PDE Leadership

A lifelong public servant, Angela Fitterer currently serves as the Interim Acting Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). Over her 25-year career in state government, Angela has served as Deputy Chief of Staff to former Governor Tom Wolf, Deputy Secretary in the Governor’s Office of Legislative Affairs, Legislative Director at PDE, and has held various positions in both the Pennsylvania Senate and House of Representatives focused on crafting and steering public policy. Throughout her career, she has used her passion for education and public policy to create coalitions and work with vested partners to realize a shared vision and accomplish common goals.

As a teacher in Philadelphia, Mr. Delgado saw the struggles of students in the educational system and decided to do something about it.

At the age of 25, Mr. Delgado received the opportunity to open the first accelerated high school in Philadelphia, a second chance high school for dropout students. Under Mr. Delgado’s leadership as Principal for five years and CEO for 13 years, the One Bright Ray Community High School accelerated school model began to flourish and expanded the accelerated school model to six One Bright Ray Schools across the city of Philadelphia.

Mr. Delgado graduated from Temple University with a bachelor’s degree in education, a master’s degree from Arizona State University with a major in Educational Leadership and a minor in Business, and he holds a Superintendent’s Letter of Eligibility. Mr. Delgado is now currently serving as the Deputy Secretary for the Office of Administration at the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Shante’ A. Brown is a dedicated early childhood education leader with over a decade of experience in leading child care programs. She believes in connecting people to resources and building strong community relationships. Shante’ began her career with the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) in 2021 as the director for the Bureau of Certification Services. She has served as a leader in multiple positions within Philadelphia including Director of PHLpreK, Philadelphia’s city-funded PreK Initiative, Education Field Administrator Early Childhood Coach, and PreK teacher with the School District of Philadelphia.

Shante’ holds a B.S.Ed. in Early Childhood - Elementary Education, M.S. in Reading Education, and an Ed.S. in Teacher Leadership. She is a genuine advocate for the field, and committed to positive outcomes for children, families, and providers in the state of Pennsylvania.

Susan Banks came to the Commonwealth to be the Director of Library Development in November of 2018.  Having established a national reputation for building future-focused and responsive libraries, she developed wide-ranging partnerships and programs at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Multnomah County Oregon and public libraries in Kentucky and Ohio with a focus on user-centered service design and organizational sustainability. Before her career in libraries, she worked in the community arts as the director of the statewide assembly of local arts agencies in Ohio and enjoyed a 20-year career in professional theatre in Ohio, New York and regionally in the Northeast.

She holds a Master’s in Library and Information Science from Kent State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Thomas More College in Kentucky. She is committed to expanding the role of libraries as the convener of community growth and as centers of equitable access to information and lifelong learning for every community.

A visionary leader in public education, Dr. Carrie Rowe brings 25 years of public education experience to her role as Deputy Secretary for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.  In this role, she provides guidance, support, and oversight to partners in the pre-K–12 field on topics ranging from structured literacy, educational stability, workforce needs, teacher recruitment and retention, and student mental health and well-being.  Dr. Rowe advocates for policies and programs that provide college and career pathways for every student, especially those that include access to expansive dual credit opportunities, high-intensity summer learning, and multilingual programs.  

Before taking a position with the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Dr. Rowe served as a Superintendent of Schools in the western region of the state.  Both as a former Superintendent and now as the Deputy Secretary, her career has focused on ensuring fairness and justice in resource allocation and eliminating institutional barriers to access and opportunity.

Dr. Kate Shaw serves as Deputy Secretary and Commissioner for Postsecondary Education at the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Since her arrival in March of 2023, she has led efforts on behalf of Governor Josh Shapiro to craft a bold new vision for higher education, including over $140 million in student support, over $55 million in new appropriations to publicly-funded colleges and universities, and the creation of a new State Board of Higher Education that will provide the leadership and the capacity needed for the Commonwealth’s higher education sector.

In October 2024, Dr. Shaw was appointed Executive Director of Pennsylvania’s new State Board of Higher Education.  She provides a broad range of support, expertise and capacity to the Board and to the higher education sector as they work together to coordinate and strengthen the Commonwealth’s colleges and universities. 

Previously, Dr. Shaw worked as a Senior Advisor at HCM Strategists,  partnering with multiple states and organizations to improve postsecondary education funding and policy. She also served as Deputy Secretary under Governor Ed Rendell, where she oversaw major reforms in postsecondary access, teacher preparation, community colleges, and retention programs.

For over a decade, Dr. Shaw also served as Executive Director of Research for Action, where she led a robust portfolio of research on state postsecondary policy that included multi-state studies of postsecondary funding and accountability systems, credit recognition and transfer, statewide college Promise programs, college placement reforms, and a range of retention reforms. Shaw also served as a faculty at Temple University for a decade, where she was a tenured department chair in Urban Education and Policy Studies.

She has twice been elected to serve as a Board member for the West Chester Area School District.

With over 15 years of experience in the education sector, Ray Fields serves as the Chief Talent Officer at the Pennsylvania Department of Education, leading the strategic vision and implementation of talent management initiatives to strengthen and diversify the educator workforce. Ray previously served as the executive director of a teacher pathway program focused on preparing and placing effective teachers in high-need schools. Ray is also the founding principal of two schools in the City of Philadelphia. Mr. Fields has a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and African American Studies from the University of Maryland College Park and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Mercer University.

Dr. Gina M. Colarossi has served public education for over 22 years in various capacities as an interpreter and teacher of the Deaf, Director of Education, Student Services & Special Education, Advisor and Division Chief for the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education, and the statewide lead for the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network for Alternative Education for Disruptive Youth. Most recently, Dr. Colarossi served as the first Director of Program Monitoring and Accountability for the Pennsylvania Department of Education. 

Throughout her career, Dr. Colarossi has championed public education supporting educational pathways for students across Pennsylvania.  As a public servant, she continues to promote policy that provides access to public education and to advocate for collective partnerships that prioritize positive results in public education.

Dr. Colarossi earned a Doctor of Education Administration and Leadership from Pennsylvania Western University, a Masters in Deaf Education from Gallaudet University, and a Bachelor of Science in American Sign Language/English Interpreting and Special Education from Bloomsburg University. 

Native of Harrisburg, PA, Cathy currently serves as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the PA Department of Education.  She began her life of public service 25 years ago with her appointment by Governor Tom Ridge to serve as Deputy Executive Director of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on African American Affairs.  Cathy has since expanded her portfolio to include service in all three levels of government – federal, state and local. She has served as Assistant Director of Communications at the former PA Department of Public Welfare, Civilian Contract Specialist with the U.S. Navy, and Special Assistant to the Mayor – City of Harrisburg.  Mostly recently, she served as Housing Director for the Camp Curtin YMCA and authored the grants to fund their first affordable housing program.

Over the years, Cathy has worked tirelessly in her community by volunteering and serving on many non-profit boards of directors and worked with two very prominent young professional organizations.  In her free time, she serves as the coordinator of a local food pantry serving over 300 families a month.

Cathy received a Bachelor of the Arts from Shippensburg University in 1998, and a Master of Public Administration from Shippensburg University in 2000.

Dr. Rob Steinmetz is a leader and collaborative change agent focused on equitable student success with experience in creating new systems and frameworks in public higher education at local, state, and national levels. 

Before his current role focusing on workforce development in education as special assistant to the Secretary at the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), Rob had most recently served as the Executive Vice President for College Operations and Student Affairs at Connecticut State Community College. Before this, he served the same organization as the President of the Capital-East Region. Prior to his work in Connecticut, Rob served as Vice President for Student Affairs at Portland Community College in Oregon, Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at Harrisburg Area Community College, and has over 20 years of experience working in education. 

He holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Public Administration degrees from the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, as well as a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration from the University of Alabama. His academic research, including his dissertation, focus on equitable student success at community colleges.

Sarah Castillo DiRito was appointed Chief Counsel for the Department of Education (PDE) by her employer, the Office of General Counsel (OGC), in January 2023. Sarah’s team consists of 20 attorneys, 7 legal support staff, and 3 professional conduct investigators. Within the scope of her employment at PDE’s Office of Chief Counsel (OCC), Sarah is the Executive Director for the IDEA Interagency Committee. Further, Sarah supports the work of OGC’s Litigation Committee as a Training Committee Co-Chair. Sarah was hired by OGC to work within PDE’s OCC as an Assistant Counsel in 2012; in July 2014, Sarah was promoted to Assistant Chief Counsel overseeing the Educator Discipline Unit. Prior to her employment with OGC at PDE’s OCC, Sarah served as an Assistant District Attorney in Adams County, Pennsylvania, where she specialized in prosecuting child abuse cases and crimes of violence against women. Sarah received her JD from Duquesne University School of Law. She has a BA in Communication Disorders and an MA in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Pittsburgh. In addition to her legal work, Sarah has worked as a Speech-Language Pathologist in a variety of settings. 

A lifelong public servant with a passion for storytelling, Casey Smith is the Communications Director at the Pennsylvania Department of Education. She previously served as Communications Director at the Departments of Community and Economic Development and Agriculture. She has proudly served the Commonwealth since graduating from Temple University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications in 2006. She received her Master of Science in Communication Studies from Shippensburg University in 2012.

Julie Kane has been the director of the Policy Office in the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) since 2018. As director, Julie collaborates with executive staff to develop and communicate the Department’s short- and long-term education policy agenda as well as recommend programs and initiatives impacting the commonwealth’s learners throughout the PreK-12, postsecondary, and career continuum for the Secretary, other cabinet officials, and the Governor’s Policy Office.

Prior to her role in the Policy Office, Julie served in the PDE Office of Postsecondary and Higher Education, where she successfully launched Pennsylvania’s first college credit transfer system and website (PAcollegetransfer.com), for which she was awarded a Governor’s Award for Excellence in 2020. In total, Julie has nearly 30 years of policy experience in the private and public sector, with a focus on postsecondary access, success and affordability, and workforce development.

Julie holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mass Communications from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Science Degree in Organizational Development from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania.

Stephen Latanishen was appointed Director of Government Relations for the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) in 2021, where his career in public service began. Latanishen previously served for two years at the Pennsylvania Department of State, working on professional licensure reform and elections issues, before that spending three years in the Governor’s Office as a Liaison for Boards and Commissions, where he conducted sensitive outreach and addressed public policy issues on behalf of the Administration. In addition, he was responsible for ensuring that approximately 500 Pennsylvania state boards and commissions under the Governor's jurisdiction were filled with well-qualified appointees.

In his first and most formative role, Latanishen started here at PDE, in the Office of Government Relations he now leads, as a legislative specialist. Under the leadership of his mentor, he learned the importance of building bipartisan relationships, and honed skills necessary to crafting the best possible legislative solutions. In so doing, he pursued a long standing passion for serving Pennsylvania students and educators.

Latanishen’s passion for serving all learners though public service stems from his experience as an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America and further developed at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, where he studied political science. Since 2015, he has served as the Co-Chair of the Governor’s Next Generation Task Force, which brings more young voices into government. 

Karen Molchanow serves as Executive Director of the State Board of Education where she is responsible for managing the Board’s regulatory agenda and other initiatives.  Karen joined the Board staff as Assistant Executive Director in July 2010, was named Acting Executive Director in May 2011, and was promoted to Executive Director in April 2012.  Prior to joining the State Board, Karen served as Manager of Policy Information and Programs for The Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC).  Karen joined EPLC in 2001 and served as a Policy Programs Associate for two years, then as Coordinator of Policy Information and Programs.  Karen graduated from Millersville University’s Honors College.