AACTE Welcomes New Hires to National Office
I am thrilled to announce a series of hires within the National Office. I invite you to join me in welcoming these new AACTE team members as they join us in our goal to exceed expectations for distinctive, member-centered work that continues to move our profession forward in a multitude of ways.
Jacqueline (Jackie) Rodriguez is the AACTE assistant vice president, programs and professional learning. She has a Ph.D. in education with a focus on exceptional education from the University of Central Florida and an M.A. in special education with a learning disabilities specialization from American University. She earned her B.A. in international affairs from The George Washington University. Prior to joining AACTE, Jackie served the College of William & Mary in many capacities, including as assistant professor in the School of Education (areas of teaching and research: inclusive education, culturally and linguistically diverse exceptional learners, teacher preparation, special education, education policy, and education policy to practice). A Holmes Scholars alumna, Jackie established the Holmes Scholars Program during her tenure at the college. Jackie began her career as a special education teacher. She is the secretary to the Higher Education Consortium for Special Education and active in the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children. She serves on several editorial boards and was a McKnight Doctoral Fellow.
Caitlin Wilson is AACTE’s new director, programs and professional learning. Most recently, Caitlin was a consultant at the National Education Association, having previously spent significant time at the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards where she worked on the Accomplished Teaching, Learning, and Schools (ATLAS) initiative and on the National Board’s $3.7M Investing in Innovation (i3) grant. In addition to her i3 work, she co-developed coaching, vision, and strategy to support members of the Network to Transform Teaching and co-designed and taught workshops focused on applying improvement science methodologies to school-based innovations. She began her career as a Spanish and reading teacher. Caitlin has a B.A. in Spanish from University of Georgia and a M.A.T. from Georgia College & State University. She was an Education Policy Fellow through the Institute for Educational Leadership.
Brandon Tadashi Frost is the new assistant director, programs and professional learning. Brandon joins AACTE from the Johns Hopkins University Urban Teachers Program, and recently completed his Ed.D. in special education from Johns Hopkins as well. Brandon’s areas of expertise include special education and mathematics. Brandon has an M.S. in education from St. John’s University, an M.A. in East Asian languages and culture from Columbia University, and a B.A. in history and Japanese from the University of Notre Dame. Brandon taught mathematics and Japanese in New York City and, in addition to his teaching certifications, has a Certificate in Restorative Justice Training.
Linda Minor joins AACTE as our director, meetings and events. Linda is a Certified Meeting Planner (CMP) and has had extensive experience in the meetings and events arena. She was, most recently, the senior meeting manager at the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery and has served the meeting planning field with other medically-related and management-based national associations since 2000. Linda has been an active member of the Potomac Chapter of Meetings Professional International (MPI) since 2006, serving on its Board of Directors and currently as vice president for membership. Linda’s received an A.S. in business administration from Butler Community College (PA) and studied marketing at Slippery Rock University (PA).
Tags: AACTE governance, Lynn M. Gangone, membership
