Board Bios
Tariq Akmal
With more than 20 years of experience in education, Tariq has been a middle school English/language arts, and social studies teacher. He is currently a professor of education at Washington State University where he teaches middle and high school methods courses, graduate curriculum and instruction courses, and directs the teacher education programs. He has presented at national and regional conferences and published articles on middle level education. Contact Tariq at
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James Barnes
A middle school educator for more than 20 years, Jim has worked as a teacher and administrator. Currently serving as principal of Chestnut Ridge Middle School in Sewell, New Jersey, he has also worked extensively with his staff on This We Believe and developed an advisory program. Contact Jim at
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Carole Carlson
A middle school educator for more than 35 years, Carole has worked as a teacher, counselor and administrator. Currently serving as principal of Dartmouth Middle School in San Jose, California, she has also done extensive work with staff development both regionally and nationally. Contact Carole at
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Doyin Coker-Kolo
Doyin is currently the associate dean and accreditation officer for the School of Education at Millersville University of Pennsylvania. Prior to that, she served as the chair of the Department of Middle Grades and Secondary Education at Georgia Southwestern State University. She was also the co- founder and advisor to the Georgia Southwestern State University Collegiate Middle Level Association (CMLA), a professional organization aimed at developing leadership skills in middle grades candidates. In more than 30 years as an educator, Doyin has taught at different levels of the educational system. Contact Doyin at
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Mike Muir
Mike Muir is Multiple Pathways Leader for Auburn (ME) School Department, where he works on the district's large-scale school change initiatives. He has worked with educators across the country to implement effective middle grades practices, to use technology as a tool for learning, to motivate underachievers, and to lead school change. He is widely published and presents at state and national conferences. He is a former middle grades teacher and teacher educator, member of Maine's Middle Level Education Commission, past president of MAMLE, faculty at the University of Maine Farmington, and director of UMFʼs Maine Center for Meaningful Engaged Learning. Contact Mike at
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Janet Griffith
With more than 16 years of experience in education, Janet has been a middle school science and special educator, elementary teacher, principal and assistant principal at the middle and elementary levels. She came into the education field after a 20 year business management career. She is currently an administrator at Spirit of Knowledge Charter School in Worcester, Massachusetts, a school that serves middle and high school students. Janet has been a consultant to facilitate the alignment of the Common Core standards to curriculum, she has developed programs to further student growth, and she has assisted Rhode Island with a new state educator evaluation system. Contact Janet at
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Reggie Jackson
Reggie D. Jackson currently resides in Memphis, Tennessee. Reggie was a classroom teacher for 5 years before moving into administration. After serving as an assistant principal for three years he accepted the responsibility of serving as the principal of Craigmont Middle School (Memphis City Schools). Reggie has served as an educator for 13 years, of which 10 have been at the middle level. In addition to daily work with his stakeholders, he serves on numerous local and state committees and was recently named the 2010 – 2011 (SY) West Tennessee Principal of the Year by the Tennessee Association of Middle Schools. Contact Reggie at
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Derek Tully
Derek Tully is founder and president of the Bermuda Middle School Association and director of staff development at the Bermuda Center for the Study of Learning and Teaching Styles. For his services to education and the community he was awarded the Queen’s Certificate and Badge of Honor in Her Majesty the Queen’s New Year’s Honors List in 2000 and is also a recipient of the Rotary Club Paul Harris Fellowship for Services to Education in Bermuda. He has presented regularly at AMLE conferences. Contact Derek at
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Carol Kendrick
Carol recently retired from the principalship after 33 years of educational experience. She spent 9 years as a middle level teacher, 8 years helping high schools meet the needs of young adolescents, and 15 as a middle level principal. She continues to serve middle graders as the Arizona Middle Level Association president. Contact Carol at
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Jeff La Roux
Jeff La Roux was a public middle school teacher in Kirkwood, Missouri, and Monroe, Michigan, and served as a middle school principal for 20 years. He is currently the director of Meadow Montessori High School, a small learning community in Monroe, where he also teaches middle and high school students. He is the past president of the Michigan Association of Middle School Educators. Jeff has served on the board of AMLE/NMSA since 2006. You can reach Jeff at
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Kathleen McCaffrey
Kathleen is currently a National Board Certified and Georgia Master teacher at an International Baccalaureate Charter School outside of Atlanta, Georgia. She works on the Middle Years Program (MYP) for her school, Ridgeview Charter School, which is part of the Fulton County School District, as well as serving as a team leader for Georgia’s Schools to Watch Program. Kathleen has completed her Ed. D. with a research focus on school improvement and the impact of character education on student perceptions and school climate, as well as her Ed. S. at the middle level with an emphasis on social studies and language arts. Contact Kathleen at
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Pam Millikan
Pam Millikan hails from Franklin, IN, and has been a middle level teacher, a middle level principal, and active participant in the Indiana affiliate for more than 25 years. Pam was the winner of the NMSA Distinguished Educator Award. Pam has served on several national committees and was directly involved in planning the national conference in Indianapolis. Contact Pam at
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Steve Norlin-Weaver
Steve Norlin-Weaver is from Minneapolis, MN, and was a classroom teacher for 14 years before moving into administration. After working for 3 years as an assistant principal at an international school in Saudi Arabia he is now the principal of a middle school in Minneapolis. Steve served on the local committee for the national conference in Minneapolis. In addition, he is the executive director of the Minnesota Middle School Association. Contact Steve at
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Nancy Poliseno
Nancy Poliseno is currently a language arts teacher at Orange Middle school in Lewis Center, Ohio. She has been a middle school teacher for 25 years. Nancy served on the executive board of the Ohio Middle Level Education Association for 17 years where she held various roles including newsletter editor and president. She was also involved in planning the state conference in 2008 and 2009. Contact Nancy at
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Ashley Smith, Jr.
Ashley Smith, Jr. is from Cleveland, TN, and was a middle school principal for 17 years before moving to the university level. Currently, he is Director of Teacher Education at Lee University and is advisor for CMLA. Ashley served as co-chair of the local committee for NMSA2006 in Nashville. In addition, he has served on the Tennessee Middle School Association board of Trustees for 16 years serving in various capacities including President. Contact Ashley at
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Stephanie Strow
Stephanie Strow is president of the Washington Association for Middle Level Education (WAMLE). She has taught seventh and eighth grade English/language arts/social studies at Fairhaven Middle School, Bellingham, WA, for the past 12 years. She is a regular presenter at state and national conferences. Contact Stephanie at
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Holly Thornton
Holly Thornton has been a middle level educator for 28 years spending 13 years as a middle level classroom teacher utilizing integrative, student-driven curriculum. Her content expertise lies in the area of language arts, with a specific focus on writing with young adolescents. She has been in higher education as a middle level professor for 15 years and teaches coursework related to effective middle level curriculum, instruction and assessment. Holly can be reached at
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Shelley Joan Weiss
Shelley Joan Weiss is from Sun Prairie, WI, and has worked as a middle level teacher, middle level principal, and university level teacher for middle level undergraduate and graduate students, and is currently an independent consultant. Shelley was a charter member of the Wisconsin Association for Middle Level Education and is actively involved at the state, regional, and national levels. Contact Shelley at
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