James Cercone, Ph.D.Associate Professor and English Education Coordinator
(716) 878-4309
Campus Address: Ketchum 309
cerconje@buffalostate.edu
Dr. James Cercone is an associate professor of English, who teaches courses in Methods of Teaching Language and Literature, Young Adult Literature, Ethnic American Literature, and also supervises student teachers. He is the coordinator for the English education program, the faculty advisor for the English Education Student Association, and is the Director of the Western New York Network of Teachers (WNYNET). Dr. Cercone's research interests include, communities of practice in teacher education, inquiry-based models of English language arts instruction, impacts of neo-liberal education reform on teachers and students and New Literacies Studies. Before joining SUNY Buffalo State, Dr. Cercone was a clinical instructor of English Education and coordinator the Education minor at the University at Buffalo. Dr. Cercone also worked for 10 years as an English teacher, English department chair and co-coordinator of the Diversity program at Cheektowaga Central High School. He holds a PhD in English Education from the University at Buffalo.
Kristen Pastore-Capuana, Ph.D.Assistant Professor
Campus Address: Ketchum 308
pastorka@buffalostate.edu
Kristen Pastore-Capuana is an assistant professor of English at Buffalo State College, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate English education courses. She is also the co-coordinator of field experiences and community partnerships. A former high school English teacher in Western New York, Dr. Pastore-Capuana’s fourteen years of secondary experience informs her work as a researcher and teacher educator. She is committed to working for and alongside students and teachers in this region and believes the innovative work in Western New York classrooms can serve as a model of critical inquiry in middle and high school ELA. Her research interests include critical literacy practices in English language arts, secondary English language arts teacher development, and teacher agency. She co-edited (with Heidi Hallman and Donna Pasternak) two collections examining English language arts methods courses: Using Tension as a Resource: New Visions in Teaching the English Language Methods Class (Roman and Littlefield, 2019) and Possibilities, Challenges, and Changes in English Teacher Education Today: Exploring Identity and Professionalization (Roman and Littlefield, 2019). Most recently, she co-edited a collection (with Terri Rodriguez and Heidi Hallman) exploring the experiences and relationships between in-service teachers and teacher educators in Invested Stayers: How Teachers Thrive in Challenging Times (Roman and Littlefield, 2020). She is currently working on a research project that builds off of this work to further explore the ways in which teachers across contexts navigate ever-changing social, political, and disciplinary landscapes. Her recent work is also featured in the English Journal. Dr. Pastore-Capuana is the assistant director of the Western New York Network of English Teachers (WNYNET-http://www.wnynet.org/) and enjoys working on local teacher-led professional development initiatives and the Youth Voices Conference, an annual event that celebrates the innovative work of English teachers and students across Western New York.
Hilary Lochte, Ph.D.Assistant Professor
(716) 878-5404
Campus Address: Ketchum 308
lochteha@buffalostate.edu
Hilary Lochte is an Assistant Professor at Buffalo State College, in the English Education and Elementary Education departments. She received a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature, a Master’s in Education, and Doctorate in Sociological Foundations of Education all from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Her research, teaching, and service focus on the needs of youth in today’s urban communities as she provides support for new and practicing teachers to utilize multicultural children’s literature in service of powerful literacy. Dr. Lochte teaches courses in Children’s Literature, Young Adult Literature and Methods of Teaching Language she also supervises student teachers.
She is also Director of the Buffalo Urban Teacher Graduate Residency Program at Buffalo State. This New York Stated funded diversity initiative supports Teaching Assistants and Teacher Aides from the Buffalo Public Schools as they earn MS Ed’s and teacher certification.
Dr. Lochte’s work and research focuses on the current context of teacher education including diversity and equity in schools and in teacher education, and diversity in Children’s and Young Adult Literature. Her most recent co-edited book, entitled Teacher Performance Assessment and Accountability Reforms: The Impacts of edTPA on Teaching and Schools (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017) was awarded the 2017 Critics Choice Award by the American Educational Studies Association.
She serves on the Board of Trustees for Tapestry Charter School and for the Western New York Network of English Teachers (WNYNET)
Hilary is a proud Buffalo native and resident of the west side.
Katherine Macro, Ph.D.Lecturer
Campus Address: Ketchum 325
macrokj@buffalostate.edu
Dr. Katherine Macro is a full time Lecturer in the English Education program. She teaches courses in Teaching and Evaluating Writing, Ethnic American Minority Literature, Methods of Teaching Language, Literacy, and Culture, Young Adult Literature, Seminar in Student Teaching, Shakespeare for Future Teachers and Student Teacher Supervision as well. Dr. Macro’s research interests include drama in education, arts integration, and embodied pedagogies that build communities of practice, relationships, and opportunities for inquiry based teaching models. Her book, A Symphony of Possibilities: A Handbook for Arts Integration in Secondary English Language Arts (2019) is an edited collection exploring arts based pedagogies. Her work has also been published in English Journal and Research in Drama Education. Dr. Macro was the co-chair for the Commission on Arts and Literacies for 6 years, and remains an active member of this ELATE commission. She is on the board for the Western New York Teacher Center as the Higher Education Representative and in it’s newly established home at Buffalo State as of 2020, Dr. Macro is the Co-Director of the Western New York Writing Project (WNYWP). Before making the shift to Higher education, Dr. Macro taught high school English and theatre and acting classes for 12 years; she was the director of the drama program and developed many elective courses, including Theatre and Acting I and II, and Holocaust Literature. She received a BA in English, and a BFA in Theatre from Niagara University. Dr. Macro went on to University at Buffalo where she earned Masters in Education and a PhD in English Education.
Maggie Herb, Ph.D.Assistant Professor, Writing Center Director
(716) 878-4849
Campus Address: Butler Library 312
herbmm@buffalostate.edu
Maggie M. Herb is assistant professor of English and the director of Buffalo State’s Writing Center. She teaches courses in English Education and Writing. Prior to joining Buffalo State in 2016, she taught writing in a variety of contexts—both at the high school and college level—and directed the writing centers at both Stetson University and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Her research focuses on writing center studies, particularly the institutional positioning of writing centers and labor issues related to writing center work, as well as tutor/teacher education. Her work has been published in The Writing Center Journal, Praxis, and several edited collections. She currently serves as co-director of the Western New York Writing Project, which provides professional development and training for local teachers. She holds a Ph.D. in Composition and TESOL and an MA in Teaching English, both from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and a BA in journalism from Penn State University.
Kevin Starr, M.A.Lecturer
Campus Address: Ketchum 116
starrkj@buffalostate.edu
Kevin Starr is a student teaching supervisor for the English Education department and an instructor for the College Writing Program here at Buffalo State College. Professor Starr worked as a high school English teacher for nearly 4 decades in the WNY area, with the majority of that time at Clarence Central High School. Professor Starr has been married to his wife Mary for about as long as he has been a teacher. He has three children and is Grandpa to six granddaughters. Professor Starr loves the Bills, the Sabres, and the Philadelphia Phillies. He is the secretary, and a board member of the Buffalo Golf Club, as a self-described “avid and often frustrated golfer”.
