Susan Pelchat currently serves as International President of Alpha Delta Kappa, an international honorary organization for women educators of which she became a member in 1987. She serves on the executive board of the CT Teacher of the Year Council and has been active in that work since her having been name CT Teacher of the Year in 1997. She serves as President of the Torrington Area Parkinson's Support Group, and chairs the annual Walk in the Woods for Parkinson's-áSusan Pelchat was a teacher at Forbes School in Torrington for most of her 36-year career. She also served as a district computer specialist for 13 years. In that role, Pelchat paved the way for the implementation of a technology-integrated curriculum by providing technology information, in-service training and support to teachers. As a classroom teacher, Pelchat continued to build connections between the technology that she introduced and the curriculum that she taught. As a developer of the district's Total Quality Management strategies model, entitled "Total InvolvementGÇöContinuous Improvement," she fostered team-building, problem-solving and decision-making skills among teachers. Pelchat also initiated a program in which select students, grades 2-5, served as technology resources for teachers and peers. In 2003, Pelchat traveled to Japan as a participant in the Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program. As an executive board member of Alpha Delta Kappa, Pelchat has attended the dedications of schools in Vietnam (2012), Peru (2015), a bookmobile for the Sioux reservation in South Dakota (2016) and a school addition in Haiti (2018.) The schools were funded as World Understanding projects, relying on the generosity and commitment of members to raise $50,000 for each project. Susan's service on the International Executive Board will run until July 2021 when she will complete her final two years by acting as Chairman of the Alpha Delta Kappa Foundation, which awards scholarships and grants to educators and students around the world.
1976 Western Connecticut State University, B.A. and M.S.
Fifth Year Certificate in Administration and Supervision