Who is BGKK?

Charles Bryant is currently a special education consultant to three school districts. He served as Director of Special Services for twenty years in Glen Ridge Public Schools, Livingston Public Schools and retired from Princeton Regional School District. Over the past fifteen years he has been an Interim Director in seventeen districts across Hunterdon, Somerset, Essex, Union, Morris and Bergen counties. He has provided services to suburban, urban and rural districts. His tenure as an Interim has been as brief as a few months and as long as two years.

Mr. Bryant has been called upon to evaluate special services departments, recruit and mentor new directors, rehabilitate special services personnel who have not been functioning effectively. He has trained staff to be consistently compliant with State regulations. He has related successfully with the Department of Education in completing Corrective Action Plans for struggling districts.

As a Director, he has maintained a positive and productive relationship with parents and staff. He has consistently resolved conflicts within the districts where he has served. Mr. Bryant was educated at Queens College and St John’s University. He holds a Master’s of Science and Professional Diploma in School Psychology. He provided psychological services to children and families within schools and the Staten Island Children’s Community Mental Health Clinic. He was the 2002 precipitant of the NJAPSA Distinguished Director Award.

Barbara Gemza has more than 30 years of experience in special education as a speech therapist, special education teacher, and administrator in Clifton, Totowa, Little Falls, and Glen Ridge. She served as the Director of Student Services in Little Falls and Glen Ridge. As an educational consultant, Mrs. Gemza served as the Interim Director of Student Personnel Services in Wyckoff, Director of Student Services in Midland Park, and Director of Special Services in Westwood Regional School District. She also conducted speech compliance reviews for the Westwood school system.

Mrs. Gemza has been recognized by the Council for Exceptional Children for her accomplishments in Special Education Administration. She is a proven leader who is detail oriented, highly organized, and a problem-solver. During her tenure as Director of Student Services, she determined pupil needs and applied current research to instruction while maintaining fiscal responsibility. Major duties and performance responsibilities have included evaluating existing programs and making recommendations for improvements, maintaining compliance with regulations regarding special education and school health programs, and facilitating liaison with community agencies and other resources to meet students’ special needs. Additional areas of expertise include the development, submittal and administration of district grants and reports. She has served as District Test Coordinator K-12 NJASK/HSPA; Section 504 Coordinator, Basic Skills Coordinator, Gifted & Talented Program Coordinator and Supervisor of Nursing Services.

Mrs. Gemza served terms as President-Elect, Treasurer, and Secretary of the New Jersey Association of Pupil Service Administrators. She co-authored the Child Study team and Speech procedural manual utilized throughout the state and was a contributing member of the NJDOE Special Education Manual Committee. Mrs. Gemza has served as lecturer and mentor for new special education directors. She served as Vice-President of the Passaic County Association of Special Service Administrators and is a member of New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, the Council for Exceptional Children and NJCASE. Mrs. Gemza received extensive training in Re-directional Thinking and Brain Based Learning and is a trainer of Dimensions of Learning (ASCD). She is certified as a School Administrator, Principal, Supervisor, LDT-C, Speech Correctionist, Teacher of the Handicapped, and Teacher of Speech Arts and Dramatics.

Patrick Keenoy most recently served as the Interim Director of Special Services in the South Plainfield and as Interim Assistant Superintendent of the Morris Union Jointure Commission. He has also served as Interim Director of Special Education in Mountainside Public Schools. Prior to his retirement, Mr Keenoy served as the Assistant Superintendent of Schools and Director of Student Personnel Services in the Livingston Public Schools. Mr. Keenoy has also worked in the capacity of Supervisor of Special Education, Child Study Team leader, School Psychologist and General Education Teacher. He has been employed by Livingston Public Schools, East Brunswick Public Schools, Orange Public Schools, Roselle Park Public Schools, Elizabeth Public Schools and The Union County Educational Services Commission over a thirty four year career in education. Mr. Keenoy has been a guest lecturer at Montclair State University in both their graduate and undergraduate leadership and education divisions. He has sat on the National Board of Directors for the Council for Administrators in Special Education and has been recognized by the Council for Exceptional Children for his accomplishments in special education administration.

Mr. Keenoy is the former vice president of the New Jersey Council for Administrators of Special Education and the former president, president-elect, and treasurer of the New Jersey Association of Pupil Service Administrators. He co-authored a parent guide to the special education process utilized in Union, Essex and Morris counties and participated on a committee that developed a Child Study team and Speech procedural manual utilized throughout the state. Mr. Keenoy is a member of New Jersey Association of Pupil Service Administrators, Council for Exceptional Children, Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development, American Association of School Administrators, New Jersey School Boards, National Association of Pupil Services Administrators, National Association for College Admission Counseling. Mr. Keenoy has performed program audits and recommended best practices in these areas.

Mr. Keenoy has supervised special education programs and services, guidance and counseling, speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy, school nursing services and child study teams. He has written district code of conduct and written and revised board of education policies in these areas as well as attendance and discipline. Mr. Keenoy has also worked extensively in the area of grading and reporting. He has served on numerous state and national committees in the area of special education and intervention.

IN MEMORIAM
Dr. Ted Kozlik
1944-2017

On Wednesday April 26, we lost our partner and friend, Dr. Ted Kozlik. We mourn his passing along with his family whom he loved so dearly. His wisdom, experience, and most of all compassion will be sorely missed.