Office of Educational Accessibility

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 the 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.

Hobbies and Interests: spending time with family, needle and fibre crafts (blackwork, bargello, crochet, etc.),  movies, podcasts, music, travel, reading

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:
Ed.D. Student in Higher Education Policy, Planning, and Administration
M.M., Trumpet Performance, The Wells School of Music at West Chester University
B.M., Music Performance, The University of the Arts

Prior to joining the OEA in a full time capacity, Jacob worked with as a student employee and graduate academic coach.  While completing his master's degree, Jacob served in a graduate assistant capacity for The Wells School of Music facilitating the expansion of the music library and helping students with their musical studies. Jacob is a disabled veteran after serving four years in the United States Army with extensive international experience.

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.

Education: 
B.A. Student in Early Grades Preparation, minor in Early Childhood Education, West Chester University (2024)
M.A. Student in Literacy and Reading Specialist Certification, West Chester University (2025)

A staple in the office, Bella is a voracious book lover who enjoys going to the beach.