Steering Committee

Debby Boyer, MS

University of Delaware’s Center for Disabilities Studies

Debby Boyer, MS is the director of the School-Age Services Unit at the University of Delaware’s Center for Disabilities Studies (CDS).  The unit includes an array of projects which support the academic, social, emotional, and behavioral needs of all students with a focus on students with disabilities.  She serves as the co-director of the Special Education Administrative Leadership Program, an alternative route to certification for special education administrators in Delaware. The ACCESS (Adapting Curriculum and Classroom Environments for Student Success) project and the DE-PBS (Delaware Positive Behavior Support) project provide professional development and coaching to educators as well as providing technical assistance to district leadership teams to ensure systemic implementation.  She also supported the state’s federal SAMHSA grant, Project DelAWARE, which provides schools with evidence-based mental health services that promote student wellness and resilience integrated within a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS).  She co-teaches the senior seminar course in the Disabilities Studies minor at UD.  She is passionate about creating a culture of belonging for all.

Cassandra Codes-Benjamin, MPA, Lean Six Sigma Greenbelt

Delaware Department of Education

Cassandra Codes-Johnson, MPA, Lean Six Sigma Greenbelt is Director of School Support Services at the Delaware Department of Education. Cassandra has over twenty years of experience in public health, child health, family well-being, and equity-centered approaches. Cassandra is as a subject matter expert on topics related to family well-being, health equity, examining root causes of health inequities, and evidence-based practices for addressing social determinants of health. She is co-author of the Delaware Health Equity Guide for Public Health Practitioners and Partners. Cassandra is currently the Director of School Support Services for the Delaware Department of Education. She provides support and oversight for initiatives that support educators, students, and families.
 
Cassandra is the proud graduate of Historically Black University, Morgan State University, where she completed her undergraduate studies. She received her master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Maryland. Cassandra has been fortunate to work with national and international organizations such as Family Health International (FHI360), the Administration for Children and Families, Mathematica Policy Research, Nemours, Center for Urban Families, ICF International, National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, Annie E. Casey Foundation, White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, Brookings Institute, Columbia University, and many others to affect positive change for diverse families through the implementation of policies, programs, and research. She is the mother of two amazing daughters.

Teri Lawler, Ed.D., LPCMH

Delaware Department of Education

Teri Lawler, Ed.D., LPCMH is Education Associate in Trauma-Informed Practices and Social and Emotional Learning in the School Support Services Workgroup of the Delaware Department of Education. Dr. Teri Lawler is passionate about making equity of opportunity available to all students regardless of zip code. Delaware’s 2010 School Psychologist of the Year, Teri has spent her career translating research to practice in some of our state’s most vulnerable school communities. In November 2018, Teri joined the Office of Equity and Innovation at the Delaware Department of Education. Under Teri’s leadership, Delaware has achieved 100% trauma-sensitive status, institutionalizing self-care and incorporating trauma awareness training into new employee onboarding. Outward-facing work includes establishing a train-the-trainer model, which has yielded a cohort of 234 LEA and youth-serving organization trainers; supporting school communities with a statewide compassionate schools learning collaborative focused on whole child development; and differentiating professional learning for educators and community partners from preschool through grade 12 on SEL, trauma, culturally responsive pedagogy, restorative practices, equitable and just schools, and mindfulness practices to reduce and eliminate the nonacademic barriers to learning. This work provided the infrastructure for Delaware to be named one of five Trauma Recovery Demonstration Project states with a $7.5 million award from the US Department of Education. Teri has been honored by Governor John Carney and Delaware Kids Count for leadership excellence in state government. The Wilmington Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women honored her with the inaugural Waymaker Award recognizing her advocacy on behalf of marginalized children and youth. Most recently, Teri was honored by CASEL, the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, with the 2022 Ann S. Nerad Award for Distinguished Contributions to Advance Policies for Social and Emotional Learning. A native Virginian, Teri completed her undergraduate work at Hampton University prior to earning graduate degrees at University of Delaware and Wilmington University. A lifelong learner, she recently completed Butler University’s Certification in Applied Educational Neuroscience.

Rachael Rudinoff, Ed.D., NCSP

Delaware Department of Education

Rachael Rudinoff, Ed.D., NCSP is Education Associate in Exceptional Children Resources at the Delaware Department of Education. Dr. Rudinoff has been in the field of education for over thirty years. Most recently, she was the special services director in the Smyrna School District, where she expanded the district’s capacity to educate students with increasingly diverse needs as the district more than doubled its student population during her tenure there. Dr. Rudinoff was with the Smyrna School District for twenty-one years, where her roles included school psychologist and special education instructional specialist, before becoming the special services director in 2011. At the same time, she has been an adjunct instructor, professor, and course designer for Wilmington University, helping to prepare future educators. For nine years, prior to coming to the Smyrna School District, she was a lower schoolteacher at Sanford School in Hockessin, Delaware. Dr. Rudinoff has an Ed.D. in Innovation and Leadership as well as a Director of Special Education Certification from Wilmington University, an M.A./Ed.S in School Psychology from the University of Delaware, and an M.S. in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Bank Street College of Education in NY. In the Spring of 2023, she was honored with the Wilmington University Distinguished Alumni Award. Dr. Rudinoff is passionate about providing education and services to students with diverse needs and making a positive impact on them and their families.

Sandi Syglowski, LSW

Delaware Department of Education

Sandi is a Licensed Social Worker and Pennsylvania native. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development and Child Care from The University of Pittsburgh and a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania. Sandi has dedicated the majority of her career to providing services to children and families in a variety of settings, including school, home, and the community with a focus on several areas including trauma, substance abuse, child protective services, juvenile justice, and victims of crime. She has served as a Program Manager for various community prevention programs in the social service and educational arena as well as for a Fortune 500 healthcare company. She currently serves as the Social, Emotional, Behavioral Wellbeing (SEBW) Coordinator for the Delaware Department of Education. Prior to this position, Sandi served as the Project Co-Coordinator for Project DelAWARE. Additionally, Sandi is a YMHFA Instructor and also provides training consultation to social service organizations, including Missed Opts Inc, which is a new initiative she launched with her husband that is aimed at providing re-entry services to individuals and their families after incarceration. Sandi also enjoys her role as a Program Facilitator at Sussex Correctional Institution through the community organization, Victim Voices Heard.

Sandi is married and is the mother of a young son, which fuels her commitment to supporting the social, emotional, and behavioral wellbeing needs of children across the state of Delaware, in hopes that they grow to reach their fullest potential in safe, supportive, and inclusive school environments.

Susan Veenema, M.Ed.

Delaware Department of Education

Susan Veenema, M.Ed. is Education Associate in Exceptional Children Resources at the Delaware Department of Education. Susan has been in the field of education for over 20 years. She has a passion for equity foremost for students but also assisting families and educators. She works at the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) in the Exceptional Children Resources Workgroup with a focus on Equity in IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). She supports DDOE’s MTSS technical assistance center at the Center for Disabilities Studies. She presents and works with national technical assistance providers and provides technical assistance and professional learning to the Local Education Agencies on the areas of discipline, identification, and placement in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE).
 
Her undergraduate degree is from Houghton University in Communication and Psychology. She later found her passion in education and got her Master’s Degree in Special Education from Wilmington University. She has taught courses at the University of Delaware in the School of Education. Advocating for the destigmatization of mental health is both a personal and professional undertaking that brings her joy. Susan and her husband Jeremy have five children, 3 of whom she has adopted from foster care.