Michael DeJesus III
Director, Student Success and Access
Michael DeJesus leads student success and access at SREB. He joined SREB’s postsecondary education team in 2022, bringing more than 20 years of experience in higher education and state government. He was previously a program officer at the New York State Education Department where managed the Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program statewide. He has also held several roles in higher education, serving as director of intercultural leadership and diversity at a private liberal arts college.
Creed Dunn
Policy Analyst
Creed joined the policy analysis team at SREB in 2021. His work focuses on early grades education and dyslexia. Creed has a Master of Public Administration from Georgia State University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Mercer University. He has worked as a legislative aide in the Georgia House of Representatives, at the Department of Agriculture Rural Development and for the development team at The Carter Center.
Leslie Eaves
Program Director, Project-Based Learning
Leslie Eaves leads the project-based learning program at SREB, where she designs professional learning experiences for teachers to implement PBL. She joined SREB in 2016, bringing more than 16 years of experience in the public education sector. She holds both a technology education and 9-12 math license. Prior to SREB, Leslie taught high school engineering courses in North Carolina. She joined North Carolina New Schools in 2011 as a math content coach and a general instructional coach, where she implemented school-centered learning strategies and STEM practices.
Christi Edwards
School Improvement Instructional Coach
Christi Edwards works in SREB School Improvement, where she provides teacher, district and school instructional support through coaching and professional development in mathematics. She joined SREB in 2021, bringing more than 28 years of experience in public education.
Tokitha McWain-Ferguson
School Improvement Leadership Coach
Tokitha McWain-Ferguson joined SREB’s School Improvement team in 2019, bringing 18 years of educational experience in mathematics, instructional leadership and school improvement. She previously served as an education consultant for six years at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction District & School Transformation Division and as a teacher trainer and school administrator in Doha, Qatar. Throughout her career, her roles have included elementary and high school administrator, middle school teacher, mathematics facilitator and instructional coach.
Linda Floyd
Director, State and District Partnerships
Linda Floyd joined SREB’s school improvement team as director of Technology Centers That Work in 2017. With more than 35 years of experience in education, Linda most recently worked for the Kentucky Department of Education, where she provided leadership, supervision and evaluations of principals in 27 state-operated career and technology centers.
Judy Frank
Director, State and District Partnerships
Judy Frank is director of state and district partnerships. She was previously program director of Making Middle Grades Work initiative, where she coordinated middle grade services across the organization and supported leadership and content coaches in school redesign. She joined SREB in 2015 as a school improvement consultant to the organization’s High Schools That Work/Making Middle Grades Work initiative, bringing more than 33 years of experience working on issues of education policy and practice in the public education sector.
Betty Fry-Ahearn
School Improvement Leadership Coach
Betty Fry-Ahearn is a school improvement leadership coach. She began working with the Southern Regional Education Board in 2001 as a school leadership consultant.
Jeff Gagne
Director, Policy Analysis
Jeff Gagne joined the Southern Regional Education Board in 2010. He oversees SREB’s policy analysis efforts, including policy briefs, reports, state policy support and SREB’s customized, biennial state progress reports. He brings more than 20 years of experience in education policy issues at the state, federal and regional levels. Prior to SREB, Jeff worked for a governor, a state department of education and the United States Senate. He earned his Ph.D. from Louisiana State University.
Shelly Gibson
School Improvement Instructional Coach
Shelly Gibson joined SREB’s School Improvement team in the fall of 2019. As a math instructional coach, she provides coaching and professional development support for educators in grades K-12. Shelly has enjoyed more than 25 years in education as both a teacher and as a curriculum facilitator with Gaston County Schools in North Carolina.
Quinton Granville
School Improvement Instructional Coach
Quinton Granville joined SREB’s School Improvement team in 2014. As an instructional coach, he partners with teachers and educational leaders to strengthen instructional practices that are essential to empowering all students to achieve. His work in schools focuses on disciplinary literacy and strategic coaching. He is also a co-leader of SREB SMART (Science and Math Alternative Route to Teaching), a program that helps new and developing teachers thrive in the areas of instructional planning, classroom culture, student engagement and assessment and feedback.
Beth Green
Program Director, Advanced Career
Beth Green leads the Advanced Career initiative at SREB, where she is responsible for implementing AC in states, districts, and schools. She provides leadership for AC implementation, coordinates activities and staff, and organizes and implements AC professional development. Beth joined SREB in 2007 as a school improvement consultant, later facilitating AC curriculum development, and began development of a network of schools implementing AC through academy design.
Jeffrey Grove
Program Specialist, State Strategies
Jeffrey Grove joined the Southern Regional Education Board in 2006 as a research associate to the state services team, where he brings nearly 20 years of experience working on issues of education policy and practice in the public education sector. He has contributed to numerous editions of SREB’s Legislative Report, addressed inquiries on education policies and legislation from policymakers and their staff in SREB states, and authored reports and briefs on current education issues.
Tiffany K. Harrison
Program Specialist, Doctoral Scholars Program
Tiffany K. Harrison works with the SREB-State Doctoral Scholars Program. She previously worked with SREB’s Educational Technology Cooperative on research and policy efforts, after joining the organization’s benchmarking college- and career-readiness standards team in 2017. Prior to joining SREB, she was a program evaluation and data specialist with the North Carolina Partnership for Children and a research associate for the SERVE Center at UNC-Greensboro.
Pam Hogans
Administrative Specialist
Pam Hogans joined the Southern Regional Education Board in 2010 with more than 20 years of administrative experience in the field of education. Pam serves as an administrative assistant for the Division of Research and Accountability in the Office of School Improvement, where she coordinates and supports research and evaluation projects for SREB’s diverse client base.
Rebecca Holt
Research Associate
Rebecca Holt works with SREB program directors and coaches to manage data collection for school improvement initiatives. She joined the Southern Regional Education Board in 2010. Rebecca has experience in program development, coordination, writing, editing, researching, reporting and database management with nonprofit agencies, including Habitat for Humanity, the Marcus Institute and Partnership Against Domestic Violence. Rebecca holds a master’s in sociology from Georgia Southern University.