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Tony Habit
President
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Bio:
As its founding president, Dr. Tony Habit developed NC New Schools to become a $60 million private-public venture to transform secondary education in North Carolina. He is an experienced leader for the development of school reform and innovation strategies with government, higher education, and the private sector. Habit partnered with Office of the Governor, the State Board of Education, colleges and universities and others to create the largest network of early college high schools in the nation. Under Habit's leadership, North Carolina's early colleges were named by the Harvard Kennedy School of Government as an "Innovation in American Government" award recipient.
Habit regularly presents to governmental committees and commissions at the state and federal levels including presentations to the United States Senate HELP committee. He has traveled extensively to learn about school innovation in other countries. In 2000 he was named an Eisenhower Fellow to travel to Australia and New Zealand to study market competition and school quality and the use of technology to enhance teaching. He leads strategies to improve teacher effectiveness, to reinvent leadership development, to incorporate technology into schools and classrooms, to blend secondary and post-secondary strategies for learning and to leverage the engagement of the private sector for school success.
He serves on boards and advisory committees for several organizations including the National High School Center, North Carolina eLearning Commission, World View and the Joining Our Businesses and Schools (JOBS) Commission. Habit earned a doctorate in educational administration from Columbia University, Teachers College in New York. He began his career as a counselor for special needs students in middle and high schools. The Public School Forum of North Carolina presented Habit with its inaugural Lever Award that recognizes leadership for public-private partnerships that transform public education.
To contact:
919.277.3762
thabit@ncnewschools.org -
Lynne Garrison
Senior Vice President, Strategic Partnerships
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Bio:
With more than 25 years experience leading communications and outreach for public and private institutions, Lynne Garrison cultivates relationships and leverages talent and resources to create innovative initiatives and to find efficient ways to drive results in dynamic and challenging environments.
Prior to joining NC New Schools in January 2011, Garrison was vice president of corporate communications for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. She held key roles in former Governor Jim Hunt's administration, serving as deputy press secretary to the Governor and director of public affairs for the NC Department of Health and Human Services. Garrison also led communications for the Wake County Public School System.
Throughout her career, Garrison has helped to build and sustain public-private partnerships that make a difference for North Carolinians. She supported the creation of Smart Start early childhood initiative through effective communications and grassroots outreach. She was a founding board member and former chair of the High Five Regional High School Excellence initiative, which brought the professional learning community movement to 285 schools and more than 215,000 students across five districts. She helped to create a public-private partnership called FitTogether, which inspired and recognized communities across the state for promoting wellness and physical activity.
Garrison has received the Triangle Business Journal's Women in Business Award, BCBSNC's Volunteer of the Year Award, the Holmes Group SABRE Award for #1 healthcare PR campaign, more than 10 Best of Blue national awards from BCBSA, and more than 30 national and statewide School Public Relations Association awards.
Active in the community, Garrison has served in numerous leadership positions with the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, the NCSU Foundation, the Wake Education Partnership's Board of Trustees and Directors, the Administrative Council of Apex United Methodist Church, and Leadership North Carolina. She earned her B.A. degree in business management at North Carolina State University where she was a North Carolina Fellow and editor of The Technician.To contact:
919-277-3778
lgarrison@ncnewschools.org -
Jodi Anderson
Vice President for Talent Development
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Bio:
Jodi Anderson brings more than 28 years of experience as an educator and student advocate. From 2008 to 2013, Anderson led the creation of the NC Center for Education Leadership to advance new approaches to enhance the knowledge and skills of school administrators as leaders for innovation. She began her teaching career in Virginia as a middle and high school science teacher, then went on to serve as an elementary, middle and high school principal in Granville County. Anderson also has worked at the district level as the testing and accountability director, elementary and middle school director, and most recently as assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. In her doctoral dissertation on male dropouts in rural schools, Anderson identified new research that has fueled her passion to help all students succeed.
Anderson holds a bachelor's degree in botany from DePauw University, a master's degree in educational leadership from UNC-Chapel Hill and a doctoral degree in educational leadership from the University of Phoenix.
To contact:
919.277.3768
janderson@ncnewschools.org -
Joyce Loveless
Senior Director for School Services
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Bio:
Joyce Loveless is an experienced educator with a diverse background in teaching and learning, professional development, and cultural competency. Loveless has worked extensively to promote accomplished teaching, professional development, teacher leadership and student achievement, especially in high need communities.
At the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, Loveless directed its signature diversity and equity programs. She created partnerships and leveraged resources with national education associations, school systems, foundations, and school-business community organizations. She has served as an advisory board member for NC State's Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, North Carolina's Beginning Teacher Support Standards Commission and the Center for Teaching Quality's Science and Math Initiative. She has contributed to papers on national teaching and professional development standards as well as the recruitment and retention of accomplished teachers in underrepresented communities.
Loveless began her career in Wake County, N.C., as a language arts teacher at Zebulon Middle School. She holds a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Virginia Tech and a master's degree in adult education and development from NC State University. She is an Education Policy Fellow for the Institute of Educational Leadership and is a National Board Certified Teacher.To contact:
919.277.3761
jloveless@ncnewschools.org -
Robin Marcus
Senior Director for STEM Education
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Bio:
Robin Marcus brings two decades of experience improving mathematics teaching and learning, particularly for students traditionally under-served in our educational system, to her work as senior director for STEM education at NC New Schools. She currently co-leads the development, implementation, and monitoring of the NC New Schools strategic plan for advancing STEM education across our network and the state and for developing a leading cadre of STEM schools within the NC STEM Learning Network. In addition, Marcus co-designs and coordinates STEM-focused school support services, supports improved mathematics and science teaching and learning across the NC New Schools network, and has designed professional development on rigor, assessment and grading. She is a trained facilitator of Secondary Lenses on Learning: Team Leadership for Middle and High School Mathematics and has facilitated SLoL seminars with 60 school teams across North Carolina.
For three years prior to joining NC New Schools, Marcus served as a mathematics instructional coach and teacher in an innovation high school in Baltimore, where she collaborated on a proposal for a new STEM school for girls, which opened in the fall of 2009. She served on the development team for the second edition of Core-Plus Mathematics, an innovative high school math curriculum, and has provided professional development for teachers of mathematics in national, regional and local workshops. She also worked as an evaluator and consultant for the Math Science Partnership of Greater Philadelphia.
Currently ABD, Marcus completed coursework for a PhD in curriculum and instruction, specializing in mathematics education, at the University of Maryland. She holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Drake University and a master's degree in mathematics from Michigan State University.To contact:
919.277.3766
rmarcus@ncnewschools.org -
April Anthony
Director of Development
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Bio:
April Anthony has been a professional fundraiser for 25 years, developing experience with corporate and foundation donors, annual campaigns, endowment campaigns, capital campaigns, special events, marketing and planned giving programs. Most recently she served as director of development with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, where she led Corporate Partnerships/Southeast for the past five years. In this position, Anthony was responsible for national corporate partnerships of $250,000 and above, raising $10 million annually.
Previous development positions include the Raleigh Boys & Girls Clubs, University of San Diego, The Leukemia Society, The Arthritis Foundation, Wake Education Partnership and The Make-A-Wish Foundation. Anthony is a past chair of the Triangle Association of Fundraising Professionals and was recognized in 2005 as Fundraiser of the Year for the Triangle.To contact:
919.277.3779
aanthony@ncnewschools.org -
Stacy Costello
Program Director, NC STEP
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Bio:
Stacy Costello brings more than 16 years experience as an educator. She began her career in education in Virginia and spent 11 years in the classroom teaching science and STEM-related courses at the middle and high school level. Costello then worked on special assignment for the NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate project creating an integrated biology and physics curriculum, Space Medicine: Human Adaptation in a Space Environment. Moving into the state educational arena, she worked for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction as an education consultant specializing in family and community engagement, equity and science and most recently held the role of instructional review coach assessing NC schools and districts. She serves as the state representative for the National Association of Alternative Certification (NAAC).Costello holds a bachelor's degree in biology and a master's degree in curriculum and instruction from Virginia Tech. She is also a graduate of the NC Education Policy Fellowship Program.To contact:
919.277.3798
scostello@ncnewschools.org -
Dennis Davis
Program Director
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Bio:
Dennis Davis brings decades of experience as an educator and advocate for children at the local and state levels in North Carolina. Davis started his career in the Wake County Public School System in 1974 and moved to the NC Department of Public Instruction in 1979 where he managed and supervised many supportive programs including Title 1 and Dropout Prevention. He returned to Wake County in 1989 and supervised the prevention services department. After retiring from Wake County, Davis worked for the Leadership Group of the Carolinas and Saint Augustine's College.
A native of Raleigh, NC, Davis holds a bachelor's degree in business from Saint Augustine's College and a master's degree in school administration from North Carolina Central University.To contact:
919.277.9006
ddavis@ncnewschools.org -
Antonia Johnson
Director
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Bio:
Antonia Johnson has nearly 20 years of experience in public education in North Carolina, having started as a high school English teacher in New Hanover County. As a NC Principal Fellow, she began her administrative career as an assistant principal in Brunswick County Schools. Before coming to NC New Schools, Johnson served two years as a central office administrator and an assistant principal in the Wake County public schools. In addition, Johnson has served as an education consultant with the NC Department of Public Instruction. During this time, she worked as a federal grant manager and the coordinator of the NC Safe Schools Conference.
Johnson holds a bachelor's degree in secondary English and a master's degree in school administration from UNC-Wilmington. She is also a graduate of the Leadership Program for Assistant Principals at UNC-Chapel Hill.
To contact:
919.277.3771
ajohnson@ncnewschools.org -
Wendi Knapke
Director of Finance and Administration
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Bio:
Wendi Knapke brings more than 14 years experience in the field of accounting. The majority of her career was spent at Ernst & Young, LLP, in the audit and business advisory group, serving both the not-for-profit and healthcare industries.
Knapke holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and is a certified public accountant in the state of North Carolina.
To contact:
919.277.3772
wknapke@ncnewschools.org -
Isaac Lake
Director, Learning Lab Initiative
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Bio:
As director of the Learning Lab Initiative with the NC New Schools, Isaac Lake works with public schools across NC to improve outcomes for all students, and with university partners and organizations such as the Center on Globalization, Governance and Competitiveness to extend innovations in education. Previously, he spent nine years teaching English and Theory of Knowledge at Enloe High School in Raleigh. Working with the Center for International Understanding and the International Affairs Council, Lake built partnerships with schools in Turkey and Denmark as a model for partnerships at other public schools.
Lake worked with UNC World View to develop an online course on globalization for education leaders and with the N.C. Public School Forum to ensure that North Carolina's public schools will be internationally competitive in the years to come. He served as a member of the working group on creativity for the 2010 Emerging Issues Forum. Lake traveled to Europe in 2007 as an American Memorial Marshall Fellow with the German Marshall Fund. He earned his bachelor's degree in English from Wake Forest University and his master's degree in teaching, with a focus in English, from UNC Chapel Hill.
To contact:
919.277.3773
ilake@ncnewschools.org -
Demond McKenzie
STEM Program Director
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Bio:
Throughout his 12 years in the Wake County Public School System, De McKenzie committed his career to establishing an environment that is conducive to learning for all students. As a high school teacher, he incorporated varied facets of the arts and life experiences into instruction to make math relevant and meaningful to students. Serving in the role of teacher, coach, sponsor and leader, he was recognized as the 1999 Raychem Educator of the Year and Fuquay-Varina High School's Teacher of the Year. As an assistant principal at the Cary High School Ninth-Grade Center, McKenzie worked with the staff to ensure a smooth transition from middle school to high school. Before coming to NC New Schools, he served as the senior administrator of retention for WCPSS Human Resources, providing support for beginning teachers through professional development, mentors and recognition.
An alumnus of North Carolina State University, he earned both a bachelor's degree in mathematics education and a master's degree in school administration.
To contact:
919.277.3776
dmckenzie@ncnewschools.org -
Matt Sears
Director for Learning Technologies
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Bio:
Matt Sears joins NC New Schools after seven years of teaching mathematics in Durham Public Schools. Sears helped found the redesigned Hillside New Tech High School and has become a leader in Project-Based Learning implementation in mathematics classrooms. A National Board Certified Teacher, he was named Durham's 2008-09 Teacher of the Year and participated in a Fulbright Teacher Exchange in Tamil Nadu, India. A graduate of the Kenan Fellows Program for Curriculum and Leadership Development at NC State University, Sears now sits on the Kenan Fellows Board of Advisors.
Sears holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics with computer science from Purdue University and a master's of arts in teaching degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.To contact:
919.277.3782
msears@ncnewschools.org -
Todd Silberman
Director of Research and Communications
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Bio:
Todd Silberman has more than 20 years of experience with newspapers in North Carolina and California. As a reporter for The News & Observer in Raleigh, he wrote extensively about K-12 education for 15 years, reporting first on Wake County schools, one of the nation's largest districts, and later covering statewide education issues. His reporting helped bring attention to North Carolina's lagging high school graduation rate, inequities in the distribution of nationally certified teachers and flaws in the state's accountability system. Before joining The News & Observer, he was an investigative and projects reporter for the Fayetteville Observer-Times.
Silberman holds a bachelor's degree in history from the University of California at Santa Cruz.
To contact:
919.277.3769
tsilberman@ncnewschools.org -
Rebecca Stanley
Director, STEM Education
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Bio:
Rebecca Stanley joined NC New Schools after teaching science in NC for 10 years. She actively collaborates with The Science House and the American Modeling Teachers Association to design and facilitate professional development in Modeling Instruction in Biology, a pedagogical method based on constructivist philosophies. An advocate of Physics First and authentic inquiry, Stanley helps schools realize the vision of high quality science for all students.
Stanley holds a bachelor's degree in biology from UNC-Wilmington and a master's in science education from East Carolina University. She is currently pursuing a PhD in science education from North Carolina State University.To contact:
919.277.3783
rstanley@ncnewschools.org -
Natasha Thompson
Program Director, Leadership Development
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Bio:
Natasha Thompson began her career as a high school English teacher in Robeson County, then went on to serve as a high school assistant principal and principal with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Cabarrus County Schools. In CMS, she served as principal of two innovative high schools that partnered with NC New Schools: the International Studies School at Garinger High and the Leadership and Public Service High School at Garinger. A strong champion of high school innovation, Thompson has a passion for leading change and creating school cultures and norms that promote powerful teaching and learning. In addition to her work in schools, she has participated in U.S. delegations to China, India, Mexico, Japan and Korea.
Thompson holds a bachelor's degree in English education from NC Agricultural & Technical State University and a master's degree in school administration from UNC-Charlotte, where she was also a NC Principal Fellow.To contact:
919.277.9007
nthompson@ncnewschools.org -
Edna Wallace
Director of Policy and Engagement
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Bio:
Prior to joining NC New Schools in 2012 Edna Wallace worked for four years special assistant to the vice chancellor for university relations at UNC Charlotte, serving as the university's liaison to state and local government to inform policy makers and advance the university's fiscal and policy agenda. She led government relations efforts to expand legislative appropriations from the NC General Assembly, including appropriations to complete one of UNC Charlotte's largest academic initiative -- the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC).
Wallace has also served as director of development and assistant director of community affairs. In addition, she represented the university as a member of the Charlotte Chamber's Workforce Development and Education Committee. Previously, she was the Harris Conference Center senior coordinator, an entrepreneurial venture for Central Piedmont Community College.
A Goldsmith Scholar for Psychology, Wallace earned her bachelor's degree at Elmhurst College in Illinois with a major in psychology and a minor in intercultural studies and sociology.To contact:
919.277.3790
ewallace@ncnewschools.org -
Pauline Younts
Director of Coaching Services
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Bio:
Pauline Younts began her education career in Portsmouth, England, teaching in an urban fifth-grade classroom. She moved to the United States with the Visiting International Faculty in 1997 and taught core subjects with a seventh-grade middle school team in rural Pitt County, NC. For the next 10 years, Younts served students and families in Granville County as an elementary and middle school teacher, coach, mentor and director of instruction. She moved to high school as an assistant principal and later was appointed principal of South Granville High School of Health Sciences, a redesigned high school.
Younts earned a bachelor's of education degree in math and technology at The University College of St. Mark and St. John in Plymouth, England, and a master's degree in school administration from North Carolina State University.
To contact:
919.277.3784
pyounts@ncnewschools.org
