NEALS (Northeast Association of Learning Specialists) has established the  Cole Fund for Educational Equity.The fund honors Susan Cole Ross, President Emeritus of NEALS.

During her decade long tenure, Suz has been the catalyst for the expansion of NEALS membership and services and the broadening of educational and career opportunities for Learning Specialists throughout the Northeast. For many years, Susan and her husband Jeff travelled to city schools and enrichment programs to enable devoted scholar athletes to further their education at independent schools in the Northeast. Bill Mitchell, Associate Director of Educational Services for the Boys Club of New York in East Harlem, praised “one of our greatest success stories...a [Boys’ Club] peer mentor heading to Lafayette College, who would not have made it through his first two years without the expert guidance of his learning specialist, Susan Cole Ross.”

All told, family members, including Susan’s husband, Jeff Ross, her father, Donald B. Cole, and grandfather Phillips E. Wilson, both late professors emeriti at Phillips Exeter Academy, and her uncle Phil Wilson professor emeritus at Berklee School of Music, have shared a familial dedication to providing educational opportunities for underserved students for nearly a century. It is fitting that the fund bear the Cole name. 

Ultimately, the Cole Fund aims to promote educational equity in various ways, including but not limited to:

Institutional memberships in NEALS
Best practices speakers
Professional Development and Training for Learning Specialists
Direct Service
Networking Opportunities

Again, to join us in this effort, please check of the Cole Fund Box box at: https://nealsonline.org/donate