Our Team
- Jeff BryanCo-Founder and CEO
Jeff Bryan
Co-Founder and CEOJeff Bryan is the co-founder and CEO of The Positivity Project. A 2004 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he served in the Army for five years, to include two tours in Iraq. In 2006, Jeff was a platoon leader in Saba al Bour, and in 2008-09, he was an engagements officer in southern Baghdad. After leaving the military, Jeff earned a master’s degree from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. He was subsequently a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF) in Washington and Jerusalem with the U.S. Department of State. A native of Niskayuna, New York, Jeff developed a passion for sports at an early age, leading him to serve as a lacrosse team captain and earn all-America honors twice while at West Point. He and his wife, Patti, and their two daughters live in Niskayuna, NY.
- Elizabeth MacWilliamsDirector of Growth
Elizabeth MacWilliams
Director of GrowthElizabeth MacWilliams is The Positivity Project’s Director of Growth. Prior to joining P2, Elizabeth served as a teacher, instructional coach, mentor, assistant principal, and principal in private and public schools in North Carolina for eighteen years. Elizabeth’s school leadership experience includes elementary and secondary work in magnet, Title 1, traditional, and year-round buildings. Elizabeth led the first P2 Partner School in Wake County, NC. She lives in Raleigh, NC with her husband, Andrew, and son, Brady.
- Elizabeth DaratsosSchool Success Coordinator
Elizabeth Daratsos
School Success CoordinatorElizabeth Daratsos is the School Success Coordinator for The Positivity Project. Prior to joining the P2 team, she was a Spanish Dual Immersion teacher and a member of the PBIS committee at an elementary school in Chula Vista, CA. Elizabeth piloted P2 in her classroom and quickly realized the incredible impact it had on her students. She encouraged her building administration to adopt The Positivity Project as their SEL curriculum and she served as the P2 Leader. She had to leave her position as a teacher when her husband, a pilot for the U.S. Navy, was restationed to Southern New Jersey at the end of 2020, where they now reside with their three children and their dog. She holds a Masters in Education from UC San Diego, as well as a Bachelors in Spanish and Journalism from SDSU. When she is not working, you will find her cooking, baking, or playing outside with her children!
- Melissa KillingbeckCurriculum Manager
Melissa Killingbeck
Curriculum ManagerMelissa Killingbeck is the Curriculum Manager for The Positivity Project and is responsible for ensuring our resources are at their highest quality. Melissa earned her bachelor's degree and teaching certificate in elementary education and holds a Master's in Education with certification in K-12 administration. Before joining the P2 team, Melissa was a successful P2 Partner School principal in Flushing, Michigan, where she worked for 25 years as a teacher, instructional coach, and principal. After retiring from public education in 2019, Melissa relocated to northern Michigan with her husband Casey and their Silver Lab, Tank. When not knee-deep in P2 resources, Melissa can be found rockhounding along a lakeshore, enjoying a boat ride with Casey and Tank, or “downstate” visiting their two grown children.
- Frank AdamoEd Tech Coordinator
Frank Adamo
Ed Tech CoordinatorFrank Adamo has been a public school teacher in Niskayuna, NY since 2001. He earned a master’s degree in Curriculum Development and Instructional Technology from the University at Albany, and has earned National Board Certification for Professional Teaching Standards in Early Adolescent English-Language Arts. Frank has worked with middle school English students throughout his career to build strong reading, writing and communication skills. He has developed curriculum to help students build an understanding of social media and the role that each of us takes in creating and maintaining our own digital footprint. Frank has presented to parents, students and teachers and administrators on the benefits of using technology in the classroom as well as the opportunities and drawbacks of social media in the digital age. He lives in Glenville, NY with his wife and two children.
- Melissa WilsonSchool Success Coordinator
Melissa Wilson
School Success CoordinatorMelissa Wilson serves as The Positivity Project’s School Success Coordinator for the South and West Regions. Melissa earned a bachelor’s degree in dual intervention services from Bowling Green State University. Here, she served as director of the university chapter of RallyCap Sports—an organization that unites college students and student-athletes to provide sports opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Prior to joining the P2 team, Melissa taught students with exceptionalities in a wide variety of contexts between Ohio and North Carolina. Most recently, Melissa worked at a P2 Partner school in North Carolina where she taught in an alternative learning center and served as the special education department chair. Melissa lives in Raleigh with her partner, Alek.
- Denise ErwinSupport Specialist
Denise Erwin
Support SpecialistDenise Erwin is the Support Specialist at The Positivity Project. She is a retired customer service representative who spent 20 years assisting faculty and students at Syracuse University. Since retirement, Denise has found many ways to continue to assist others as a volunteer in a variety of service organizations, including as a Board member of the Lowville Food Pantry, the Lake of the Pines Landowners Association, and her Church, Saint Hedwigs. Denise was instrumental in the initial operations of Team Red White & Blue, serving veterans. Today, Denise spends her free time traveling to see her grandchildren and hiking in the Adirondack mountains.
- Stephanie DiNolaSecondary Resource Developer
Stephanie DiNola
Secondary Resource DeveloperStephanie DiNola is a secondary curriculum developer for The Positivity Project. She graduated from the University of San Diego with her bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts for education. Her teaching career took her from California to Italy, Texas, and finally North Carolina. During those seven years, she taught language arts, social studies, and math in both elementary and middle school. Her passion for teaching was rooted in the relationships she developed with her students and colleagues. Because of this interest in relationships, she earned her master's degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Kansas during her time as a teacher. She is thrilled to combine her love of the classroom and curriculum with her deep interest in psychology and social and emotional needs. When she is not geeking out on analyzing the 24 character strengths in all the media she encounters, she is wrangling her three young daughters with her husband at their home near Savannah, Georgia.
- Ingram MilamSecondary Resource Developer
Ingram Milam
Secondary Resource DeveloperIngram Milam is a secondary curriculum developer for The Positivity Project. She is a North Carolina Teaching Fellow and graduated from the University of North Carolina with a degree in Middle School Education. She taught middle school language arts and social studies in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas. During her eleven years in the classroom, she worked on various SEL committees, district curriculum teams, and school advisory boards and is excited to use the knowledge gained through those experiences to develop P2 content for middle and high school students. She has always believed that developing relationships with and among students is essential to developing passionate, involved, and eager learners within the classroom as well as healthy, positive, and strong leaders outside the walls of the school. In her free time, you can find her hiking, running, or biking around Greenville, South Carolina with her family.
- Tara CrisafulliContent Manager
Tara Crisafulli
Content ManagerTara Crisafulli is the P2 Content Manager. Anything file or Google Drive related usually lands in her wheelhouse. Tara has spent the last several years teaching middle school English. She earned her MAT in English Education from Clarkson University with NYS certification for 5th-12th Grade. Currently, she resides at The Albany Academies as the 7th Grade Dean and English teacher. When not in her classroom or behind a computer, Tara can be found coaching Track and Field or guiding other coworkers in the implementation of various platforms in their classrooms. Fun Fact: Mondays are Tara's favorite day of the week, and she considers herself a breakfast sandwich connoisseur.
- Mike ErwinCo-Founder and Strategic Advisor
Mike Erwin
Co-Founder and Strategic AdvisorMike Erwin is the co-founder of The Positivity Project. A 2002 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he served in the Army on Active Duty for 13 years, to include three deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and is currently a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserves. In 2010, Mike founded Team Red, White & Blue (Team RWB), a non-profit organization that enriches veterans’ lives by connecting them to their community through physical and social activity. He serves as on the Board for the organization, now 198 chapters and 223,000 members strong. Mike earned his master’s degree in positive psychology and leadership, under the tutelage of Chris Peterson, from the University of Michigan — and taught leadership at West Point. He is the co-author of Lead Yourself First: Inspiring Leadership Through Solitude and Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital Age. Mike and his wife, Genevieve, live on a 32 acre Homestead outside Fort Bragg, NC, with their five children.