Get to Know the Graduate Student Council

 

Learn all about the Graduate Student Council here

 Past GSC Representatives here

 Current GSC Representatives

Andrea “Andii” Layton is a second-year doctoral student in education policy and leadership at Pennsylvania State University (PSU). Her research interests include creating racial and educational equity, student empowerment, and curricular assessment for teacher preparation programs in higher education institutions. Before attending PSU, Layton received an M.A. degree from the University of Chicago in social work administration and a B.A. degree in sociology and African American studies at Rutgers University. She has also worked as a seventh-grade humanities teacher, and as a high school college, and career counselor for undocumented students who were over-aged and under credited. Her published research has appeared in the American Journal of Education and Critical Race Studies in Education Association. She is also a proud recipient of the Anti-Racism Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center grant. Layton is excited and happy to be a part of the UCEA family.

Jeana Partin 2021-24 GSC Representative

Jeana Partin is a Ph.D. student in Educational Administration at the University of Tennessee (UTK) and serves as a graduate research assistant for UTK’s Center for Educational Leadership. Her research interests include understanding mindfulness in principals’ decision-making and online and hybrid home-centered K-12 education. Jeana is the founder and administrator of Cumberland Christian Academy in Knoxville, TN. Her previous roles include operations manager and controller for the international software company Waves, Inc. and area representative for the international curriculum and tutor training company, Classical Conversations. In addition, she has participated on several educational non-profit organization boards which serve marginalized youth in her area. Jeana looks forward to helping her fellow graduate students as a member of the UCEA Graduate Student Council.

Dre’Sha Singleton 2021-24 GSC Representative

Dre’Sha Singleton is a doctoral student at North Carolina State University in the Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis program in the College of Education. Dre’Sha is also a Graduate Assistant with the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research. In addition to being a doctoral student she is also the Business Development Manager for The Justice Firm, LLC in Charlotte, NC, that represents victims of eminent domain and supports property owners navigating the condemnation process. Her research interests include education policy narratives in the policy making process and justice in education. She holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Bachelor’s of Science from Winthrop University as well as a Graduate Certificate in Counselor Education from North Carolina State University.

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Nathan Tanner 2021-24 GSC Representative

Nathan Tanner is a third-year doctoral student In Education Policy, Organization and Leadership at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research interests include the history of education and schooling in the Mountain West, addressing racial equity and justice, as well as challenging Whiteness in PK-20 contexts. He transitioned to doctoral studies and educational research after working as a middle school social studies teacher in Salt Lake City, Utah, and as an ESL teacher in Tianjin, China. Nathan holds a B.A. in History and a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Policy. Having benefited greatly from UCEA’s programming and welcoming community, Nathan is excited to serve and work with graduate students as a GSC member. 

Joonkil Ahn 2020-22 GSC Representative

Joonkil Ahn is a Ph.D. student in Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Joonkil taught English Language Arts for 17 years in multiple public high schools and served as a department chair in one high school in Korea. His primary research agenda focuses on K-12 leadership strategies that enhance teachers’ self-efficacy in instruction, classroom management, and student engagement. He is especially interested in for whom and when principal’s leadership practices may or may not work for educational outcomes. Having benefited much from both Jackson Scholar and David L. Clark programs, Joonkil looks forward to serving peer graduate students as a member of the Graduate Student Council.

Frank Gause 2020-22 GSC Representative

Frank Gause is a PhD. student in the Educational Foundations program at the University of South Carolina. Frank holds a teaching certification in Secondary Social Studies and is Montessori credentialed (I and II). He has over 15 years of teaching experience at the secondary level. He is a trained and credentialed Cognitive Coach, Mindfulness Instructor, and has experience working as an educational consultant for K-12 and education-based organizations. His research interests include identifying the social inequities that contribute to the disproportionate representation of African American males in Special Education, using a Critical Race Theory lens to explore the use of Hip Hop culture in the classroom to create equitable learning opportunities, and the methods of displacement of African American educators in South Carolina after Brown v. Board (1954). Frank is a Grace Jordan McFadden Professors Program Scholar at the University of South Carolina and is looking forward to working with and supporting fellow graduate students as a member of the Graduate Student Council.

 

Lebon Daniel James III  2020-22 GSC Representative

Lebon Daniel James III is a Ph.D. student in the Educational Policy and Planning program in the College of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Texas at Austin. His research focuses on k-12 school leadership, principal preparation programs, and the intersection of schools and communities. More specifically, he is interested in principal capacity to support and lead staff based on the context of the communities, families, and students they serve. Lebon currently serves as an Editor with Texas Education Review and as a board member for Black Outside, a Texas-based education nonprofit dedicated to partnering with schools and providing outdoor programming for black and brown youth. Prior to pursuing a doctoral degree full-time, Lebon served as a teacher, instructional dean, and assistant principal in San Antonio, Texas, where he earned his Master of Education in School Leadership from Trinity University. Additionally, Lebon has a B.S. in Political Communication and a B.A. in Ethnic Studies he received from the University of Texas at Austin. As a doctoral student, Lebon is grateful for the tremendous commitment UCEA has made in supporting students including the mentorship he has received through the Research Development Program and programming from the Graduate Student Council. Lebon is excited to serve and support graduate students in various capacities as a member of the Graduate Student Council.

 

James “Lamar” Foster 2019-21 GSC Representative

James “Lamar” Foster is a doctoral student in the Educational Policy and Organizational Leadership program at The University of Washington (UW). Lamar’s research focuses on policy implementation, leadership, and race & equity. Prior to beginning his studies at UW, Lamar lived in Pittsburgh, PA where he attended Duquesne University and was an after-school program coordinator. He has been a proud member of UCEA and AERA since 2015. Recently, he served as the program manager for AERA’s Graduate Student Council. Lamar is also a UCEA Barabra L. Jackson scholar. He is a proud child of an immigrant and a veteran of the US military. In his free time, Lamar enjoys watching basketball, UEFA soccer, serving in his community, and spending time with his wife.

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Annie Maselli 2019-21 GSC Representative

Annie Maselli is a Ph.D. student at Pennsylvania State University in the Department of Education Policy Studies. Her research interests include the relationship between place, equity, and education and issues of educational access and justice. Serving as a graduate student associate with the Center on Rural Education and Communities, she is particularly interested in how rural schools can address issues of social inequality and community development. Annie holds a B.A. in International Development from The University of the South and a M.Ed. in Community Development and Action from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education.