Faculty and Administrative Staff

Richard Fiene, Ph.D.
Director, Capital Area Health and Human Development Institute

Richard Fiene, a research psychologist, has spent his professional career conducting research on childcare quality and community based research. His research at the national and state levels has centered on childcare licensing, early childhood program accreditation and childcare /early childhood development training systems and their impact on childcare quality, in particular infant childcare.

Dr. Fiene also was the Director of the Division of Licensing Systems & Research in the Office of Licensing and Regulatory Management, Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. Dr. Fiene has been a Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary, Pennsylvania Office of Children Youth and Families, Co-Chaired the Cross Systems Licensing Project in the Pennsylvania Departments of Public Welfare, Aging, and Health, and was the Training Director for the Childcare /Early Childhood Development Training System. Dr. Fiene is a member of the American Psychological Society, Society for Research in Child Development, and Fellow of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association.

Mark Greenberg, Ph.D., Director
Penn State Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development
Bennett Endowed Chair in Prevention Research

Since 1981, Mark Greenberg has been examining the effectiveness of school-based curricula (the PATHS Curriculum) to improve the social, emotional, and cognitive competence of elementary-aged children. Since 1990, he has served as an Investigator in Fast Track, a comprehensive program that aims to prevent violence and delinquency in families.

The Prevention Research Center aims to promote the well-being of children and youth and to reduce the prevalence of high risk behaviors and poor outcomes for children, families and communities. The center has four primary goals; (1) conduct collaborative research to examine the effectiveness of innovative models of preventive intervention, (2) provide training on topics related to prevention research, (3) provide assistance to Pennsylvania communities on the development, implementation, and evaluation of prevention programs, and (4) provide policy-relevant information on best practices to federal, state and local governments.

Barbara Carl, Director, Research and Evaluation
Capital Area Health and Human Development Institute
B.S., Applied Behavioral Sciences, Penn State
M.A., Community Psychology, Penn State
Ph.D. Candidate, Administration and Leadership Studies, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Prior to her current position, Barbara Carl served as Associate Director of the Harrisburg Center for Healthy Child Development from 2002–2005. In this capacity, she was the Project Coordinator for the Quality Assessment in Early Childhood Project, responsible for training and maintaining staff reliability on the ECERS-R (Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale - Revised) and FDCRS (Family Day Care Rating Scale) and the Arnett Caregiver Interaction Scale.

In addition to her current duties, Barbara is responsible for coordinating, conducting, and overseeing the process components of the REACH, HOPE and SS/HS projects in the Capital Area.

Barbara has a long history with Penn State, and extensive experience in project design, evaluation, and needs assessment.

Kathy Stennett, Director
Capital Area Early Childhood Training Institute
B.A., Elementary Education, Eastern College
M.Ed. Candidate, Training and Development, Penn State

The Capital Area Early Childhood Training Institute serves as the PA Pathways Service Delivery Area coordinator and Kathy works to support the process of collaboration among state childcare provider training organizations in an eight-county area.

Kathy has taught second grade in the public school system locally, as well as in the DODDS elementary schools in Germany. Upon returning to the Harrisburg area, she served as center director for a total of eight years and then began working as a day care consultant and staff trainer. Kathy has worked at Harrisburg Area Community College as the PA Pathways Childcare Training Coordinator and as a part-time instructor for the Early Childhood Education Department.

In the area of professional organizations, Kathy has served on the Capital Area Association for the Education of Young Children (CAAEYC) board as President, Past-President, Committee Chair for the Festival of Fantasy, Co-Chair of the Conference Committee and is currently co-chair of the Director's Roundtable and the CAAEYC Newsletter. Kathy was a 2002 CAAEYC Golden Apple Award recipient for her work in the early childhood field. She is also a NAEYC validator for childcare programs completing the accreditation process. In addition, Kathy serves on two early childhood education advisory boards, and is the co-chair of the Early Childhood Trainers' Network.

La Donna Buffington, Instructor
BS, Elementary Education, Shippensburg State College
MS, Early Childhood Education, Bloomsburg University

As an Instructor for the Capital Area Early Childhood Training Institute, LaDonna provides trainings and mentoring to childcare providers working with young children with disabilities.

LaDonna has been involved in early childhood education for over 30 years. Early in her career, LaDonna taught kindergarten in public school. For the past 19 years, LaDonna has worked in early intervention in a number of roles, serving as a classroom teacher, master teacher, education consultant and coordinator of inclusion services for the Capital Area Intermediate Unit Preschool Program. LaDonna has also served as a CSPD Consultant for the Preschool Program, where she coordinated and provided trainings to early intervention and early childhood professionals. Throughout LaDonna’s career, she has worked on local, regional and state committees focusing on curriculum development for young children.

LaDonna currently is an adjunct instructor in early childhood education programs at Harrisburg Area Community College, Central Pennsylvania College and Penn State University. LaDonna also participates in committee work for local professional organizations; Capital Area Association for the Education of Young Children’s (CAAEYC) Scholarship Committee and the Capital Area Interagency Coordinating Council’s (CAICC) Family and Community Connections Committee. LaDonna participates in activities of the Natural Allies Project, which links the systems of higher education and early intervention to implement teacher education programs that include curricula related to inclusive practices.

Patti C. Daughenbaugh, Staff Assistant
Capital Area Early Childhood Training Institute

Previous to her employment with CAECTI, Patti worked for Electronic Data Systems (EDS) for fifteen years as an administrative secretary and customer service representative, where she handled AT&T business accounts.

Karen Gibson, Research Coordinator
BS, Psychology, Towson University, M.A. Candidate, Applied Clinical Psychology

Karen Gibson serves as a Research Coordinator for the Harrisburg Center for Healthy Child Development, which is now housed under the Capital Area Health and Human Development Institute. She organizes and ensures the timely collection of the child assessments taking place throughout the Harrisburg School District for the early childhood project. She trains essential personnel on all of the child measures used on the project. She serves as the liaison to school personnel, working with all of the principals, teachers, and school staff. Karen maintains and oversees the project database as well. Karen also directs and manages a team of research assistants who work in the field. 

Karen graduated from Towson University in May of 2003 with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. Currently, Karen is a full-time graduate student seeking her Master's Degree from Penn State in Applied Clinical Psychology. 

Jennifer Glenn, Research Coordinator
B.S. Public Policy, Penn State, M.Ed. Candidate, Training and Development, Penn State

Jennifer serves as the Project Coordinator for the Institute. Jennifer organizes the collection of assessments taking place throughout the state of Pennsylvania for projects such as Character Education and PANA (Pennsylvania Advocates for Nutrition and Activity). She trains and coordinates essential personnel for each project including directing and managing a team of research assistants. Jennifer serves as the liaison to school personnel, working with all of the principals, teachers, and school staff; manages the recruitment of mothers with infants within the Harrisburg area to participate in a Mother/Infant Stress Project as well as coordinates research design models and data analysis within each project.

Jennifer maintains and oversees the project database and is also responsible for all IRB work that comes through the Institute. She is also responsible for ensuring all quality control and security measures are in place.

Jennifer has many years of project management and employee supervision experience. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy with a minor in Business Management from Penn State University. Jennifer is also a full-time graduate student working towards her Masters degree in Training and Development at Penn State University.

Gretchen Knuth, Staff Assistant
Capital Area Early Childhood Training Institute

Amy Learner, Staff Assistant
B.A., Psychology, Franklin and Marshall College
Capital Area Early Childhood Training Institute

Amy is the primary point of contact for providers registering for workshops. She works with the Professional Development calendar, both online and on paper. Amy enters Act 48 credits, FPD forms, and maintains the TA database. Collaborating on the budgets are another of Amy’s projects. Amy also coordinates the CAAEYC newsletters.

Amy has been involved with children for 21 years, starting as a part time aide and progressing to five years spent as a center director. She was an advisor for a high school youth group, taught dance classes to all ages, and was a Therapeutic Staff Support (TSS) for children with special needs. Amy volunteers at the Capital Area Therapeutic Riding Association (CATRA), a therapeutic horseback riding farm. She has been going about once a week since September of 1998.

Sue Long, Instructor
B.A., Physical Education & Minor in Early Childhood, Messiah College
Pennsylvania State Teaching Certification in Early Childhood Education & Elementary Education, Millersville University
M.Ed., Millersville University

Sue Long is a trainer and mentor for the CAECTI. She is focusing on providing training and on-site mentoring for childcare providers who are interested in growing and learning as professionals.

Prior to coming to work for the Institute, Sue was the Director of the Messiah College Early Learning Center for eight years where she also served as a classroom teacher and college instructor. During that time, Sue was instrumental in starting the campus childcare program and leading the Center through NAEYC Accreditation. Sue has over fourteen years of experience in the field of early childhood education teaching and directing as well as in providing training support to fellow teachers and professionals. She has been an active board member for the Capital Area AEYC for the past several years and is an advocate for teachers, parents, and young children.

Jill Miller, Instructor/Mentor
B.S., Speech & Hearing, Indiana University of PA
Master’s Equivalency

Jill works for the Institute as a language development specialist, mentoring families, and teachers in childcare settings.

Through her employment as a preschool speech and language therapist with the Capital Area Intermediate Unit, Jill has spent the majority of her professional career focused on early childhood development. Her work has focused on guiding parents and family members so they are able to help their children develop language and verbal communication skills. She has participated in preschool evaluations, organized and facilitated adult training programs, and consulted with early childhood professionals on a variety of topics related to child development.

Jill received extensive training in adult learning at the Hanen Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada in preparation for helping families and educators learn how to support child language development during everyday experiences and routines. She is dedicated to providing each person she mentors with the knowledge and support they will need to help children have meaningful interactions and learn to communicate to the best of their ability.

Beth Whitman-Pitzer, Instructor/Mentor
B.S., Home Economics Education, Indiana University of PA
Certified Nursery & Kindergarten Teacher
M.Ed., Extension Education, Penn State

Beth works with home-based providers. In 2002–2003 she offered 10 two-hour training sessions and mentoring in collaboration with the United Way of Carlisle. Training topics are offered in many areas of childcare and managing a home-based childcare business.

Beth has taught Family and Consumer Sciences to middle and high school students. She has experience training adults both as an extension educator and as a consultant. She has offered numerous trainings to home-based, center-based, and SACC (School Age Childcare) providers.

Beth has provided childhood nutrition education trainings to parents and childcare providers over the past seventeen years. She has presented a variety of workshops at local and regional conferences and seminars. She loves to learn and enjoys partnering with providers with the goal of providing quality childcare for children.

Barbara J. Willier, Assistant Director of CAECTI
B.S., Early Childhood and Elementary Education, Penn State

Barb provided data collection for many research projects in 2002–2003. Barb was Project Coordinator for the PACE (Parenting Our Children to Excellence) project in the Harrisburg area. Throughout the year-long project, eight weekly two-hour sessions were offered to parents at fourteen local daycare centers.

Barb has been involved in the childcare field for 16 years, with 10 years teaching experience, 6 of those spent as an assistant director. She has 5 years experience as a director, and in March 2000, her program earned NAEYC accreditation. Barb has provided trainings and mentoring to staff on a variety of topics related to early care and education. She is focused on helping staff recognize the importance of quality care and guiding them through the necessary steps to achieve that goal.

Amy Zoellner, Instructor/Mentor
A.A., Early Childhood Education, Harrisburg Area Community College
B.S., Applied Behavioral Science, Penn State
M.A., Community Psychology and Social Change, Penn State

Focusing on infant and toddler caregivers, Amy trains and mentors childcare providers and strives to help them improve the overall quality of care they are offering to the children in their classroom. Amy is dedicated to educating caregivers about the importance of developmentally appropriate practice and curriculum especially in the area of creative arts. Amy's work as both a toddler teacher and a preschool teacher has given her the drive and desires to improve the lives of young children by assuring that they all receive a quality early education.