Academy Staff

John Walko, Ph.D., Director

Dr. Walko is the director for the Academy for Character Education. He is a graduate of Colgate University and holds advanced degrees from the School of Public Affairs and School of Education at the University in Albany. Dr. Walko has for many years been an advocate for Character Education. He participated in the national Character Education Summits held on Capitol Hill and at the White House in the late 1990's. He has trained as a presenter with "Character Counts," "Character First" and "Building Development Assets in School Communities." Dr. Walko has taught at the college and high school level. He spent more than 30 years teaching in the East Greenbush School District system and served as chair of the East Greenbush District's Character Education Committee. Following his retirement, he expanded his interest in character education by founding the Character Development and Ethical Leadership Institute. He was named Director of the Academy for Character Education in January 2000. He has made presentations at workshops and conferences sponsored by schools, parent groups, community, national and international organizations.

Mel Horowitz, Associate Director

Mel Horowitz is the associate director of the Academy for Character Education. He holds a B.A., and M.A. from the University at Albany. He is a retired teacher having served over 30 years in the Catskill and Schodack school districts. He has served as past president of the U.S.-China People's Friendship Association and the Rotary Club of Menands. He serves on the board of directors for the Capital District Council for the Social Studies. Also he is the recipient of the Neiderberger Award given to the Outstanding Social Studies educator in the Capital District. Mel has published articles on Social Studies, cooperative learning methodology and U.S. Chinese Relations.

Dr. Philip Fusco, Associate

Dr. Fusco has been an educator for 30 years as Social Studies teacher and building principal on the elementary, middle and high school levels. Dr. Fusco’s doctoral studies at Fordham University focused on organizational development. Dr. Fusco has pursued his commitment to character development while serving in schools and has expanded that commitment to community wide organizations.

Phil Catania, Associate

Phil Catania is Principal of Mount Rainier School, Prince George County, Maryland. His school was named a 2000 Model Peace School and 2001 National School of Character. Phil presents keynote addresses throughout the United States and is a National School of Character evaluator for the Character Educational Partnership.

Bruce Weiner

Bruce Weiner is a School Psychologist at the Berlin Central School District. He is Co-Founder of the Berkshire Institute for Growth and Development. Bruce presents workshops on a variety of character development topics. He presents a fun, entertaining talk, helping adults to understand the importance of teaching virtues and character to children.

Carolyn Bradley

Carolyn (Kay) Bradley has been a school counselor for 27 years on the elementary, middle and high school levels. Most recently she has served as the Coordinator for the Eastern New York Student Support Services Center located at Capital region BOCES. She has worked on several projects related to teacher renewal, relational trust in schools and building school community from within. She has a firm commitment to character development which she demonstrates by her membership on both the Academy’s Leadership Board and the Task Force for Character Education in NYS. Her goal is to share her knowledge and help pass on the skills of community building and character development in any setting. Kay is one of primary assets of the Academy and exemplifies the traits that The Academy cherishes.