Jo-Anne B. Matteo began her career as a public school speech-language pathologist in Connecticut in 1980. She received her B.A. in Communication Disorders from Southern Connecticut State College in 1979, M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology from Adelphi University in 1980, and an advanced degree in Administration and Supervision from Southern Connecticut State University in 1983. As a special education administrator since 1994, she has been involved in staff and program development. She is the founder of a public school program for preschool and elementary children who present with significant special needs in the areas of communication, cognitive, social, behavioral and motor disabilities. These students have been using PECS to improve functional communication skills while they take part in a classroom that has been implementing the Pyramid Approach to Education. Jo-Anne has worked in this program as the speech-language pathologist and the program coordinator. Jo-Anne has presented extensively at various conferences and workshops to parents and professionals in the areas of speech-language development, functional communication and program design. She is also an active member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.