BOARD & TEAM

AMLE Board of Trustees

Jim Barnes, Chair, Ret. Principal, NJ
8 years a classroom teacher, 7 years as assistant principal at the High School/Middle Level, he is now the Principal of Chestnut Ridge Middle School in Sewell. He has proudly served on the New Jersey Assoc. for Middle Level Education Executive Board.
Contact Jim
Lisa Harrison, Vice Chair, Professor, OH
Lisa, formerly a middle school math teacher, is now an Assoc. Professor of Middle Childhood Ed and Middle Childhood Program Coordinator at Ohio University. She has published and presented in various outlets and is co-editor of Middle School Journal.
Contact Lisa
Angela Allen, Dir. Instructional Leadership
Angela is the Director of Instructional Leadership for secondary and alternative schools at Battle Ground Public Schools in Washington. She supervises 11 schools, 6 of which are middle schools. She was previously a teacher and asst. principal.
Contact Angela
Todd Brist, Principal, SD
Todd is Principal of Watertown Middle School in South Dakota, where he has also served as a leader on the SDAMLE board. Since attending an AMLE conference, Todd has become a convert to the middle level movement and presents locally and nationally.
Contact Todd
Todd Bloch, Teacher, MI
Todd is a 7th grade science teacher at Warren Woods Middle School in Michigan. He earned his master’s in middle level ed from Walden University in 2006 and has since worked to elevate the middle level. Todd started #mschat, a national twitter chat.
Contact Todd
Brian Bowman, Teacher, GA
Brian is an early career teacher who graduated from Georgia College. He is currently pursuing a specialist degree in school psychology. Brain presents nationally and is interested in minority teacher recruitment and mental health in schools.
Contact Brian
Chandra Diaz, Director of Middle Level Ed, NE
Chandra is the Director of Middle Level Ed at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. She was a middle school educator for 12 years and was awarded Outstanding Math Teacher of the Year. She also belongs to NMLA and advises her local CMLA chapter.
Contact Chandra
Pam Millikan, Ret. Principal, IN
Pam is a retired principal from Franklin, IN. She has proudly served as a principal, asst. principal, and teacher. Pam has served terms as president of both AMLE and IMLEA and has presented nationally and internationally.
Contact Pam
Ken Nicely, Superintendent, VA
Ken is superintendent for Roanoke County Public Schools in Virginia. His district includes nearly 14,000 students and 27 schools. He previously served 10 years as principal and asst. principal at Hidden Valley Middle School.
Contact Ken
Steve Norlin-Weaver, Principal, Guatemala
Steve is Principal at the American School of Guatemala and was previously a teacher and asst. principal. He has been a leader of the Minnesota Middle School Association, including as its executive director. Steve presents locally and nationally.
Contact Steve
Erin Scholes, Teacher, CT
Erin is the Innovation Coordinator at Beman Middle School in Middletown, CT. In her role focuses on finding new ways to use technology to enhance teaching and learning as well as finding ways to reimagine what education can look like.
Contact Erin
Christine Thielen, Teacher, IL
Christine, an educator for more than 15 years, currently teaches math at Lincoln Middle School in Park Ridge, IL. She also serves as an adjunct instructor of middle level education and has presented at AMLE and NCTM’s conferences.
Contact Christine

AMLE Staff

Stephanie Simpson
Chief Executive Officer
ssimpson@amle.org

Derek Neal
Chief Operating Officer
dneal@amle.org

Katie Powell
Director for Middle Level Programs
kpowell@amle.org

Megan Mooney
Accounting Manager
mmooney@amle.org

Marcia Meade-Hurst
Senior Member Center Specialist
mmeadehurst@amle.org

Helen Polansky
Partnerships Manager
hpolansky@amle.org

Kristie Smith
CMLA East Chapter At-Large Advisor

Sarah Pennington
CMLA West Chapter At-Large Advisor

Dr. Lisa Harrison
Middle School Journal Co-Editor

Dr. Kathleen Brinegar
Middle School Journal Co-Editor

Dr. Ellis Hurd
Middle School Journal Co-Editor and CAEP Coordinator

Dr. David Virtue
Research in Middle Level Education Online Journal Editor

Interested in serving on the board?

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