Kristie Smith, Program Chair (2026-2028)

Kennesaw State University, GA

Kristie W. Smith, Ph.D. (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of English language arts education in the Department of Secondary and Middle Grades Education at Kennesaw State University. A former middle level teacher, Kristie is passionate about mentoring and coaching new middle grades teachers to enter the profession with knowledge, responsive practice, and professional agency in a complex sociopolitical climate. Kristie’s research interests include curricular and linguistic justice, racial justice in the educational context, and critical teacher preparation for the middle level classroom. An engaged member of the MLER SIG, Kristie has served the MLER SIG as a council member, as the SIG secretary, and as both a member and chair of the MLER SIG mentorship initiative. Through her pedagogical practice, collegial collaborations, professional service, and academic scholarship, Kristie strives to advance advocacy for equitable educational spaces that grapple critically with real world issues, while honoring the multiple and unique social and cognitive identities of young adolescents. 

Kristina Nicole Falbe, Vice Chair  (2026-2028)

Illinois State University

Dr. Kristina Falbe is an Associate Professor of middle level education at Illinois State University. She works with middle level teacher candidates, and practicing teachers on courses with topics like young adolescent development, middle school philosophy, middle school best practices,  special education in the middle school, and educational technology.  Kristina has a vast research agenda with research pursuits around academic achievement and middle school philosophy, the Schools to Watch program, self-study methodology in middle level teacher education, middle level teacher education and social justice,  and lesson study as an alternative field placement for middle level teacher candidates. She is currently the advisor for the ISU Collegiate Middle Level Association (CMLA)  chapter, and the co-director of the Horizon Schools to Watch program for the state of Illinois. Kristina has received the Illinois State College of Ed. Service Award and the Illinois State Service Initiative Award for her outstanding commitment to service to the university and the field of education. She also has been recognized as RSO advisor of the year for her work with CMLA.   Kristina has enjoyed working with the SIG for a number of years as a Council Member, Editor of The Chronicle newsletter, and as treasurer. Kristina is currently the president elect of NAPOMLE (National Association of Professors of Middle Level Education). 

Brooke Eisenbach, Secretary (2026-2028)

Lesley University

Brooke B. Eienbach is an Associate Professor of Middle and Secondary Education at Lesley University. She is co-editor of Fostering Mental Health Literacy Through Adolescent Literature. Her research interests are in virtual middle grades education and enhancing adolescents’ mental health literacy through young adult literature. Prior to entering higher education, Dr. Eisenbach taught 7th and 8th grade English Language Arts. She still enjoys spending time in the classroom serving as a substitute teacher at her local middle school.

Ebony Terrill Shockley, Treasurer (2026-2028)

University of Maryland, College Park

Lisa Harrison, Past Chair (2026-2028)

Ohio University

Dr. Lisa Harrison is the Dean of the Patton College of Education and Professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Ohio University.  Dr. Harrison is co-editor of Middle School Journal and is the former chair of the Association for Middle Level Education Board of Trustees. She also is the former chair of the Professional Preparation Advisory Committee for AMLE. Her research interests are in socio-cultural issues relating to young adolescent development, equity-oriented teacher education, and teaching for social justice. Previously to entering higher education, Dr. Harrison taught middle school mathematics in her hometown, Brooklyn, NY.

Gayle Andrews, Executive Advisor (2025-2028)

Gayle Andrews is Professor of Middle Grades Education and former Department Chair in the Department of Educational Theory and Practice at the University of Georgia. Her research focuses on equity-oriented teacher education that advances justice in middle grades education, with the goal of developing educators' capacities as critical change agents. She is a former member of the AMLE board of trustees and past president of the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform. She is the recipient of AMLE’s highest award, the John H. Lounsbury Award for Distinguished Service. She served as Professor-in-Residence in a local middle school for 7 years. At the University of Georgia, she has received several awards for teaching, including the Richard B. Russell Award for Undergraduate Teaching, the Center for Teaching and Learning Senior Teaching Fellowship, and the Lilly Teaching Fellowship.

W. Keith Burgess (2025-2027)
Northridge Middle School, Charlotte, NC

Dr. W. Keith Burgess serves as a middle grades science teacher and Chair of the Science Department at Northridge Middle School in Charlotte, NC. He holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Urban Education from UNC-Charlotte. Throughout his career, Keith has been recognized with various teaching awards, including the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award for Science and Mathematics Teachers (CAST) and the CMS Southeast Learning Community Teacher of the Year for 2024. In May 2023, he also received the Arts & Science Council "CATO Excellence in Teaching Award." As a faculty member of the Kenan Fellowship for Teacher Leadership, Keith provides professional development for K-12 teachers across North Carolina on effective instructional strategies. He has presented at national conferences and co-authored multiple peer reviewed publications relevant to middle grades education.

Sarah Pennington (2025-2027)

Montana State University

Sarah E. Pennington, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) is an associate professor in the education department at Montana State University. After working as a middle grades English language arts teacher, Sarah left the public school classroom to earn her doctorate degree in Curriculum & Instruction with emphases in literacy and educational psychology. Her research currently focuses on the perceptions of community groups, including school staff, students, and parents/caregivers, on how effectively their school meets the needs of young adolescents. In her role as a teacher educator, Sarah also focuses on supporting preservice teachers engagement in reflective practice and implementation of best practices. 

Stephanie Reid (2025-2027)
University of Cincinnati 

Stephanie Reid is an Assistant Professor at the University of Cincinnati. She currently teaches literacy courses in the middle level licensure and M.Ed. programs. She is a first-generation college attendee from England, who studied English Literature at the University of Cambridge and secondary English education at the University of Oxford. Before pursuing her doctoral degree in Learning, Literacies, and Technologies at Arizona State University, Stephanie was a long-time middle school teacher. For three years, she taught students in grades 6-12 Language Arts in a large secondary school in England. After emigrating to the US in 2004, she taught middle schoolers Language Arts and/or Reading for 12 years in Wisconsin. Stephanie’s research interests include examining multimodal approaches to pedagogy and analyzing how students interpret and compose multimodal texts. Stephanie’s classroom research often takes place in middle schools, and her most recent classroom study explored how middle level students authored pandemic personal narratives and offered their perspectives on life and learning during these difficult times. Stephanie has published her scholarship across various venues, including Middle School Journal, Voices from the Middle, Written Communication, the Journal of Language and Literacy, and Language Arts  

Chandra Diaz (2026-2028)

Metropolitan State University of Denver

Chandra Díaz is the Associate Dean in the School of Education and Professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver. A former middle school mathematics teacher and high school administrator, her career has focused on advancing equitable educational opportunities for young adolescents and strengthening teacher preparation programs. Her scholarship examines culturally sustaining practices, teacher preparation, educational equity, mental health, and the experiences of historically underrepresented students and educators. She has secured external funding to support educator pipeline development, community-engaged research, and teacher preparation initiatives. Dr. Díaz currently serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE). She remains committed to preparing educators who are responsive to the academic, developmental, and social-emotional needs of young adolescents.

Rachel Ranschaert, Council Member (2026-2028)
University of North Texas

Dr. Rachel Ranschaert is an Assistant Professor of Literacy Education at the University of North Texas. Her work explores how the preparation of middle grades teachers and literacy teachers intersects with sociopolitical discourses, news media, community contexts, and school partnerships. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Notre Dame and began her career as an English Language Arts teacher in Arizona and Texas. She then went on to the University of Georgia where she earned her Ph.D. in Educational Theory and Practice and her certificate in Interdisciplinary Qualitative Research. Dr. Ranschaert has also done work related to writing pedagogies, teaching residencies, and qualitative methodologies. Her work has been presented at numerous national and international conferences and published in the Journal of Teacher Education, Educational Studies, and Middle School Journal, among others.

Ellis Hurd, Council Member (2026-2028)
Illinois State University 

Ellis Hurd is Professor of Education in the School of Teaching and Learning at Illinois State University. He teaches in the middle grades, bilingual, and graduate programs. Ellis has 28 years of teaching experience in various and diverse public middle, high school, and collegiate settings in Illinois and Iowa. He has published on critical theory, equity and cultural responsiveness, mixed identities, and accreditation and teacher preparation in middle grades, bilingual, and urban contexts. He is Co-Editor in Chief of Middle School Journal, serves as the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) SPA Coordinator for Middle Level Teacher Preparation and Licensure/Certification, and is a member of the Board of Directors for The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).    

Jessica DeMink-Carthew, Council Member (2026-2028)
University of Vermont

Jessica DeMink-Carthew’s research centers on supporting middle school teachers in advocating for and creating developmentally responsive learning environments for young adolescents. Her current research focuses on social justice education, personalized learning, and proficiency-based learning as liberatory practices that can promote equity. She is an active advocate for middle grades education locally and nationally through her various roles as researcher, teacher educator, and community partner. She serves on the AMLE Research Advisory Council and is on the executive council of the AERA Middle Level Education Research Special Interest Group. She is an experienced middle grades educator who has taught in France, Michigan, and Hawaii and continues to love learning with and from middle grades students and teachers.

Alyson Wright, Graduate Student Representative (2026-2028)
 

Alyson Wright is a graduate teaching assistant and research assistant at the University of Georgia. Her scholarship explores personalized and competency-based learning, student voice, and educational change, with particular attention to how school structures and cultures shape more student-driven approaches in middle grades education. Her dissertation examines how middle grades educators navigate shifts in their roles and practices as schools move toward more student-led learning environments. Before entering higher education, Alyson worked as a classroom teacher and instructional coach, experiences that continue to inform her work as a teacher educator and researcher.