Carol Frow is the Executive Director of WPCTE. She was previously the President for the 2019-2022 term and has sponsored teams for the WPCTE’s English Festival for nearly every year the festival has been in existence. Carol is a veteran teacher of thirty-four years and recently retired from her 7th and 8th grade ELA teacher position at Belle Vernon Area Middle School where she also sponsored the literary magazine and yearbook and directed the fall play and spring musical. Carol is also a teacher-consultant for the Western Pennsylvania Writing Project and was a 2021 Keystone Technology Innovator Star. A 2014 finalist for PA Teacher of the Year, Carol remains active in their TEACH program which involves mentoring pre-service teachers and mini-professional development conferences. Carol is always searching for new ideas since she has now moved into her own business, Carol Frow Coaching, which offers consulting on educational practice for teachers and professional development programs for schools. Carol also continues to work with students in book clubs and creative writing groups in local libraries. Carol can be reached at either her home email carolfrow@gmail.com or her consulting email carolfrowcoaching@gmail.com.

Amy Bouch is the President of WPCTE. She is also an 8th-grade English teacher at Chartiers Valley Middle School, a Teacher-Consultant for the Western Pennsylvania Writing Project (WPWP), and Co-President of the Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar (ATEG). Amy was recognized as the 2022 Grammar Teacher of the Year from ATEG and was awarded the 2023 Edwyna Wheadon Postgraduate Training Scholarship from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Amy served on the NCTE 2022 Middle Level Section Nominating Committee. She is proud of her publications in NCTE Voices from the Middle and the WPCTE Blog. Amy’s favorite parts of teaching include getting over-the-top excited when pairing students with books they’ll love, empowering students to share their writing with wider audiences, and inspiring students to find the magic and power in grammar. To further her passion and outreach to best support students and teachers, Amy is currently pursuing her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). Contact her at abouch@cvsd.net.

Hannah Lewis (she/her) is the Vice President of WPCTE. She previously participated in book clubs and assisted with the blog. Hannah is a teacher at PA Leadership Charter School. She has taught middle school there for four years and is teaching 11th grade American Literature and A.P. Language and Composition as of Fall 2022. She earned an M.A. in Literature from Bread Loaf School of English in 2016 and an M.Ed. in Special Education in 2021. She hopes to inspire her students to become lifelong learners and empowered writers. Reach her at hlewis3@palcs.org 

Denise Chybrzynski is the Treasurer of WPCTE. She previously served as the Secretary for the 2022-2025 term. Denise is a non-traditional teacher, having spent 20 years at Fortune 500 companies selling oil and steel in various parts of the country. Her business undergraduate and graduate degrees are from Mercyhurst University and LaRoche University, and her graduate and undergraduate degrees in elementary education and educational leadership with K-12 principal certification are from Slippery Rock and Edinboro Universities respectively.  She moved to the gifted program at the Knoch School District last year after 14 years in 4th and 5th grades. She loves that she can introduce her students to current news everyday from the funny to the serious and find a way to make it relevant to the class curriculum. It’s the “stuff” they never forget! Each summer is spent searching for new ideas to excite the students for the coming year.

Jason Kosmiski is the Secretary of WPCTE. Jason is a seasoned English teacher with over 25 years of experience. He recently earned his M.Ed. in Educational Technology and Online Instruction from Penn West University. He's an expert in Google Classroom and a Magic School AI Pioneer. A member of PAECT and a Keystone Technology Innovator, he's passionate about leveraging AI in education. He's presented on AI at various professional development sessions and has used it extensively in his classroom to enhance teaching and save time.

Danielle Thompson is the Social Media Coordinator of WPCTE. Her role includes creating a majority of the content displayed on the WPCTE Facebook and X accounts. In 2020 Danielle completed her Bachelors of Science in Secondary Education at California University of Pennsylvania, in addition to also completing her M.Ed.  in Special Education in 2021 at the university. She has been teaching for six years, mainly as a Middle School Integrated Language Arts teacher at Elizabeth Forward Middle School. At Elizabeth Forward Danielle co-sponsors the school Newsletter and is the 8th grade student council sponsor. Her favorite thing about teaching is seeing students take ownership of their learning and invest in their own educational opportunities. She encourages her students to share their creativity through written forms, read extensively, and always ask questions!

Lauren Bliss in the Flash Fiction Contest Coordinator of WPCTE. Lauren is a fifth grade ELA teacher at Rostraver Elementary School in the Belle Vernon Area School District.  She has been teaching fifth grade ELA for eleven years at Belle Vernon, and she completed one year of teaching third grade in the Elizabeth Forward School District before landing her full-time position in her hometown of Belle Vernon. She received her B.S. in Elementary and Early Childhood Instruction from Saint Vincent College in 2012, and then completed her Masters Degree in Elementary Special Education from California University of Pennsylvania, now known as PennWest University.  During the Summer of 2016, she attended the Summer Institute for Teachers hosted by the Western Pennsylvania Writing Project at the University of Pittsburgh Falk School under the direction of Laura Roop and the late CJ Coleman.  Lauren is a teacher-consultant for the WPWP and an active promoter of Writing Instruction in the elementary classroom setting. In 2023, Lauren attended KTI: Keystone Technology Innovators Summit through PAECT and has been active in presenting engaging grammar and writing instruction around the Western Pennsylvania area through WPCTE. Lauren continuously strives to reflect and refine her language arts techniques so that her students can be as successful as possible as individual writers each and every day.

Katie Katkich is the Slam Poetry Coordinator of WPCTE. Katie is a passionate middle school English teacher at the Central Valley school district, a Western Pennsylvania Writing Project (WPWP) fellow, and a self-proclaimed lifelong learner.  Earning both her undergraduate (Secondary English Education) and graduate (Special Education 7-12) degrees from Slippery Rock University, Katie specializes in creating culturally-sustaining, student centered learning environments that encourage movement, creativity, and mindfulness.  Katie has pioneered initiatives like Wellness Wednesdays to integrate mindfulness into education and is a dedicated advocate for using spoken word and slam poetry to amplify student voices. She currently teaches English 11, College in High School: Concepts of Literature and Writing Composition, and Drama.  Katie holds a deep commitment to fostering inclusive, engaging learning experiences that prepare students for college, the real world, and beyond!

Emily Malovich is the WPCTE Blog Coordinator. Emily has taught English at Sharpsville Area High School for ten years, currently teaching sophomore Literature & Composition and AP Literature. She earned her undergraduate degree at Thiel College, her M.Ed. at Slippery Rock University, and she is currently pursuing her D.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). Emily is passionate about authentic writing instruction, student-led learning, and helping students better understand themselves and others through literature. Contact her at emalovich@sasdpride.org.

Dr. Tracy McNelly is the WPCTE Conference Coordinator at Saint Vincent College. She is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Education Department at Saint Vincent College, where she teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses and serves as faculty advisor for Kappa Delta Pi, the Education Honor Society. She is also co-editor of the Pennsylvania Teacher Educator journal. Before entering higher education, Dr. McNelly taught secondary English and journalism and later worked as a high school reading specialist. She then transitioned into school administration, serving in a range of leadership roles, including junior and senior high assistant principal, Director of Pupil Personnel Services, Director of Secondary Education, and Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education, all within public school systems. Her research interests focus on media literacy, PK–12 literacy development, and the impact of technology on literacy skills. She has published extensively on these topics and has presented her scholarship at national, state, and local conferences.