Professor Gerry Leader listens to ELI Cohort 4 candidate Michael McAlister’s presentation. If Michael was in Cohort 7, he would have used PowerPoint. Michael is now Principal of Belmont’s Butler Elementary School having previously served as the district’s Director of Social Studies.

Dorsey Yearley, Executive Director of EDCO has been a special educator and special education administrator for 32 years, including 14 years as the Director of Student Services for the Wellesley Public Schools.

Gerry Leader, Professor Emeritus at Boston University, ELI Director, was a faculty member of Boston University for 25 years and has over 20 years of experience with preparing educational leaders. Harvard Education Press recently published his book, Real Leaders. Real Schools: Stories of Success Against Enormous Odds, which chronicles how five particularly effective principals raised student achievement in their schools.

David Castelline, Ed.D., Principal of Newton’s Underwood Elementary School, Faculty Instructor, Practicum Supervisor, has 17 years of experience as a principal where he has led his school to achieve particularly high academic student performance as reflected by MCAS Scores.

Ruth Chapman, Faculty Instructor for Standards-Based Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment and a Practicum Supervisor, has had 15 years of experience as a principal in Newton's A.E. Angier School. At the request of Newton's Superintendent of Schools, she has successively been appointed as Interim Principal at each of of the Zervas, Franklin and Bowen Schools.

Robert Desaulniers, Faculty Instructor, Practicum Supervisor, formerly held principalships at Weston and Littleton High Schools, has had over 35 years of experience as a teacher, guidance counselor, and educational administrator.

Steve Flynn, Ed.D., Faculty Instructor, Practicum Supervisor, is the principal of Lexington's Jonas Clarke Middle School, where he is implementing a school-wide professional learning community. He has served as assistant to the superintendent and principal of two elementary schools and a middle school in the Hawthorne California School District.

Kim Marshall, Faculty Instructor for Performance Appraisal and Supervision, has 15 years of experience as an urban principal. He is currently a leadership coach and nationally recognized educational author. For example, his, “Recovering from H.S.P.S. (Hyperactive Superficial Principal Syndrome): A Progress Report,” Phi Delta Kappan, May 2003, is now a classic in the educational leadership literature. In September 2008, Phi Delta Kappan published his article "Interim Assessments: A User's Guide."

William Lupini, Ed.D., Faculty Instructor for Educational Leadership and the Law, is Superintendent of Schools in Brookline.