Our Team
Janie Feinberg | President
Janie Feinberg, President of JP Associates, is a 30-year plus veteran in the battle for our children's minds. Her strong personal belief and philosophy that ALL CHILDREN CAN LEARN permeates all aspects of both her personal and professional life. Janie attended both the Connecticut College for Women at New London, Connecticut and Brooklyn College where she graduated with her Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1968.
Upon her graduation she entered the New York City Public School System as a schoolteacher in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn and remained there until 1971 when she moved to Bethel, Vermont to teach third grade.
In 1972, following her work as a classroom teacher, Janie was trained in Direct Instruction by Siegfried Engelmann, the author of the Direct Instruction programs, at Pheasant, Illinois. She served as a senior consultant for SRA from 1973 to 1988.
In 1986 Janie founded the Centers for Direct Instruction. These centers served the Brooklyn, Long Island and Staten Island families of New York City.
In 1989, drawing on her experience and expertise, she then created and established a teacher/student friendly consulting company that is the largest implementer of Direct Instruction in the country, JP Associates, Inc. The keystone of JP's approach is the training, implementation and coaching process. It is a process so successful that several participating schools have received national recognition for student performance.
Janie assisted in the development and writing of the SRA Trainer's Packet for Consultants for Reading Mastery I, II and Distar Language. She has also been called upon to assist in revisions of the language program. JP's success as an implementer has motivated Janie to "D.I." her implementation approach and strategies. This has resulted in the creation and design of a comprehensive series of trainings and overviews that JP uses to train not only their own staff, but the building staff people they coach as well.
Janie is the recipient of the Association for Direct Instruction's Excellence in Education Award (an award given only once a year to an exceptional educator). She has spoken and trained on various topics of education and instruction across the country. She is recognized and hailed as one of the leading reading experts in the country today.
Kendra Rhall | Chief Operating Officer
Kendra Rhall brings to JP a unique blend of both professional and personal experiences. A graduate of Hofstra University with a degree in Finance, as a young child she was also educated using Direct Instruction.
After graduating from college she entered the banking field. After several years she began to search for more meaningful work—a place where her all of her skills would benefit others.
Her search brought her to JP Associates. Beginning as the Finance Manager for the company, Kendra quickly applied her skills in organization, finances and working with people to help “grow” the company. As the company grew, so did Kendra’s responsibilities. She currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer.
The balance between the business of running the company and the business of making sure teachers and students are successful is reflective of Kendra's personal goals. All of JP's decisions are based on this balance of what is good for kids.
Douglas Blancero | Senior Vice President
Doug Blancero has worked with community groups, national organizations and schools for the last 30 years in both leadership and advisory roles helping these groups discover their vision and make it come alive.
Before working at JP Associates in his current role as Senior Vice President, Doug was the Executive Director of a Brooklyn-based, award winning youth organization that worked with at risk youth. During his 15 year tenure he grew the program from a recreational project into a comprehensive community center that sponsored an alternative high school program and GED Project, as well as Court Advocacy, School Advocacy, Career Awareness and Job Placement, Crisis Intervention & Referral, Street Outreach and Peer and Family Mediation projects.
A strong believer in team building, networking and partnerships, Doug has served on a variety of national, state and local boards and task forces addressing community, youth and education.
Doug has been a presenter at a number of regional and national conferences on leadership strategies, conflict resolution, organization, youth empowerment and grant writing.
In addition, Doug in conjunction with a team of JP School Improvement Specialists and other experts conducts The JP Leadership Academy each year at the JP Institute for Excellence in Education.
You can also follow Doug via his Twitter account at https://twitter.com/JPLeadership.
David Whiting | Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing
David Whiting has spent over 40 years in the field of education in a variety of different roles and positions. He graduated from Northeastern University’s Coop Program. Following his graduation he began his first Cooperative Education program job at Wrentham State School. During his tenure there he worked with institutionalized, low ability people. His next positions were teaching at elementary schools in Wayland and Scituate, Massachusetts. David worked with Dr. Chad Drake researching and developing instructional techniques for children with Dyslexia. His next position was as the reading specialist in the Educational Development Project in the Atlanta, Georgia Public School System.
David joined the McGraw-Hill Publishing Company as a language arts consultant where he was responsible for the design and delivery of professional development services. Over the next 40 years he held a wide variety of educational publishing positions in five different divisions. Over the last year he has been working with Putnam County, Tennessee schools to translate their internal program for teaching children with autism into a training and coaching program for universal use.
As JP’s Executive Vice President for Marketing and Sales, David is committed to both identifying and meeting the needs of our partner schools.
Barbara Proctor | Executive Director of Professional Development
Barbara Proctor has worked for JP Associates since 1994, making her one of the most experienced consultants on staff. She brings a wealth of experience both in the classroom and in the field of consulting.
She graduated from Millersville State University and completed graduate work at the University of Delaware. She was a classroom teacher for twenty-five years working with moderately handicapped students and later regular and special education students in a full-inclusion program. Her role in the public schools included not only teaching, but also serving as District Cadre, providing assistance and training to inclusion classrooms (Kindergarten through Grade 6) and the implementation of Direct Instruction programs.
In 1995 Barbara joined JP Associates as a full-time consultant. Currently, she serves as the Director of Training as well as a Site Supervisor for JP Associates. Barbara feels strongly that in order to develop and provide quality professional development, she must remain on the "frontlines," working with both teachers and consultants in the classrooms on site. Her responsibilities include offering technical assistance to teachers, administrators, and consultants, coaching in the classroom, and supervising other consultants.
As the Executive Director of Professional Development, she is responsible for designing training programs and workshops for JP sites as well as developing the on-going professional development for all the JP consultants.
Andrea Lally | Coordinator of Business and Supportive Services
Andrea Lally, JP's Coordinator of Business and Supportive Services, was born and raised on Long Island, New York. She has been with JP since 1999, helping to coordinate every aspect of the company from printing to payroll. JP Sites and staff alike have come to depend on Andrea's skillful scheduling, travel booking, accounting, and sense of humor.
She was married on May 4, 2002 to Chris Lally. They live with their sons Christopher and Thomas in New York.
Francine Riviera | Executive Assistant
Francine Riviera joined JP in 2005 with a rich background of experiences. She uses all of these experiences and the skills acquired through them in her current role as Executive Assistant to JP’s Chief Operating Officer.
Francine began her employment working for an advertising research company. After several successful years, she made a conscious decision to give something back to her community by working for a community-based youth organization. She served as the Executive Assistant to the Executive Director.
Her next move was to a fledgling computer consulting company where she was active in setting up the company and its organizational processes and policies working directly with the Vice President of Operations.
It was her sense of service and commitment to children that brought her to JP Associates.
Bobbi Jo Murray | Administrative Assistant/Sales Coordinator
Bobbi Jo has been with JP since March of 2007. She graduated from The University of Portland in 1994 with a degree in Communications Management, and after a brief time in an accountant’s office, has worked in the field of education ever since.
She first started her career in education during her college years while working for the Public Relations Office at the University of Portland for three years as a student. After graduation and time at a CPA firm, she worked at a K-3 elementary school in Burns, Oregon (Slater Grade School), spending half the day as a school secretary and the other half a school librarian. From there, she moved to the very schools she attended from first grade through her senior year in high school, Crane Elementary and Crane Union High, where she served as the secretary for both schools.
After relocating to Oregon’s Willamette Valley, she found herself employed at the University of Oregon’s School of Law, where she managed the Faculty Reception desk, assisting law professors, law school personnel and law students with various needs. From there, she moved to the Chancellor’s Office of the Oregon University System, which oversees the seven public Universities in Oregon and worked for the Oregon GEAR UP Department. After leaving the Chancellor’s Office, she started her career with JP Associates and has been a happy member of the JP family ever since.
Bobbi Jo currently lives with her husband and two children in Eugene, Oregon. In her spare time, she enjoys the country lifestyle (she grew up on a cattle ranch and is still a cowgirl today), spending time with her family, watching her children grow, and learning how to enjoy every second of life before it passes her by. She also enjoys writing, photography, decorating and rodeo.
Desmond Bobbett | School Improvement Specialist
Desmond Bobbett has been with JP Associates since September of 2005. A native of Mississippi, he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Speech at Mississippi Valley State University and Master Degree in Elementary Reading and Literacy from Walden University in 2010. Prior to becoming a School Improvement Specialist, Desmond taught Direct Instruction in both elementary and middle school settings in an Atlanta charter school for three years. He also served as lead instructor where his duties included grade level instructional planning, mentoring of new staff, staff development for all second and third grade instructors, and provided training models for teachers implementing Direct Instruction.
Desmond currently lives in Marietta, Georgia with his wife Valarie and his son and daughter, Simeyon and Daijsha. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling with his family and coaching youth sports.
Maggie Boozer | School Improvement Specialist
A member of the JP Team since 2001, Maggie has worked to form leadership teams across multiple districts in Southeast Georgia. The leadership teams meet quarterly to evaluate student data, discuss teacher evaluations, and plan for professional development. Because of the rural nature of the districts she serves, she also works with the leadership teams to analyze data patterns across the districts so that the leaders can share information, recognize common professional development needs and plan for shared training. Between leadership meetings, Maggie follows up through phone and email support. The school leaders have created a system of support where they also follow up with one another between meetings, building capacity through their relationships with their peers. Maggie also has extensive experience communicating with the superintendent and school boards to relay participant progress.
Before becoming a School Improvement Specialist, Ms. Boozer spent 25 years teaching research-based curricula in both regular and special education settings. Her public school experiences include five years as an instructional lead teacher, in-house instructional coach, and administrator. Her duties included planning school-wide staff development, testing and placing students, reviewing instructional materials for adoption, and providing on-the-spot training to teachers implementing the programs.
Kim Burgess | School Improvement Specialist
Kim Burgess has been with JP Associates, Inc. since September 2000. She was born and raised in southeast Arkansas.
She received her Early Childhood Education degree from the University of Arkansas at Monticello in 1997. She also has an endorsement in Middle School Science. Kim completed her internship in kindergarten at W.C. Whaley Elementary School in Monticello, Arkansas. She then taught kindergarten and first grade at Lakeside Lower Elementary in Lake Village, Arkansas. Experience with older students was obtained by teaching the Corrective Reading program to below grade level third grade students during summer school. Kim has also tutored high school students in areas of math after school.
Kim currently lives near McGehee, Arkansas with her husband. While they have no children of their own yet, they willingly spoil their two Labradors and two cats. In addition to working for JP Associates, Kim loves doing home improvements, completing computer tasks, and spending time with her family and friends.
Julie Burke | School Improvement Specialist
Julie Burke has over twenty years of experience in leading school reform and has been with JP since 2000. She works with administrators in rural Georgia to plan support for teachers’ needs. She is experienced in building implementations across special needs including work with the Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Support (GNETS), which support the local school systems’ continuum of services for students with disabilities. Julie is also proficient in working with administrators on the IEP process.
She has provided extensive roles in preparing and teaching courses in Direct Instruction and Intervention. Ms. Burke’s experience in leading courses such as: the Leadership Academy, Explicit Teaching Builds Effective Learners, Reading Mastery Program Training, Data Driven Instruction, DIBELS and Intervention, make her an excellent resource.
Trudie Ehrhardt | School Improvement SpecialistTrudie also has extensive experience in academic leadership. She works with leaders to monitor academic progress, and the process for conducting effective classroom walk-throughs to quickly determine whether teachers are being effective instructors. Trudie has implemented multiple parent involvement projects and been responsible for school board presentations.
Her experience as an elementary classroom teacher in Ohio, New York, and Florida schools in both regular and special education settings were followed by administrative assignments serving adults with special needs, elementary education, district-level instructional leadership and intensive training in research-based academic and behavioral systems.
Trudie received her Bachelor’s Degree from Ashland University. She has continued to grow professionally, pursuing advanced training and coursework with an emphasis in Special Education, research-based curricula, and Educational Administration.
Wanetta Jones | School Improvement SpecialistShe graduated from Clark College, presently Clark Atlanta University and completed graduate studies at Walden University, earning a Master of Science in Education degree with a focus on Elementary Reading and Literacy, as well as a specialization in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment.
Wanetta is the proud daughter of William Jones, resides in Atlanta with her cocker spaniel, "Cinnamon," and is proud to have been chosen to serve as a member of the JP team.
Sandy Leonard | School Improvement Specialist
Sandy Leonard joined JP in 1997 and has wide range of experience in educational settings. She ran an intensive program for at-risk youth in Arkansas, where she worked to advance high schools students from a 3rd grade reading level to reading at grade level.
Sandy led a successful implementation in Duval County Public Schools (FL), providing ongoing Responsive training and coaching. The district utilized the Woodcock Test for Reading Mastery to determine student effectiveness as a result of Direct Instruction in reading and the Responsive professional development. Students of teachers who participated in the training showed significantly higher gains than students of teachers who did not receive the training.
Sandy received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Arkansas State University.
Dan Link | School Improvement SpecialistDan led a large-scale RtI implementation in Clayton County, Georgia, where he managed a diverse group of vendors providing services to all tiers of instruction to ensure continuity for the students receiving the intervention.
Cathi Mintz | School Improvement SpecialistShe has been an educator for almost 20 years teaching in both special education and regular education elementary classrooms. She has also served as lead teacher and Curriculum Specialist.
Omar Tabb | School Improvement SpecialistOmar has a rich and varied background in education that has spanned over 14 years. He has proven abilities in project management, classroom instruction, meeting academic benchmarks, curriculum management and supervision, providing high quality professional development, and meeting client needs. Omar is learner-focused with strong relationship building and problem-solving skills.
Omar is a proven project leader and communicator. He has led multiple leadership projects, and successfully managed a difficult Leadership Program where massive turnover required him to quickly incorporate new principals into the cohort structure, while keeping all stakeholders informed. Omar is trusted by superintendents, principals, and teachers to keep all parties up-to-date on project progress and participant performance.
While in the classroom, Omar specialized in teaching intensive, explicit instructional programs. Due to his experiences both in the classroom and as an administrator, he has a practical perspective on how to support instruction, manage data, build teams and empower staff.
He is affiliated with: • National Association of Black School Educators (NABSE) • Texas Educational Publishers Association (TEPA) • National Scholars Honor Society • Golden Key International Honor Society • Association of Direct Instruction (ADE)
Omar joined JP in 2010. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University in 1994 and his Master of Arts in Education from Northern Arizona University in 2008. Currently, Omar is studying for his doctorate in Educational Leadership.
Dr. Will Proctor | Program Evaluator
Dr. Proctor has been a Teacher and a Counselor in the Middle and High School, a School Psychologist working with students in Pre-Kindergarten through High School, a Principal, a Supervisor, and a Director in school districts that ranged from 20,000 students to 70,000 students. During the period that he worked as a Principal, Supervisor, and Director, Will recognized the need for handicapped students to be effectively included in the regular classroom. He identified the strategies needed to implement a full inclusion program that would provide appropriate instruction for all students, regular education and special education students, in the classroom. In addition, he provided the on-going staff development component that ensured that ALL students could be academically successful.
In addition, he has taught for over 20 years at the University of Delaware Graduate School, and has recently served as a consultant in the areas of Inclusion, Reading, Evaluation/Assessment, and architectural and computer-based designs. All of these efforts were to improve the quality of education.
Currently, Will serves as a program evaluator with JP, analyzing data with regard to the impact of Direct Instruction. He has currently reviewed data for sites in more than 13 states.
Veronica Stevens | School Improvement Specialist
Veronica Stevens has been with JP Associates, Inc. since 2000. She was born and raised in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. She received a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from the University of Arkansas at Monticello in 1996.
Since college, Veronica has had a wide range of experiences including teaching 1st-4th grade and working as a lead teacher in her previous school.
Veronica currently lives in Monticello, Arkansas with her husband, two cats and one dog. In addition to working for JP Associates, she likes to read and volunteers many hours of her time to Junior Auxillary raising money to benefit the children of the delta region of Southeast Arkansas.
PJ Toburen | School Improvement Specialist
P.J. has spent the last twenty years working in education and joined JP in 1998. She has expertise in English-Language Arts, Mathematics, and ELL instruction. P.J. also has experience with adult education and works with schools to implement successful ELL adult education programs.
P.J. is a skilled data analyst. She excels at taking a school or district’s data, analyzing it, and then working with the school team to formulate a plan for instruction based on the data. She works with coaches, lead teachers, and teachers in the classroom to monitor, evaluate, and adjust instruction to fit individual students’ needs.
P.J. works with schools and districts to implement a collaborative learning environment. From working with cohorts of coaches to lead teachers across multiple schools, she works with educators to build a cohesive plan of action that builds capacity and positive school culture.
She received a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Ottawa University and a Master's degree in Special Education from the Emporia State University.
P.J. is the proud grandmother of four. The oldest three are home schooled and their mom uses Direct Instruction programs to teach them Reading, Math, Language and Spelling. She and her husband, Jim, live in La Junta, CO where they enjoy four wheeling and motorcycling in the majestic Rocky Mountains.
