Debbie Jones

2024–2026 GSC Representative | Partnership4Success | Graduate institution: Ohio State University

Debbie Jones, PhD, is an educational policy scholar and practitioner with over a decade of experience advancing equity in education and community systems. She focuses on trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and equity-centered approaches that support children, families, and educators, and leads strategic initiatives, professional learning, and systems-level change across public and nonprofit sectors. Her research examines the experiences of Black educators and the impact of antidemocratic education policy. Debbie is also the co-host of The Lockdown 2 Legacy Podcast, which amplifies the voices and experiences of formerly incarcerated individuals.

Cheyenne Phillips

2024–2026 GSC Representative | Southern Methodist University | Graduate institution: Southern Methodist University

Cheyenne Phillips is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Moody School of Graduate & Advanced Studies at Southern Methodist University. Her research broadly focuses on the intersection of education policy and equity, with specific interest in school desegregation and student homelessness.

Annie Gensterblum

2023–2026 GSC Representative | Georgia School Boards Association | Graduate institution: Michigan State University

Benjamin A. Lebovitz

2023–2026 GSC Representative | Graduate institution: University of Wisconsin–Madison

Benjamin Lebovitz is a Ph.D. candidate in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis and an Institute of Education Sciences predoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Ben's scholarship examines how educational leadership, politics, and organizational practices shape opportunities, belonging, and well-being for LGBTQ+ and other marginalized youth. Before graduate school, Ben taught choir and drama in southern Arizona, where they advised a Gender and Sexuality Alliance, earned National Board Certification, and were named a semifinalist for Arizona's 2019 Teacher of the Year. Their work appears in Educational Administration Quarterly, AERA Open, Teachers College Record, JAMA Pediatrics, Educational Policy, Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, and the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education.

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Dayna Muñiz

2023–2026 GSC Representative | University of Pennsylvania | Graduate institution: Temple University

Dayna’s research agenda focuses on the superintendency, organizational change in educational organizations, central office leadership, and equitable systems change in K-12 school districts. Dayna earned her Doctorate in Education from the Educational Leadership program at Temple University’s College of Education and Human Development. She has published chapters in edited books on equitable systems change and the superintendency. Her work also appears in Educational Administration Quarterly, Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, and Annenberg WorkingEd Papers.

Johnathon (JJ) Jerman

2023–2025 GSC Representative | Tennessee Board of Regents | Graduate institution: University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Johnathon “JJ” Jerman is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, where he earned his PhD in Education Policy and Leadership. His research focuses on equity gaps in K-12 and higher education, particularly related to prohibited concepts laws. He earned his bachelor degree in English from East Tennessee State University and his master’s of education degree from Lincoln Memorial University.

Caroline Bartlett

2022–2025 GSC Representative | University of Tennessee, Knoxville | Graduate institution: Michigan State University

Caroline Bartlett is an Assistant Professor of Education Policy at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her research uses quantitative and qualitative methods to understand how education policies enhance or constrain educational opportunities for historically underserved groups of students, with a particular focus on multilingual students classified as English learners (ELs).

Mario Jackson

2022–2025 GSC Representative | Florida State University | Graduate institution: North Carolina State University

Dr. Mario Jackson is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies at Florida State University. His major research explores the efforts of principal preparation programs to prepare school leaders for equity and social justice. Mario’s other interests include school discipline and crisis leadership, attending to the experiences, leadership, and priorities of principals during school disruptions.

David Osworth

2022–2025 GSC Representative | University of North Carolina Greensboro | Graduate institution: University of South Carolina

David Osworth is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. His scholarship focuses on LGBTQ+ issues in education, school discipline disparity, and neoliberalism in educational policy. His work has been published in journals such as Educational Policy, the International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, Journal of School Leadership, and the Journal of Research on Leadership Education.

Jeffrey Wooten

2022–2025 GSC Representative | Graduate institution: Virginia Commonwealth University

Jeffrey P. Wooten earned his PhD in Education from Virginia Commonwealth University in December of 2025. His research interests include school (de)segregation, rezoning, algorithmic redistricting, and evolutionary algorithms. Specializing in redistricting heuristics, swarm-intelligence, and other nature-inspired algorithms, he is particularly interested in how redistricting can advance more equitable political systems, educational systems, and long-term outcomes.

Cara Jones

2021–2024 GSC Representative | Child Care Associates | Graduate institution: Texas Christian University

Jeana Partin

2021–2024 GSC Representative | Carson-Newman University | Graduate institution: University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Dre'Sha Singleton

2021–2024 GSC Representative | North Carolina State University | Graduate institution: North Carolina State University

Nathan Tanner

2021–2024 GSC Representative | University of Nevada, Reno | Graduate institution: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Nathan Tanner is an assistant professor of educational leadership at the University of Nevada, Reno. He earned his Ph.D. in Education Policy, Organization & Leadership from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with a concentration in the history of education and a graduate minor in American Indian & Indigenous Studies. His scholarship has been published in History of Education Quarterly, Whiteness & Education, Wicazō ?a Review, and MDPI’s Religions. He researches the historic intersections, influence, and impact of colonialism, racism, and religion on American educational structures and society with an eye towards addressing their contemporary challenges.

Website | LinkedIn | BlueSky: @mnathantanner.bsky.social

Andii Layton

2021–2023 GSC Representative | Independent | Graduate institution: Pennsylvania State University

Joonkil Ahn

2020–2022 GSC Representative | University of Arizona | Graduate institution: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Franklin (Frank) Gause

2020–2022 GSC Representative | Coastal Carolina University | Graduate institution: University of South Carolina

Lebon D. James

2020–2022 GSC Representative | Sam Houston State University | Graduate institution: University of Texas at Austin

Dr. James is an educational leader, researcher, and advocate dedicated to supporting K–12 school improvement. He currently serves as an Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator in the School Leadership program within the Department of Educational Leadership at Sam Houston State University. Most recently, he served as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Houston, where his work focused on educator preparation and teacher induction. Dr. James has extensive K–12 experience, having served as an elementary principal, middle and high school administrator, and classroom teacher. His research interests include school leadership, educator retention, educator preparation programs, and school improvement.

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James (Lamar) Foster

2019–2021 GSC Representative | University of Washington / Gates Foundation | Graduate institution: University of Washington

Annie Maselli

2019–2021 GSC Representative | Independent | Graduate institution: Pennsylvania State University

Mariama Nagbe

2019–2021 GSC Representative | Graduate institution: The University of Texas at Austin

Dr. Mariama Nagbe is a Detroit-raised education-to-career strategist, consultant, and systems leader with over 15 years of experience designing cross-sector initiatives that connect PK–12 education, higher education, workforce systems, philanthropy, and community partners to drive organizational change at scale. She earned a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy from The University of Texas at Austin, dual master's degrees in social work and higher education as well as a bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Overall, Dr. Mariama studies how anti-Blackness functions in organizations and the ways Black people innovate in spite of and in response to this phenomenon. Her current research interrogates the organizational structures that (re)produce racially inequitable learning and workplace environments in undergraduate education, graduate programs, and the professoriate.

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Taeyeon Kim

2018–2020 GSC Representative | University of Nebraska Lincoln | Graduate institution: Michigan State University

Taeyeon Kim (PhD) is an Associate Professor the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her scholarship examines the intersections of leadership and policy, with a particular focus on how leaders challenge unjust system and empower marginalized students and communities. Across her research, Dr. Kim aims to theorize leadership as an act of broadening epistemic foundations in making changes by: 1) Rethinking conceptions of leadership through transpacific and Asian American perspectives; 2) Analyzing the human side of accountability through the work of equity-focused leaders; and 3) Promoting cross-cultural dialogue within educational inquiry.

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Courtney Mauldin-Jones

2018–2020 GSC Representative | Syracuse University | Graduate institution: Michigan State University

Courtney Mauldin-Jones is an Assistant Professor in the Teaching and Leadership Department in the Syracuse University School of Education. Her interdisciplinary research and scholarship illuminates how youth and girls of color use arts-based and literacy practices as methods for leadership, identity construction, and reimagining schools and communities.

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Lam Pham

2018–2020 GSC Representative | North Carolina State University | Graduate institution: Vanderbilt University

Lam D. Pham is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development at North Carolina State University. He received his Ph.D. in K-12 Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Vanderbilt University, specializing in quantitative methods. A first generation Vietnamese immigrant, Lam grew up attending schools serving low-income and minority race students. These firsthand experiences shape his research, which investigates how personnel policies (e.g., compensation, professional learning, performance evaluation) affect students in low-performing schools. Before his doctoral studies, Lam worked as a Fulbright Scholar in Vietnam, taught math in a turnaround high school in Oklahoma City, and served as an instructional coach for Oklahoma City Public Schools. He received a B.A. in chemistry from Harvard University.

NCSU Bio

Margaret Thornton

2018–2020 GSC Representative | Rowan University | Graduate institution: University of Virginia

Served as the UCEA Headquarters Representative.

Patricia Virella

2018–2020 GSC Representative | Montclair State University | Graduate institution: University of Connecticut

Dr. Patricia M. Virella is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at Montclair State University. Her research examines equity-oriented crisis leadership, how leaders enact equity through organizational transformation and preparation, and the ongoing struggles and possibilities within Puerto Rico’s education system.

LinkedIn: Patricia Virella

Andrene J. Castro

2017–2019 GSC Representative | Virginia Commonwealth University | Graduate institution: University of Texas at Austin

Andrene J. Castro is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at Virginia Commonwealth University. Her research broadly explores the politics of race in education policy across two areas: 1) policies and leadership practices impacting teacher recruitment and retention with a focus on educators of color; and 2) school policies shaping neighborhood-communities.

Shannon R. Holder

2017–2019 GSC Representative | Central Connecticut State University | Graduate institution: University of Connecticut

Dr. Shannon R. Holder (she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Instructional Technology at Central Connecticut State University. She is from Hartford, Connecticut and prior to her doctoral work at the University of Connecticut, Shannon taught 10th grade government at a CREC inter-district magnet school. She received a B.A. in History and a M.T. in Secondary Education from Hampton University. Broadly, her research centers the experiences of students from traditionally marginalized communities who are impacted by educational policies and educational leadership. She aims to use her research to study equity-based initiatives and to uncover how to make the United States educational system more just. Shannon’s area of expertise includes tracking and detracking reform, equity-based policy analysis, social studies curriculum, and qualitative research.

Matt Stier

2017–2019 GSC Representative | University of Iowa | Graduate institution: University of Iowa

Kevin L. Clay

2016–2019 GSC Representative | Rutgers University | Graduate institution: Rutgers University

Dr. Kevin L. Clay is an associate professor of Black Studies in Education at Rutgers University. His research analyzes questions concerning Black education, youth activism, and political ideology development in conversation with political economic theory. He co-edited The Promise of Youth Anti-citizenship: Race and Revolt in Education (University of Minnesota Press, 2024). His first monograph is titled I Guess This is Activism? Youth, Political Education, and Free Market Common Sense, (University of Minnesota Press, June 2026).

Nakia Gray-Nicolas

2016–2018 GSC Representative | Queens College, CUNY | Graduate institution: New York University

Chandler Patton Miranda

2016–2018 GSC Representative | Molloy University | Graduate institution: New York University

Chandler Patton Miranda is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at Molloy University and an educational anthropologist. Her research examines the schooling experiences of recently arrived immigrant youth and how educators navigate immigration policy and exclusionary systems in their daily practice. A former high school teacher, she studies how schools create inclusive, empowering environments in the face of political hostility. She is the author of Sanctuary School: Innovating to Empower Immigrant Youth (Harvard Education Press, 2025), which explores how educators move beyond protection to foster belonging, stability, and student leadership.

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram: @chandlerpattonmiranda | Bluesky: @chandlermiranda.bsky.social

Meredith Wronowski

2016–2018 GSC Representative | University of Dayton | Graduate institution: University of Oklahoma

Bryan VanGronigen

2015–2018 GSC Representative | University of Delaware | Graduate institution: University of Virginia

Served as the UCEA Headquarters Representative.

David Aguayo

2015–2017 GSC Representative | University of Missouri | Graduate institution: University of Missouri

Elizabeth Gil

2015–2017 GSC Representative | Fordham University | Graduate institution: Michigan State University

Dr. Elizabeth Gil studies educational leadership with an emphasis on community-engaged practices, culturally responsive leadership, and the experiences of immigrant families. Her work examines how leaders learn from community spaces that empower parents and youth to inform culturally responsive and sustaining leadership practices. As a former NYC public school educator, she brings over a decade of experience in Pre-K to 12 education to her work. In addition to being a UCEA GSC Alumna, she is also a Jackson Scholar and Clark Scholar alum.

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Rachel White

2015–2017 GSC Representative | University of Texas at Austin | Graduate institution: Michigan State University

Dr. White is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership & Policy at the University of Texas at Austin. She is the founder of The Superintendent Lab and a Faculty in Residence with AASA, The School Superintendents Association. Dr. White's research centers around issues of power, voice, diversity, and inclusion in education policy spaces. Currently, her work focuses on inequities in superintendent labor markets, superintendent mobility and attrition, and how superintendents navigate politically contentious spaces. In her teaching and research, Dr. White brings her lens as a former school board member and vice president, high school cross country and track coach, and policy analyst with the Michigan Association of School Administrators.

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Wesley Henry

2014–2016 GSC Representative | Sacred Heart University | Graduate institution: University of Washington

Wesley is an associate professor and chair of the Department of Educational Leadership at Sacred Heart University. He earned his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies from the University of Washington. Wesley's research interests stretch across the rural-urban spectrum and are rooted in better understanding educational leadership preparation, the role of professional learning in setting organizational dynamics within educational settings, and the democratization of school leadership.

Hilary Lustick

2014–2016 GSC Representative | University of Massachusetts Lowell | Graduate institution: New York University

Isaiah McGee

2014–2016 GSC Representative | Graduate institution: University of Iowa

Jada Phelps

2014–2016 GSC Representative | Michigan State University | Graduate institution: Indiana University

Dr. Jada Phelps is an education leader and scholar whose fifteen plus years of practitioner experience across school systems from Houston to Milwaukee is complemented by decades of activist engagement in education policy and technical assistance with organizations including the NAACP and the U.S. Department of Education, former Equity Assistance Centers'. Her scholarship interrogates the intersections of anti-Blackness and schooling, centering the lived experiences of Black students, families, and communities navigating racialized educational systems. Her work encompasses both the preparation of school leaders to address structural racism in education and the examination of effective partnerships designed to counter anti-Black policies and practices. Her recent work pays particular attention to the specific contexts and needs of Black African immigrant students. Through this integrated approach of scholarship and practice, Jada advances frameworks and practitioner recommendations for disrupting the systemic barriers that reproduce educational inequity for Black learners.

Kristina Brezicha

2013–2015 GSC Representative | Neumann University | Graduate institution: Pennsylvania State University

Kristina Brezicha is an Associate Professor at Neumann University. Her research centers on the relationship between education and democracy. She has presented her work at numerous conferences and published in many academic journals such as the American Journal of Education, Educational Administration Quarterly, and Urban Education.

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Daniela Torre Gibney

2013–2015 GSC Representative | Bellwether | Graduate institution: Vanderbilt University

Amy L. Reynolds

2013–2015 GSC Representative | Utah Education Policy Center | Graduate institution: University of Virginia

Amy Reynolds, Ph.D., is a Research Associate at the Utah Education Policy Center (UEPC), where she leads research and evaluation projects in partnership with state agencies and educational organizations. Prior to joining UEPC, Amy worked at EdPolicyWorks at the University of Virginia on IES grant-funded projects examining the impacts of the pandemic on student and teacher outcomes and how teachers' working conditions affect retention and job satisfaction. Amy's research focuses on improving equitable access to high-quality educational opportunity using rigorous quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches. Her work has been published in the American Educational Research Journal, Educational Review, and Leadership and Policy in Schools. Amy brings more than 20 years of experience in education, including nearly a decade as a public high school science teacher in Chicago and Charlottesville. She holds a Ph.D. and M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from the University of Virginia and a B.A. in Biology from Hope College.

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Jasmine Ulmer

2012–2014 GSC Representative | Graduate institution: University of Florida

James Vines

2012–2014 GSC Representative | Villanova University | Graduate institution: Clemson University

Yinying (Helen) Wang

2012–2014 GSC Representative | Georgia State University | Graduate institution: University of Cincinnati

Yinying Wang is an associate professor of educational leadership in the Department of Educational Policy Studies in the College of Education and Human Development at Georgia State University. Her research focuses on decision-making, network analysis, and technology in educational leadership. In addition to teaching educational leadership courses, she also teaches Social Network Analysis. Her background includes medical doctor, classroom teacher, and school administrator. She earned her Ed.D. in urban educational leadership at the University of Cincinnati.

Website | LinkedIn

Rod Whiteman

2012–2014 GSC Representative | Graduate institution: Indiana University

Erin Anderson

2011–2013 GSC Representative | University of Rochester | Graduate institution: University of Virginia

Erin Anderson is an Associate Professor and the William and Sheila Konar Director of the Center for Urban Education Success at the University of Rochester. She spent ten years as an assistant and associate professor at the University of Denver. Her research focuses on planning, leading, and implementing equity-oriented continuous school and district improvement as well as leadership preparation and educator well-being. Before entering academia, she worked as a teacher, teacher leader, and dean of students in Virginia and New York.

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Bradley W. Davis

2011–2013 GSC Representative | University of Houston | Graduate institution: The University of Texas at Austin

Bradley Davis is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies at the University of Houston. His teaching and research interests include community engagement, workforce development, program evaluation, engineering education, longitudinal data analysis, educator career outcomes, and educational policy analysis. Prior to joining the faculty at UH, Dr. Davis was a faculty member at the University of Texas at Arlington and a public school educator in the Greater Houston. Bradley is a former UCEA home office Graduate Assistant (UT Austin) and founding member of the GSC.

Richard Gonzales

2011–2013 GSC Representative | University of Connecticut | Graduate institution: University of Texas at Austin

Richard Gonzales is a professor in residence and director of educational leadership preparation programs at the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education. His work focuses on school leader development and preparation. Before entering higher education, Dr. Gonzales worked for sixteen years as a teacher, a principal, and a district-level administrator.

Sedat Gümüş

2011–2013 GSC Representative | The Education University of Hong Kong | Graduate institution: Michigan State University

Sedat Gümüş is a professor in the Department of Education Policy and Leadership (EPL) at the Education University of Hong Kong. He is also currently serving as the Acting Director of The Joseph Lau Luen Hung Charitable Trust Asia Pacific Centre for Leadership and Change (APCLC). He worked at several institutions in Türkiye and at Aarhus University in Denmark before moving to Hong Kong.

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Madeline Mavrogordato

2011–2013 GSC Representative | Michigan State University | Graduate institution: Vanderbilt University

Madeline Mavrogordato, PhD, is Director of the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC) and Professor of Educational Administration and Policy in the College of Education at Michigan State University. She is an expert on education leadership and policy, including policy design and implementation, leveraging policy to expand educational opportunity for underserved students, and how to recruit, retain, evaluate, and support educators and leaders who are prepared to serve the new demography of American public schools. Dr. Mavrogordato is especially well known for her scholarship at the intersection of education policy and multilingual students classified as English learners. She partners extensively with district and state policymakers to formulate education policy and advance education reform. Dr. Mavrogordato received her PhD in Leadership and Policy Studies from Vanderbilt University.

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Amanda Werts

2011–2013 GSC Representative | Independent | Graduate institution: Clemson University