Board of Directors
Marietta, Ga.
Chair, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
Former Governor Roy E. Barnes of Georgia was re-elected Chair of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in October 2006. Barnes was elected the 80th Governor of Georgia in 1998. During his four-year term he concentrated on education reform, health care reform, problems of urban growth and sprawl, and created the Georgia Cancer Coalition. Gov. Barnes has also served as Chairman of the Southern Regional Education Board, Chairman of the Southern Governors' Association and Chairman of the Education Commission of the States.
Just two years out of law school at age 26, Barnes ran for and was elected to the first of eight terms in the Georgia State Senate. He was the youngest person serving in the Senate at the time of his election and one of the youngest ever elected in the history of the state. While in the Senate, Barnes served on several important committees including Appropriations, Rules and Transportation. He also served as chairman of the Judiciary Committee and was chairman of the Select Committee on Constitutional Revision, which rewrote Georgia's Constitution.
Prior to his governorship, Barnes served three terms in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1993-1998. During his tenure in the House, he served as vice chairman of the Judiciary Committee and chairman of the Subcommittee on General Law.
Throughout his career, Gov. Barnes has received many awards and honors, including the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for his stand in reducing the Confederate battle emblem on the Georgia flag. Barnes is a fellow in the American Academy of Trial Lawyers and, in 2003, the Atlanta Bar Association recognized him with its prestigious Leadership Award for his lifetime of service and achievement in the practice of law.
Gov. Barnes is currently managing the Barnes Law Group, LLC, in Marietta, Ga. He also serves as a full-time volunteer at Atlanta Legal Aid, which provides free legal services to the poor and elderly in civil matters.
Corpus Christi, Texas
Vice Chair, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
Rebecca A. Palacios was re-elected Vice Chair of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in October 2006. A founding board member, Palacios previously served on the NBPTS Board of Directors from 1987-1994 and was the first former director to pursue and achieve National Board Certification.
Dr. Palacios is a bilingual pre-kindergarten teacher at Zavala Special Emphasis School in Corpus Christi, Texas, and was a member of the Texas Commission on Standards for the Teaching Profession. She was the Corpus Christi Independent School District's (CCISD) first Teacher of the Year in 1986 and a past president of the Corpus Christi Association for Bilingual Education.
Dr. Palacios has co-written several kindergarten and pre-kindergarten curriculum handbooks and guides for the CCISD. She is also the founder and former president of the Pre-Kindergarten Professionals and Paraprofessionals Association in Corpus Christi and has been an adjunct professor in Early Childhood and Bilingual Education at Del Mar College, Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi and the University of the Incarnate Word in Corpus Christi.
Dr. Palacios earned a master's degree in curriculum and instruction at Corpus Christi State University (known today as Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi) and a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction in early childhood at the University of Texas at Austin.
Joseph A. Aguerrebere, Jr.
President and CEO of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
Joseph A. Aguerrebere, Jr. is President of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Prior to joining the National Board, Dr. Aguerrebere was Deputy Director of the Education, Sexuality and Religion (ESR) Unit at the Ford Foundation in New York. In addition to his management responsibilities, his grant-making work focused on education reform and the development of quality teachers and school system leaders for all students. He has supported a long-standing national initiative that works with key national organizations to strengthen the quality of teachers and leaders in education. Dr. Aguerrebere's grantees included the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, the National Governors Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National Association of State Boards of Education, Recruiting New Teachers, Inc., the Council for Basic Education, Education Commission of the States, the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education, the NEA Foundation, the Institute for Educational Leadership, and the Rand Corporation. He also supported the advancement of community service in educational settings.
Peggy Brookins
Ocala, Fl.
Forest High School
Peggy Brookins is a National Board Certified Teacher (Adolescence and Young Adulthood/Mathematics) and serves as Director/Mathematics Instructor of Engineering and Manufacturing Institute of Technology at Forest High School in Ocala, Florida. She was recognized as Forest High School Teacher of the Year in 1994, and was the recipient of the Florida Education Association 2007 Excellence in Teaching Award.
Ms. Brookins is a National Trainer for the American Federation of Teachers’ programs Thinking Mathematics I, Thinking Mathematics II, Thinking Mathematics III, and Thinking Mathematics Middle School: The Journey Into Algebra. She also serves as a member of the Sphere of Influence for the Naval Academy, and as a member of the High Schools That Work evaluation team. She is a graduate of the University of Florida.
Ann Byrd
Hillsborough, N.C.
Center for Teaching Quality
Ann Byrd is a National Board Certified Teacher (Adolescence and Young Adulthood/English Language Arts). She currently serves as Director of Programs for the Center for Teaching Quality in Hillsborough, North Carolina. She previously was the Executive Director for the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA) in Rock Hill, S.C. Prior to her work with CERRA, Ms. Byrd was a language arts teacher at the Lancaster County School District in Lancaster, S.C.
Liane Cismowski
Concord, Calif.
Olympic High School in Concord, California
Liane Cismowski is a National Board Certified Teacher in Adolescence and Young Adulthood/ English Language Arts (2001). She is an English and English Language Development teacher at Olympic High School in Concord, Calif. She was recognized as the Contra Costa County Teacher of the Year in 2003, was the recipient of the California Teachers Association WHO award in 2004 and was California District Seven Teacher of the Year in 2005. In 2006 she was named the California Affiliate Nominee for the NEA Award for Teaching Excellence. She has led the Mt. Diablo National Board Certification candidate support group for the past six years. Ms. Cismowski is also a faculty member for the Masters of Arts in Teaching Leadership program at St. Mary’s College, Calif.
Michael de la Torre
South Gate, Calif.
Bryson Avenue Elementary School
Michael de la Torre is an NBCT (Early & Middle Childhood/English as a New Language) and a bilingual teacher at Bryson Avenue Elementary, a California Distinguished School and Title 1 Academic Achieving School, in South Gate, California. He is an elected co-chair of the Peer Assistance & Review Panel, representing over 40,000 educators in the Los Angeles Unified School District. He is an elected House of Representatives member for United Teachers Los Angeles, UTLA, and the elected Chapter Chair at his school site. He supports new teachers as a mentor and through BTSA, Beginning Teacher Support & Assessment. He has served as an assessor for NBPTS and is currently providing support to veteran teachers seeking National Board Certification as a facilitator through The Support Network, a collaborative between LAUSD and UTLA. When he is not busy advocating for children and educators, he volunteers his time educating the public about conservation as an animal handler at the Los Angeles Zoo’s Animals & You show or as a facilitator for the zoo’s EcoCorps program for high achieving freshman, sophomores and juniors.
Princeton, N.J.
Sr. Fellow, Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship
David Haselkorn is Senior Fellow and Director of Policy and Research at the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation in Princeton, N.J. He previously was Vice President, Strategic and Policy Initiatives, at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Mr. Haselkorn also served as President of Recruiting New Teachers, Inc (RNT). Prior to joining RNT, Mr. Haselkorn served as the senior policy advisor for the National Commission on Teaching & America's Future. He is the recipient of the 2001 Distinguished Achievement Award for Excellence in Education Publishing of the Association of Education Publishers for How To Become a Teacher: A Complete Guide and received the same award in 1999 for Take This Job and Love It: Making the Mid-Career Move to Teaching.
Denver, Colo.
Colorado Academy
Ruth Larson is a National Board Certified Teacher (Middle Childhood/Generalist), having achieved National Board Certification in 1998. She is a fifth grade teacher at the Colorado Academy in Denver, Colo. Ms. Larson is a member of the Colorado Council International Reading Association Executive Committee and serves as the director of membership development which is a liaison role to the International Reading Association. In 2001, Ms. Larson was the recipient of the National Teaching Training Institute Teacher of the Year Award. Her daughter and sister are also National Board Certified Teachers.
Moyock, N.C.
Former President of the National School Boards Association
Mary Ellen Maxwell is a former president of the National School Boards Association Board of Directors and an executive committee member of the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. Most recently, she was a member of the North Carolina School Boards Association Board of Directors and the Currituck County Board of Education. She resides in Moyock, N.C. Ms. Maxwell is on the NSBA/Music Educators National Conference Music Task Force.
Washington, D.C.
President, American Federation of Teachers
Edward J. McElroy is president of the 1.3 million-member American Federation of Teachers (AFT) in Washington, D.C. Prior to his election as AFT president in 2004, Mr. McElroy served 12 years as AFT secretary-treasurer. He joined the AFT executive council in 1974 and was re-elected as a vice president every two years until his election as secretary-treasurer. A longtime educator and labor leader, Mr. McElroy also serves on the executive council of the AFL-CIO, to which he was elected in December 2001. He began his career as a social studies and English teacher in Warwick, R.I., and was elected president of the Warwick Teacher Union in 1967. At age 30, Mr. McElroy became president of the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers, a position he held until he was elected AFT secretary-treasurer.
Lincoln, Neb.
Center for Curriculum and Instruction, University of Nebraska
Thomas McGowan is Professor and Dean at the Center for Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln in Lincoln, Neb. Previously he served as a Professor in the College of Education at Arizona State University, member of the board of directors and executive committee of the National Council for the Social Studies, Arizona Council for the Social Studies past-president and member of the board of directors of the Indiana Council for the Social Studies.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
College of Education, Temple University
C. Kent McGuire is the dean of the College of Education at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Immediately prior to his appointment in July 2003, Dr. McGuire served as senior vice president of the Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation, where his responsibilities included leadership of the education, children and youth division. From 1998 to 2001, Dr. McGuire served in the Clinton administration as assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, where he was the senior officer for the department’s research and development agency. As education program officer for The Pew Charitable Trusts from 1995 to 1998, he managed Pew’s K-12 grants portfolio. From 1991 to 1995, Dr. McGuire served as education program director for the Eli Lilly Endowment.
Daniel J. Montgomery
Skokie, Ill.
North Suburban Teachers Union, IFT/AFT
Daniel J. Montgomery is president of the North Suburban Teachers Union, IFT/AFT in Skokie, Ill., where he leads a 1,600-member union representing K-12 teachers and support staff in eleven school districts. Mr. Montgomery also is an English teacher at Niles North High School; and is a member of the National Council of Teachers of English. He also serves as vice president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers; and is a member of the K-12 Program and Policy Council, and K-12 Organizing Committee of the American Federation of Teachers.
Denver, Colo.
Barnum Elementary School
Lori Nazareno is a National Board Certified Teacher (Adolescence and Young Adulthood/Science), having achieved National Board Certification in 1999. She is a teacher at Barnum Elementary School in Denver, Colo. She previously was a teacher at Myrtle Grove Elementary in the Miami-Dade County Public School District. She is the founding president of the National Board Certified Teacher Network of Miami-Dade. In 2002, Ms. Nazareno was named School for Applied Technology Teacher of the Year and Bureau of Vocational, Adult and Alternative Education Teacher of the Year. That same year, Ms. Nazareno was a district finalist for Teacher of the Year in Miami-Dade County.
Maria Neira
Latham, N.Y.
New York State United Teachers
Maria Neira is first vice president of the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) in Latham, N.Y. Ms. Neira is responsible for the statewide union’s Research and Educational Services department. In July 2004, Ms. Neira was elected an American Federation of Teachers vice president. She began her teaching career in New York City in 1977 and later served as a 4th grade bilingual teacher.
Kimberly Oliver
Silver Spring, Md.
Broad Acres Elementary School
Kimberly Oliver is a National Board Certified Teacher (Early Childhood/Generalist) and a Kindergarten Teacher at Broad Acres Elementary School in Silver Spring, Maryland. In 2006 Ms. Oliver was named National Teacher of the Year. In 2007 she was a finalist for The Horace Mann – NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence.
Harrisburg, Penn.
Susquehanna Township School District
Rebecca Pringle is an 8th grade physical science teacher in the Susquehanna Township School District in Harrisburg, Penns. She is currently a member of the National Education Association Executive Committee and the Pennsylvania State Education Association Board of Directors. Ms. Pringle is a recipient of the Pennsylvania Academy for the Profession of Teaching Award.
Birmingham, Mich.
Birmingham Seaholm High School
Kathleen Walker Reeves is a National Board Certified Teacher (Early Adolescence English Language Arts). She is an English teacher at Birmingham Seaholm High School in Birmingham, Mich. where she has been teaching grades 9-12 for more than 16 years. Ms. Reeves was the recipient of the 2001 Birmingham Education Association Political Action Award.
Glenda Ritz
Indianapolis, Ind.
Crooked Creek Elementary School
Glenda Ritz is a National Board Certified Teacher (Early Childhood through Young Adulthood/Library Media). She is a media specialist at Crooked Creek Elementary School in Indianapolis, Ind. Mrs. Ritz is the president of the Washington Township Education Association and serves on the Board of Directors of the Indiana State Teachers Association.
Birmingham, Ala.
Jefferson County Board of Education
Betsy Rogers is a National Board Certified Teacher (Early Childhood/Generalist). She is a School Improvement Specialist for the Jefferson County Board of Education in Alabama. In 2003, she was named the National Teacher of the Year, becoming the third NBCT to win the award. A 1974 graduate of Samford University in Birmingham, Dr. Rogers earned three additional degrees in the past six years, including a doctorate in educational leadership.
Ruth Ann Sweazy
Taylorsville, Ky.
Taylorsville Elementary School
Ruth Ann Sweazy is a National Board Certified Teacher (Early Childhood/Generalist). She is an early primary teacher at Taylorsville Elementary School in Taylorsville, Ky. Ms. Sweazy is a charter member of the Kentucky Association for National Board Certified Teachers where she has served in leadership roles of president, vice president, and secretary. She also is a Board of Trustee Member of the Kentucky Teachers’ Retirement System, and is a member of the Governor’s Education Advisory Work Group. In 2002, Ms. Sweazy received the Milken Family Foundation Educator Award.
Redmond, Washi.
Lake Washington School District
Kevin Teeley is on leave from his teaching position in the Lake Washington School District in Redmond, Wash., serving his 11th year as full-time president of the Lake Washington Education Association. Mr. Teeley taught 5th and 6th grade gifted students for 13 years, then worked for two years as a curriculum/staff development specialist in charge of aligning district resources with student standards. He served on the National Education Association's Professional Standards and Practice Committee for six years, and has been active on professional issues in his local and state associations for 25 years. Mr. Teeley represented the NEA on a goodwill mission to Russia, and was twice elected as an NEA delegate to Education International's World Congress.
Roger Tilles
Great Neck, N.Y.
New York State Board of Regents
Roger B. Tilles is a resident of Great Neck, N.Y. In April 2005, he was elected Regent on the New York State Board of Regents, representing Long Island. The New York State Board of Regents is responsible for the general supervision of all educational activities in the state - presiding over The University and the New York State Education Department.
Mr. Tilles’ prior experience has included serving as Director of Law and Legislation for the Michigan Department of Education, and he also was elected to the Michigan State Board of Education. He was also the counsel to the Michigan Teacher Tenure Commission as well as a Special Education Hearing Officer. After being a candidate for U.S. Congress, he opened his own law practice in Washington, D.C., in 1978, until his return to Long Island in 1983 where he is a Director of Tilles Investment Companies.
Mr. Tilles has been involved in extensive business and philanthropic activities, including serving as Chair of the Long Island University Board of Trustees, the former Chair of the Long Island Regional Planning Board, and has been Executive Vice Chairman of the Tilles Center For The Performing Arts, in addition to serving on the Board and Executive Board of the Long Island Association. He has also worked to form the Long Island Arts Alliance, bringing together the cultural institutions of Long Island. He has been a vocal advocate for arts education on Long Island and across America.
Thomas C. Trang
Columbus, Ohio
Centennial High School
Thomas C. Trang is an NBCT (Adolescence and Young Adulthood, Science) and a Science Teacher at Metro High School in Columbus, Ohio. Mr. Trang was a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, and was a Fulbright teacher in 2003. He was a recipient of the Ohio Governor Award for Excellence in Teaching, and was a Disney’s Excellence in Teaching nominee.
Washington, D.C.
President, National Education Association
Reg Weaver is the current president of the National Education Association headquartered in Washington, D.C. Mr. Weaver spent 35 years in the classroom as a middle school teacher in Illinois. As former president of the Illinois Education Association, former member of the Illinois Commission for the Improvement of Elementary and Secondary Education, current executive board member of the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education and listed in Who's Who in Black America, Mr. Weaver is an experienced leader in education at the local, state and national level.
Kathleen Wiebke
Phoenix, Ariz.
Executive Director Arizona K-12 Center
Kathleen Wiebke is a National Board Certified Teacher (Middle Childhood, Generalist) and is the Executive Director of the Arizona K-12 Center in Phoenix, Arizona. The Arizona K-12 Center provides professional development to pK-12 educators. Ms. Wiebke previously served as Deputy Associate Superintendent at the Arizona Department of Education; and as a principal and teacher in the Paradise Valley Unified School District.
Founding Officers
Honorable James B. Hunt Jr.
Founding Chair,
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
Former Governor, North Carolina
Raleigh, N.C.
James A. Kelly
Founding President,
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.