Curriculum

Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and Elementary Education

Twitter: @LoriKoernerRCSD

Before joining Riverhead, Dr. Lori Koerner, served as principal of Tremont Elementary School in the Patchogue-Medford School District. Through her years serving as principal, she worked with her team to increase student attendance, establish interdisciplinary units of study, decrease behavior referrals by 50% by implementing recess breaks throughout the day, and establish a Parent University for the community. She also served as a district leader in Patchogue-Medford, wherein she coordinated new elementary programs, planned and implemented a balanced literacy program, wrote new curriculum, and organized and hosted a variety of guest speaker events.

Prior to Patchogue-Medford, Dr. Koerner worked in Hicksville Public Schools as the district coordinator/principal for its Students at Risk program, and as an elementary school teacher, teaching grades pre-K through six during her 25-year teaching career. Dr. Koerner has presented across the country at national and international conferences regarding best practices in education.

In addition to her public school experience, Dr. Koerner served as an adjunct professor of special education at Dowling College and SUNY Old Westbury. She has hosted numerous professional development workshops for educators, published her professional educational research, and is a Fulbright Specialist Scholar.

Dr. Koerner holds an associate degree in early childhood education from Farmingdale State College. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, a master’s degree in special education, and School Building Leader and School District Leader certifications, all from Dowling College. She earned her Doctor of Education at St. John’s University.

Executive Director of Secondary Education, Grants and Student Outcomes

Twitter: @PrincipalGalati

Dr. William Galati comes to Riverhead with extensive leadership experience. Prior to joining the District Office Leadership Team, Dr. Galati served as Principal of George W. Hewlett High School in the Hewlett-Woodmere UFSD, Principal of Southold Junior-Senior High School in the Southold UFSD, Assistant Secondary Administrator for Instruction and Administration in the William Floyd UFSD, Director of Science in the Hauppauge UFSD, and Chairperson of Mathematics in the Three Village CSD.

Throughout his years serving as a building and district office administrator, he has worked with many stakeholders to bring about authentic and diverse learning opportunities for students in grades 7-12. He sustains a “Challenge Up” vision and philosophy in supporting student learning in AP and College Tie courses of study as well as instituted science and social research and AP Capstone programs of study. Through his vision and collaborative efforts with his instructional teams, he has been able to institute authentic and meaningful enrichment courses of study to inspire and enlighten students to real-world and career focused learning such as through TV Production, Fashion Designs, and Agricultural courses of study. Dr. Galati has established a Plan for Results used to establish yearly building goal setting, coordinated new secondary programs, provided professional development in middle level best practices, and demonstrated how to effectively use and reference data to guide and support student learning.

Dr. Galati has been in the field of education for over thirty years. He began as a high school science teacher at St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School, followed by accepting science teaching positions in the Roslyn UFSD and the Three Village CSD. Throughout his ten years of instructing science, he taught Earth Science, Honors Biology, Forensic Science, Anatomy and Physiology, and Marine Science. Dr. Galati is also an adjunct professor of mathematics at Suffolk County Community College. He has been an active member of LIASCD (Conference Planning Committee) and Phi Delta Kappa International (SUNY at Stony Brook, Past Secretary).

Dr. Galati holds a BS in Mathematics from Mount St. Mary’s University and holds two master’s degrees – a master’s degree in Mathematics and a master’s degree in Liberal Studies both from SUNY in Stony Brook, with certifications in Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, School Building Leader, and School District Leader. He earned his Doctor of Education from St. John’s University.