Administrative Cabinet

Amy began her tenure as Executive Director in August 2007 after serving the CAIU as Assistant Executive Director in charge of student services for one year and Director of Curriculum Services for four years. Her goal as executive director is to achieve the IU’s mission of serving families, schools and communities through leadership, partnership and innovation to achieve educational excellence in our region.

Amy’s career as an educator began in the Carlisle Area School District where she enjoyed ten years as a high school social studies teacher, five of which included serving as the K-12 department coordinator. She spent three years with the Capital Area Intermediate Unit in the mid-1990s, working as a curriculum specialist responsible for providing professional development opportunities and assisting districts in implementing performance assessment in response to outcome-based education requirements.

Amy left the CAIU for the Pennsylvania Department of Education in 1996 to coordinate the PA academic standards initiative as Director of the Bureau of Curriculum and Academic Services. Before returning to the CAIU in 2002, Amy was the Director of Curriculum for the Gettysburg Area School District, responsible for the K-12 educational program.

Both of the career and technical schools within the CAIU utilize Amy as the superintendent of record. She also serves as President of the Shippensburg University School Study Council, and serves on the board of the CAIU Champions for Children foundation and the Capital Region Partnership for Career Development.

Amy’s undergraduate degree is in Political Science and American Studies from Dickinson College in Carlisle. She earned her master of science in educational administration from Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College). She received her Superintendent/ Executive Director letter of eligibility through Shippensburg University.

Shawn Farr serves as the Director of Business and Operations and Board Treasurer for the Capital Area Intermediate Unit located in Summerdale, PA. In this capacity he is exploring ways to transition the Intermediate Unit to a new and more profitable model of business operations. Previously, he served as a Special Assistant to the Pennsylvania Secretary of Education during the first term of Governor Rendell. In this senior level capacity his areas of focus included working with fiscally distressed school districts across the Commonwealth, serving as Board of Control Chair for the Duquesne City School District in Allegheny County, and leading internal management and productivity initiatives of the Department of Education.

Prior to working for the Department of Education, Shawn was the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida; Chief Operating Officer for the Annenberg Foundation in St. Davids, Pennsylvania; and Acting Executive Director and Program and Operations Director for the Greater Philadelphia First Foundation in Philadelphia.

Earlier in his career, Shawn worked in higher education in California overseeing administrative and business operations at campuses in the California State University System.

Shawn holds a M.B.A. from California State University, Bakersfield and a B.S. in Business Administration with an option in Accounting from California State University, Long Beach.

Throughout his career, Shawn has consulted on business operation and management matters for numerous universities and nonprofit organizations.

Alicia McDonald serves as the Director of Student Services and has been employed by the CAIU since 1987.  As Director of Student Services, Alicia leads the teams responsible for coordinating and providing services related to Early Intervention, School-Age Special Education, Capital Area Adventures, Clinic, Alternative Education, and the Partial and Hospital Programs.  Alicia provides leadership and support to our member districts by facilitating the monthly Special Education Advisory Council and co-facilitating the CAIU Regional Special Education Strategic Planning Steering Committee.  

Alicia began her career as a teacher of the deaf or hard of hearing at the CAIU.  In 1998 she moved into a Curriculum Specialist position for Student Services and then into a Program Supervisor role with Multiple Disabilities, Life Skills Support and Deaf or Hard of Hearing.  Alicia has also served as an adjunct instructor for Pennsylvania State University – Harrisburg.  

Alicia earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Special Education and a Master of Education degree in Deaf Education from Bloomsburg University.  She holds certifications as a teacher in special education as well as deaf/hard of hearing, Supervisor of Special Education, and Principal K-12.  Alicia was awarded the “Outstanding Student” award from Penn State for her work in the Principal Certification program.  Alicia is also active in educational organizations and the community; she is a board and committee member of CPARC (Cumberland/Perry Association of Retarded Citizens).

Theresa Kinsinger leads our Human Resources and Communication Team. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication from Clarion University of PA and earned her Juris Doctor from Widener University School of Law. Theresa was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar in 2001 and currently maintains her Pennsylvania law license. In addition to HR, she has practiced in the areas of transportation and contracts law.

Prior to coming to CAIU, Theresa was the Contracts and HR Manager for FES Systems Inc., an international industrial manufacturer located in York, PA, where she was also heavily involved in developing the safety initiative. Previously, Theresa was the Corporate Services and Contracts Counsel for G.R. Sponaugle & Sons, Inc., an electrical and mechanical contractor in Harrisburg, PA, where she first became involved with HR. In both of these positions, Theresa was instrumental in counseling management on personnel matters and policy interpretation.

Directly following law school, Theresa was with the Department of Transportation as a Certified Legal Intern and as an Assistant Counsel. During law school, she also served intern rotations in the Offices of Chief Counsel with both the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Community and Economic Development. In addition, Theresa participated in the Harrisburg Civil Law Clinic, a public service offered by Widener University School of Law through which third year law students in good standing represent indigent and needy clients who could not otherwise afford representation.

Prior to law school, Theresa utilized her communications degree working in marketing and business development for two local engineering firms. These experiences provided her with a strong background in public relations; technical writing and editing; and layout and design including company newsletters, corporate brochures, and presentations.

Brian Griffith has been employed by CAIU since 2004 and serves as the Director of Curriculum Services. In this capacity he leads the team responsibile for coordinating services related to School Improvement, Strategic Planning, Act 48 Tracking/Reporting, Curriculum, Professional Development, Aid to Non-Public Schools, Capital Area School for the Arts, and Program Evaluation. Brian provides leadership to our member districts by facilitating the Curriculum Advisory Council, High School Principals Network, Middle School Principals Network, and Mathematics Networking meetings.

Brian began his career in education as a mathematics teacher at West Perry Middle School, where he taught for five years. After leaving West Perry, he spent 12 years working for the Mechanicsburg Area School District in a variety of roles including middle school mathematics teacher, Supervisor of Mathematics K-12, and finally as the Supervisor of Secondary Curriculum and Technology. He has also served as an adjunct instructor for Wilson College and Wilkes University.

Brian earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics from Messiah College and a Master of Education degree in Educational Administration from Shippensburg University. He holds certification as a Mathematics Teacher, Supervisor of Mathematics and Principal, K-12. He has received several honors and awards including national recognition as recipient of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics “Future Leader Award” and locally when he was named “Outstanding Middle School Teacher” by the Council for Public Education.

David Martin is an established educational technology leader who began as the Director of Technology Services for the Capital Area Intermediate Unit in July of 2008. He is passionate about integrating curriculum and technology to engage children and improve student learning. David’s aspiration is to help school districts successfully integrate and utilize technology so that students may benefit from 21st Century learning and become more competitive in today’s marketplace.

David began his educational career as a mathematics teacher in the Carlisle Area School District where he served as a pilot for many technology initiatives. Before coming to the CAIU, he served as the Technology Coordinator with the Big Spring School District for ten years, where he focused on classroom technology, online resources, network administration, integration of technology into the curriculum and using data to drive instruction. Along with teaching workshops on integrating technology into the classroom, David taught sessions on value-added assessment and data-driven decision making. David was a key player in building momentum for establishing data teams and having teachers take ownership of student data to make instructional decisions. In addition to his local workshops, David will be a lead presenter at this year's conference for the Pennsylvania Association of Elementary & Secondary School Principals (PAESSP) and the 2008 PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference.

David has a diversified educational background which will assist him in leading the technology initiatives at the CAIU to support the educational goals of member school districts. After acquiring his bachelor’s degree at Shippensburg University in mathematics, he continued his education, earning his instructional technology certificate at Penn State University, and obtaining his master’s degree in educational administration as well as his K-12 principal’s certificate at Duquesne University.