George Johnson
School Improvement Leadership Coach
George Johnson is a school improvement leadership coach for the Southern Regional Educational Board and its High Schools That Work program, where he brings 37 years of experience as a teacher and administrator in New Jersey public schools. George has worked in numerous states as a trainer for the Learning Design Collaborative. He is the lead editor for the SREB Literacy Ready transitional readiness course, and he is the lead literacy expert for the writing of the eighth and ninth grade version of High School Ready.
Veronica Johnson
Program Coordinator, Doctoral Scholars Program
Veronica Johnson provides program and communications support for the SREB-State Doctoral Scholars Program and Institute on Teaching and Mentoring. Veronica joined SREB in 2014 and has worked with the Learning-Centered Leadership Program and Office of the Communications as well. Prior to SREB, she was a newsroom information specialist at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and a freelance writer. Veronica holds a bachelor’s in mass media arts with a concentration in journalism from Clark Atlanta University.
Lety Jones
Senior Designer and Production Manager
Lety Jones joined the Southern Regional Education Board as administrative assistant to the communications director in 1991. She has served as senior designer and production manager for more than 15 years. She received a bachelor’s in marketing from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas.
Natalee Jones
Policy Analyst
Natalee Jones joined the Southern Regional Education Board in 2021 as a policy analyst working on high school, higher education, and the workforce. Natalee comes to SREB bringing experience in diversity and inclusion, congressional affairs, and data strategy through different fellowship and internship opportunities.
Natalee holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Brigham Young University and a Master of Public Policy from Georgia State University.
Kristi July
School Improvement Leadership Coach
Kristi July joined SREB in 2021, bringing more than 16 years of experience in the public education sector. She was a Signature Academy coordinator for four years with Mobile County Public Schools leading the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the district’s academy model to prepare all students to be college and career-ready. Later she served as a high school assistant principal.
Kristi holds a Bachelor of Science in secondary education from Spring Hill College and a master’s in educational leadership from the University of South Alabama.
Andrea Kiely
Program Specialist, Postsecondary
Andrea Kiely is a member of the Postsecondary team for the Southern Regional Education Board. She works as program specialist for the SREB-State Doctoral Scholars Program where she researches and advocates for faculty diversity in higher education. Andrea earned her Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Alabama and her Master of Education in higher education administration from the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia.
Donn Kirkwood
Senior School Improvement Leadership Coach
Donn Kirkwood joined the Southern Regional Education Board in 2014 as a literacy coach for the Literacy Design Collaborative program, through which he helped teachers and leaders in seven states use LDC practices and backward design techniques to develop exemplary curricula, improve instruction and increase student outcomes.
Debra LaMothe
School Improvement Leadership Coach
Debra LaMothe is a school improvement coach for SREB, where she works with career and technical education teachers and school administrators across the country to improve college and career readiness. She brings many years of CTE education experience as a teacher, administrator and consultant. In her former role as a district CTE Supervisor, Debra supported teachers and administrators with curriculum, work-based learning, instructional technology, and postsecondary alignment and credentialing.
Debra received her doctorate from Oakland University in Michigan.
Stevie L. Lawrence II
Vice President, Postsecondary Education
Stevie L. Lawrence II joined Southern Regional Education Board in September 2019 as vice president for postsecondary education. In this role, he will lead SREB’s postsecondary programs, such as the Academic Common Market, Doctoral Scholars Program, education data services and state authorization reciprocity agreements. He will also be charged with developing additional initiatives to support postsecondary state offices and institutions.
John Michael Lee Jr.
Vice President, Development and Policy Research
John Michael Lee Jr. joined SREB in August 2019 as vice president for development and policy research. In this role, he will lead a new office within SREB focused on development to raise funds for SREB to expand its services and explore new opportunities for supporting our states. Additionally, he will lead the policy analysis office responsible for K-20 and workforce research and the informational technology office.
Rodriquez Leonard
School Improvement Instructional Coach
Rodriquez Leonard joined SREB in 2021, bringing 16 years of experience in public education. He was an English language arts teacher with the Birmingham City Schools district. He also worked as a master teacher, school improvement grant coordinator, and freshman academy coordinator.
Rodriquez holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Montevallo and a Master of Arts in English language arts – secondary education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Connie Lester
School Improvement Instructional Coach
Connie Lester joined SREB’s office of School Improvement as a leadership coach in April 2012. Prior to SREB, she spent 27 years as an English language arts teacher, department chair and high school writing portfolio cluster leader in Kentucky schools. After leaving the classroom, Connie became a member of Kentucky’s Highly Skilled Educator Program, where she provided schoolwide instructional and leadership support to struggling schools.
Kimberly Livengood
School Improvement Instructional Coach
Kimberly Livengood joined SREB as a school improvement instructional coach in July 2019, bringing more than 25 years of teaching experience at the high school level in North Carolina and Tennessee. She began her work with SREB as a math consultant. She earned her National Board Certification, her certification in Teaching the Gifted, and her endorsement to teach AP Calculus while teaching in North Carolina.
Kim holds a Bachelor’s of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She lives in North Carolina.
Susan Lounsbury
Director, Education Data Services
Susan Campbell Lounsbury joined the Southern Regional Education Board in 2014 as the director of education data services. She has more than 25 years of experience in higher education policy and practice. Susan is responsible for coordinating the collection of data for the SREB State Data Exchange. She analyzes data and produces publications, such as the SREB Fact Book on Higher Education, Featured Facts, and Indicators Report.
Connie Luper
School Improvement Senior Leadership Coach
Connie Luper joined SREB’s office of School Improvement in 2016. As a senior leadership coach, she brings more than 31 years of experience working on issues of education practice in the public education sector. In this role, Connie helps schools develop rigorous career pathways and CTE programs and blend them with a rigorous academic core. She also leads trainings for teachers and principals in literacy, numeracy, project-based learning and instructional leadership. Connie is currently supporting career academy development efforts in large districts in Alabama and Georgia.
Cindy Martin
School Improvement Leadership Coach
Cindy Martin joined SREB’s school improvement team in 2016, bringing more than 28 years of experience in the public education sector and more than 20 years as an adjunct college professor. Cindy was a public education teacher, professional development trainer, principal, director of instruction, director of human resources and deputy superintendent. As a college professor, she instructed in reading, writing, early childhood and alternative licensure.
Gaye Martin
School Improvement Instructional Coach
Gaye Hutton Martin joined SREB in 2018 as a school improvement instructional coach for the Teaching to Lead program, bringing over 30 years of experience in public education and corporate training and development. Prior to SREB, she was a career and technical education coordinator in Tennessee where she managed a new CTE teacher prep program, using SREB’s Teaching to Lead program, for a large, urban school district.