We are researchers. We are educators. We are instructional designers. We are technologists. We are parents. And we are uniquely passionate about and connected to what we do.
For more information on each team, please click the team links below.
Executive Leadership
Linda Carling
Director, Associate Research Professor
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Linda Carling leads a team of experts focusing on transforming teaching and learning with technology. She has nearly two decades of research and experience providing individuals with accessible, meaningful, and engaging learning opportunities, both in-person and virtually.
In alignment with CTE’s vision to change lives through knowledge that matters, Linda builds and implements large-scale learning solutions that combine current pedagogical practices and online tools to engage and transform leaders and educators. The scope of her work involves designing and implementing technology-supported professional development for state, district, and school leaders to understand and take action around education data; instructing early childhood teachers and special educators to administer and use data from comprehensive early childhood assessments; and building effective partnerships with teachers and families.
She has provided leadership as a principal investigator, co-principal investigator, and director for many of the center’s grant-funded projects since 2002. Before she helped the JHU School of Education build its first online program in 2001, she was a dedicated classroom teacher and K-12 virtual learning curriculum developer.
K. Lynne Mainzer
Deputy Director, Associate Research Scientist
Leadership and Educational Impact Team
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K. Lynne Mainzer has provided leadership as principal investigator, co-principal investigator, and director for many of the CTE’s largest grant-funded projects, especially those offering technical assistance and online resources to educators at the state, district, and school levels. As the primary architect of three premier CTE programs—Dynamic Impact, Boundless Learning for Inclusion, and Boundless Learning Co-Teaching—she leads their ongoing development, implementation, and evaluation nationally and internationally.
Her specific research interest focuses on how to advance group work and effective decision-making through high-performance teaming. She has extensive online and face-to-face teaching experience; has taught graduate courses for JHU School of Education related to effective leadership, collaborative learning, special education, advanced instructional strategies, and technology integration; and has roots as a special education teacher in Maryland.
David Peloff
Associate Director, Associate Research Scientist
Technology Solutions and Innovation
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David Peloff leads research and development efforts at CTE, focusing on emerging educational technologies. As the executive sponsor for teams developing tools, software, and data systems, he oversees projects such as the Ready for Kindergarten Online assessment system, the Maryland Online IEP and IFSP, and the Digital Portfolio. His current research explores the transformative role of AI in the future of teaching and learning, as well as the potential of gaming, simulation, VR/AR, and AI to enhance and expand educational opportunities for all.
Lisa Reed
Senior Associate Director
Strategic Business and Financial Operations Team
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Lisa Reed leads the Strategic Business and Financial Operations Team, which includes financial and administrative oversight and processing, strategic operations, business development, project management, and outreach and engagement. She has developed and maintains the center’s streamlined processes for budget and proposal preparation, resource allocation, and procurement, and oversees pre- and post-award grant and contract management and compliance for more than 25 grants annually.
As a member of the executive leadership team, Lisa helps to drive strategic initiatives, shape the organizational structure, and assess new business opportunities. She also acts as the liaison between CTE and the JHU School of Education on all HR, IT, and administrative activities. Lisa joined CTE in 2015 and has over 30 years of experience leading financial and administrative services in both for-profit and nonprofit sectors.
Leadership
Andrea Harkins-Brown
Program Director, Assistant Research Scientist
Disability Policy and Systems Change Team
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Andrea Harkins-Brown leads applied research studies and funded projects related to special education, systems change, and technology integration. With two decades of experience in special education, higher education, and applied research, she specializes in using data-driven strategies to enhance educational outcomes for students with disabilities.
Her research focuses on the intersection of AI-driven education, inclusive practices, and special education compliance, with an emphasis on improving the quality of Individualized Education Programs.
Jinn Winn Chong
Program Director
Learning Design and Innovation Team
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Jinn Winn Chong leads the Learning Design and Innovation team and brings her passion, expertise, and experience in learning architecture and user experience design. She works with teams across CTE to design and develop learning ecosystems and online tools that help engage learners and users in their online experience.
Sunnie Kim
Program Director
Professional Learning Development and Implementation Team
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Sunnie Kim leads the development and implementation of professional learning for teachers and administrators across multiple states. She brings over 15 years of experience helping universities and nonprofit organizations use online learning as a way to increase impact and reach to her work. An avid problem solver, she innovates and improves learning experiences. As a parent of a child with a disability, she feels especially connected to CTE’s mission to create access, opportunity, and success for every learner.
Gennarose Pope
Program Director
Outreach and Engagement Team
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Gennarose Pope has been a cause-based communications leader in the disability nonprofit space for over 10 years. She is passionate about advocacy, inclusion, and strategy, and is dedicated to lifting all voices—especially those that struggle to be heard—to ensure equal access to learning, earning, and thriving.
Gennarose helps put CTE’s best word forward. Through a foundational outreach and engagement strategy that highlights the learner-centered approach of the center’s technology-enhanced educational tools, she and her team elevate the organization’s mission, vision, and values with compelling, compassionate messaging, multimedia, and web content creation.
Tonya Satchell
Program Director, Assistant Research Scientist
Early Childhood Policy and Systems Team
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Tonya Satchell, Assistant Research Scientist and Program Director for Early Childhood Research and Evaluation, leads several statewide early childhood system-based projects aimed at improving access to quality child care for all children. She has dedicated over two decades to early childhood education, teaching young children, and directing child care centers before joining the JHU School of Education in 2012.
Her research interests include increasing access to high-quality early childhood systems and interventions. Passionate about early literacy, inclusive practices, and the value of learning through play and exploration, she is committed to ensuring access to quality early learning for all children.
Kristen Thompson
Program Director
Business Systems and Technology Solutions Team
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Kristen Thompson, Program Director for Business Systems and Technology Solutions, leads a technical development team responsible for building, maintaining, and continuously improving large-scale data systems for educational use, with a focus on comprehensive early childhood assessments. Kristen is a passionate problem solver and SCRUM master. She takes a creative, big-picture approach to all of CTE’s technological projects by parsing out stakeholders’ complex needs and building innovative, evolutionary solutions to meet them. Kristen has brought her innate ability to transform CTE’s vision of access, opportunity, and success for every learner into reality for over 17 years.