Gina Masciola is the Managing Director of Education at WQED. Gina began her career as a classroom teacher/early learning consultant for Head Start. Gina served with the Allegheny Intermediate Unit for 15 years and as an early learning consultant, Gina worked closely with parents and childcare providers. Gina’s classroom experience has been diverse taking her from early intervention classrooms to high school child development programs. Gina holds a B.S. in Child Development and Family Relations from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and has done post graduate study in Early Childhood Education and Early Intervention at The University of Pittsburgh. She holds a PA instructional certificate in Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten education. Since joining the education team, Gina has managed and created several projects including the WQED Writers Contest, Inquire Within, IQ Smartparent, WQED SmartSchools, IQ Kids Radio, and Musical Kids. Gina has been invited to speak about her work with children and media at both the local and national level. Gina is currently a member of the Remake Learning Council, serving on the AIU3 Head Start Policy Council, Community Champion for The Pittsburgh Study, board member of Crafton Heights Community Pre-school, and Vice-Chairman for the non-profit organization Books Bridge Hope.

Cathy Cook is the Director of Education with WQED Multimedia. Cathy is in charge of training almost 1,000 early childhood professionals each year and, with her leadership, the WQED team has trained over 10,000 educators across the country. In 2013, Cathy joined WQED as an education team member, and quickly took on the role of manager of the Ready to Learn project. Since that time, Cathy has held various positions within Education, including Manager of Digital Early Learner Projects and Director of Education Projects. Prior to WQED, Cathy has worked for Head Start, where she has impacted hundreds of children, families and daycare providers. Cathy’s educational experience has been diverse and has included being a kindergarten and preschool teacher, working with high school students as a remedial teacher, and being a community service liaison for an alternative school. Cathy Cook received her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from the Pennsylvania State University.

Denice Pazuchanics has been in public education for over 20 years, as a classroom teacher and school librarian. As a school partner with WQED she participated in various family and community engagement opportunities including afterschool programs, partnerships with the local public library and implantation of a school and community garden. She recently became a full time member of the WQED Education Team with primary responsibilities with the Ready to Learn Project and Manager of Professional Development.

Liz Kostandinu is the manager of the Inquire Within program at WQED in Pittsburgh. Currently, there are 43 Inquire Within libraries in Southwestern Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. Prior to joining WQED, Liz was a children’s librarian within the Allegheny County Library Association, focusing on outreach and preschool services. She enjoys working with partners to create programs and experiences that are community-centric, and has a deep love for all things Mr. Rogers. Liz holds a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Duquesne University.

Shelly Schmidt has a BSA in Elementary and Early Childhood Education from California University of Pennsylvania, which she obtained in 1995. During her career in education, she has taught in a public school classroom, in a Head Start classroom and has also been a home based visitor for Head Start. Her latest employment has brought her to WQED, where she works in the education department. Since joining WQED five years ago, she has been in charge of many programs such as Wash and Learn, the Family and Community Learning piece and is currently in charge of WQED’s Writers Contest, which encourages children in grades k-3 to submit original stories with illustrations.