Patricia M. Virella is a New York City native who has worked in urban schools for over a decade in the elementary setting. Patricia is a former elementary charter school principal and teacher. Patricia is currently a Ph.D. student and research assistant at the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. Recently, she has served as Managing Editor of Educational Administration Quarterly. Additionally, she serves as faculty at Sarah Lawrence College’s Art of Teaching Program, and adjunct faculty at the University of Connecticut’s Neag School for Education.  Her research interest includes urban education, educational leadership, Puerto Rico Education reforms and policy, and pre-service teacher education.

Bryan A. VanGronigen is a PhD student in education administration and supervision at the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia and serves as a graduate research assistant to both Professor Daniel L. Duke and the University Council for Educational Administration Headquarters Office. His research focuses on organizational resilience and change in PK-12 school settings, the role and influence of third-party vendors in PK-12 education, and educational leaders’ judgment and decision making processes. Prior to enrolling in a doctoral program, he was a teacher and school administrator in public and independent schools in Missouri and South Carolina. He also volunteers his time with several non-profits, including serving as the Assistant Dean of the Legislative School for The American Legion Boys State of Missouri, an eight-day youth-in-government summer program. Bryan earned his B.S.Ed. in secondary social studies from the University of Missouri and his M.Ed. in higher education administration and institutional advancement from the Peabody College of Education at Vanderbilt University.

Kevin Clay is a 5^th year doctoral candidate in Education at Rutgers University. For the past six years, he’s taught and advised in several pre-college access programs that serve mostly low-income, Black and Latinx residents in cities throughout the state of New Jersey. In this context, Kevin currently facilitates youth participatory action research (YPAR) with a group of high school students, where they research local, national, and global problems, and develop plans to make interventions in the students’ community. Kevin’s experiences in this settings form the basis of his dissertation research on how young people negotiate political orientations on matters of race, class, and inequality. In addition to these areas, Kevin teaches two courses at Rutgers University in the Graduate School of Education– Individual and Cultural Diversity and Introduction to Education. He has also co-taught Urban Education. Fall 2016, he began teaching African American studies at Middlesex County College. Aside from his research and teaching, Kevin was recently elected to the American Educational Research Association Division G Executive Committee to serve on the mentoring subcommittee. He also joined Rowan University College of Education’s Project IMPACT (Increasing Male Practitioners of Color) as a mentor to newly enrolled pre-service teachers, committed to teaching in communities of color upon their graduation.

Nakia Gray-Nicolas is a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership at the Steinhardt School of Education, Culture and Human Development at New York University. Her research focuses on interrogating the purpose and effectiveness of, and access to pre-college transition programs. She hopes to pursue an academic career and also continue to do research on programs and interventions in high school and college contexts that promote academic persistence and success for low-income and working class students of color. Prior to entering her doctoral program, she worked at a non-profit organization as the youth services director and as a middle school English teacher. While enrolled in her program she worked as a college transition program director, and now works as a college lecturer. Nakia holds a B.A. in English from Cornell University and two M.S.Ed’s (English Education and Inclusive Special Education) from the Syracuse University Graduate School of Education. Nakia is also an avid volunteer and continues to mentor high school and college students.

Meredith Wronowski is currently pursuing a PhD in Educational Administration, Curriculum, and Supervision at the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education at The University of Oklahoma. Her primary research interest is recruiting and retaining effective educators in urban, high-needs schools, and she has participated in research collaborations with the University of Central Oklahoma and The K20 Center at The University of Oklahoma. She also holds a Master’s of Education degree in Cross-cultural Teaching from National University in San Diego, California and a Bachelor’s of Science in Microbiology from the University of Oklahoma. She has previously taught high school science, and holds a National Board of Professional Teaching Standards certification in Adolescent and Young Adult Science. She has also previously worked as an instructional coach in Oklahoma City Public Schools, and she is currently an active practitioner working as the Director of Teacher Leadership for Lighthouse Charter School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

David Aguayo 2015-17 GSC Representative

Elizabeth Gil 2015-17 GSC Representative

Elizabeth Gil is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Administrative and Instructional Leadership at St. John’s University, having earned her PhD in K-12 Educational Administration at Michigan State University, where she was named a King-Chávez-Parks Future Faculty Fellow. Her research interests include family educational involvement, culturally responsive educational leadership practices, and post-high school educational access and success. Elizabeth also serves as a faculty member with the Summer Workshop of the Institute for Recruitment of Teachers. Prior to becoming a professor, she taught in New York City public schools for over 10 years, also serving as a grant coordinator and data specialist working with children, parents, and teachers. Elizabeth holds a Bachelor’s degree in history from New York University, a Certificate in bilingual education, and Master’s degrees in Curriculum and Teaching from Michigan State University, and Educational Administration from the College of Saint Rose.

Rachel White 2015-17 GSC Representative

Amy Reynolds 2013-15 GSC Representative

Amy Reynolds is a doctoral student at the University of Virginia in the Educational Administration and Supervision Department and a graduate research assistant for the UCEA Headquarters Office. Her research interests include selection processes for school-level leaders and the context and impact of state policies for school leader preparation and licensure. Her methodological interests include both quantitative (e.g. HLM) and qualitative (e.g. policy archaeology) techniques. Prior to her work at the University of Virginia, Amy was a high school biology and chemistry teacher in Chicago Public Schools and Charlottesville City Schools, wrote curriculum and served as the Division Advisory Moderator for a Chicago charter school, and served as a science teaching Fellow Adviser for the Chicago Teaching Fellows.

Daniela Torre 2013-15 GSC Representative

Kristina Brezicha  2013-15 GSC Representative

Kristina Brezicha is a doctoral candidate at The Pennsylvania State University in Educational Theory and Policy and Comparative International Education program. Her research focuses on student voice, school reforms and improvement including leadership development and teacher quality. Prior to beginning her doctoral program, she taught elementary special education students in New York City. She holds two Master degrees, one in Politics and Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and the second in Urban Education from Mercy College. 

James Vines  2012-14 GSC Representative

Jasmine Ulmer  2012-14 GSC Representative

Jasmine B. Ulmer currently is an assistant professor in the College of Education at Wayne State University, where she teaches and directs the doctoral track in qualitative methods. Her overall program of research develops place-based methodologies and pedagogies, particularly as they relate to social justice and educational research. Within that, her research interests include methodologies for critical policy analysis and critical discourse analysis. Her works have appeared in journals such as Qualitative Inquiry, Cultural Studies <=> Critical Methodologies, Education Policy Analysis Archives, and Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, among others. She is a former National Board Certified Teacher, instructional coach, and U.S. Department of Education Teaching Ambassador Fellow. She graduated from the University of Florida with a Ph.D. in educational leadership and a concentration in educational research methodologies.

Rod Whiteman  2012-14 GSC Representative

Rod Whiteman is a third year doctoral student in Education Policy Studies at Indiana University. Prior to his graduate work, Rod taught middle and high school choral music. At IU, he has served as a graduate research assistant at the Center for Evaluation & Education Policy and has taught social foundations of education in the teacher education program. Rod¹s research examines how public policy affects schools as organizations, and the identity development of school leaders within organizational contexts.

Yinying (Helen) Wang 2012-14 GSC Representative

Erin Anderson  2011-13 GSC Representative

Erin Anderson is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy in the Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver. She received her Ph.D. in Administration and Supervision from the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. Dr. Anderson worked for five years as a research assistant and research associate for the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA). During this time, she served on the committee for the Professional Standards of National Leaders. The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) has contracted her to support the development of the 2015 PSEL and 2016 National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) standards. Dr. Anderson had been published in the Journal of Research on Leadership Education and the upcoming Handbook of Educational Supervision (2019). She is also the co-author of A policymaker’s guide: Research-based policy for principal preparation program approval and licensure (2015).  Her research interests include planning for and leading school improvement, effective leadership practices in schools and districts, and policy and practices for high-quality principal preparation.  

Bradley W. Davis 2011-13 GSC Representative

Bradley W. Davis is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at The University of Texas at Arlington. He is a mixed-methods researcher whose teaching and research interests include social justice leadership, public school administration, leadership policy, educator labor markets, and education law. Prior to joining The University of Texas at Arlington, Dr. Davis was a public school educator in the Greater Houston area. He holds a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Texas at Austin.

Richard Gonzales

Sedat Gumus 2011-13 GSC Representative

Sedat Gumus is an associate professor of Educational Administration at Necmettin Erbakan University, Turkey. He earned his MA and PhD in Educational Administration at Michigan State University. He worked as Vice Director and Director of International Relations at the Council of Higher Education, Turkey’s national higher education planning and coordination body between 2013-2015. He also conducted research as visiting scholar at University of Georgia’s Institute of Higher Education during 2015-2016 academic year. Dr. Gumus’s research interests include comparative and international education, educational policy, and higher education. He uses both qualitative and quantitative methods in his research.

Madeline Mavrogordato

Madeline Mavrogordato is an assistant professor of K-12 educational administration in the College of Education at Michigan State University. She received her Ph.D. in Leadership and Policy Studies at Peabody College, Vanderbilt University. Dr. Mavrogordato’s research centers on issues surrounding school reform and improvement for disadvantaged student populations. She utilizes both quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate how the social context of education, implementation of educational policies, and school leadership shape educational outcomes for underserved students, particularly immigrants and English language learners.

Amanda Werts 2011-13 GSC Representative