Our Team

Robert Vogel, Ed.D.

Founder/Director - Writers Matter
vogel@lasalle.edu

Professor Emeritus, La Salle University

  • I have recently retired from full-time teaching after 43 years at La Salle University and currently serve as Professor Emeritus of Education. I am the Founding Director of Writers Matter in Philadelphia and Israel and founding Co-Director of Leadership and Global Understanding at La Salle University. I earned my doctorate from Temple University in Educational Psychology and Organizational Development and taught three years for the School District of Philadelphia.

    I have co-authored numerous articles and co-authored "Methods of Teaching: Applying Cognitive Science to Promote Student Learning (Feden & Vogel) - McGraw-Hill, 2006; Voices of Teens: Writers Matter (Vogel & Galbraith). National Middle School Association, 2008; Empowering Young Writers: The Writers Matter Approach (Yost, Vogel and Lewinski). Temple University Press, 2014; and Writers Matter: Empowering Voices of Israeli and Palestinian Teens -Cultural Narrative Building through Writing (Vogel & Adwan). 2016

Andre Saunders

Poet in Residence

  • Andre Saunders is a music artist and poet from Philadelphia. He is a graduate of Roman Catholic High School and attended Howard University. Andre serves as the resident poet for the Writers Matter Program in partnership with La Salle University, working with elementary and middle school students.

    Through this partnership, Andre visits schools to provide workshops, motivational speeches, and entertainment. Andre received a certificate of completion for his participation in the Future Corps Leaders Program, with South Philadelphia High School. He has formal training and experience in coaching, project management & event planning, group leadership & facilitation, youth program development, and personal & professional development. For his music, Andre has been featured in magazines and newspapers for his work as well as his songs played on radio and videos played on television. Andre currently has two official albums out and has performed alongside many established and legendary artists.

Aubrey Stewart

Feltonville School of Arts & Sciences

  • Aubrey Stewart is an 8th grade reading and writing teacher at Feltonville School of Arts & Sciences. She has been teaching with the Philadelphia School District for three years and has a strong passion for urban education.

    Through her own love for reading and writing, and the Writers Matter program, she has been able to show her students the power of their words and their hidden talents. Aubrey is dedicated to empowering her students and helping them find their voice through writing.

Joan Carter Williams

E.M. Stanton School

  • Joan Carter Williams has been a teacher with the Philadelphia School District for over 22 years. She currently teaches 4th grade at E.M. Stanton Elementary School. She shared laughs and tears with her students and has really gotten to know them through their writing thanks to Writers Matter.

    Joan received the Louretta Woodson Award for Teaching Excellence in 2017-2018 and the PA Social Studies Teacher of the Year 2015. She can be reached at jcarterwilliams@philasd.org.

Joan DeRitis

Saint Andrew School

  • Joan DeRitis has been teaching for over 20 years in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. She has taught grades 5 and 6 and currently teaches grade 7 at St. Andrew School in Drexel Hill.

    This is our first year using Writers Matter for grades 5 thru 8, and we are excited to have a tool that motivates students to write and express themselves. In a world of photoshopping, where kids try to emulate ‘perfection’, Writers Matter allows students to dig deep internally and get them to know who they are. And the bonus is that students are writing!

The Writers Matter team is comprised of a group of professionals from a wide range of schools and educational backgrounds. On this page, you will find information on each team member, including a short bio, their contact information, and the name of their home institutions.

Kimberly Lewinski, Ph.D.

Director - Writers Matter
lewinski@lasalle.edu

Associate Professor, La Salle University

  • I am an Associate Professor of Education at La Salle University and the Director of the Writers Matter Program. I earned my Ph.D. and M.Ed. from the University of Virginia in Curriculum and Instruction and Reading respectively. As a graduate student at UVA, I served on a Writing Across the Curriculum research team for three years and was an instructor of literacy courses at James Madison University. Prior to this, I taught for seven years at the elementary level. I earned my B.A. in Elementary Education from The Catholic University of America.

    I have co-authored numerous articles and co-authored Empowering Young Writers: The Writers Matter Approach (Yost, Vogel and Lewinski). Temple University Press. Active in the literacy field, I am a member of many national and local literacy agencies including National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), International Literacy Association (ILA), Association of Teacher Educators (ATE), Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers (ALER) and Keystone State Literacy Association (KSLA).

Joseph Samuel Rogers

Coordinator of Special Projects

  • Joseph Samuel Rogers, the Director of Academic Support and 9th grade English teacher at Pope John Paul II High School in Royersford, Pennsylvania, serves the Writers Matter program as Special Projects Coordinator. A 2018 graduate of La Salle University in Secondary Education and English, Joe works very closely with Dr. Vogel and Dr. Lewinski to support program initiatives including the website and newsletter. Joe loves using Writers Matter activities in his English classroom, and his students especially enjoy learning about themselves and writing through their own experiences. Prior to arriving at Pope John Paul in June 2022, Joe taught English at Monsignor Bonner & Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School in Drexel Hill, PA and English and Theology at DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In his spare time, Joe enjoys trying new restaurants, travelling, and spending time with his family in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Carl Jackson

C.W. Henry School

  • Carl Jackson has been teaching for over 25 years in the Philadelphia School District. He joined the Writer's Matters program 4 years ago with his 3rd grade class. He has always been expressive and wanted to challenge his students to become "The Pen". His students are always encouraged to be their best at whatever they set their minds to. Using the pen is a mighty tool that allows a person to bring imagery to life. Being the pen allows YOU to be seen, to be heard, and to be known. Each person has a voice and it should be heard. Writer's Matters has provided his students a platform that allows them to be free to express themselves and most importantly be heard. Each child has been told and shown how to write with feeling/passion. He values what each child has to say and believes the program helps create this atmosphere in his classroom.

Tracey Orem

S. Weir Mitchell School

  • Tracey Orem is the ELA Site Based Teacher Leader at S. Weir Mitchell School. She has been teaching Reading and Writing for 30 years and has happily been involved with the Writers Matter program for the last 6 years.

    She has seen the power of this program and the impact on students' confidence. She looks forward to another year of helping students to find their voice and claim their power through writing!

Olivia Lang

Presentation BVM School

  • I teach Social Studies to grades 5-8 and Reading and Writing to 8th graders. I have been teaching for 6 years. While this is my first year with the Writers Matter program, I have always had a joy and passion for writing. I love working with students and seeing that "light bulb" moment when they are struck with an idea and their creativity hits paper. Working with students to write about what they are going through has been such a rewarding experience that I cannot wait to continue. It has been so amazing getting to know students who I have been working with for years in new ways that I do not think would happen if not for the unique approach of Writers Matter.

Trent McLaurin, Ph.D.

Consultant - Writers Matter
mclaurin@lasalle.edu

Associate Professor, La Salle University

  • Dr. Trent McLaurin has worked as a teacher, case manager, behavioral specialist, ABA therapist and director of special education. His practical experience combined with his work as a researcher and professor help him blend the practical and theoretical gap that often eludes our schools, homes and communities.

    Dr. McLaurin cites his passion for providing strong supports for all students especially marginalized youth and ending the school-to-prison pipeline as motivating factors for his work. He sees the need for educators to be professionally trained by someone from outside their school community who understands education and mental health. His combination of practical and theoretical experience as an educator and researcher drives his desire to provide support that is accessible for front-line educators, families and community providers.

Kelly Ann Coughlin

J. Hampton Moore School

  • Kelly Ann Coughlin is a 5th grade teacher at J. Hampton Moore. Twenty-three years ago, I began my first teaching job right out of college as a twenty-one-year-old in a middle school full of students taller than me. I spent seventeen years teaching all grades and all subjects including Creative Writing and Technology which led me to Writers Matter.

    Writing creatively has been a passion of mine since elementary school. Seeing students develop that same passion has been so rewarding. Currently, as a 5th grade teacher at J. Hampton Moore, my students look forward to writing in their journals as a way of expressing themselves as well as sharing their entries in a writing community that embraces them.

Anne Olvera

E.M. Stanton School

  • I teach at E.M. Stanton School. I have taught there for 8 years and have been a teacher for 24 years. I have a Bachelors Degree from Marquette University and a Master's Degree from Cabrini. I have found that giving students more opportunities to write about themselves and their own experiences has allowed them to express their voices and truly enjoy writing.

    The approach we discuss in Writers Matter is so different from our test driven focus, yet it still manages to encompass the standards we need to teach. I have found that my students feel good about themselves and their abilities when we write. Writers Matter reminds us that writing is fun!

Miranda Clark-Binder

Our Mother of Consolation Parish School

  • Miranda Clark-Binder, MA is the Art/Art History/Advanced STREAM teacher at Our Mother of Consolation Parish School. She has taught at OMC since January 2021. Before joining the OMC community, Miranda was the Curator of Education and Public Programs at the La Salle University Art Museum for almost 15 years. She has won awards at both the city and state levels for her commitment to the arts in education.

    As a professionally trained museum educator, Miranda has a strong affinity for cross-curricular connections in education. She is passionate about encouraging young people to see how the world is connected and how they can express themselves through both artmaking and writing. Miranda has worked with the Writers Matter program at both La Salle University and Our Mother of Consolation Parish and is thrilled to be the OMC Teacher Leader.

Tamara Hudson

W.D. Kelly School

  • Tamara Hudson-Green has been teaching for thirteen years. She was a teacher for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and is currently a teacher at the School District of Philadelphia where she teaches sixth grade. She joined Writers Matter four years ago and enjoys engaging in writing with her students.

    Her love for writing is present in her classroom. By introducing Writers Matter into her classroom, her students have become more expressive writers. "Writers Matter has become instrumental in my daily instruction and has allowed my students to pivot when it comes to thoughts about writing. They no longer look at writing as this daunting task, rather they are excited about journaling and tackling life's challenges through the writing process."

    She is committed to helping students find their own voice with their pen and looks forward to another year of Writers Matter in her classroom.

Board of Directors

Robert Vogel, Ed.D.
Executive Director, Writers Matter
Professor Emeritus, LaSalle University

Kimberly Lewinski, Ph.D.  
Director of Writers Matter
Associate Professor at La Salle University

Alan E. Casnoff – Esquire
Partner, P&A Associates

Sister Edward William Quinn, I.H.M.
Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

Katie Dunphy
Special Assistant to the CEO of Community Behavioral Health

Ralph A. Burnley, Ed.D.
CEO of The Burnley Educational Group, LLC 
Retired Associate Superintendent – School District of Philadelphia

Michael Farrell
Chief Learning Officer, School District of Philadelphia
Neubauer Fellow

Penny Nixon, Ed.D
Superintendent of Schools and Chief Executive Officer for Universal Education Companies.
Past chief academic officer; associate superintendent; regional superintendent; principal; academic coach; and teacher for the School District of Philadelphia.

Steve Downs
Serves as Marketing and Branding specialist for Writers Matter
Retired teacher – Council Rock School District
Retired - V.P. Marketing for the United States - Rhone- Poulenc     
Retired -Director of Business Development for Omnicare Pharmaceutics.

Donors

PTS Foundation – Tony and Pam Schneider

Kessler Family Foundation – Howard and Michele Kessler

Jeff and Dana Berstein

Mari Shaw – Bernice, Mari, Zack, Solomon Fund

Alan and Debbie Casnoff

Steve and Barbara Shotz

Howard and Phyllis Fischer