The New York State Center for School Safety

As Director, Tina Tierney is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the NYS Center for School Safety (NYSCFSS). She oversees all aspects of the Center’s services and deliverables including: the design and delivery of professional learning opportunities, the development of site visit interview protocols, management of targeted technical assistance services, and coordination all aspects of product development including the Center’s newsletters, social media presence, and website content.

Tina has worked collaboratively with team members on regional, statewide, and international evaluation projects as well as statewide professional development projects designed to provide a safe, supportive learning environment for students.  Ms. Tierney’s project experience also includes the design and implementation of professional development to improve outcomes for students with disabilities, capacity building of districts and schools, and use of research-based practices.  

Prior to joining Measurement Incorporated, Ms. Tierney worked in community-based programs designed to improve services for children in foster care, and to assist adults with mental health and substance abuse issues succeed in their community.

Experience in K-20 Education

• HIV and STD Prevention Programs for Youth in Illinois professional development program designed to:

  • Promote a safe and supportive learning environment for students

  • Promote policies and programs to decrease bullying and sexual harassment

  • Promote parent engagement in schools

  • Foster school connectedness for students and staff

• Evaluation of the Homeless Education Programming for McKinney-Vento Grantee Districts in New York State

• Evaluation of Safe Schools/Healthy Students

  • School climate survey assessments

  • Evaluation of evidence-based interventions

  • Documenting outcomes of community collaborations

• Evaluation of Civics Education

• Maryland Environmental Literacy Evaluation

• Preschool Special Education Quality Indicators and Program Evaluation

• Parent Involvement Studies: Local and Statewide

• New York State Professional Learning Center for the RSE-TASC

• Qualitative and Quantitative Data Collection, Analyses, and Interpretation

• Federal Accountability Reporting

Dr. Halley Eacker brings a unique combination of perspectives to her work, including researcher, professor, field-work supervisor, and special educator.

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Dr. Eacker has extensive expertise in special education and designing environments to support all students’ academic, behavioral, and social-emotional health. She has conducted quantitative and qualitative research on school-based interventions, such as literacy interventions for students with disabilities and functional behavioral assessment. Dr. Eacker has presented on topics such as positive behavior supports, connecting school-based and community mental health, and instructional environments for students with disabilities. She has taught courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels on topics such as autism spectrum disorder, emotional and behavioral disorders, special education and literacy. She hopes her contributions will help build positive school environments that enable all students to feel safe to learn and grow.

Previously, Dr. Eacker provided technical assistance around the implementation of multi-tiered systems of support (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) to specialists in regional support centers across New York State. Dr. Eacker recently directed the Safe and Supportive Schools Technical Assistance Center project. The SSS-TAC supported grantee schools to improve school climate, with a focus on Restorative Practices, social emotional learning, attendance strategies, and data-based decision making. Dr. Eacker oversaw grant activities and monitored progress on indicators such as suspension rate, chronic absenteeism rate, and incidents of bullying, harassment, and discrimination.

Aleece comes to Measurement Inc as a trained and nationally licensed school psychologist. Her background in school psychology includes expertise in the areas of research, data collection and analysis, behavioral supports and counseling. Aleece has researched and presented on topics including ADHD and malingering, peer influence on alcohol consumption, multi-tiered systems of support and various topics related to social emotional learning.

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Aleece has extensive training in evaluation and assessment particularly as it relates to special education and supporting student programming. Aleece has worked in many disadvantaged districts across Massachusetts and New York State helping to establish and improve multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) and helping resolve issues of overidentification in special education services. Aleece has also been heavily involved in designing and supporting programs that improve student mental health and well-being. While working in the inner city of Syracuse, Aleece designed, received, and implemented a local grant to bring yoga and mindfulness practices to students and staff. Aleece, a registered yoga teacher herself, has been known to offer yoga and wellness classes to her colleagues and community. Aleece is particularly interested in work regarding social emotional leaning, trauma informed practices and improving school culture and climate.

Expertise

   K-12 Education

• Academic Assessment

• Cognitive Assessment

• Trauma Informed Practices

• Special Education

• Behavioral analysis and support

• Data collection, analysis and review

• Nationally Certified School Psychologist

• Licensed NY State School Psychologist

• 200-hr RYT

Education

• C.A.G.S School Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA

• M.S. Applied Educational Psychology-School Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA

• B.S. Psychology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY

Jim Dillon is a highly experienced, certified school administrator and teacher with a broad background in staff development, curriculum and instruction, and special education. This grounding in practice forms the core of his expertise in providing targeted, technical assistance that meets the needs of educators. Jim has conducted numerous workshops and been an invited presenter at regional, state, and national conferences.  He has contributed articles to various national publications and websites.

Expertise

  K-20 Education

• Principal of the Year (2007), Greater Capital District Principal Center, NY

• Authored The Peaceful School Bus (published by Hazelden) that is implemented in schools across the country to reduce and prevent bullying on the school bus

• Authored No Place for Bullying and Reframing Bullying Prevention (published by Corwin) to provide the tools to inspire the cultural shift necessary to combat menacing behavior in schools

• Administrative Leadership Award, Character Education Program, Sage College, NY

• Educating the Whole Child for the 21st Century Award, NYS ASCD

• Instruction, behavior management, leadership and supervision

• Trained in Cooperative Learning, Adaptive Schools, and Coaching/Mentoring School Leaders

Education

• M.S. (1978), Special Education, University at Albany

• B.A. (1974), English Education, University at Albany Certified

• Olweus Bully Prevention Program Trainer

Kathy Oboyski- Butler serves as an integral member of the NYS Center for School Safety team.  She conducts professional development in the areas of school climate and safety planning, provides on-site and virtual Dignity Act training, leads site visits to schools, and organizes targeted technical assistance for schools and administrators.  Kathy brings over thirty years of experience in public education as a teacher, curriculum specialist, staff developer, administrator, and Assistant Superintendent in urban and suburban schools.  In addition to her work with state-wide professional development seminars, Kathy was also an adjunct a Sage Graduate School for over ten years.

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Expertise

   PK-12 Education

• Professional Development design, delivery, and evaluation

• NYSED data entry and review

• Building strong leadership teams in schools

• Curriculum and Instruction design and delivery

• Creating and maintaining effective Data Teams

• Addressing the needs of adult learners

Education

• C.A.S. School Building and District Leadership, College of Saint Rose, Albany

• M.S. Ed. Special Education, College of Saint Rose, Albany

• B.S. Elementary Education, College of Saint Rose, Albany

Amy is an experienced leader in the fields of mental health, suicide prevention and education. She most recently served as Project Director for the School Mental Health Resource and Training Center, at the Mental Health Association of New York State. In this role, she developed and managed a statewide technical assistance center to support mental health education in schools, including curriculum content, family education, and professional development. Some of her most exciting professional moments include speaking engagements with the National Center for School Mental Health, the National School Boards Association and Mental Health America to share the groundbreaking work of the Resource Center with advocates and education leaders. Amy is a certified Mental Health First Aid trainer and a former School Board Member with Masters degrees in Social Work and Education.  Currently, as a trainer and consultant, Amy works with schools and organizations to promote health, safety and community through collaboration, equity and a trauma-informed lens.​

As the Project Assistant for the New York State Center for School Safety, Dawn is responsible for helping to plan and coordinate statewide training events, and providing day to day operational support.  Her support tasks include maintaining correspondence with stakeholders, assisting with the implementation of professional development and technical assistance programs, and collecting evaluation data as part of the Center’s continuous improvement process.  Dawn is committed to providing the highest level of professional support.  Her recent prior experience includes working on appeals processing and account review for the New York State of Health (NYSOH) – New York State’s response to the requirements of the Affordable Care Act.

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Education​

• M.B.A. University at Albany, State University of New York

• B.S. Management, Russell Sage College