Rebecca Tortello holds a PhD in Comparative Education
and Sociology from Columbia University , a Masters in
Teaching and Curriculum from the Harvard Graduate
School of Education and a Bachelors in History and
Literature form Harvard University . Her research
interests include the sociology of schooling in
international contexts, the relevance of informal
education and museum education, the teaching of
children's literature, the role of play in and out of
the classroom, as well as education reform and child
welfare in the Caribbean.

She is the founder of Chichibud Ltd., a Jamaican-based
educational NGO that aims to promote reading and
creative expression through play. (www.chichibud.org)
For more information on Chichibud please see
www.chichibud.org Dr. Tortello likes to write stories
for children as well and published a children’s
picturebook called “Nancy and Grandy Nanny” (2001)
which was recommended by the Jamaican Ministry of
Education and Youth (MOE&Y) for use in primary schools
islandwide. She recently contributed 3 children’s
books to the MOE&Y’s primary school curriculum.

In addition, Dr. Tortello is the author of the popular
Jamaican historical newspaper series, “Pieces of the
Past,” some of which has been compiled into a book
(Ian Randle Publishers, 2007).

A former Assistant Professor of Education at Adelphi
University in New York, Dr. Tortello is currently a
consultant on the literacy/numeracy focused
USAID/MOE&Y Expanding Educational Horizons Project
(EEH) and a part –time lecturer at the University of
the West Indies in the Dept. of Educational Studies.

She is married to Dr. Jonathan Greenland, the
Executive Director of the National Gallery of Jamaica,
and they have two young children, Rhys and Maria.

Email: rebecca.tortello@jackmandora.com