PDK’s Emerging Leader Profiles
The PDK Emerging Leaders Fellows Program consists of innovators, thought leaders, and problem solvers under the age of 40 who are making a difference in the field of education and who are looking to build their leadership skills to support the organization’s initiatives and contribute to projects which will make a significant impact in the field of education.
Past cohorts have included PDK International Board Directors as well as other leaders in the educational field. Learn more about joining future cohorts here.
PDK Board of Directors Members
Melissa Nixon – 2012 Cohort
Dr. Melissa Nixon currently serves as Senior Executive Director of Federal and Special Programs for Guilford County Schools in Greensboro, North Carolina. Nixon has also served as a Regional Program Administrator and as the School Improvement Coordinator for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. [Read full biography]
Angela L.E. Walmsley – 2008 Cohort
Dr. Angela L.E. Walmsley is a Professor of Education at Concordia University Wisconsin as well as an Educational Consultant at Collegiate Prep Consulting. She has been working in the field of education for approximately twenty-five years. [Read full biography]
Christopher Emdin – 2008 Cohort
Dr. Christopher Emdin is the Robert A. Naslund Endowed Chair in Curriculum Theory and Professor of Education at the University of Southern California; where he also serves as Director of youth engagement and community partnerships at the USC Race and Equity Center. [Read full biography]
Natasha Murray – 2014 Cohort
Dr. Natasha T. K. Murray has extensive experience as a practitioner, administrator, researcher, consultant, teacher educator, and adjunct professor within urban and suburban K-12 and graduate settings. She holds degrees and professional certifications in English (education), mathematics (education), and education administration. [Read full biography]
Curtis Anthony Cain – 2008 Cohort
Dr. Curtis Cain is the Superintendent of Schools in the Wentzville School District. He is responsible for the educational performance and well-being of close to 16,000 students and the productivity of our 2,200 staff members in the fastest growing district in the state of Missouri. [Read full biography]
Other Past Emerging Leaders
Scott McLeod – 2007 Cohort
Dr. Scott McLeod is the Founding Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE), the only university center in the U.S. dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators. He currently serves as a Getting Smart New Pathways Fellow, ISTE Community Leader, an InnEdCO Ambassador, and is on NAESP’s Professional Learning Advisory Council.
Brian Myers – 2008 Cohort
Dr. Brian Myers is a Professor and Department Chair at the University of Florida’s Department of Agricultural Education and Communication. He is the founder and host of “Owl Pellets: Tips for Ag Teachers,” a national podcast and social media network. In addition, he is a fellow at the American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE) and North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA).
Vicky Gilpin – 2009 Cohort
Dr. Vicky Gilpin is in her 22nd year teaching composition, literature, speech, and drama full-time at Cerro Gordo High School. Her publications include “Fangs in the Cornfields: Teaching Vampire Literature to Nontraditional Students in the Composition Classroom” and “Oppression and Repression by any Other Name: Modern Relevancy of Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan for LGBT Youth.”
Holly Hansen-Thomas – 2010 Cohort
Dr. Holly Hansen-Thomas is Vice Provost for Research, Innovation, and Corporate Engagement and Professor of Bilingual Education and E.S.L. at Texas Woman’s University. A two-time Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Hansen-Thomas has engaged in teacher training and research for content area teachers of Emergent Bilinguals (E.B.s).
Amy Barrios – 2011 Cohort
Dr. Amy Barrios currently serves on the faculty of Texas A&M University-San Antonio in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction as an Associate Professor. She began her education career as a high school English teacher in her hometown of Ashburn, Georgia, and she recently served on the Board of Directors for the Association of Teacher Educators.
Tryan McMickens – 2012 Cohort
Dr. Tryan L. McMickens serves as an Associate Professor of Higher Education and Program Coordinator of the M.S. in Higher Education Administration Program at North Carolina Central University (NCCU).
Prior to joining the faculty at NCCU, he spent four years as an Assistant Director of the National Black Male College Achievement Study.
Ashley Parker Sheils – 2012 Cohort
Dr. Ashley Parker Sheils is the Program Development Director for Accelerate Virginia, a high-dosage, high-impact tutoring program, and serves as an educational consultant for nonprofit organizations. Dr. Sheils was recognized by the Council for Learning Disabilities with the Outstanding Researcher Award for her dissertation on vocabulary instruction in 2018.
Daniel Quinn – 2012 Cohort
Dr. Daniel J. Quinn is Director for Education Policy at Public Policy Associates (P.P.A.), a Lansing, Michigan-based research and evaluation firm. In 2019, Dr. Quinn was appointed by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer to serve on Michigan’s A-F Peer Review Panel and currently serves on the board of directors for the Mid-Western Educational Research Association.
Maryann Tobin – 2012 Cohort
Dr. Maryann Tobin is the Assistant Dean of Professional Education and Personalized Learning at the University of Miami’s College of Arts & Sciences and a lecturer in the Department of Writing Studies. Dean Tobin has written an online Language Arts curriculum for grades 9-12, and her research has been published with the International Literacy Association and the National Council for Teachers of English.
Jerry Burkett – 2013 Cohort
Dr. Jerry R. Burkett is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Texas Woman’s University. He has over 20 years of public education experience in the state of Texas, serving in a variety of roles. Dr. Burkett’s experience includes implementing North Texas’ first Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) concept school on the elementary level.
Rebecca Cheung – 2013 Cohort
Dr. Rebecca Cheung is the Assistant Dean of the UC Berkeley School of Education’s Leadership Development programs, including the Principal Leadership Institute and LEAD EdD. She has served as a member of several advisory and working groups convened by the California Teacher Credential Commission and the California Department of Education.
Jovan Jacobs – 2013 Cohort
Dr. Jovan Jacobs serves as the Associate Superintendent of Specialized Services for Pasadena Unified School District, bringing expertise in successfully leading and developing programs and services for students with disabilities. Dr. Jacobs previously served as the Executive Director of Special Education/Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) for Stockton Unified District.
Mary Amanda (Mandy) Stewart – 2013 Cohort
Dr. Mandy Stewart is an associate professor at Texas Woman’s University in the Department of Literacy and Learning, where she is the program coordinator for the Certificate of Biliteracy and M.A. in Multilingual and Multicultural Studies. Mandy is also the co-author of the practitioner-focused But Does This Work with English Learners? A Guide for E.L.A. Teachers 6-12.
Phillip Boda – 2014 Cohort
Dr. Phillip A. Boda’s work focuses on justice-centered praxes that leverage Cultural and Disability Studies to center subaltern voices. He has published two edited volumes, over 20 peer-reviewed journal manuscripts, and half a dozen book chapters. He also sits on the Research Advisory Panels for AAAS’s Entry Point! Program and the Gregory S. Fehribach Center.
Andrew Frishman – 2014 Cohort
Dr. Andrew has assisted with the expansion of the Big Picture Network in a variety of capacities, including supporting the launch of innovative schools across the U.S. and internationally. He completed the Education Leadership Program at Harvard Graduate School of Education, the Harvard Kennedy School, and Harvard Business School and joined the leadership team of Big Picture Learning in 2013.
Monique Green – 2014 Cohort
Dr. Monique Green is the Assistant Professor of Education at Trinity Washington University and currently teaches graduate students in the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) program. She has been a professional educator for 22 years and has assumed numerous roles in the education field, including Maryland State Department of Education-Education Program Specialist.
Brian Ricca – 2014 Cohort
Dr. Brian G. Ricca is the Superintendent of Schools in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. He was drawn to the community, particularly by the power and simplicity of the Strategic Plan entitled “All Means All.” With compassion and empathy, humanizing all employees is a hallmark of Ricca’s more than twenty-six years in education.
Summer Stephens – 2014 Cohort
Dr. Summer Stephens has served as the Superintendent of Churchill County School District since July 2018 and is the 2023 Nevada State Superintendent of the Year. The district is one of two Nevada districts currently designated as a Purple Star District, honoring the efforts to successfully meet the needs of military-connected children.
