Region 7 Directory
Lisa Amerson
Lynn Bailey
Multi-Tiered System of Support Consultant. Fifteen years of LEA work history includes teaching preschool, elementary and middle school students with disabilities. In that time, knowledge increased and skills were developed as a Behavior Specialist, Preschool Coordinator, NC SIP Grant Coordinator and Director of Exceptional Children Programs before becoming a DPI Regional Consultant in August 2006. Thru this career work, there have been additional opportunities to teach adjunct classes in the Teacher Education program as well as serve on the Masters of Education Advisory Board at Mars Hill University and teach an on-line education courses at Western Carolina University.
Contact Information
You can contact Lynn by email (lynn.bailey@dpi.nc.gov) or phone (336.309.0529)
Karen Broome
Melissa Ashley Coughlan
Melissa Ashley is a K-3 Literacy Consultant for the NC Department of Public Instruction. Melissa serves Region 7. Previously, she was a classroom teacher for 27 years in Grayson County, Virginia and Ashe County, North Carolina. She has also served as a North Carolina Teacher Academy trainer in Early Grades Literacy and Educational Technology. Melissa holds a BS in Early Grades Education and a MA in Middle Grades and Early Grades Education, both degrees from Appalachian State University. She is a National Board Certified Teacher in the area of Early Childhood Generalist.
The K-3 Literacy section within Academic Services was created to provide assistance to all LEAs and schools specifically emphasizing reading proficiency for all students in grades K-3.
Patti Cox
Melissa Eddy
Terri Gullick
Jan King
Karen Lounsbury
K3 Formative Assessment Consultant. Karen has 26 years of teaching experience in grades Preschool through 3rd grade. She has also taught at the community college and university level. Born in Virginia, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education from James Madison University and taught first, second, and third grades in Fairfax County Public Schools for 10 years before moving to North Carolina in 1998. She earned her Masters of Education in Birth through Kindergarten in 2005 while teaching Title 1 Preschool in Lincoln County. She was the Program Coordinator for Gaston College’s Early Childhood Education department, while also teaching courses in Early Childhood Education. She taught in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Hickory Public Schools. Karen taught at Lenoir Rhyne University for 2 years in the B-K program, as well as in the Elementary Education program. In 2014, she earned a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, focusing on preschool pedagogy. Karen currently serves in Region 7, as an educational consultant for the K-3 Formative Assessment team in the Office of Early Learning. She provides technical assistance to support LEA’s in the new Kindergarten Entry Assessment and the K-3 Formative Assessment Process. Karen can be contacted at Karen.lounsbury@dpi.nc.gov (and) 919-438-3993.
Donna Murray
Jennifer Phelps
Rick Powers
Deborah Prickett
Amy Quesinberry
Responsibilities:
- Assisting school nurses with efforts to keep students healthy and in school, ready to learn.
- Provide consultation, guidance, and technical assistance for school health program planning, ongoing development, and evaluation.
- Assurance of best health care practice consistent with state law and standards.
- Development and maintenance of nursing skills and professional development for registered nurses employed in all types of schools.
- Monitoring of local compliance related to state funded school nurse positions through scope of work and evaluation of required deliverables.
Melanie Sharpe
Literacy Consultant. Melanie is a graduate of Appalachian State University with a Master of Arts degree in Reading Education. Melanie’s teaching experience involves teaching children with a range of evidence based strategies and programs to increase student’s reading achievement. Through her role as an Exceptional Children Instructional Coach and NCSIP Coordinator, she provided support to parents, teachers, and administrators of students in PK-12th grade in reading and math strategies and programs to improve student outcomes. Melanie has worked in Watauga County and Winston-Salem/Forsyth County.
Melanie serves in the Region 7 district as an Exceptional Children’s Literacy Consultant. Her role provides professional development and support in the implementation of quality reading and writing instruction for students with disabilities. Melanie can be contacted via email at Melanie.Sharpe@dpi.nc.gov or phone at 828.773.1887.
Monica Shepherd
Serve as a liaison between the Department of Public Instruction and the LEAs as a field-based representative of DPI offering maximum support to the LEAs within the region, including:
- Provide Beginning Teacher Program Support
- Develop, Initiate and maintain BTSP Peer Review Process
- Develop, Train, Initiate and maintain BTSP Monitoring Process
- Develop train the trainer modules and revise as needed (Mentor Training, Mentor Updates, Peer Review, etc)
- Coordinate and facilitate Regional IHE/BT Coordinator Meetings (to encourage collaboration between LEAs and IHE Teacher Ed programs)
- Coordinate and facilitate the Regional Teacher of the Year process.
- Coordinate and facilitate the Regional Principal of the Year selection process.
- Establish and maintain effective relationships with the LEAs and charters with the region (and throughout the state).
- Maintain LEA records for regional and state level (BTSP Plans, Peer Review documents, etc)
- Develop components for Lateral Entry training requirement
- Coordinate and facilitate regional recruitment efforts
Contact Information: monicashepherd28@yahoo.com or 336-984-5568
Kim Simmons
Kimberly Simmons currently works for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction as the Educator Evaluation Consultant for North Carolina. Previously she served as principal of Mountain View Elementary School, in Ashe County, and as assistant principal of Ashe County Middle School. Kimberly started her career in education as a middle school language arts and social studies teacher. She has a master’s degree in School Administration and a Bachelor of Science degree in middle school education, both from Appalachian State University. She was the Ashe County Principal of the Year in 2009-10 and 2010-11. Kimberly developed a passion for empowering teachers and students through implementing the work of Bill Daggett. Her focus on rigor, relevance, and relationships helped build a culture of trust and security with teachers, students, and the community. In addition to serving as a teacher and principal, she also trained teachers throughout the Eastern United States in Middle School Success. Kimberly also served as a Teacher Academy trainer, providing mentor training across North Carolina. Mrs. Simmons lives in Ashe County with her husband Shane and two daughters.
Mandy Taylor
Professional Development Consultant. Mandy has 16 years of education experience with a background in elementary AIG and middle school Language Arts. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Middle Grades Education from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1996 and taught Reading/Language Arts and Science at a middle school for three years in Kings Mountain. During this time she obtained AIG certification. For the next 13 years, Mandy served as an AIG Specialist working with K-6 students in Ashe County Schools. In 2003 Mandy graduated from Appalachian State University with a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction and earned her NBPTS certification in Early Adolescence/English Language Arts. In 2013 she earned a Ph.D. in Teacher Education and Development from UNC-Greensboro and renewed her NBPTS certification. As a professional development consultant for Region 7, she designs and facilitates professional development trainings for teachers and administrators. She also assists districts and charters with the implementation of local and state Race to the Top initiatives, including Home Base. Mandy can be contacted at mandy.taylor@dpi.nc.gov.