MPowering Kids’ Advisory Board is comprised of top educational, social and behavioral experts. Their involvement ensures that the MPowering Kids staff and volunteers receive access to the best educational resources and concepts.
Ms. Julie Corwin
Teacher, Major Achievement Program, Drexel Avenue Elementary School and Adjunct Professor, Adelphi University
Ms. Julie L. Corwin is a native Long Islander. She has been a proud faculty member of The Westbury School District since 1997 and currently teaches the fifth grade Major Achievement Program at Drexel Avenue Elementary. In the summer months, she is a Technology Instructor in the Summer School Program for Children with Special Needs, K-9.
Ms. Corwin received the Inter-County Teacher Recognition Award for outstanding instructional practices, has been the proud recipient with her students of The Annual Stock Market Game and has taken her students to new heights in The Creative Institute for Problem Solving and The National Young Scholars Program. She is a compassionate and dedicated educator constantly seeking opportunities for her students to realize their potential.
Ms. Corwin attended Nassau Community College, Hunter College, New York Institute of Technology and Dowling College. She is an adjunct professor at Adelphi University in Garden City where she enjoys working with pre-service elementary teachers, inspiring them to become extraordinary future educators.Ms. Corwin is currently pursuing her postgraduate work in Educational Administration at C.W. Post. In addition, she has has experience as a religious educator in West Babylon and a volunteer tutor for New Ground. She has been on the MPowering Kids Advisory Board since 2007.
Ms. Cheri DeBellis
Elementary Guidance Counselor and Lead Teacher, Drexel Avenue School
Ms. DeBellis has been an advisor to the MPowering Kids staff for since the very first day of the program. Ms. DeBellis attended the Westbury Schools when she was young and grew up to be a leader in the community. She has been a Guidance Counselor at Drexel Avenue School since 1994 where she created and developed the Saturday Academy and directs many enrichment programs including Summer Program for Children With Special Needs, Mentoring USA, Safe Schools, Healthy Students Program, and the 21st Century Program.
Each year, Ms. DeBellis also coordinates many special programs and events such as Career Day, Respect Day, Adopt-a-Cop Program, Junior Achievement, Big Sister program, and the Breakfast Club. Last year Ms. DeBellis was officially designated as the Lead Teacher at Drexel Avenue School, assisting the principal in all administrative duties. Prior to working at Drexel, Ms. DeBellis taught English at Westbury High School and Honors English at Westbury Junior High School.
Ms. DeBellis received her B.S. in Social Science-Elementary Education and her M.S. in English-Secondary Education from St. John’s University. She received her C.A.S. in Counselor Education from Hofstra University. Ms. DeBellis is certified to teach elementary education, secondary English, and intermediate social studies. Ms. DeBellis holds both SBL (School Building Leader) and SDL (School District Leader) degrees. She has been on the MPowering Kids Advisory Board since 2002.
Christopher L. Henry
Director of Program Development, National Football League
Chris is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and the Director of Player Development for the National Football League. Prior to joining the NFL, Chris was a Senior Consultant with Spencer, Shenk, Capers and Associates, a behavioral consulting firm and also worked for a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and at the American Rehabilitation Association. Chris also served on the Board for SMART (Schools, Mentoring and Resource Team), an education-based nonprofit. Chris received his Bachelor’s degree from Skidmore College and his Master of Social Work degree from the University of Southern California. He has been on the MPowering Kids Advisory Board since 2003.
Dr. Estelle Kamler
Associate Professor of Education, C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University
Dr. Estelle Kamler, an associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Administration at Long Island University, C. W. Post Campus, instructs courses centered on the foundations of leadership and supervises administrative interns. She has served as a school superintendent and coordinates a mentoring program to encourage aspirants, predominantly women and people of color, to seek the superintendency.
In addition, Dr. Kamler directed the Clinton legislative grant which funded a university/school partnership to design and implement instructional strategies to support the Westbury High School English Language Learners. Dr. Kamler received her BA and MA from Queens College and her P.D. Ed.D. from Hofstra University. She has been on the MPowering Kids Advisory Board since 2006.
Dr. Kathryn Lusteg
Assistant Dean, School of Education, C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University Associate Professor of Education
Dr. Kathryn Lusteg received her Bachelor of Science degree from the State University College at Geneseo. She went on to receive her Master of Arts in Professional Development from Long Island University. Dr. Lusteg completed her doctoral work at New York University. She has been on the MPowering Kids Advisory Board since 2006.
Dr. Robert Manheimer
Dean, School of Education, C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University
Dr. Manheimer oversees one of the most highly acclaimed schools of education in the northeast. The C.W. Post School of Education, which is affiliated with over 80 school districts in Nassau, Suffolk, Queens and Westchester counties, offers more than 90 bachelor’s, master’s, dual degree and certificate programs that focus on various stages of a child’s development: infancy, pre-school, elementary school, middle school and high school.
Dr. Manheimer began his extensive educational career as a science teacher in Brooklyn, rising in the administrative ranks to assistant principal of the high school and Assistant to the Superintendent of Schools in the Syosset School District. He spent 15 years at the Jericho School District, one of the most prestigious in the United States, as the superintendent of schools. He taught as an adjunct professor at the New York Institute of Technology and C.W. Post College.
He has has won numerous awards and citations from groups such as the United States Senate, the New York State Assembly, the New York State Senate as well as President Bill Clinton, and the Governor’s Office of New York.
Dr. Manheimer is a panel member for disciplinary hearings for the New York State Education Department, is an appointed peer reviewer for RATE, Regents Accreditation for Teacher Education, the New York State Accreditation Process and is a hearing officer for Student Disciplinary Proceedings. He is an editor of Long Island Education Review and belongs to the American Association of School Administrators, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Educational Research Association and the Association of Supervisors and Curriculum. Dr. Manheimer holds a bachelor’s degree in science education from Brooklyn College and a master’s degree and Ed.D. from Columbia University Teacher’s College. He has been on the MPowering Kids Advisory Board since 2006.
Mr. Matthew Morales
Training & Education Manager, Planned Parenthood of Nassau County
Mr. Morales has provides free workshops for the MPowering Kids students. The students feedback indicates that he is one of their favorite guest speakers and they have enjoyed exploring Anatomy and Physiology, Abstinence and Safe Sex, and Healthy Relationships with his guidance. Mr. Morales has conducted over 500 workshops and educated more than 26,000 pre-teens, teens, parents and professionals. He received his B.A. in Psychology from Stony Brook University and is a candidate for an MBA from the University of Phoenix. he has been on the MPowering Kids Advisory Board since 2007.
Dr. Sandra Louise Stacki
Assistant Professor, Hofstra University Department of Curriculum & Teaching
Dr. Stacki is an Assistant Professor in Hofstra University’s Department of Curriculum & Teaching. She teaches, on both the undergraduate and graduate levels, Perspectives on Secondary Education, Gender Equity, Comparative and International Education, and Middle School Curriculum. She also teaches doctoral students in Qualitative Inquiry and advises on Dissertation Committees.
Dr. Stacki has served as a consultant at the UNICEF Education Cluster in New York. She has received several awards and grants including the Gail Kelly Outstanding Dissertation Award, Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) in 1999. She also received an outstanding Associate Instructor Award from Indiana University, School of Education.
Dr. Stacki is a member of many Professional Organizations such as the National Middle School Association, the New York State Middle School Association (NYSMSA), Association of Teacher Educators (ATE), National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA), Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) and the American Educational Research Association (AERA).
Dr. Stacki received her B.A. and M.A. from the University of Idaho with majors in English Literature/Journalism and her M.S. from the University of Southern Maine with a major in Adult Education/Human Resource Development, along with concentrations in Counseling and Educational Gerontology. Dr. Stacki received her Ph.D. from the School of Education at Indiana University with a Dual major in Education Policy Studies and Curriculum Studies. She has been on the MPowering Kids Advisory Board since 2007.
Dr. Michelle Y. Szpara
Associate Professor of Education, C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University
An acclaimed presenter and writer, Dr. Szpara has been instrumental in fostering an ongoing and mutually beneficial relationship between MPowering Kids and her students, who are rising stars on the horizon of L.I. educational practices. Dr. Szpara received three Bachelor of Science degrees from Pennsylvania State University including Education, Chemistry and Physical Sciences. She completed her doctoral work at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Szpara has been on the MPowering Kids Advisory Board since 2006.
MPowering Kids is a non-profit charitable organization that provides after-school tutoring, mentoring, and cultural enrichment and community service programs for motivated students in Nassau County (Long Island), New York. The MPowering Kids staff and volunteers work closely with students from fourth grade through their high school graduation. The MPowering Kids program is solely supported by donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors.
