Our Team

Beth Lakretz

Founder/CEO

Beth is a passionate advocate for inclusion and has dedicated her career to inclusive education. After teaching students with mild to severe disabilities in inclusive and self-contained classrooms, she began consulting with schools through the efforts of families that wanted their children with severe disabilities included in their neighborhood schools… and Lakretz Creative Support Services was born.

As a teacher, consultant, facilitator and coach, she engages students, families, teachers and administrators in the process and practice of inclusion. Beth enjoys the deep and messy work of supporting people to develop inclusive mindsets and strategies to make curriculum and lessons meaningful and accessible to all. Beth is a trained facilitator and person-centered planner who received her BS in Social Work from Cornell University, and MS in Special Education from Syracuse University.

With her innovative team, Beth has been developing and implementing dynamic workshops and coaching since 1992. LCSS specializes in co-teaching, differentiated instruction, modifying curriculum, community building, person-centered planning and systems change. Beth loves to work with administrative teams that want to engage in on-going visioning, planning and implementation of inclusive practice.

When not at work, Beth loves being with her husband and daughter, Broadway, movies, music, dancing, and being out in nature. She facilitates circles of women in the exploration of the divine feminine and masculine.

Anne Klatsky

Co-Director of Content Creation/Coach

After receiving her undergraduate degree in music performance, Anne landed her first teaching job as an Elementary Music teacher. She soon discovered that education was an even greater passion than music. Her next teaching role was as a self-contained classroom teacher, working in New York City’s District 75 program for students labeled with "severe disabilities." After earning her dual master's degree in special and general education, she spent her entire teaching career in various special and general education roles from reading specialist to ICT. She integrated her knowledge of instructional best practices with her aptitude for differentiating in order to cultivate strong relationships with her colleagues and meet all the various needs of her students.

Anne’s strongest conviction is that there is nothing a student can’t learn when given the tools they need. She has found a renewed passion for education in helping others discover this truth for themselves.

Anne is married to an elementary school principal, so in her household, conversations are all about education, all the time. They have two daughters, and a dog and a cat who torment each other (but are secretly friends). In her free time, Anne loves exploring new places with her family, baking, and practicing yoga.

Denise L. Ferrara

Coach

Denise L. Ferrara is an educational consultant and lecturer in the Graduate Programs in Special Education at Queens College of the City University of New York. Her focus is on collaborating with people labeled with a disability, families, schools and communities to dismantle the social constructs of disability and create meaningful social and academic access.

Denise enjoys the interplay between her work supporting teachers in real classrooms and her work in preparing future special educators to examine the realities of students receiving special education supports in our classrooms. Specifically, Denise explores how students receiving special education supports may be positioned in schools and communities as “other” which precludes real opportunities for community membership. As a result of this exploration, Denise works with school communities to reflect on their own ideology and practices and to shift those practices in curriculum, instruction and classroom participation to reposition students with exceptionalities as fellow learners and community members. This requires a deep exploration of standards, content, instructional strategy and community building to create classrooms in which all belong and benefit.

Andrea Frank

Coach

Andrea began her professional career as a dancer in South Africa and Israel, and then later worked as a fitness professional in New York and Cincinnati. During this time, she also completed a B.A. in Psychology and Hebrew.

When Andrea’s children were young, she was fascinated by how they saw and interpreted the world around them. This made her realize that she wanted to work with children, so she went back to school and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education, and a Masters in Literacy.

Andrea has had a rich and diverse experience in education, having spent 22 years in general education and ICT classrooms. Instruction was always modified or redesigned, tailoring it specifically to meet the needs and strengths of her students. Andrea has always been a strong advocate for her learners, and passionately believes that all children deserve the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive in a nurturing environment.

In her role as a coach, Andrea is dedicated to empowering teachers in fostering inclusive classroom communities. She achieves this by guiding them in the implementation of small group instruction where they can differentiate, modify, and individualize instruction creating an environment where all learners can blossom.

Andrea lives with her husband and dog (who is more like a child!). She enjoys spending time reading, exercising, practicing yoga, travelling, gardening, and lately playing mahjongg.

Malena Ballon Hoefling

Co-Director of Content Creation/Coach

Malena is a senior coach at LCSS. She received her Master's Degree from Queens College and is dual-certified in General and Special Education. In the New York City school system, Malena worked as both the special educator and general educator in co-taught classrooms. She also collaborated often with teachers of self-contained classes in her years as a general education teacher.

Malena is passionate about inclusive education. As an ADHDer herself, she brings her insight and understanding of neurodiversity-affirming practices and culture to her work. She supports teachers in creating classroom environments that meet the needs of all learners through community building, differentiated instruction, and implementing best practices in co-teaching.

In her spare time, Malena loves exploring nature with her husband and two children, playing the French horn, and reading. She also enjoys sharing her experiences as part of a neurodiverse family on her Instagram account @this_neurodivergent_life.

Allie Oleanik

Team Coordinator and Director of Client Services

After completing the Nassau Community College Interior Design program and attending the Fashion Institute of Technology, Allie spent most of her career in the design industry. She also dabbled in marketing, with a focus on social media management, email marketing, and site design. After taking 4 years to raise her son, she is now Team Coordinator at Lakretz Creative Support Services where she oversees scheduling, invoicing, and the inner workings of the company.

Allie is also a certified Intuitive Crystal Healer with a deep love for astrology and the moon. In her spare time, she loves to be with her son, read, draw/paint, and listen to music.

Femala Fleming

Coach

Femala Fleming earned her B.S. in Finance from Chicago State University. She spent a decade in corporate finance working for top financial and communication firms such as JP Morgan Chase, AT&T, Liberty Mutual, and Bloomberg. Through the passing of her mother in 2014, Femala came to a new understanding in life that the pursuit of money that came with working in corporate does not equate to the pursuit of happiness that comes from working in her passion. In 2015 she abandoned Corporate America to pursue a life grounded in purpose and happiness. She joined Teach for America and Peace Corps of New York and obtained an M.S. in Special Education from Brooklyn College. She began her career as a high school special education teacher in the South Bronx and began connecting with the community through students and their families. During her tenure as an Educator, she’s become the Special Education Coordinator, Child Abuse and Neglect Lisaison, Transition Coordinator, Leader of the School’s Implementation Team, and a member of the Instructional Leadership Team. In her free time, Femala dedicates her time to her fitness business Nahla Fitness Inc., as a certified fitness and nutritional coach by helping women incorporate a lifestyle of fitness, health and beauty to overcome unresolved mental/emotional pain. Her goal is to one day merge her passion for education with her passion for fitness and empower her students in a similar way that she empowers her clients.

Glen Eschbach

Coach

Glen is a retired school superintendent who intends to continue working in schools improving and enhancing learning for all students. After tirelessly trying to make a living on the professional tennis tour, Glen began his career as a special educator in 1989 working with students with a variety of disabilities.  He worked as a special education teacher until 1999. Realizing he could have a bigger impact on students by taking a leadership role, he became the Assistant Principal at James WIlson Young Middle school in the Bayport-Blue Point School District, followed by Elementary Principal at Academy Street School, and then the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction.

Glen met Beth Lakretz and recognized the amazing work she does while working at the Middle School.. Beth was supporting a student and Glen was working as a part of the district team. It was then he realized how much an expert in special education and instruction can add as a consultant and coach.  As Assistant Superintendent,  Glen worked hand-in-hand with Beth creating and codifying the co-teaching program in Bayport-Blue Point. Glen and Beth have now teamed at two additional school districts including the Hauppauge School District and North Babylon School District revitalizing and reinventing their professional practices. Their relationship has been 15 years in the making. 

Glen is an extremely passionate, kind, and resourceful educator. He cares deeply about what he does and truly believes that success lies within the development of positive relationships. He looks forward to developing new connections to educators and supporting those doing the “work” each and every day with students.   

Personally, Glen is the proud father of 3 children, Luke, Magdalena and Ben. When Glen has his own free time he enjoys playing tennis on adult league teams. Glen has been fortunate enough to make it to the National Finals at the National Tennis Center in Orlando in both the 40 and over as well as the 18 and over mixed doubles leagues.  

Maria Iovino

Coach

Maria earned her Elementary Education degree at SUNY New Paltz and then received a Masters Degree in Students with Disabilities from Hofstra University. She has dedicated her career to shaping young minds, starting as a teacher in the Rondout Valley before returning to Long Island to spend 15 years with the Harborfields Central School District. A true believer in inclusive education, she has taught both general and special education students, making learning accessible for everyone. She then put her passion for special education to work with the youngest minds, spending the last several years in Early Intervention and preschool. Maria spent this time working with children and their teachers in the classroom and in small social groups. She also worked extensively with parents, developing strategies to address challenges at home.

Beyond the classroom, Maria is a busy mom of two, juggling school committees, PTA volunteering, and the crazy world of travel sports. In her spare time she enjoys cooking, spending time with loved ones, or and soaking up the sunshine outdoors - camping, hitting the beach, or enjoying a long walk. Maria's a lifelong learner, always seeking new challenges and opportunities to grow, both professionally and personally.