Texas Tech University is pleased to welcome its fifth cohort of the Texas Education Policy Fellowship Program (TX-EPFP), a professional development program coordinated by faculty in the College of Education within the Center for Innovative Research in Change, Leadership, and Education (CIRCLE). Its purpose is to support education professionals who seek to enhance their knowledge of education policy, build their policy leadership skills, and expand their networks in the education policy space in Texas.
“This is a special moment as we welcome our fifth cohort of fellows to the Texas site of the Education Policy Fellowship Program,” Rebecca Hite, founding director of the TX-EPFP and associate professor of STEM Education in the College of Education, said in a news release. “We welcome this opportunity to equip, enhance and amplify the great work of these curriculum and instructional leaders as they learn and apply their knowledge, leadership and networks to state and national level education policy activities.”
The TX-EPFP is affiliated with the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) in Washington, D.C. The Texas state site has been coordinated by the College of Education at Texas Tech since 2019. Hite acts as director with associate professors Hugo García and Jessica Gottlieb serving as co-directors.
The members of the 2023-24 class of TX-EPFP fellows are:
- Jasmine Booker of Hockley, Dean of Instruction at Yes Prep Public Schools
- Nancy Cruz Rodriguez of Grand Prairie, Elementary Teacher at Grand Prairie ISD
- Tiffany Ekpete of Plano, Director of SEL Development (7 Mindsets Academy, LLC) and Instructional Leader (Gateway Charter Academy)
- Shkela King of Rosharon, Teacher Project Lead at Houston ISD
- Adlena Jacobs of Wills Point, Director and Coordinator of CTE/CCMR at Wills Point ISD
- Lisa McNeill of Katy, Accelerated Learning Program Lead at The Varnett Public School
- Loni Lawson-Abron of Alvarado, Special Education Teacher at Dallas ISD.
- Sara Lewis of Mansfield, Science Instructional Coach at Mansfield ISD.
- Alaina Peppard of Lubbock, Teacher at Lubbock ISD.
- Rohit Walthare of Nashville (Tennessee), Data Scientist.
- Kaleesa White of El Paso, Elementary Science Teacher at Ysleta ISD.
