LECNY is run by educators who volunteer their time to providing quality professional development for language teachers in Central New York. If you are interested in joining the board, contact Amanda Silva at presidentlecny@gmail.com!
President- Amanda Silva
Amanda Silva teaches French at Cincinnatus Central School District. She received her B. A. and M. S. in Secondary French Education from SUNY Cortland. Amanda began her career in 2001 and has since taught 7th through 12th grade. She was the recipient of the Cortland Rotary Teacher of the year award in 2018. She has led overseas trips to Europe with her students and recently enjoyed being the district coordinator for the World Language, Art & Health professional learning team in Cincinnatus. She currently is a mentor teacher for new employees, advises the French Club and volunteers on the Teacher Center Policy Board for Cincinnatus. Amanda is a proud member of the Mid-State RBERN World Language Council.
Contact: presidentlecny@gmail.com
Vice President- Denise Mahns
Denise is a National Board Certified Teacher of French in the Fayetteville-Manlius School District. She holds a B.A. in French from Nazareth College, an M.A. in French with a concentration in literature from Middlebury College, and a D.M.L. in French and Spanish from Middlebury College. She has been teaching since 2004, including a year teaching English in Guebwiller, France. Some of Denise's favorite moments include when students come back after leaving for college to tell her how prepared they were for college work and all the cultural activities sponsored by French Club, which she advises. In her spare time, she likes to read and travel.
Contact: lecnyvp@gmail.com
Treasurer- Richelle Hartranft
Richelle Hartranft has been teaching Spanish at Liverpool High School for 6 years. She has been teaching Spanish for 10 years total and in that time she has taught levels 1 through 5. She earned her B.A. in Adolescent Education and Spanish and also her MSEd in Adolescent Literacy Education from SUNY Oswego, where she was first introduced to the LECNY organization by a very wise professor and mentor.
Contact: lecnytreasurer@gmail.com
Secretary -Kimberley Harter
Kimberley Harter is a retired French Teacher, having taught for 33 years at Mexico Middle and High Schools, Levels 8, 1-5 and College 201 and 202. While at Mexico, she served as the World Language Coordinator, French Club and SHF Advisors and Class Advisors for the Classes of 2011 and 2016. She also coached Summer and Winter Guard for 22 years, which was a passion of hers from high school. Before retiring, she brought the Seal of Biliteracy Program to Mexico HS and now volunteers as an evaluator for the SSB in Oswego County. She is a graduate of SUNY @ Potsdam and SUNY @ Oswego and attended La Sorbonne while completing "Les Cours de la Civilisation" in Paris. She traveled every 3 years to France, Belgium, Switzerland and Quebec with her students while at the high school. Presently, she serves as the AATF National Council Teacher Representative for the SHF and the webmaster for the Central New York Chapter of the AATF. She previously worked as a Project Support Specialist for World Languages at SUNY @ Oswego. She is the proud mother of three children and one granddaughter. In her leisure time, she likes to spend time with her husband and family, swim, garden, decorate, scrap book and play with her mini dachshund.
Membership Manager- Pamela Stano
Pamela is a Spanish teacher at North Syracuse Central School District. Pamela graduated from SUNY Oswego with her B.A. in Spanish and Adolescent Education and her MSEd from Binghamton University. Additionally, Pam has facilitated a number of workshops, served on the World Language Council, participated in the Standards Review Committee as well as continuously participating in on-going professional development. In her spare time, she loves salsa dancing, traveling, watching Duke basketball and spending time on the St. Lawrence River with her husband and dog.
Past President- Nicole Alberico-Farr
Nicole Alberico-Farr has been teaching Spanish in Baldwinsville Central School district for over 20 years, which is when she first joined LECNY! She has taught levels 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & AP. She earned her bachelors degree from SUNY Geneseo and M.A. from Middlebury College. She is involved with various school and student organizations. Enjoys traveling with students and family. She enjoys spending her free time with her 3 children and husband.
Contact: pastpresidentlecny@gmail.com
Newsletter Editor- Diane Tyminski
Diane graduated from SUNY Geneseo with a B.A in Spanish and completed an M.A. in Linguistic Studies with a concentration in Language, Culture, and Society at Syracuse University. Diane is a Spanish teacher at West Genesee High School and has previously served as LECNY secretary and president. She is also currently the newsletter editor for NYSAFLT.
Contact: newsletterlecny@gmail.com
Awards Chair- Erica Stark
Erica graduated from Elmira College with a B.A. in Spanish and completed an M.A. in Adolescence Education in Spanish at SUNY Cortland. She is a Spanish teacher at North Syracuse Central School District. She has previously taught elementary through high school Spanish and French in both public and private schools. She was a 2021 NYSAFLT Leader of Tomorrow and has served as the New York State Seal of Biliteracy Coordinator at C-NS. Erica regularly presents at local, regional, and state language educator conferences. In her free time she enjoys supporting the arts, hiking, practicing yoga, reading, and spending time with her husband and two children.
Contact: lecnyawards@gmail.com
Social Media Manager- Elise Micale Brown
Elise is a French teacher and North Syracuse Junior High where she also the Dungeons & Dragons Club Advisor! She has her Bachelor of Arts in French from SUNY College at Brockport and a Masters in Curriculum Development & Instructional Technology from SUNY Albany. She also participated in TAPIF where she spent one school year in France teaching English and traveling around Europe. She loves teaching French and traveling with her students to Québec each year. In her spare time enjoys reading, doing crossword puzzles, & spending time with her husband & two cats.
Contact: lecnysocial@gmail.com
Member at Large- Amie Dubos
Amie Dubos has been teaching Spanish at Tully Jr/Sr High school for the last three years and taught previously in the Cato Meridian District for 13 years. She obtained her A.A. in Humanities from Onondaga Community College, B.A. in Spanish from Cortland State University and her MST from LeMoyne College. She has taught all levels of Spanish from 7th grade through the college 201 level. Professional Development and growing as an educator are top priorities for Amie. Staying abreast to new ideas and changes in instruction of world languages is a true passion. Amie is an active member of the New York State World Language Council, a member of NYSAFLT, ACTFL and LECNY. She is currently department head and advises the Sr. High International Club, Spanish National Honor Society and is the Seal of Biliteracy Coordinator in her district. She believes that language learning is a vital piece of our education system and opens up so many opportunities for those who are world language learners. She enjoys spending summers with her kids and husband camping and creating as many memories as possible. She also moonlights at a small diner as a waitress where she is able to speak Spanish often. Her future dream is to bring her kids to spend summers in Spain with her former host family.
Contact: lecnymemberatlarge1@gmail.com
LLL-Liaison-Barbara Gordon
Barbara is a retired French teacher from Liverpool High School. She is the recipient of a number of awards, including New York State Teacher of the Year. She has been a member of the LECNY Executive Board, serving as an officer and for more than 25 years coordinator of the SUPER-LECNY, and now LLL-LECNY Conference/Workshop. She enjoys reading, gardening, and teaching refugees.
Contact: barbara@barrygordon.com