Education:
Ph.D. in Education, Higher Education, Old Dominion University
M.A., Applied Linguistics, Old Dominion University
B.A., Individualized Integrative Studies in Dramaturgy, minor in Criminal Justice,
Old Dominion University
Graduate Certificate, Administration, West Chester University
Linguistic Society of America Summer Institute, Stanford University
Graduate Certificate, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, Old Dominion
University
Studies in Opera Performance, Music Theory, and Diction, (University of) North Carolina
School of the Arts
(in progress) Graduate Certificate, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), West Chester
University
Dr. Thomas serves as President of Delta Alpha Pi International Honor Society (and
faculty advisor for our local Mu chapter); a member of the Board of Directors of Disability
Rights Pennsylvania, where he also served as a member and Chair of the Mental Health
Advisory Council from 2015 - 2023; as a non-affiliated member of the Institutional
Review Board at St. Joseph's University (previously University of the Sciences) since
2013; and as a member the Board of Directors for CADES (Children and Adult Disability
and Education Services) in Swarthmore, PA since 2024.
Education:
Graduate Certificate, Disability Studies, Temple University
M.S.Ed., Special Education, College of Staten Island of the City University of New
York
B.A., Sociology, Oberlin College
A.A., Bard College at Simon's Rock
Education:
M.S., Higher Education Policy and Student Affairs, West Chester University
B.S., Interdisciplinary Studies, West Chester University
Prior to joining us as an Accommodations Coordinator in 2022, Ms. Hartz served as
a graduate assistant for 2 years in OEA working with students as an academic coach
and managing the Proctoring Center.
Hobbies and Interests: playing with her cat Maeve, plants, and she loves the color
purple
Education and Certifications:
B.S., Interdisciplinary Studies, minors in American Sign Language, Deaf Studies, and
Psychology, West Chester University
A.A.S., Court Reporting, Court Reporting Institute of Philadelphia
Registered Professional Reporter (RPR), National Court Reporters Association
Certified Realtime Captioner (CRC), National Court Reporters Association
CART stands for Communication Access Realtime Translation, which is a speech-to-text
interpreting service for anyone who needs communication access. As an advocate for
those who are d/Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing, Ms. Durkovic is passionate about making
the spoken word accessible through providing and advocating for accurate, quality
captions to those who rely on it.
Hobbies and Interests: spending time with her family, being outdoors, especially,
at the beach, playing ice hockey
Education:
M.S. Student in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, West Chester University (2025)
B.A., International Studies, Arcadia University
As an undergraduate, Caitlin spent two semesters abroad and has visited over 20 countries
in five continents. While stateside, she helped establish her university's first-ever
food pantry for students facing food insecurity.
Cait currently lives in Philadelphia with her two beloved cats. She is fluent in Spanish
and is currently learning Italian in her free time. She is an avid Phillies fan, an
adventure seeker, and considers herself a lifelong student.
Education:
M.S. Student in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, West Chester University (2025)
B.A., Psychology, Kutztown University
When she's not working or studying, Kelly likes crafting, listening to music, running,
hanging out with friends/family, and spending time with her two dogs (Macy and Coco).
She is a Philly sports fan and enjoys learning about rollercoasters. She also loves
Rammy and Snoopy!
Education:
M.S. Student in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, West Chester University (2026)
B.S., Cognitive & Behavioral Neuroscience, minor in Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and State University
Leah aspires to become a licensed professional counselor and work with college students
and young adults in her future career. She is currently a graduate student in the
Counselor Education Department.
Outside of the office, Leah enjoys taking group exercise classes at her local gym,
such as cycle and kickboxing, going on nature walks, and spending time with friends
and family.
Education:
M.S. Student in School Counseling, West Chester University (2027)
B.S., Accounting, West Chester University
A.A.S. Vehicle Maintenance, Community College of the Air Force
Prior to joining the OEA team George graduated from West Chester in 2019 with a degree
in accounting and went on to serve in the USAF for just under 5 years. Aside from
coaching, you can find him as a GA over at the Veterans Center.
In his free time, George enjoys taking walks, watching movies, and traveling.
Education:
M.S. Student in School Counseling, West Chester University (2025)
B.A., Psychology, Shippensburg University
At Shippensburg, Jess was a member of Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity and National
Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) club to raise mental health awareness.
Jess cheered for 15 years before starting college. She loves to travel, go on hikes,
hang out with friends and family, and bake.
Education:
M.S. Student in Higher Education Policy and Student Affairs, West Chester University
(2026)
B.A., Musical Theater, DeSales University
Prior to her acceptance to WCU, Jillian began her early career in NYC in the music
publishing industry as an internship program supervisor. She then pivoted to the higher
education sector with the University of Texas at Austin as a senior program associate,
overseeing program operations at their NYC internship-first campus.
Jillian loves to cook, watch baseball and football, play piano, and spends her Sundays
working as a choreographer and assistant director at a children's theater.