Our Alumni

Molly Bernosky is the Lead Psychologist of Springer Diagnostics Center, a pillar of Springer School and Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Molly was a founding member of the team to establish Springer Diagnostics in 2023. In this role, Molly leads the multidisciplinary diagnostic team in providing comprehensive, psychoeducational evaluations for children suspected of having a learning disability or ADHD. Previously, Molly was an assistant principal with Sycamore Community Schools and Mason City Schools, overseeing, supervising, and supporting special education programming. She has been the Lead Psychologist of Mason City Schools, as well as a school psychologist for Oak Hills Local School District and Reynoldsburg City Schools. UC school psychologists are well respected in the community for their expertise in applied behavior analysis, being scientists-practitioners, and advocates of social justice. Molly's training in these areas are skills she continues to apply in her daily practice.

Dr. Seena M. Skelton is the Director of Operations for the Great Lakes Equity Center, an organizational hub for research, technical assistance, and educational resource development projects situated in Indiana University, School of Education-Indianapolis. Dr. Skelton also serves as Director of the Region III Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center, the largest project within the Great Lakes Equity Center. The Region III Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center, is one of four regional Equity Assistance Centers, funded by the United States Department of Education under Title IV of the 1964 Civil Rights Act to provide technical assistance to public pre-K12 education systems within the center’s thirteen-state region related to the advancement of equitable and inclusive educational opportunities, civil rights, and school transformation.

Dr. Skelton has 28 years of experience working in inclusive education, school improvement, and educational equity and holds a Ph.D. and M.Ed. in School Psychology from the University of Cincinnati, and B.S. in Psychology from Central Michigan University. Dr. Skelton has worked as a school psychologist in public pre-K12 education systems and as an educational consultant for public school systems in states across the country. As a consultant for the Southwest Ohio Special Education Regional Resource Center, Dr. Skelton has been the state lead for three statewide education reform initiatives funded by the Ohio Department of Education including the Ohio Improvement Process and the STEPS Progress Monitoring Initiative. Dr. Skelton also contributed to the design and implementation of the Ohio Department of Education’s original multi-tiered systems of academic and behavior supports – the Ohio Integrated Systems Model. Dr. Skelton supported leadership development as member of the Ohio Leadership Advisory Council, she was founder of the Southwest Ohio Diversity in Education Collaborative, and member of state’s delegation for the National Center for Culturally Responsive Education Systems. In 2012, Dr. Skelton became co-director of the Equity Alliance at Arizona State University, the region nine equity assistance center, serving school systems in the states of Arizona, Nevada, and California, then assistant director and project director for the region five equity assistance center serving a six-state region in the Midwest. In her current positions,

Dr. Skelton has provided technical assistance in equity-focused systems transformation to school districts as well as state education agencies including the Michigan Department of Education, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, and Oklahoma Department of Education. Dr. Skelton is one of the editors of the Council for Exceptional Children, Division of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners peer-reviewed journal, Multiple Voices: Disability, Race, and Language Intersections in Special Education and an associate editor for the Council for Exceptional Children peer-review journal, Exceptional Children.

She serves on several boards and committees focused on improving education and life outcomes for minoritized individuals including the U.S. Department of Education’s Effective Educator Development Advisory council, the U.S. Attorney, South District Indiana Disability Rights Round Table, the Center for Community Living and Career at Indiana University Advisory Council, and a former board member for the Indiana State Independent Living Council.

Dr. Skelton has been an instructor at Northern Kentucky University, University of Cincinnati, and at the College of Mount Saint Joseph in Cincinnati, Ohio. She currently teaches graduate and undergraduate education students as an instructor at Indiana University - Indianapolis.

Dr. Skelton has authored and co- authored several publications on topics related to improving outcomes for marginalized youth, the most recent including the book chapters Addressing equity and providing transition education to a diverse student population in the Handbook of Adolescent Transition Education for Youth with Disabilities (2nd ed.), Cultivating a positive ethnic-racial-disability identity: Opportunities in Education for Culturally Sustaining Practices at the Intersection of Race and Disability in the book Sustaining Disabled Youth: Centering Disability in Asset Pedagogies, and the article Situating my positionality as a Black woman with a dis/ability in the provision of equity-focused technical assistance: a personal reflection in the International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education. Dr. Skelton received the Leadership in Special Education Field Award from the University of Kansas in 2020, and she regularly presents at state, regional, national, and international conferences.

Dr. Milena Varbanova has a 20-year experience  in the field of education, dedicated to supporting the diverse needs of learners in various capacities. Her extensive experience spans roles such as a district-wide school psychologist, serving English Learners (EL) in large suburban and urban school districts, a consultant for Ohio State Support Teams, and a district EL administrator. Currently, Milena is a valuable contributor to Mason City Schools in Ohio, where she serves a vibrant community of over 3,500 linguistically and culturally diverse students and families representing 70 different home countries.

Milena's commitment to professional development is evident through her participation in numerous national, state, and regional initiatives. She has played a pivotal role in shaping guidance documents, including the Ohio Department of Education's "Referral and Identification of English Learners with Disabilities" and "Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Literacy/Reading Instruction for English Learners" checklists. In addition to her administrative roles, Milena serves as an adjunct professor at both Xavier University and Miami University, where she imparts her knowledge in TESOL classes.

Her involvement extends to key committees, where she contributes her expertise as a member of the Ohio EL Advisory committee and as a vice president of the Ohio TESOL. 

On a personal level, Milena's journey as an immigrant and an English learner herself grants her a deep understanding of the unique needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students. This personal experience fuels her unwavering commitment to advocating for these students. A central professional passion for Milena is collaborating  with fellow educators to enhance education practices that are more equitable and effective for culturally and linguistically diverse families and students. Among her areas of expertise is the identification and support of dual-identified students, who are both English Learners and students with disabilities.

Milena's active involvement in research as both a consumer and producer underscores her deep understanding of the applied practices and research needs in her field. Her ability to relate to a broad range of stakeholders, as well as her dedication to the TESOL community, makes her a valuable asset to any organization, enhancing its strength and versatility.

I am currently working as a School Psychologist in the New Richmond School District.  I am assigned to a PreK-5 building.  I have had the opportunity to help the district move forward with implementing MTSS for not only academics but also behavior.  I work closely with related staff to develop building professional developments, as well as being on the district PD development team.  With the strong background in data analysis that UC provided I have been able to assist with development of District and Building strategic plans and teacher evaluation procedures.  I work with the special education staff, including school psychologists, general education staff and administrators to build capacity for response to intervention, as well as consulting with them regarding core instruction and research based interventions.  I provide them with programming options to allow them to meet the needs of all students while having them in the general education setting to the best of their ability.  I am involved in the special education service design throughout the district to ensure all students are in their LRE as well as having all of their needs met.  The UC School Psychology graduate program has given me solid foundational skills in consulting, collaboration, and analyzing and interpreting data.  The rigor and expectations I experienced as a student have carried over into my current role, and I convey those same ideals to those I collaborate with.  I use the problem-solving process daily, and not just with individual students but also for systemic concerns so that I am able to impact thousands of students’ education for the better.