U.S. Department of Education Establishes Regional Advisory Committees, First Meeting May 23-24 in Arlington, VA

The U.S. Department of Education has established 10 Regional Advisory Committees to collect information on the educational needs across the country. The first of their meetings will take place Monday-Tuesday, May 23-24, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Va.

Committee members will solicit information from state and local educators, school officials, business leaders, state education agencies, parents, the community and others. Together, they will compile the information to create a report that will outline educational needs across the various regions and recommend ways to effectively address those needs. U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan is expected to receive the report no later than Aug. 1, 2011. The committees also will assist the Department in establishing priorities for the upcoming Comprehensive Centers Program grant competition in 2012. The Comprehensive Centers provide technical assistance designed to help build the capacity of states to support their districts and schools in increasing student achievement.

The names of committee members, by region, are listed below.

Region 1: Northeast and Islands (CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, VT, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands)

Marta Bahamonde Sanchez, PR, Director, Continuing Education and Professional Studies Division, University of Puerto Rico, Ponce Campus
Heather Brown, NH, Chair, New Hampshire Parent Advisory Council
Karin Edwards, VT, Director, Pre-K through Middle School Integrated Support for Learning; Co-Director of Special Education, Vermont Department of Education
Sherri Killins, MA, Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care
Irving Richardson, NH, Coordinator for Public Education and School Support – NEA New Hampshire
Sarah Redfield, ME, Professor of Law, University of New Hampshire
LaVerne Terry, VI, Commissioner of Education, US Virgin Islands
Barbara, Walton-Faria, RI, Teacher, Thompson Middle School, Newport, RI
Kandice Watson, NY, Director of Education and Cultural Outreach, Oneida Nation

Region 2: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA)

Felicia DeHaney, D.C. Interim Assistant Superintendent for Early Childhood Education; Director, School Preparedness, DC
Adam Hackel, NJ, Teacher, Montgomery Middle School, Skillman, NJ
Robert McGarry, NJ, Director of Training and Curriculum Development, Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network
Bryan O'Black, PA, Director of Technology and Assessment, Shaler Area School District
Rachel Pereira, PA, Assistant District Attorney/Director of Truancy Prevention, Juvenile Justice Division, Philadelphia District Attorney Office
Christopher Ruszkowski, DE, Deputy Officer, Teacher and Leader Effectiveness Unit, Delaware Department of Education
Patrick Shaw, DC, Lead Teacher, SAIL Public Charter School
Graciela Slesaransky-Poe, PA, Associate Professor of Special Education, Arcadia University
Daniel Oscar, NJ, President & CEO, Princeton Center for Leadership Training
Darla Strouse, MD, Executive Director, Office of Partnership Development and Recognition, Maryland Department of Education
Jill Thompson, DC, Associate Professor, School Counseling Program Coordinator, University of the District of Columbia

Region 3: Appalachia (KY, TN, VA, WV)

Dee Hopkins, WV, Dean, College of Human Resources and Education, West Virginia University
Terry Lashley, TN, Executive Director - SouthEast Educational, Inc.
Bobbi Lussier, TN, Assistant Commissioner, Division of School Readiness, Tennessee Department of Education
Lana Mullins, KY, Director of Special Education and Preschool, Trigg County Public Schools
Carol Muniz, WV, Teacher, Morgantown High School, Morgantown, WV
Kathleen Smith, VA, Director, Office of School Improvement – Virginia Department of Education
LaTonya Waller, VA, Teacher, Lucille Brown Middle School, Richmond, VA
Nancy Williamson, TN, President, Tennessee School Boards Association

Region 4: Southeast (AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC)

Diana Bourisow, FL, Deputy Chancellor, School Improvement and Student Achievement – Florida Department of Education
Mark Bounds, SC, Deputy Superintendent, Educator Quality and Leadership – South Carolina Department of Education
Stacey Donaldson, MS, Curriculum Specialist, Jackson Public School District, Jackson, MS
Carolyn Jordan, SC, Executive Director of Instructional Services, Lancaster County School District
Amy Murphy, AL, Chemistry Specialist, Alabama Science in Motion, University of Montevallo
David Payne, GA, Executive Director, Atlanta Community Engagement Team
Summer Pennell, NC, Teacher, Bertie Early College High School, Windsor, NC
Alena Treat, NC, Academically/Intellectually Gifted Resource Teacher; Lufkin Road Year-Round Middle School, Apex, NC

Region 5: Midwest (IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI)

Marten Frazier, OH, Teacher, Citizens Academy Charter School, Cleveland, OH
Jessica Gillard, MI, Director of Early Learning Innovation, Early Childhood Investment Corporation
Patrick Mapes, IN, Assistant Superintendent of Operations, Indiana Department of Education
Donna Powless, WI, Vice President of Academic Affairs, College of Menominee Nation
Diana Rauner, IL, President, Ounce of Prevention Fund
Diane Rutledge, IL, Executive Director, Large Unit District Association
Julie Sweitzer, MN, Director of Leadership Initiatives, College Readiness Consortium, University of Minnesota
Michele Timmons, OH, Director, Care Team Collaborative, Muskingum Valley Educational Service Center
Lisa Walker, IL, Senior Researcher, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago
Bruce Umpstead, MI, State Director, Educational Technology and Data Coordination, Michigan Dept of Education

Region 6: Central (CO, KS, MO, ND, NE, SD, WY)

Jane Crothers, CO, Consultant
Vivian Delgado, CO, Visiting Professor, Bemidji State University; Co-founder of Our Native Healing Center
Blake Flanders, KS, Vice President for Workforce Development, Kansas Board of Regents
Norman Graham, SD, Principal, Sturgis Elementary School, Sturgis, SD
Richard Hasty, NE, Superintendent and Special Education Director, Plattsmouth Community School District
Cheryl Kulas, ND, Consultant
Carmelita Lamb, ND, Chair, Teacher Education Department, Turtle Mountain Community College
Ken Santistevan, CO, Director of Strategic Business and Community Initiatives, Denver Public Schools
Jon Turner, MO, Assistant Superintendent, Dallas County R-I School District
Margie Vandeven, MO, Assistant Commissioner, Office of Quality Schools, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Blake West, KS, President, Kansas NEA

Region 7: Southwest (AR, LA, OK, NM, TX)

Jann Arnold, AR, Vice President, Corporate Development, Computer Automation Systems
J. Delano Ford, LA, Chief Operating Officer, KIPP, New Orleans
Niloy Gangopadhyay, LA, Co-founder/Principal, Success Preparatory Academy, New Orleans, LA
Phyllis Hudecki, OK, Oklahoma Secretary of Education
Lisa Pryor, OK, Senior Advisor, State and District Engagement, National Center on Time and Learning
Elaine Romero, NM, Instructional Specialist, Wherry Elementary School, Albuquerque, NM

Region 8: West (AZ, CA, NV, UT)

Rhian Allvin, AZ, Chief Executive Officer, First Things First (AZ early childhood system)
Rorie Fitzpatrick, NV, Director, Office of Special Education, Elementary and Secondary Education and School Improvement Programs, Nevada Department of Education
Dwight Jones, NV, Superintendent, Clark County School District
Janet Levenson, CA, Principal, Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School, Berkeley, CA
Henry Lo, CA, Board Member, Garvery Board of Education
Camille Maben, CA, Director of Child Development, California Department of Education
Brett Peterson, CA, Head of School, High Tech High, San Diego, CA
Gay Beck, UT, Teacher, Highland Elementary School, Highland, UT
Larry Shumway, UT, Utah State Superintendent of Public Instruction

Region 9: Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA)

Corinne Mantle-Bromley, ID, Dean of College of Education, University of Idaho
Elizabeth Meyers Hyde, WA, Director, Washington State Department of Early Learning
Carissa Moffat Miller, ID, Idaho Deputy Superintendent, Assessment Division
Paula Pawlowski, AK, Director of Parent Engagement, Alaska Parent Teacher Association
Jim Reed, ID, Superintendent, Weiser School District
Susan Richards, WA, Executive Director - Communities in Schools of Washington
Barb Riley, MT, Real Estate Broker; School Board Member, Columbia Falls School District
Jerome Colonna, OR, Superintendent, Beaverton School District
Colleen Works, OR, Teacher, Corvallis High School, Corvallis, OR

Region 10: Pacific (Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands)

Pauline Camacho, Guam, Director, Guam Parent Information Resource Center
Spensin James, Micronesia, Faculty Member, College of Micronesia-FSM; Chair of the Board of Education, Pohnpei State
Martha Kintol, Northern Mariana Islands, Principal, Dandan Elementary School, Saipan, MP
Mellanie Lee, Hawaii, Project Director/Education Specialist, Pacific and Hawai’i Deaf-Blind Projects
Mary Okada, Guam, President, Guam Community College
Claire Poumele, American Samoa, Project Director, “Lumana’i Manuia mo Fanau” (A Bright Future for our Children)
Denise Uehara, Hawaii, Assistant Professor, Center on Disability Studies, University of Hawai’i at Manoa
Rita Sablan, Northern Mariana Islands, Commissioner of Education, Northern Mariana Islands Public School System