The 23-member group includes education leaders and professionals from across the state.
Texas Tech University is pleased to welcome the 2022-2023 cohort of the Texas Education Policy Fellowship Program (TX-EPFP), a professional development initiative coordinated by the College of Education for individuals who seek to enhance their knowledge and develop their skills in leadership and public policy.
The class is made up of 23 leaders and professionals from all sectors of education, including nonprofits, K-12 and higher education. Members of the group come from across Texas, including Aubrey, Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Houston, Leander, Levelland, McKinney, Meadowlakes, Missouri City, Richardson, Rockwall, Rowlett, San Antonio and Spring.
“We are excited to welcome our fourth cohort of fellows as the Texas site of the Education Policy Fellowship Program,” said Rebecca Hite, TX-EPFP director and an assistant professor in the College of Education. “We have a strong and diverse cadre of leaders from around the state. They are ready to engage in the important and purposeful work of improving educational outcomes for learners in a variety of formal, informal and non-formal settings. We are glad to provide the opportunity and platform for these leaders to grow in their knowledge, leadership and networks to achieve their personal and professional goals in education policy.”
The members of the 2022-2023 class of TX-EPFP fellows are:
- Julie Barton of San Antonio, site coordinator at Texas Tech University
- Emily Doramus of Aubrey, assistant principal at Prosper Independent School District (ISD)
- Ryan Fitzgerald of Levelland, dean of dual enrollment and distance education and director of institutional research at South Plains College
- Swati Guin of Austin, research associate at American Institutes for Research
- Courtney Hardy of Missouri City, special education program specialist at Fort Bend ISD
- Joslyn Harmon of Dallas, special services manager at Dallas ISD
- Kelsy Hickingbottom of Meadowlakes, math and reading interventionist teacher at Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD
- Savannah Hollis of Rockwall, district coordinator and campus director at Richardson ISD
- Katerias Jones of Dallas, instructional coach at Arlington ISD
- Alycyn Keeling of Levelland, executive director of Wallace Theatre
- Amanda Knight of Rowlett, counselor facilitator at Garland ISD
- Kristin Mansell of St George, Utah, doctoral student in educational leadership policy at Texas Tech
- Jacqueline Martinez of El Paso, education advocate at La Texas Edvocate
- Steven Nguyen of Richardson, dual-credit health and physical education instructor at Dallas ISD
- Gilbert Palomo of San Antonio, interim dean for student success at St. Philip's College
- Tiffany Phillips of Houston, school psychologist at Harris County Department of Education
- Vania Reyes of El Paso, assistant principal at Ysleta ISD
- Abby Rodriguez of Leander, director of compliance and inquiries at Texas Education Agency
- Christine Salzman of Austin, project manager at Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
- Sarah Shirley of McKinney, English teacher at Garland ISD
- Sol Thomas of Houston, special investigator at Texas Department of Family and Protective Services
- Aletha Williams of Spring, science teacher at Katy ISD and founder of Change Agents of Katy ISD
- Shannon Yrle of San Antonio, teacher of English language learners at North East ISD
To read fellows' biographies and leadership statements, please visit the TX-EPFP website.
TX-EPFP is a 10-month, intensive professional development program for emerging and mid-level leaders in education and education related-fields. The program provides rich and robust experiences to both educate and empower participants in their work for sound education policy and practice in Texas. Fellows participate in a variety of activities to enhance their knowledge of education policy, build leadership skills and expand professional networks. The program features leadership and policy events, where fellows have the opportunity to interact with top education officials.
TX-EPFP operates under the auspices of the national Education Policy Fellowship Program of the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) in Washington, D.C., which oversees fellowship programs in 17 states and the District of Columbia. In Texas, the program has been coordinated by the College of Education at Texas Tech since 2019. Hite leads the center, and Assistant Professors Jon McNaughtan and Jessica Gottlieb serve as co-directors.
The 2022-2023 cohort of TX-EPFP fellows will meet regularly from August through May and will participate in IEL's Washington Policy Seminar. Fellows will also join a network of 9,000 alumni in all 50 states, including state legislators, university presidents, school superintendents, state teachers of the year and leaders of nonprofits and foundations.