Our Board

Dr Elaine Kanas, a founding member of Collaboration Education Inc., has extensive experience in teaching and learning and educational leadership. Elaine served as Superintendent of Schools in the East Williston School District for ten years and as Superintendent of Valley Stream 30 for four. She also served as Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and Personnel in the Carmel Central School District, as an elementary principal in the Pelham Public Schools and as a teacher and administrator at the Spence School in Manhattan. She has taught Curriculum Design at Columbia University Teachers College and developed curriculum for children at several arts organizations including Young Audiences and The Guggenheim Museum Learning to Read Through the Arts program.

In addition to Collaboration Education Inc.,  volunteer activities have included serving on the Boards of Girls on the Run Long Island and The Pelham Arts Center, volunteering with the Mothers and Children’s program at Bedford Correctional Institution and serving as a sponsor in the Special Immigrant Visa Program. Elaine served as co-chair of the Curriculum Committee of the Nassau County Council of School Superintendents and served for many years on the New York State Education Department ELA Content Advisory Panel. Elaine holds a doctorate in Curriculum and Teaching from Columbia University Teachers College. She currently works as an Educational Consultant. 

Dr. Deirdre Hayes, a founding member of Collaboration Education Inc., is the retired Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and Personnel of Herricks School District, and an educator with over 40 years of experience working with students and teachers from Pre-K to college levels. She holds an Ed.D. from St. John’s University and an MA and BA in English from Queens College, CUNY.

Deirdre lives in Sea Cliff with her husband, Pete, and in addition to her work with Collaboration Education Inc., she currently serves on the board of Cornell Cooperative Extension Nassau County, as a Sea Cliff Village Library Trustee and a fill-in driver for NOSH, where her husband is on the board. She is a past President of the Long Island Association of School Personnel Administrators, served on the Executive Board of NADCO, and provided consulting services for, among others, the SURR School Instructional Intervention Grant and the Middle Schools Initiative Program. Deirdre also spent many years as an adjunct instructor in the Education Department of St. John’s University.

Years of experience working in urban, suburban, and private school settings in a variety of administrative, teaching and consulting positions has provided Deirdre with an awareness of the extensive needs of some of our most challenged students, and working with Collaboration Education Inc. to assist school districts in the task of supporting these students is a natural next step in a long education career.

Now a retired teacher, Joanne Lufrano has more than 25 years of experience teaching elementary school students and providing math staff development for teachers and administrators. She has served as the Board President of the Valley Stream Teacher Center and as its Assistant Director. She has been an active member of the Executive Boards of both the Nassau County Mathematics Teachers Association and the Association of Math Teachers of New York State. She is a Past President of the Nassau County Math Teachers Association and has been inducted into the Long Island Mathematics Educators Hall of Fame. Joanne currently serves as an adjunct professor at Hofstra University as well as continuing her many years of work as an educational math consultant since her retirement from the Valley Stream 30 School District on Long Island.

Jeannette Baxter brings more than five decades of experience in special education, educational leadership, and family advocacy to her role as a member of the board of Collaboration Education. She has served as a Special Educational Consultant and Advocate since her retirement in 2012, supporting students and families in navigating complex educational systems.

Previously, Ms. Baxter spent 16 years as Chairperson of Special Education for the Herricks Union Free School District and also served as their Acting Director of Pupil Services. Her career includes roles as a supervisor, administrator, teacher trainer, adjunct professor for CUNY Brooklyn College, and classroom teacher for the NYC Board Of Education, with expertise spanning learning disabilities, autism, early childhood special education, inclusion models, and English language learners. In addition she has been director of the NYC 114 Precinct PAL gymnastics programs at PS2Q and a NY Special Olympics gymnastics coach.

A recognized leader and advocate, Ms. Baxter has received numerous honors, including the NYS PTA Advocate in Action Award, the NYSED Best Practices Award for an innovative inclusion model, and Newsday’s Teacher of the Year for Queens County. She holds permanent New York State certifications in school district administration and special education, and earned advanced degrees in educational administration and special education from Queens College.

Ms. Baxter is deeply committed to advancing inclusive practices, strengthening community partnerships, and ensuring equitable opportunities for all children.