As the Instructional Technology Coach at Leonardo da Vinci High School, Deborah supports teachers, students, and admin in instructional programming. In her previous position as Coordinator for the Office of Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Initiatives in Buffalo Public Schools, Deborah Bertlesman helped to organize and write curriculum for programs centered on antiracist and emancipatory endeavors. 

She taught English Language Arts in public, alternative, charter, and private institutions for eleven years while earning her Ph.D in Curriculum, Instruction, and the Science of Learning at the University of Buffalo. Her research is centered around antiracist inquiry as teaching practice and critical literacies in adolescent classrooms. Deborah has been an adjunct instructor for pre-service teachers at Buffalo State University. 

As a classroom teacher Deborah designed inquiry centered around social justice while creating space for students to explore larger personal and societal questions as they engage in reading, writing, and composing from a multi-literacies perspective.  She has advised high school Sexuality and Gender Alliances, coached students in the Lorna C. Hill Speaking Contest, and served as a Guardian of Equity in Buffalo Public Schools.