Board Members
Madaline Fennell
Board Chair, Nebraska State Teacher of the Year 2007
Madaline (Maddie) Fennell brings extensive experience and passion to her work as an advocate for children and public education. She is the Executive Director of the Nebraska State Education Association and serves as Chair of the NNSTOY Board of...
read more
Kelly Kovacic
First Vice Chair, California State Teacher of the Year 2010
Kelly Kovacic has spent her career working to understand how best to support teachers and school systems so they can guide their students to reach ambitious goals. A southern California native, Kelly first became fascinated by this question as a...
read more
Michael J. Brown
2nd Vice Chair/MJB Outreach Solutions
Michael J. Brown is Managing Director of MJB Outreach Solutions, LLC. Brown most recently was the former National President of 100 Black Men of America, Inc. where he led the 100’s worldwide headquarters’ operations, programs and development...
read more
Christopher Poulos
Immediate Past Chair, Connecticut State Teacher of the Year 2007, NBCT
Christopher Poulos, Connecticut’s 2007 Teacher of the Year, currently teaches Spanish and serves as Instructional Leader for the Humanities at Joel Barlow High School in Redding, CT. He is a National Board Certified Teacher. Chris previously...
read more
Dyane Smokorowski
Secretary, Kansas State Teacher of the Year 2013
In her 17 years in education, Dyane Smokorowski has taught middle school language arts in the Wichita, Renwick and Andover school districts in a project-based classroom focusing on critical thinking, communication, global collaboration and...
read more
John Oswald
Treasurer
As Vice President, Client Relations and Outreach for ETS Student and Teacher Assessments, John Oswald oversees business development for K-12 student assessment programs and teacher and school leader licensure and ethics programs. His staff are...
read more
Cheryl Anderson
Independent Consultant, Aximum Consulting
Cheryl Anderson's passion for improving the teaching profession stems from her own early career experiences. Initially confident as a student teacher, she quickly became overwhelmed. These struggles created her empathy and drive for improving...
read more
Jemelleh Coes
Georgia State Teacher of the Year 2014
In 2013, Jemelleh Coes, as the youngest member of her school faculty and staff, was nominated to represent Bulloch County as Teacher of the Year. She went on to become Georgia’s 2014 Teacher of the Year. She spent the last year traveling locally...
read more
Paul Ferarri
Ex Officio Board Member, Director of Public Engagement Strategy, CCSSO
Paul directs CCSSO’s public engagement strategy to support national and state efforts in the implementation of college and career ready standards and next generation assessments. Paul has worked at CCSSO since 2007, and in that time has been...
read more
Eleanor Horne
ETS Social lnvestment Fund (retired)
In 2009 Eleanor V. Horne retired from Educational Testing Service (ETS) after a career that spanned 40 years. She recently served as Second Vice Chair of NNSTOY. Under Horne’s leadership at ETS—most recently as Vice President of the ETS...
read more
Marguerite Izzo
New York State Teacher of the Year 2007
Ms. Marguerite Izzo, whose teaching career spans over 30 years, is a full-time fifth grade teacher, specializing in English Language Arts, in the Malverne School District, Malverne, New York. Sh erecently served as First Vice Chair of NNSTOY. Izzo...
read more
Joshua Parker
Maryland State Teacher of the Year 2012
Joshua Parker is the 2012 Maryland Teacher of the Year. He serves the students and teachers of Paul Laurence Dunbar Senior High School (Washington, D.C. Public Schools) as an Instructional Coach. Mr. Parker is a career changer, having started off as...
read more
Harriet Sanford
President and CEO of the NEA Foundation
Harriet Sanford is the President and CEO of the NEA Foundation. The Foundation is a public charity founded by educators for educators to improve public education for all students. Since its beginning in 1969, the Foundation has served as a...
read more
Rebecca Snyder
Pennsylvania State Teacher of the Year 2009
Rebecca Snyder chairs the Language Arts Department and teaches English at Greater Latrobe Senior High School in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. A veteran of the classroom, Mrs. Snyder has taught multiple grade levels and courses as both a secondary...
read more
Bob Williams
Alaska State Teacher of the Year 2009, NBCT
Bob Williams began his teaching career as a Peace Corps teacher in Gambia, Africa. He achieved National Board Certification (Math – AYA) in 2011 and currently teaches Geometry, Algebra 1, intervention Math Strategies and two AP Calculus courses at...
read more
John I. Wilson
Former Executive Director, NEA
John I. Wilson, a long-time special education teacher and association leader, was executive director of the National Education Association from November 1, 2000 to August 31, 2011. The nation's largest teachers union, NEA also represents...
read more
