STARS Toolkit Committee Biographies
Mr. Peter Dolan
Mr. Dolan has served his many years in education as a teacher, Student Activities Director at the high school and college level, Athletic Director, Assistant Principal for both high school and elementary levels, and a member of the City of Malden’s Emergency Management Team. Mr. Dolan also serves as the Malden Public School’s School Safety Coordinator. He has an extensive background dealing with substantially separate special education classrooms, including those with intellectual and behavioral challenges.
Mr. Dolan has a Bachelors of Science in K- 12 Physical Education & K-12 Health from Springfield College and a Masters in Educational Leadership from Salem State College. He holds many other educational certifications as well as instructor certifications and training credentials in the areas of school safety, crisis response, critical incident stress management, and more.
Mr. Dolan serves on the NEMLEC STARS Team as member of the Executive Team and also as a member of the Task Force.
Mr. Dolan has helped numerous communities in developing school district safety policies and emergency response protocols, as well as helping those communities evaluate their preparedness relative to school community safety. Mr. Dolan specializes in helping schools that have outdated or a lack of emergency response procedures. He has also had the privilege of being asked to speak on the topic of school safety to several educational and law enforcement audiences over the years.
Being one of the first educators in Massachusetts certified as an ALICE Instructor, Mr. Dolan believes that every school system and workplace should be trained in the skills of evacuating, barricading, lock down, shelter-in-place, and potentially countering an intruder for survival.
In 2014, Mr. Dolan also served as a contributor to Governor Deval Patrick’s Task Force on School Safety and Security.
Mr. Dolan has authored two social stories, “What to Do When There Is an Emergency at School: A Story for Preparing Children in Schools for Emergencies and Drills” and “What to Do When There Is an Emergency at School: A Story for Preparing Children in Schools for Emergencies and Drills”, with ALICE Procedures Included. The books are designed as a conversation starter for teachers to discuss practice protocols for an all hazards approach to school safety preparedness
Mrs. Jane Cooper Farrar
Mrs. Farrar has worked as a teacher, department chairperson and assistant principal for 37 years in the Wakefield Public Schools before retiring in 2013. Mrs. Farrar is a graduate of Framingham State College with a Bachelor of Science in Education, and has a Master’s of Science in Education from Simmons College. Mrs. Farrar served on numerous school and community committees dealing with health and safety issues. She has been a member of NEMLEC STARS for over 10 years and is married and has two daughters.
Ms. Erin B. Fitzpatrick
Mrs. Fitzpatrick is the Adjustment Counselor Program Facilitator for the Beverly Public Schools and is licensed as an Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Ms. Fitzpatrick is currently working with the Beverly Public School District to enhance crisis planning and procedures in addition to her role as the school counselor for one of the district’s elementary schools. She conducts trainings and workshops for the Beverly Public Schools on a variety of mental health topics related to her work with children and families.
Prior to her work with the Beverly Public Schools, Ms. Fitzpatrick was the Senior Clinician for the Preschool/School Consultation Program for Health and Educations Services. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University and an MSW from Boston College. She is a member of the NEMLEC STARS Crisis Response Team. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters.
Sgt. Robert A. Kennedy
Sergeant Kennedy is currently assigned as the Detective Sergeant for the Stoneham Police Department. Sgt. Kennedy has over twenty years of service in law enforcement which started with the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office. He then began his policing career by joining the Stoneham Massachusetts Police Department in 1999.
Early on in his career with Stoneham Police, Sgt. Kennedy began to work closely with the schools in Stoneham on school safety and preparedness, training, and acting as a liaison to the police department.
Sgt. Kennedy expanded his school safety experience by joining the NEMLEC STARS team in 2009 . He started as a task force member, then was promoted to team leader, and currently serves as one of the unit’s Assistant Commanders with the NEMLEC STARS team. Sgt. Kennedy’s role as a parent of four children has been his biggest motivator when it comes to assisting area schools with maintaining a safe and drug free environment. Sgt. Kennedy is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy session 244.
Mrs. Tinamarie Salvucci Piscatelli
Mrs. Piscatelli has worked as a high school English teacher for 18 years. She began her career at Dartmouth High School (MA), and has taught at Watertown High School (MA) since 2004. Mrs. Piscatelli is truly a lifelong learner, earning a Master of Education in Integrated Studies, a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies (CAGS) in Educational Leadership, and, most recently, a second Master of Education in School Counseling. Mrs. Piscatelli is also licensed as an Assistant Principal/Principal grade 9-12, and as a School Counselor grades PreK-12. Mrs. Piscatelli aims to transition from classroom teaching to School Counseling. As a member of NEMLEC STARS since October 2014, Mrs. Piscatelli is invested in partnering to make schools safer for children and staff. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and three children.
Mrs. Rita Cunningham Robertson
Mrs. Robertson has worked as a counselor for the Woburn Public Schools for 19 years. She has a both a Master of Arts in Educational Administration and a Master in Social Work degree from Boston College. Mrs. Robertson is licensed as an Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and certified as a School Social Worker/School Adjustment Counselor and Principal/Assistant Principal (5-8) by the Department of Education. Mrs. Robertson has been an active member of the NEMLEC STARS CRT since 2012 and is currently a CRT Team Leader. Mrs. Robertson is married and has one daughter. In her free time, she is an avid reader and quilter.
Lt. Scott Sencabaugh
Lt. Sencabaugh has been a member of the Wilmington Police Department since 1996 and among many other duties, is currently assigned as the Training Director for the department; overseeing development and management of the police department’s training programs.
Lt. Sencabaugh supervises the police department’s School Resource Officers, and is a member of the Wilmington School District Safety and Planning Committee. Lt. Sencabaugh has served with the North Eastern Law Enforcement Council - School Threat Assessment and Response System (NEMLEC STARS) team since 2006, and is the former Unit Commander. Lt. Sencabaugh currently serves NEMLEC STARS as an advisor and as the STARS Toolkit Committee Chairman.
Lt. Sencabaugh routinely travels throughout the Commonwealth providing pre-incident education and training to educators and public safety professionals in the area of school readiness and preparedness.
In 2014, Lt. Sencabaugh served as an appointed member of Governor Patrick’s School Safety and Security Task Force. He was also appointed by U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz as a member of the U.S. Attorney’s Working Group on Combating Violent Extremism, a pilot initiative between The White House, U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security, and the National Threat Assessment Center.
Lt. Sencabaugh is a practicing and certified firearms instructor as well as an active shooter instructor, ALICE Instructor, and holds many other instructor certifications and training credentials in the areas of use of force, school safety, crisis response, critical incident stress management, EMS and more. Lt. Sencabaugh holds a Master Degree in Criminal Justice Administration.
Special Developers and Contributors
NEMLEC STARS Toolkit Committee:
- Peter Dolan – Assistant Principal Linden STEAM Academy Malden, MA, NEMLEC STARS Task Force and Executive Team
- Jane Cooper Farrar – Assistant Principal (Ret.) Wakefield, MA High School, NEMLEC STARS Task Force
- Erin Fitzpatrick – LICSW/School Counselor Beverly Public Schools, NEMLEC STARS CRT Counselor
- Sgt. Robert Kennedy – Detective Sergeant Stoneham Police Department, NEMLEC STARS Assistant Commander
- Tinamarie Salvucci Piscatelli – English Language Arts Teacher Watertown High School, NEMLEC STARS Task Force Member
- Rita Robertson – LICSW/School Counselor Woburn Public Schools, NEMLEC STARS CRT Team Leader
- Lt. Scott A. Sencabaugh – Wilmington, MA Police Department, NEMLEC STARS Advisor & Toolkit Committee Chairman
NEMLEC STARS Toolkit - Special Advisors and Contributors:
- Detective Scott Camilleri – School Resource Officer Concord, MA Police Department & Concord-Carlisle High School, NEMLEC STARS Assistant Commander
- Detective Rose Cheever – School Resource Officer Swampscott, MA Police Department, NEMLEC STARS Task Force
- Officer Kevin Devoe - School Resource Officer Waltham, MA Police Department & McDevitt Middle School, NEMLEC STARS Unit Commander, V.P. MJPOA
- Melissa Gilgun – School Psychologist Nashoba Valley Technical School District Westford, MA, NEMLEC STARS CRT Co-Coordinator
- Officer Edward Hathon – School Resource Officer Beverly Ma Police Department, NEMLEC STARS Task Force Team Leader
- Jennifer Hart – School Psychologist Galvin Middle School Wakefield, MA, NEMLEC STARS CRT Counselor
- Officer Kerry Kelley – School Resource Officer Watertown, MA Police Department & Watertown High School, NEMLEC STARS Assistant Commander
- Kristin Kirby – LICSW Greenhalge Elementary School – Lowell, MA, NEMLEC STARS CRT Coordinator
- Officer Michael Muolo – School Resource Officer Reading, MA Police Department & Reading Memorial High School, NEMLEC STARS Task Force
- Dr. Jeffery Parks – Principal Parker Middle School Chelmsford, MA, NEMLEC STARS Task Force
- Stephen Ralston – Principal Lynnfield, MA Middle School, NEMLEC STARS Task Force
- Captain John Surabian – Winchester, MA Fire Department, NEMLEC STARS Task Force Team Leader
- Chief Joseph Targ – Fire Chief Westford, MA Fire Department, NEMLEC STARS Task Force
- Stephen P. Wood – ACNP-BC, MS Winchester Hospital, NEMLEC STARS Task Force
- Kristen R. Woollam - LMHC Excel & Transition Program Director/Adjustment Counselor Winchester Public Schools Incident Management Co-Chair, NEMLEC STARS Task Force
Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) - Special Advisors and Contributors:
- Emily Kaster – Homeland Security Coordinator, Metropolitan Area Planning Council
- Cortni Kerr – GIS Intern, Metropolitan Area Planning Council
- Emily Long - Land Use and GIS Intern, Metropolitan Area Planning Council
- Tim Moore – Senior Homeland Security Project Coordinator, Metropolitan Area Planning Council