Kentucky Association of School Councils | Training & On-Site Support

> AN EXPERIENCED & TALENTED TEAM

MARILYN ALTMAN is a former teacher, school counselor, and principal, currently employed by the state education department as a targeted assistance coach. She is also involved with the state's Voluntary Partnership Assistance Teams and serves as a cadre facilitator for the Kentucky Leadership Academy. Marilyn provides training for the School Administrative Manager program, the Instructional Support Network, and provides professional development for the Gurian Institute across the country.

THELMA BLAIR is a former District Assessment Coordinator and Instructional Supervisor for Lincoln County Board of Education. Previously, Thelma was principal of McKinney Elementary in Lincoln County for 15 years and had served as council chairperson from 1991-2002. She has done school council training independently since 1997, previously for KASA, and since 1998 for KASC. Thelma is a former KASC board member and officer.

ARLENE BURNETT is currently serving as District Support Facilitator for the Southeast/ South Central Area. Arlene was a Highly Skilled Educator from 2002-05. Prior to these positions she was a teacher and Instructional Supervisor in the Bell County School System. She has been a school council trainer for KASC since 2005 and also has received training through KSBA and KASC on working with councils and boards of education. Arlene is currently serving her sixth year as a board member in Bell County.

GRETA CASTO is the Library Media Specialist/School Technology Coordinator at Russell Primary School in the Russell Independent School system. She has served on the Content Advisory Committee for the Kentucky Department of Education in the area of Arts and Humanities and is a member of the Read to Achieve Reading Diagnostic and Intervention Grant Steering Committee for the state education department. She is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher and is the recipient of the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award and the Kentucky Collaborative for Teaching and Learning's Instructional Leadership Award.

MARTHA CESSNA is a retired educator. Her professional career includes serving as vocational classroom teacher, educational consultant, regional service center consultant, elementary/middle school principal, audit team lead and Kentucky Principal Network Coach. She continues to work with schools to ensure a quality education for each and every child.

KAREN CHESER recently joined the Boone County school district central office and has previously served as a principal, distinguished educator, primary program consultant, elementary teacher, high school coach, and charter member of her school's council. She has been a member of the Education Equity Task Force, president of the Kentucky chapter of the National Association for Multicultural Education, a trainer for the Kentucky Leadership Academy, and has presented at numerous national conferences.

ABBIE COMBS is is currently assistant superintendent of instruction and district assessment coordinator for the Perry County Schools. She is past president of the Kentucky Association for Assessment Coordinators. Abbie has served as principal and assistant principal in two K-8 schools. She has a master’s degree in elementary education and holds certification for principal, supervisor of instruction, superintendency, and gifted education. She has been an endorsed council trainer since 2000. She is currently her district’s SBDM liaison.

TIM CROOK is a retired educator from Versailles. Over his 30 years in education, Tim has taught elementary school, been a K-12 instructional supervisor and an elementary principal in three different Kentucky school districts. He has been involved in school councils from the first year of their existence. Tim is currently working toward his doctorate in educational leadership and teaching education classes at Asbury College.

DIANA L. DATTILO is retired from the KDE Division of School Improvement. Ms. Dattilo is a former Distinguished Educator and also served as a school council consultant with the KDE. She has been an elementary and middle school teacher and served as a teacher and parent member of two different school councils.

MICHAEL ERNST is Director of Middle Schools and Alternative Programs for Fayette County Public Schools. Michael has served as a middle school principal, Highly Skilled Educator, Kentucky Leadership Academy Trainer, middle grades social studies and language arts teacher, Writing Cluster Leader, and Extended School Services Coordinator. Michael holds certifications for educational leadership in the superintendency, instructional supervisor, and principalship.

ELAINE FARRIS is a graduate of EKU with a BS, MA, and Rank 1, and a doctoral student at UK in Administration and Supervision. She worked as a high school assistant principal, elementary principal, Distinguished Educator, elementary school director and currently is superintendent of the Shelby County Public Schools.

TIM GOTT has worked 22 years in public education in Kentucky as a teacher, guidance counselor, Highly Skilled Educator and principal. He has presented at KTLC, KASA, KAAC, NAYRE, High School Restructuring Conference, and at many districts on topics such as differentiated instruction, multiple intelligences, assessment and data analysis, emotional intelligence, and dealing with the heart and soul of education. Tim is currently the director of the Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky, on the campus of Western Kentucky University.

RONDA HARMON is the Executive Director of the Kentucky Association of School Councils. Ms. Harmon consults with schools around the state on improvement plans and student achievement. She served for four years as a teacher member of the school council at Woodlawn Elementary in Boyle County, including two years as chairperson.

RUTH HATTERICK has worked for over 30 years in public education in Kentucky, 28 of those at Harrison County High School teaching language arts and social studies and working as assistant principal. Prior to her retirement she served three years as a Highly Skilled Educator, KDE, Office of Leadership and School Improvement. Ruth currently serves as a District Support Facilitator for KDE, Division of Federal Programs and Equity.

TOM HITER is a consultant in educational and organizational leadership, and an adjunct professor of education at Murray State University. He holds a Ph.D. in Education Administration, chaired the state education department's SBDM Advisory Council, and served on the Comprehensive School Improvement Advisory Council. He was co-chair of the Governor's Advisory Council on Gifted Education and is past president and a current member of the board of directors of the Kentucky Association for Gifted Education. He serves on the boards of the Kentucky Coalition of School Volunteer Organizations and Marshall County Adult Education and Literacy Council. He has worked for the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence since 1991 and been a member of the school council trainer network since 1993.

TIM HITZFIELD is principal at Owen County High School. He has served on the KASC board of directors since 2002. He has served as a teacher representative or principal on school counicls since 1993. He brings many years of experience as a council member, from tranquil discussions to the most contested decisions, into his training sessions. Tim holds a B.A. from Thomas More College, a M.Ed. from Xavier University, and a M.A. from Eastern Kentucky University. He has been an endorsed trainer for three years.

CHRISTY HOGAN is an educational consultant and trainer who has been training school councils since 1996. She also does professional development with schools on a variety of topics involving best practice issues and has been involved in various parent education and school safety programs and workshops. Ms. Hogan was a teacher and guidance counselor and served on the school council at Tates Creek Middle School in Fayette County before she retired in 1997. She has received several PTA awards and was the recipient of the 2005 KASC Vision Award.

JUNE HYNDMAN is a professor at Eastern Kentucky University in the College of Education. She has been a teacher and principal in Kentucky Schools and a trainer for KASC for almost 10 years.

LYNNE KEEN has 25 years of experience in education with 19 of those years spent as a secondary science teacher. She is serving as an Instructional Supervisor for the secondary schools in the Marion County School District. She has provided professional development trainings to numerous school staffs throughout the state and presented at several state and national conferences.

JANICE JACKSON KENDALL is a retired educator from Graves County. Prior to retirement, she was a classroom teacher, Highly Skilled Educator, and Instructional Supervisor. Since retirement, Ms. Kendall works with the Kentucky Leadership Academy as a trainer and design team member, with Juvenile Justice as a transition counsultant, with the Kentucky Department of Education as a data collector for the SAM Project, and as a consultant to numerous schools and districts throughout the state.

PAM LADD presently works as a writing specialist at Dixie Elementary Magnet School with the Fayette County Schools. She served as Kentucky Writing Program consultant in Region 1 for eight years. A career educator, after a recent move to Lexington, she presently works as Curriculum Resource Consultant for the Boyle County Schools, does independent consulting, renovates houses, and assists her husband with his antiques business . Pam and her friend and former colleague Sharon Hatton published their book Teaching Idea Development: A Standards-based Critical Thinking Approach to Writing with Corwin Press in 2001.

MARY LAUER retired June 2002 and currently serves as a trainer for the Kentucky Association for School Councils, Kentucky Leadership Academy, and the Kentucky Association for School Administrators, an academic coach for Educational Directions, and a consultant to schools and districts. She has served as the facilitator of the KVHS on-line class "SBDM New and Existing Member Training and as an audit team member for KDE and the Pritchard Committee. Prior to retirement educational work experiences included District Resource Teacher for Nelson County School District, Highly Skilled Educator for the Department of Education, Title I Resource Teacher, Gifted Resource Teacher, elementary classroom teacher, and middle school classroom teacher in the areas of language arts and social studies. School responsibilities have included working extensively in the Consolidated Planning and Strategic Planning Process. As a classroom teacher she served on the school council at New Haven Middle School in the Nelson County School District.

BARBARA LYONS is a retired school administrator now serving as KLA Cadre Leader for Highlands North, KLA Coach, site researcher for Edvantia, and faculty member of Morehead State University teaching in the MAT program. Mrs. Lyons' corporation, Lyons' Educational Consulting Services provides professional development and consulting services to schools and school districts. She is a member of Phi Delta Kappa, Delta Kappa Gamma and KASA as well as a former Distinguished Educator and school council consultant at the Regional 7 Service Center.

ELLEN LYONS is presently a curriculum resource teacher at Dixie Magnet Elementary School in Fayette County. She also works for Lyons Educational Consulting in Mount Sterling and has been facilitating Professional Development activities for 7 years. She has been an endorsed school council trainer for seven years. She is a member of Phi Delta Kappa, executive board; Delta Kappa Gamma; KASA, legal review committee, and the Alumni Board of Directors for Morehead State University. She is a former professional development chairperson, Reading First district coach, and spent six years in an alternative school setting as a guidance counselor and curriculum coordinator.

ROGER L. MARCUM has served as Superintendent of Marion County Public Schools since 1999. From 1991-98, he served as Principal of South Laurel High School, a school recognized for innovative strategies and programs resulting in continuous improvement of student learning. In 1997, he received the National Educator Award from the Milken Education Foundation and in 2006 the Kentucky School Board Association's Dupree Award for Outstanding Superintendent of the Year. Mr. Marcum is also a past President of KASC and served on the Board of Directors from 1992-2004.

JO ANN MOSIER currently serves as an educational consultant working at the high school level in content literacy and at the middle grades level providing curriculum, assessment, and instructional assistance. Her expertise is in curriculum mapping; mathematics instruction - particularly assessment and algebraic reasoning; designing assessment that links to curriculum and instruction; and creating a community of learners that supports teaching and learning. Prior to that she taught mathematics grades 8-12 and served as a resource teacher for Jefferson County Public Schools in Kentucky; taught mathematics for four Louisville area universities and supervised student teachers; and served as a Highly Skilled Educator and mathematics assessment consultant for the Kentucky Department of Education. Jo Ann holds a bachelor of arts in Mathematics and Psychology from Spalding University and a master of arts in teaching in mathematics and secondary education from the University of Louisville. She holds a Rank I in mathematics supervision and instruction.

HELEN PENNINGTON has recently completed sixteen years as a middle school principal. During her tenure as principal, she served as council chairperson from 199-2005. Serving as chairperson gave her many opportunities to work as part of a team in the development of council bylaws and policies. Prior to becoming a principal, she served as a teacher and local administrator. Helen also served as a consultant with the Kentucky Department of Education for fifteen years where she worked with seventeen school districts on a regular basis. She became a SBDM trainer in 2005.

LYNNE SLONE is an attorney and served as a parent member of the Dixie Magnet Elementary School Council in Fayette County. Ms. Slone previously served as an Assistant Attorney General with specific responsibility for education issues. Lynne has been training school councils since 1996 and serves as general counsel for KASC.

PAT SIEBER, a retired school and district level administrator, has worked with numerous schools and councils. She has also served as a Highly Skilled Educator and chaired several state scholastic audit teams. Most recently Pat has worked with schools and districts on closing the achievement gap and implementing audit recommendations.

MOLLY SULLIVAN most recently worked as the assistant superintendent in Shelby County. Molly has 18 years of experience as a central office administrator including responsibility for student achievement and school councils.

JACQUI THORNBURG School councils have been an important part of my experience since I came to Kentucky in 1992. I was the first to be hired by a council as a principal in my district. I worked four years with the school in developing and designing programs that would enhance student achievement. With a career change and an opportunity to work at the district level, I worked with all the schools in a district initiative Council of Councils. We had monthly meetings to discuss similar concerns that all councils were experiencing and to have speakers that would increase our knowledge in running an effective school council. I also worked with the schools in developing their Comprehensive Improvement Plans, known by many names over the years, to guide the development of the district plan. I was endorsed by KDE as a trainer for new council members and have conducted several trainings. My next career opportunity as an HSE allowed me to work with other schools in developing their plans. I also participated in training teams for Scholastic Audits and conducting several audits throughout the state. This was another avenue that gave me a greater insight into the working of a school. These combinations of experiences have just reaffirmed my belief that the best schools are those that govern themselves effectively.

JOY WALDROP is an educational consultant for P & J Creative Consultants and works with schools and school districts in the area of professional development. She also serves as a coach for Cadre 1 of the Kentucky Leadership Academy and is the professional development coordinator for West Kentucky GEAR UP and SOAR. She spent two years working for the Kentucky Department of Education in the position of Highly Skilled Educator and three years consulting through the Region 1 Service Center. Joy recently served on KDE audit teams using the new Standards and Indicators.

MARVIN WELCH is the Director of Federal Programs for Greenup County Schools. From 1998-2004 he served as Principal at Greysbranch Elementary School in Greenup County. From 1993-98 he served as Principal at Camargo Elementary School In Montgomery County. Other positions he has held include Interim Superintendent of Greenup County Schools.

LEWIS WILLIAN currently serves as curriculum and assessment specialist for the Clark County schools. He is a former Highly Skilled Educator and creator of the "Path to Proficiency" workshops used statewide to raise expectations for teachers. During his tenure as principal at both Trapp Elementary and Pilot View Elementary simultaneously, Lewis helped both schools reach 100 in multiple content areas and consistently place in the top 5 percent of all schools in the state year after year. He has been used by multiple districts for development and motivation of staff through workshops and on-going professional development activities.

PAT YEAGER attended and conducted extensive training during her tenure as a Highly Skilled Educator for three years. She has also served as a trainer for the Kentucky Leadership Academy and served as a mentor administrator for the Kentucky Principals Network. She has thorough knowledge of school-based decision making, and a myriad of other topics critical to successful school leadership at all levels. Pat is a past school administrator and is currently the Executive Director of the Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services located in Highland Heights.

DENEEN ZIMMERMAN is Principal at River Ridge Elementary School in Kenton County. She has served on school councils in the capacity of teacher representative and principal. She was a contributor to the KDE publication, Synergy. She has served on the KASC Board as the Principal representative and has served on the board as a member at-large. She has been a trainer for over 10 years.