Kim Yaris, an educator for 14 years, is the Executive Director of Literacy Builders.  In this role, she works as an independent literacy consultant in several Long Island school districts conducting reading and writing workshops for teachers, staff development seminars, in-class demonstration lessons, and curriculum planning sessions.  In addition, she presents to parent groups and delivers remediation and enrichment to children at the Literacy Builders Teaching and Learning Resource Center located in Plainview.  Prior to becoming a literacy coach, Kim worked as an elementary classroom teacher in Cold Spring Harbor, New York and Scituate, Massachusetts.  She received her M.Ed in Reading from the University of New Hampshire.

Ferne Chase is currently the reading specialist for grades two through six for the Cold Spring Harbor School District, where she has been teaching since 1994.  She has taught special education to students with diverse learning needs in both inclusive and self-contained settings as well as worked as a classroom teacher at the elementary level.  Ferne received national certification from the Schools Attuned Program, a professional development program for educators devoted to recognizing, understanding, and managing children with learning differences.  In addition, she has taught professional development programs to teachers on topics involving meeting the diverse needs of learners in the classroom. 

Danielle Erardy taught sixth grade at Babylon Memorial Grade School for five years before working as a literacy coach.  She has worked with classroom teachers, providing information and guidance concerning a range of effective and innovative literacy practices.  In addition to these responsibilities, she has led several workshops involving many topics including reading assessment, writing skills, and practices that promote comprehension.  She is currently teaching sixth grade language arts in Babylon incorporating various strategies and activities to target a diverse population. 

Whitney Stahlberg has taught fifth grade in Cold Spring Harbor for eight years.  She earned her Masters degree in elementary education from Columbia University’s Teachers College.  During her tenure as a classroom teacher, she used Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop to help children hone their skills in literacy.  She loves children’s literature and is currently working as an editorial assistant at Random House Children’s Books.