Staff
Rita Catalano
Executive Director
Rita Catalano was named Executive Director of the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media on July 1, 2010. As Executive Director, Ms. Catalano is responsible for strategic planning, day-to-day Center management, project administration and budgeting, program development, and grantseeking. Ms. Catalano has been at Saint Vincent since 1988, working primarily as director of foundation and government grantseeking. As Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement, she was part of the planning team for the Fred Rogers Center; in 2005, she assumed the full-time position of Center Associate Director and in 2009 she became a Center Co-Director. Ms. Catalano’s career also has included administrative, editorial, and program coordinating experience at the Center for Research in Human Development and Education at Temple University, the Learning Research and Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh, and Tufts University. Ms. Catalano received a B.A. in political science from Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Connecticut, and an M.A. in political science from the University of Pittsburgh.
Michael Robb, Ph.D.
Director of Education and Research
As Director of Education and Research, Michael Robb oversees the planning and development for one of the Center’s strategic initiatives, the Fred Rogers Center Early Learning Environment™ (Ele). Dr. Robb has been involved in issues surrounding media and children for over a decade. He has published research on the impact of electronic media on young children’s language development, early literacy outcomes, and problem solving abilities in a variety of academic journals, including Child Development and Developmental Review. Dr. Robb has also supervised community educational outreach efforts for KCET/PBS, helping parents and teachers to make the most of quality children’s programming. He was the recipient of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Foundation Fred Rogers Memorial Scholarship, awarded to students for research on the relationship between children’s use of media and learning. Dr. Robb holds a B.A. in child development from Tufts University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in psychology from University of California, Riverside.
Karen Struble Myers, CFRE
Director of Development
As Director of Development, Karen Struble Myers oversees a multi-year, multifaceted fundraising plan designed to support the operations, signature programs, and endowment fund of the Fred Rogers Center. In this role, she is responsible for annual giving and major gifts as well as stewardship initiatives. Ms. Struble Myers has over ten years of experience in fund development, marketing, and public relations in a variety of nonprofit settings. A 2000 graduate of Penn State University, Ms. Struble Myers holds a B.A. in Advertising-Public Relations, and minors in Speech Communication and Business. She received an M.S. in Professional Leadership, Training, and Development from Carlow University in 2007. A frequent guest lecturer on annual fund strategies, Ms. Struble Myers is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) and serves on the Board of Directors of the Association of Fundraising Professionals of Western Pennsylvania, where she chairs the scholarship committee.
Tanya B. Smith
Program Coordinator, Fred Rogers Center Early Learning Environment™
Tanya B. Smith is the program coordinator for the Fred Rogers Center Early Learning Environment™ (Ele). Using Ele as the main resource and focal point, she is designing and delivering professional development seminars for early childhood educators and workshops for parents on the appropriate use of technology and digital media for our youngest learners. Ms. Smith also will be promoting Ele throughout southwestern Pennsylvania by building relationships and collaborations with agencies and schools that serve the needs of our most underserved young children and their families. Additional work experiences include professional development (PQAS certification), college teaching, early literacy, counseling, mobile therapy, and case management. Ms. Smith has a bachelor degree and a master of education degree from the Pennsylvania State University. She also is pursuing a master’s degree in early childhood education from the Erikson Institute (expected graduation May 2013). During non-work hours, Ms. Smith serves as a personal assistant and chauffeur for her three children.
Emily Uhrin
Archivist
As Archivist, Emily Uhrin oversees the cataloging, indexing and organization of materials related to Fred Rogers’ personal and professional life, formulates and implements archival usage and access policies, and manages the collection of digitized print and video materials in the Fred Rogers Archive. Emily is a 2005 graduate of Saint Vincent College where she studied English and worked in the library as a student assistant. Her enjoyment of library work led her to the School of Library and Information Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. She received her M.L.I.S. in 2007 with a concentration in Archives and Records Management. While studying at Pitt, Emily worked for the Fred Rogers Center as an intern, completing an inventory of files that were housed at Family Communications, Inc. She also worked at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History Library to gain field experience.
Cindy Scarpo
Special Projects Coordinator
Cindy Scarpo serves as special projects coordinator for all major Center events, including national conferences, symposia, issues briefings, webinars, and annual meetings of the Rogers Center’s Advisory Council. In this role, she arranges for venues, coordinates travel and lodging, prepares presentations and materials, and serves as the point of contact with participants and vendors. Ms. Scarpo also manages the Center’s website and office operations. She has been a member of the Rogers Center staff since 2004. Prior to joining the Fred Rogers Center staff, Ms. Scarpo was employed as a medical biller at a local hospital. She also spent several years as a full-time mother, during which time she volunteered with the Boy Scouts of America and her church. Ms. Scarpo graduated from Seton Hill University summa cum laude in 2003, with a B.A. in business management. She has completed post-baccalaureate, graduate-level coursework in operations management through the Saint Vincent College business administration program.
Dawn Edmiston, DM
Saint Vincent College Faculty Consultant
Dr. Dawn Edmiston, Assistant Professor of Management and Marketing at Saint Vincent College, serves as marketing consultant for the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media. In this role, she supports the promotion of the Center’s Web site and develops social networking channels. Prior to joining academia, Dr. Edmiston held management positions with IBM Business Consulting Services, PricewaterhouseCoopers Management Consulting Services, and Discovery Communications (to include the Discovery Channel, TLC, Travel Channel, Animal Planet and Discovery Channel Online). Her educational background includes a Doctor of Management from University of Maryland University College, with Phi Kappa Phi honors. She received the 2008 Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Alice L. Beeman Award for Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation. Her research has been published in the International Journal of Educational Advancement, Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, and the American Marketing Association Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education Proceedings. Dr. Edmiston received an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BS in Management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She is an alumnae of the international exchange programme at London Business School.
Theresa Noel
Secretary
Theresa Noel joined the Fred Rogers Center staff as secretary in 2012. She provides general secretarial and clerical support to the Center’s professional staff including greeting visitors, scheduling, making travel arrangements, and handling other day to day office duties. Prior to joining the Fred Rogers Center staff, Ms. Noel was employed by the Greater Latrobe School District as a personal assistant. She is married and has three sons.
Dillon Monier
Saint Vincent College Student Assistant
As Student Assistant, Dillon Monier provides support to the Fred Rogers Center staff through video production; converting and editing digital files using the Center’s non-linear video editing system; support for transmissions via webcasts, webinars, and videoconferencing; and maintaining video file documentation. Currently enrolled at Saint Vincent College in the School of Social Sciences, Communication, and Education, Mr. Monier is a Junior Communication Major focusing on media studies. He is involved with several activities including the Boy Scouts of America, earning the rank of Eagle Scout in 2009, and the Saint Vincent College Radio Club.
Kathrine Clark
Saint Vincent College Student Assistant
As a Student Assistant for the Fred Rogers Center, Kathrine Clark assists the Archivist by differentiating the books and other library media by subject and author, organizing the placement of texts and videos in the library, recording the documents and other contents of boxes within the Archive, and creating themed displays of archived materials. Currently enrolled at Saint Vincent College in the School of Humanities and Fine Arts as well as in Education, Ms. Clark is a Senior English Major and Secondary Education Minor. She is involved with a few clubs on campus including Orientation Committee, Equestrian Club, and Education Club. She also works in the Latimer Family Library and wishes to become a school librarian.
