Leadership

Francis Vigeant, Chief Executive Officer and Founder

Vigeant has taught science, engineering, and mathematics to kindergarten through twelfth grade students in a variety of learning environments ranging from college prep and honors classrooms to self-contained, team-taught, 766, and inclusion classrooms. Currently, he is an elementary science curriculum specialist and regularly consults for private and public districts throughout New England. His pedagogy and practice is evidenced in student achievements at schools such as Maude H. Trefethen School in New Castle, New Hampshire. Since Vigeant’s involvement, Trefethen has become a top-five New Hampshire school on the New England Common Assessment Program (with first place recognition occurring in 2009).

Vigeant developed the core architecture and scaffold alignment for the successful KnowAtom curriculum. In addition, he has created Professional Learning Community models for public schools in Lynn, Massachusetts. He has also contributed to the success of the Harrington and Connery Elementary School—two Level 4 schools in Lynn–by developing and implementing new STEM methodologies. His achievements have been recognized by the American Federation of Teachers’ publication, The Advocate, in which he was profiled as an up-and-coming educational innovator.

Vigeant is a presenter to the National Science Teachers Association National Conference, Massachusetts Association of Science Teachers, and Massachusetts Technology Education/Engineering Collaborative. He holds a B.A. in Economics and Mathematics from Gordon College and is a Managing Member of KnowAtom, LLC.

Team Leaders

Dominic deLacy, M.Ed., Chief Operating Officer. DeLacy holds a Master’s in Educational Management and Administration from Cambridge College and a B.A. in English from Salem State University. He began his education career as a high school teacher at Westford Academy in Massachusetts before joining the technology revolution in the area of software development, specializing in student data management for 25 years. DeLacy has worked as an applied social research consultant for Bell Associates, the MBTA, Massport, and Boston Public Schools. He is an instructor and practitioner from the University of Phoenix’s MBA program where he teaches project planning and change management as well as database design. He has also taught management classes at Endicott College in Beverly, MA, and Eastern Nazarene College, in Quincy, MA.

Rebecca Baun, M.Ed., Education Specialist. Baun holds a Master’s in Educational Management from Lesley College and a B.S. in Elementary and Special Education from Slippery Rock University, Pennsylvania. She has been a classroom teacher for over 30 years and specializes in cross-curricular integration. Baun has taught in both urban and suburban districts, including the North Allegheny School District in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; the Center Joint School District in North Highlands, California; and the Hamilton-Wenham School District and Manchester Essex Regional School District in Massachusetts. Baun has attended Massachusetts Elementary School Principals Association workshops; developed, coordinated, and facilitated wrap-around support programs; and has served as a curriculum developer and school council member.

Joseph Caputo, M.S., Curriculum Developer.  Caputo holds a Master‘s in Science and Medical Journalism from Boston University, as well as a B.A. in Biology from Sarah Lawrence College. He has worked for the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, NY, as well as at the Early Childhood Center and Childhood Development Institute in Bronxville, NY. Caputo has been writer for the Marine Biological Laboratory and Smithsonian Magazine. Caputo was the first recipient of the $10,000 Harold G. Buchbinder Entrepreneurial Media Studies Award.

Maryellen deLacy, M.Ed., Curriculum Specialist. DeLacey has worked as a licensed elementary school teacher for Massachusetts Public Schools, specializing in multi-age, multi-grade classrooms for over 25 years. As a lead teacher, she chaired science and math curriculum review committees and was trained by WestEd to lead data-based decision-making curriculum workshops. DeLacy was responsible for introducing the John Collins Writing Curriculum to Manchester Memorial School to coordinate district goals, was a regular presenter for the Northeast Consortium for Staff Development, and was President of the Manchester Memorial School Teacher’s Association for five years. DeLacy is an active member of the National Education Association and the Massachusetts Teachers Association. She holds a Master’s and Bachelor’s in Education from Salem State University.

Elise Dudley, M.Ed., Education Specialist. Dudley is a licensed Massachusetts teacher with a Master’s in Education from Wheelock College and a B.A. from Boston University. She has worked as an elementary classroom teacher for over 35 years in Beverly and Manchester Public Schools. Dudley is a K-2 curriculum leader, peer coach, and longstanding member of Manchester Essex Regional K-12 Professional Development Committee. She has experience guiding, developing, and facilitating urban Professional Learning Communities.

Nicole Lanoue, Curriculum Developer. Lanoue has taught Kindergarten through Grade 5 science and engineering to students in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. She is involved with the Kinesthesiology Department at Gordon College and contributes her experience as an educator to KnowAtom.