Meet the Faculty

Faculty

Elise N. Weiss, M.S. Ed.

Assistant Dean for the Teaching Faculty 
Department Chair of Early Childhood
Assistant Professor of Early Childhood
Director, Effie Bennett-Powe Child Development Center
Wheeler Hall 216 & Holmes Hall 232A 
518-255-5459
weissen@cobleskill.edu

Elise began her teaching career as a New York State-certified elementary school teacher in Delhi, New York. One of the highlights of working in K-12, besides her individual students, was guiding student teachers as they practiced lesson planning and prepared themselves for entry into the field. After ten years in K-12, Elise moved her career into higher education to continue her passion for educating future teachers.

Elise has been teaching at SUNY Cobleskill for almost 20 years. She also serves as Program Director of the Effie Bennett-Powe Child Development Center and works closely with the Cobleskill Campus Child Care Center. She recently was awarded a grant under the SUNY Early Childhood Paid Internship Program. Elise takes pride in promoting leadership and community engagement among students. She emphasizes the importance of team teaching, partnerships with families, and effective communication. Elise collaborates with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation to bring the early childhood education curriculum “Growing Up Wild” to her students. Through this program, B.S. students earn a certificate and learn about building on children’s sense of wonder about nature as they explore wildlife. Elise has also developed the following four micro-credentials for the EC program: Trauma Informed Practices for Early Childhood Professionals, Nanny Studies, Going Virtual with Young Children, and American Sign Language.

Elise’s education includes a Master of Science in Reading K-12, a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, N-6, from SUNY Oneonta, and PhD coursework at the University of Albany in Educational Theory and Practice.

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Suzanne Fine

Associate Professor
Warner Hall 200
518-255-6237
finesm@cobleskill.edu

Suzanne has been a professor at SUNY Cobleskill for over 20 years, teaching a variety of Early Childhood courses and supervising interns and practicum students, both on campus and off. She was a Master Teacher in the Effie Bennett-Powe Child Development Center for nearly a decade, collaborating with families and supervising second-year Early Childhood students during their practicum experience at the center.

Suzanne has had a variety of teaching experiences, including working with toddlers in upstate New York, teaching preschool in the Boston area, and elementary school in rural Virginia. She earned a Master's degree in Educational Policy Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she was also a doctoral candidate in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Early Childhood Education.

Suzanne most recently completed a Persona Doll Research Project with her students enrolled in the course Anti-Bias Strategies: A Humanistic Approach. Persona Dolls are used to help children deal with issues of identity, diversity, and discriminatory teasing and exclusion. After receiving a grant from the New York Association for the Education of Young Children to purchase the dolls she worked with the practicum students in the Effie Bennett-Powe Child Development Center on campus to incorporate the dolls into the curriculum.

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Carol A. S. Morris, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Warner Hall 216
518-255-5513
morrisca@cobleskill.edu

Dr. Morris has been involved with the care of young children almost since she was a young child herself. From babysitting and being a nanny, to childcare as an infant-toddler and preschool teacher, to becoming an Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant and, finally, to teaching the next generation of early childhood professionals, the care and education of young children has been the primary focus of her career from the start.

More recently, Dr. Morris has become interested in infant-early childhood mental health and is a member of the Schoharie County Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Team and has earned endorsement as a Research Faculty Mentor through the New York State Association of Infant Mental Health. Other interests of hers include singing, sewing and needlework, and taking care of her miniature poodle.

 

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Gail E. Wentworth, Ed. D.

Professor of Early Childhood
Frisbie Hall 214
518-255-5474
wentwoge@cobleskill.edu

Gail is Professor of Early Childhood Studies at SUNY Cobleskill. She earned her BA, MEd and EdD degrees from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. She worked and studied in a variety of international settings and brings empathy and respect for human diversity to her work.

Gail’s latest project is to develop a new upper-level course and an academic minor for Cobleskill on children with disabilities. Her Spring 2023 sabbatical will be devoted to graduate study and field observations to advance her knowledge about special education and young children.

Gail is interning at the Springbrook School learning first-hand about educating preschoolers with developmental disabilities, click here to see what Springbrook is saying about this!

Gail is also founder and coordinator of Generations Together, a new Inter-Generational program at the college. Generations Together is a grassroots program designed to provide social engagement, cognitive/physical stimulation, and respite for person’s living with dementia and their caregivers. It was temporarily closed due to the pandemic, but plans are in the works to re-open in the future.

A professional in the Early Childhood field for over 30 years, Gail’s passion is guiding college students to become highly effective educators, caregivers, and advocates for young children and other populations.

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Kelly Yacobucci

Lecturer
Library 211
518-255-5460
yacobukr@cobleskill.edu

Kelly is a SUNY Cobleskill alum with three degrees (Business Administration, Early Childhood, and Child Care and Development). She obtained my Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from SUNY Empire where she excelled at online learning.

Kelly has been employed at SUNY Cobleskill for the past 14 years in a variety of capacities, including teaching ENGL 101, ENGL 121, COMM 301, FFCS 101, and ECHD 170. She was the FYE Coordinator for several years, and then moved into working with the Honors Program. Within the last year, Kelly was tasked with creating a teaching and learning center while finding her roots back in the Early Childhood curriculum.

 

Adjuncts & Teaching Staff