Educational Specialists
Teresa Kucia, M.Ed.
Learning Specialist; M.A. Special Education
Terri Kucia is a K-12 Certified Special Education educator who earned her degree in 1996 from the University of Saint Joseph. She did a yearlong internship as a Reading Specialist and took additional graduate classes in both reading and writing to advance her skills and knowledge. Before starting with Burke Therapy, Terri worked for Hartford, New Britain and Newington public schools.
Terri joined Burke Therapy in 2015 as a way of continuing to fulfill her passion for working with children struggling to establish academic independence. Since 2015, Terri's efforts and acknowledgements have not gone unrecognized. Multiple families and local private and public school administrators celebrate her efforts by highlighting individual student growth patterns related to grade level increases, dismissal from RTI programming, and honor roll recognition.
Terri has completed the VIRTUS training, a National Catholic requirement of the private Catholic School community. Burke Therapy is proud to be able to offer its families such an educated and compassionate professional.
Katie Blomberg, BS Science- Mathematics
Connecticut Provisional Educator
Certificate in
Mathematics Secondary Education Certification
029 - Mathematics, Grades 7 through 12
Katie is a passionate and experienced mathematics educator with over 12 years of teaching expertise, now bringing her skills to the Burke Therapy Educational Specialist team. She specializes in student-centered instruction that fosters critical thinking, collaboration, and deep, long-term understanding.
By incorporating Building Thinking Classroom (BTC) strategies, Katie promotes active problem solving and group learning, blending structured lesson planning with flexible, responsive teaching to meet the diverse needs of students.
As a certified mathematics educator in Connecticut, Katie is dedicated to creating inclusive, growth-focused learning environments where students build confidence, develop independence, and cultivate a lifelong appreciation for mathematics.
Sue Hammer, B.A.
Learning Specialist; B.A. in English, Creative Writing
Sue Hammell has over 20 years of experience working as a Teaching Assistant in a private special education school. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in Creative Writing, bringing strong communication skills and creativity to her work with students.
Over the past 10 years, members of the Burke Therapy team have had the privilege of working alongside Sue at her current full-time school placement through a collaborative occupational and speech therapy partnership. During this time, Sue has consistently demonstrated deep compassion, a strong work ethic, and an exceptional ability to build meaningful, trusting relationships with students.
Sue will be a valuable asset and positive addition to the Instructional Support team. She approaches her work with care, professionalism, and a genuine commitment to supporting student growth and success.
Kathleen Kelly, M.S., CCC-SLP
M.S., CCC-SLP/Learning Specialist
Kathleen Kelly is an experienced Speech-Language Pathologist with nearly 20 years of clinical experience providing assessment, intervention, and consultation services to children and families across early intervention, school-based, and outpatient settings. She earned her Master of Science in Communication Disorders from Southern Connecticut State University and maintains both Connecticut licensure in Speech-Language Pathology and educator certification. Kathleen is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).
Throughout her career, Kathleen has supported children with a wide range of communication needs, collaborating closely with families, educators, and multidisciplinary teams to develop individualized, functional communication goals. Her professional experience spans Birth-to-Three programs, public schools, specialized educational settings, and medical environments, providing her with a comprehensive understanding of child development and communication disorders across ages and settings.
Kathleen brings a strong academic focus to her work, recognizing that communication skills are the foundation for learning. Drawing upon her extensive speech-language pathology background, she helps students access and participate more effectively in the curriculum by addressing the underlying language skills necessary for academic success. These skills include listening comprehension, vocabulary development, verbal reasoning, expressive language, narrative language, phonological awareness, social communication, and written language. Kathleen understands that difficulties with language can significantly impact a student's ability to read, write, follow directions, participate in classroom discussions, and demonstrate knowledge across academic subjects.
Marsha Adams
Support Specialist; M.S. Human Relations
If you or your child has been fortunate enough to work with Marsha, you will agree that her endearing spirit and love for children is infectious. Marsha brings 15 years of Paraprofessional experience to the Burke Therapy team. Throughout her tenure as a Paraprofessional, she has worked with a wide variety of children with various complex needs.
Marsha's true gifting is in her ability to motivate, support and implement specially designed programming under the guidance of certified professionals while working as a valuable part of each child's team of professionals and family members. Marsha's experience includes working alongside both Occupational and Speech Therapy professionals supporting speech, language, behavior and sensory challenges commonly associated with mild disabilities such as Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD), Emotional Disturbance (ED), mild Intellectual Disabilities (ID), Asperger’s syndrome, Autism, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Marsha’s strengths in positive behavioral interventions, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) (specifically Discrete Trial Instruction), assistive technology, and feeding support make her a strong resource for the entire Burke Therapy team..