating for innovative solutions to address local and national school psychology shortages across the profession.
Marika Ginsburg-Block, Ph.D.
Project GROW Co-Director · marika@udel.edu
Dr. Marika Ginsburg-Block co-directs Project GROW. Dr. Ginsburg-Block is an associate professor and program coordinator for the School Psychology program in the School of Education at the University of Delaware. Dr. Ginsburg-Block holds a Ph.D. in School Community and Clinical Child Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. She teaches courses in counseling, family-school collaboration, field-based practicum and internship supervision in school psychology. Dr. Ginsburg-Block works closely with the Delaware Department of Education on several initiatives, including updating and providing technical assistance to LEAs on the state’s special education regulations. Dr. Ginsburg-Block’s research focuses on clarifying the mechanisms by which families contribute to the development of language and literacy skills in their young children.
Kris Scardamalia, Ph.D., LP
Project GROW Co-Director, University of Delaware · kristins@udel.edu
Dr. Kris Scardamalia co-directs Project GROW. She is an assistant professor of school psychology in the School of Education at the University of Delaware. Dr. Scardamalia specializes in psychological assessment of children and adolescents and previously served as director for the Maryland Psychological Assessment and Consultation Clinic in Baltimore City. She has extensive experience working as a school psychologist in public schools and juvenile justice settings with a passion for making education accessible for all learners. In collaboration with the national Mental Health Technology Transfer Center, Dr. Scardamalia has authored several national training curricula aimed at improving educator understanding of and skill in culturally responsive schools and classrooms. Dr. Scardamalia teaches assessment and diagnostic courses as well as supervises interns in their field placements.
Cecilia Till, Ed.S., NCSP
Project GROW Coordinator · cetill@udel.edu
Cecilia Till is the coordinator for Project GROW. She is a nationally certified school psychologist and graduate of the University of Delaware’s School Psychology program. Prior to obtaining her educational specialist degree in school psychology, Cecilia received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has over ten years of experience as a school psychologist in high-need schools. In these school communities, Cecilia supported the educational needs of students with diverse cognitive, social-communication, social-emotional, and behavioral needs in inclusive environments.
During her years in practice, Cecilia contributed to the establishment and enhancement of school and district-wide systems. She delivered professional learning presentations on a variety of topics, such as incorporating school climate data into action steps, Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) and Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) development, district-wide risk assessment practices, integration of social-emotional and behavior data into students’ Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), and perceptions of the school psychologist–administrator relationship. Cecilia also provided targeted problem-solving consultation to school psychologists, board-certified behavior analysts, administrators, and other educators in order to aid school teams in the development of interventions and reinforcement systems for students experiencing significant social-emotional and/or behavioral needs in inclusion settings. Additionally, she served as a lead school psychologist for one of the largest school districts in Delaware. Cecilia previously served as the Government and Professional Relations co-chair for the Delaware Association of School Psychologists and gathered data on school psychologist shortages across the state. Cecilia is committed to preparing school psychologists to serve diverse populations and is an ardent advocate for policies that result in equitable, inclusive, and improved outcomes for all learners.
Brittany Zakszeski, Ph.D., NCSP, BCBA-D
Project GROW Director · bnz@udel.edu
Dr. Brittany Zakszeski directs Project GROW. Dr. Zakszeski is an assistant professor in the School Psychology program in the School of Education at the University of Delaware. As a licensed psychologist, certified school psychologist, and board-certified behavior analyst, she teaches courses in behavioral and systems consultation; advises students in the Ed.S. (School Psychology), Ed.D. (Educational Leadership), and Ph.D. (Education, School Psychology) programs; and partners with schools to advance practice and conduct applied research. Dr. Zakszeski’s scholarship focuses on systemic approaches to promoting students’ and school personnel’s mental and behavioral health, and particularly ensuring equitable educational and health outcomes. Presently, she is engaged in research examining systemic approaches to mental health promotion and prevention, school-based universal screening systems, and efficient interventions for students at risk of developing emotional disorders.