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What sets apart Greenwich Education Group? Without question, it's our dedicated, qualified professional staff of teachers, directors, and subject area specialists. Our team understands the importance of academic success to lifelong achievement. We pride ourselves on the individualized attention we provide, along with our child-friendly environment and our strong communication links between you, your child's classroom teacher, and our instructors here at Greenwich Education Group.

We're proud of the team we've assembled, and we know you'll be thrilled with the results they provide. Get to know them, right here.

(Our directors are alphabetized by last name below.)

Beth Cirulis, MA, MS Ed
Dean of Faculty, GEG Schools
Director of Special Education, GEG Schools

Beth Cirulis holds a BS in Special Education and a Masters in Education Administration. She began her career as a middle school special education teacher in Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa, where she was honored as the outstanding district special education teacher. She moved on to the sunnier life in Arizona, where she continued her work in special education middle school, and then became Principal and Director of Special Education for Pinnacle Education, Inc., a statewide charter school district. Continuing her pursuit for better programs for Arizona students, Beth joined Sequoia Choice Schools, another statewide charter school district, where she served as Assessment Coordinator, Vice-Principal and Principal. She joins GEG as a seasoned special education and general education administration professional, with 14 years of experience serving students and leading faculty in challenging educational environments.

Beth serves as the Director of Special Education for all of the Greenwich Education Group Schools. With many years of experience in Special Education, compliance and consulting, she empowers both staff and students to create effective and positive learning environments. She is also serving as the Dean of Faculty for Spire, Pinnacle and Beacon, ensuring that our GEG Schools teachers have the resources and support necessary to their success.

While taking in the amazing culture, character and sites of the Northeast, Beth enjoys spending time at the gym, going to the movies and watching sporting events. Through work and play, her priorities include building and maintaining positive personal and professional relationships, and continuing to grow and learn with and from others.

Alisa Dror, PhD, BCBA
Head of Pinnacle School
Clinical Director of Behavior Services, GEG Schools

Dr. Alisa Dror holds a MA and PhD in Special Education and is a NYS certified special education teacher. She is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and a Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) program certified consultant. Alisa performs dual roles at GEG, as Clinical Director of Behavior Services and as Head of Pinnacle School. In the latter role, Alisa oversees assessment, intake and coordination of services to Pinnacle students. She is responsible for developing and implementing Pinnacle’s social and therapeutic curricula. Additionally, she provides behavioral assessments and support plans to the students in Beacon, Spire and Pinnacle. As Clinical Director of Behavior Services, Alisa supervises our team of behavior therapists and BCBAs, and designs and supervises implementation of behavioral and social skills programs for children and adolescents.

Prior to joining GEG, Alisa worked for 14 years developing curricula to meet the behavioral, educational and social needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorders. She served for nine years as the Director of Clinical Services for Tri-State Learning Center in New Rochelle, and five years with Center for Autism & Related Disorders (CARD) as a behavior therapist and clinical supervisor. She has also worked extensively with families of individuals with ASD, providing them with training and support to address their child's behavioral and social development. Additionally, she has conducted social groups, consulted with public and private schools, provided community and professional trainings, and serves on the board of a parent advocacy group.

In her leisure time, Dr. Dror enjoys traveling and exploring new destinations both near and far with her family, friends and 4 year old daughter. She is an avid runner, hiker and connoisseur of great food.

Nancy Grejtak, MA, MBA
Director, Specialized Learning Services
Academic Director, Pinnacle

As Director of GEG's SLS Group, Nancy leads the teams responsible for developing and implementing best practice programs for students with learning differences. This includes Pinnacle School, Specialized Academic Services (tutoring for students with learning differences), Behavior Services, Speech and Language Services, Executive Function Coaching, Specialized Evaluations, and Social Skills Training. Prior to joining GEG in 2008, Nancy was the Director of Pupil Services in the Los Altos School District in California, where she was responsible for administration of the special education and psychological services programs for the district. In that role she developed a comprehensive autism support program for her constituency, and spearheaded collaborative practices between parents and district staff. Nancy also was a Resource Specialist and Inclusion Specialist teacher in Sunnyvale School District for nine years, where she was honored as Teacher of the Year.

Nancy received her undergraduate degree from University of California at Santa Barbara, a Masters in Business Administration from Pepperdine University, and a Masters in Special Education from Santa Clara University. Her volunteer interests have ranged from the Williams Syndrome Association, where she was on the Board for many years and served as President (1996-1998), to her current involvement in the Connecticut Council for Exceptional Children, where she serves on the Program Committee. Nancy lives in Darien with her husband, son and two very active Portuguese Water Dogs.

Katherine Hafer, BA
Director of Student Life, GEG Schools

In her role of Dean of Studies, Katherine supports Beacon and Spire teachers in all of their classroom endeavors. She also frequently befuddles students with her love of Latin. Katherine began her studies at Tufts University earning a bachelor's degree in International Letters and Visual Studies, which combined study of French, Latin, and Ancient Greek literature, art, and media. She completed a portion of her degree studying at La Sorbonne in Paris. Before joining Greenwich Education Group, Katherine studied theatrical design at the University of Maryland's graduate school. In her spare time, Katherine plays electric violin in a band called, The Shining Sea.

Meredith Hafer, MA
Head of School, Beacon
Academic Director, Greenwich Education Group

Meredith is the Head of School at Beacon, where she leads a team of educators and administrators in an innovative, individualized school setting. She also serves as the Academic Director at the Spire School and consults with families on individualized school options. As Academic Director of the Greenwich Education Group organization, she is involved in all of our new ventures and advises our divisions on curricula, course selection and program design.

Meredith grew up in the Philadelphia region and attended the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. She graduated with honors from the University of Richmond, where she majored in Religious Studies and minored in Philosophy and French. As a writing fellow at the University of Richmond, Meredith instructed students on research and the writing process; teaching writing continues to be one of her passions. During her undergraduate years, she also spent time at Beijing University studying the Mandarin language. She earned a Masters in East Asian Studies from Harvard University and has taught history, literature, philosophy, Mandarin and study skills. Meredith is currently engaged in postgraduate studies in Educational Psychology with an emphasis in Gifted Education from the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. She is a member of the National Association for Gifted Children. She lives with her husband and three cats in Greenwich.

Dede LeComte, AB
Director of Admissions, GEG Schools

Dede graduated from Sweet Briar College with a double major in Sociology and Anthropology. Following college, Dede held marketing and promotion positions at Mademoiselle Magazine and the Prince Matchabelli Division of Cheseborough-Ponds. Later, she teamed-up with her husband, helping to manage two family-owned business. Dede's passion for education, resulting from the journeys of her four children, led to her serving on several school boards, including Board Chair for the Northwest Greenwich Nursery School, Children's Day School and most recently, Oldfields School, an independent girls boarding school in Maryland. She currently sits on the Advisory Board of Children's Day School and is a member and Past President of the Junior League of Greenwich. Dede and her husband live in Greenwich and enjoy being outdoors in their vegetable or flower gardens as well as spending time with their four children and their menagerie of horses, dogs and cats.

Tammy Moscrip, PhD, MSW
Executive Director, The Spire School
Director of Clinical Services, Greenwich Education Group

Tammy holds a doctorate in Psychology from Columbia University, and earned her masters in social work with a concentration in clinical practice with children & families. Tammy is particularly interested in the intersection of the brain, cognition, and behavior. By integrating her knowledge of neuroscience and learning theory, she helps students develop cross-disciplinary skills and strategies that address short-term goals for academic success, as well as long-term goals that involve essential life skills such as organization, time management, confidence-building, and emotional regulation. In addition to teaching advanced topics in psychology, statistics and research methodology, Tammy also serves as a life coach and executive function coach. Her approach utilizes a strengths-based instructional methodology and cognitive behavioral therapy techniques that complement the unique social-cognitive-behavioral profiles that shape individual students' learning styles and academic success. In addition to her work with students, Tammy enjoys SCUBA diving, traveling, and motorcycle riding.

Victoria Newman, MS Ed
Founder and Executive Director, Greenwich Education Group
Director, Day and Boarding School Advisory Services

Vicky founded Greenwich Education Group (GEG) in 2003 and is the Executive Director of all GEG divisions. She is an educational consultant and co-director of Independent Day and Boarding School Advisory Services. Vicky began her educational career as a teacher in the Stamford Public Schools and then went onto teach in the Greenwich Public School System. She has been trained by the Orton-Gillingham Institute for Multi-Sensory Education, Windward Teacher Training Institute, and by Wright Group/McGraw Hill in Everyday Math instruction. She is deeply knowledgeable about the academic curriculum in both the public and private school arenas.

Vicky grew up in Manhattan and Westport, Connecticut, and graduated from the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York. After earning her B.S. from Syracuse University School of Education, Vicky received her Master's Degree and wrote a thesis on differentiation of instruction at the elementary school level while interning in the Stamford Public Schools. Vicky holds a Connecticut Professional Teachers' Certificate and is a member of IECA, ERB, and the SSATB.

Vicky and her team have expanded the services that Greenwich Education Group offers to ensure that the individual needs of each and every student are met. Many of the services Greenwich Education Group provides have grown out of a need in the community. She strongly believes that while each child's learning style and educational needs are different, there is an appropriate educational match for every student. In her spare time, Vicky loves to travel, exercise, read, and watch TED Conference videos. She lives in Greenwich with her two daughters, husband Peter, and two dogs, A.J. and Cheyenne.

Tucker Paine, MS Ed
Director, In-Home Academic Services

Tucker is the Director of In-Home Academic Services for GEG, where he manages in-home tutoring programs for families throughout Fairfield County, CT, Westchester County, NY, and beyond. He also teaches between eight and ten students a week, with most of the sessions focusing on Elementary or Middle School Academics, Study and Organizational skills, and Test Preparation. Tucker earned a Masters in Urban Multicultural Education from the College of Mount St. Vincent, where he graduated with Academic Honors, and has a BA in Music History from Dickinson College. Tucker has been teaching for over 12 years, and readily uses his years of classroom experience from schools in Darien, CT, and Harlem, NY, whenever possible. Tucker believes passionately in the power of one-on-one education, and views every session as an opportunity to instill and reinforce study and work habits that will stay with that student for the remainder of his or her academic career. When he is not working, Tucker enjoys playing basketball, listening to music, being active, singing, and convincing strangers that the Knicks are not as bad as they seem.

Joanne Sabato, MA, CCC-SLP
Director, Speech and Language Services

Joanne is an ASHA certified Speech-Language Pathologist serving children with speech, language and hearing disorders for over 30 years. She is currently licensed in CT, NY, RI and FL and is the former Executive Director of Central Speech, a multi-disciplinary therapy center that provided Speech, OT and Special Education to children from birth to 21 years throughout Westchester County. Joanne has developed programs, supervised professionals and has extensive experience with a wide range of speech and language disabilities including: articulation and phonological disorders, feeding, oral motor, autism spectrum disorders, language learning disabilities, developmental delays, social language (pragmatics) and literacy. She has worked in TEACCH programs, ABA and Greenspan’s Floor-time and developed a program combining all three to provide interventions to preschool children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders. She has created and presented numerous workshops for parents and in-service training for therapists and teachers.

For over 30 years Joanne has worked as a speech-language pathologist in private practices, public, charter and Montessori schools. Her philosophy is holistic in approach and strives to look at how communication difficulties, and their various complexities, impact the whole child. She believes that evaluation is an on-going process and involves collaboration between parents, teachers and the child. This approach allows her to zero in on both the child’s greatest needs and strengths, and to use those strengths to help develop the weak areas, while building self esteem in the process.

Robyn Whittingham
Director, Human Resources

We are very excited to introduce Robyn Whittingham, our new Director of Human Resources to the Greenwich Education Group community. Robyn is passionate, dedicated and quite excited to be working at a company where she can shape our HR Department that will address all of our needs as a growing company.

Robyn brings over seventeen years of professional experience in the field of Human Resources and has worked for companies that are local (NYC) and global (Dubai), start-up and Fortune 500, union and non-union, and profit and non-profit. She has a proven track record of reducing employee grievances, successfully negotiating and advocating for employees, instituting health plans, and establishing policies and protocols as a company grows. She lives in Stamford, has a grown son (she'll brag about him if you ask!), and is currently a writer and editor at iworkwell.com, (a Human Resources website that gives advice to practitioners). We have a number of important projects that Robyn is going to tackle immediately and we're very excited about her joining our team.

Kirsten DeConti Ziotas, PhD
Director, New Canaan

Kirsten is the Director of Academic Services in the New Canaan office and coordinates our off-site programs at various private schools in Fairfield County and beyond. She also serves as our New Canaan community liaison. Kirsten holds a Ph.D. is Child and Developmental Psychology from the University of Connecticut. She has taught at the University of Connecticut (1987 and 1991), Central Connecticut State University (1992-1994) and Trinity College (1994-1995). Her published research focuses on the relationship between social and cognitive development. She and her husband live in New Canaan with their two children.