Diana Lys Named President of NC Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
The School’s assistant dean for educator preparation and accreditation will lead state teacher preparation advocacy group until 2024
Diana Lys, Ed.D., assistant dean for educator preparation and accreditation at the UNC School of Education, was named the ninth president of the North Carolina Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (NCACTE) on Thursday, Sept. 22, at the organization’s 40th annual Teacher Education Fall Forum held in Raleigh.
NCACTE is the leading advocacy group for policy issues regarding teacher preparation in North Carolina, and its membership includes private and public educator preparation programs across the state. Lys will serve as NCACTE president until 2024.
In the role she will have an opportunity to make direct impact on the success of teacher education and preparation in the state — and, ultimately, the success of students, educators, and schools.
“I am looking forward to this new opportunity to serve educators and their students,” Lys said. “NCACTE is the leading advocate for high-quality teacher preparation in North Carolina, and I couldn’t imagine a more important time to be engaged in this work.”
NCACTE prides itself on uniting North Carolina’s public and private educator preparation programs, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, and national accreditors. Its three-day annual forum focuses on relevant topics in teacher education as they relate to North Carolina and issues pertinent to the NCACTE goal of ongoing advocacy.
At the most recent forum, Lys praised immediate past president Chris Godwin, Ph.D., assistant dean at the Campbell University School of Education & Human Sciences: “Dr. Godwin’s steady and measured leadership set NCACTE up for continued success and leaves me with big shoes to fill. However, I have been the beneficiary of Dr. Godwin’s good humor and mentorship since my days as a teacher in Johnston County Schools, when he was director of middle grades education and I was still a novice teacher. I am thankful for his friendship.”
Lys began her career in education as a middle school teacher in rural North Carolina working with migrant youth and linguistically diverse students. At the UNC School of Education, Lys leads educator preparation, program assessment, and accreditation efforts. Prior to coming to the School, she was a faculty member at East Carolina University, serving for five years as the director of assessment and accreditation in the College of Education. She earned her B.A., M.A.T., and Ed.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Tags: advocacy, teacher leaders, thought leadership
