NIET Staff
CHAIRMAN AND FOUNDER LOWELL MILKEN
Lowell Milken
Chairman and Founder, National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Founder, TAP™: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement
Lowell Milken's lifelong commitment to education reform has produced some of the country's most innovative means to elevate the teaching profession, including TAP™: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement. Founded in 1999, TAP was conceived by Lowell Milken to significantly improve teacher recruitment, retention, practices, motivation and performance. A comprehensive school reform system, TAP provides teachers and administrators with powerful opportunities to pursue multiple career paths, receive ongoing daily-applied professional growth, participate in instructionally focused accountability and earn additional compensation and bonuses based on multiple measures of performance. This multi-tiered formula has resulted in higher levels of achievement among students and schools where TAP is implemented in comparison to their respective non-TAP counterparts.
Chairman and Founder, National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Founder, TAP™: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement
Lowell Milken's lifelong commitment to education reform has produced some of the country's most innovative means to elevate the teaching profession, including TAP™: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement. Founded in 1999, TAP was conceived by Lowell Milken to significantly improve teacher recruitment, retention, practices, motivation and performance. A comprehensive school reform system, TAP provides teachers and administrators with powerful opportunities to pursue multiple career paths, receive ongoing daily-applied professional growth, participate in instructionally focused accountability and earn additional compensation and bonuses based on multiple measures of performance. This multi-tiered formula has resulted in higher levels of achievement among students and schools where TAP is implemented in comparison to their respective non-TAP counterparts.
ADMINISTRATION AND OPERATIONS TEAM
Dr. Gary Stark
President and Chief Executive Officer
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Dr. Gary Stark is president and chief executive officer of the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET). Under his leadership, NIET has expanded its mission to increase teacher effectiveness through two signature initiatives: TAP: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement and the NIET Best Practices Center. The TAP system—NIET's comprehensive reform model—has become one of the largest multi-year, multi-state efforts to create performance-based teacher and principal compensation systems. The Best Practices Center is a leader in providing innovative tools and resources to states and districts seeking to reform teacher evaluation.
President and Chief Executive Officer
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Dr. Gary Stark is president and chief executive officer of the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET). Under his leadership, NIET has expanded its mission to increase teacher effectiveness through two signature initiatives: TAP: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement and the NIET Best Practices Center. The TAP system—NIET's comprehensive reform model—has become one of the largest multi-year, multi-state efforts to create performance-based teacher and principal compensation systems. The Best Practices Center is a leader in providing innovative tools and resources to states and districts seeking to reform teacher evaluation.
Jennifer Humphrey
Director of Finance and Business Operations
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Director of Finance and Business Operations
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Dave Farley
Director of Grant Management
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Director of Grant Management
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Susan Marraffa
Director for Event Management
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Director for Event Management
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Elizabeth Manney Prenger
NIET Administrative Assistant
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
NIET Administrative Assistant
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Jessica Doshna
Support Services Specialist
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Support Services Specialist
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
SCHOOL SERVICES TEAM
Jason Culbertson
Chief Learning Officer
Executive Vice President, School Services
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
As chief learning officer and executive vice president of school services for the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching, Jason Culbertson leads the management of NIET's school services team, training development and Web-based technologies, and all site-level implementations and partnerships associated with TAP: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement and the Best Practices Center (BPC).
Chief Learning Officer
Executive Vice President, School Services
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
As chief learning officer and executive vice president of school services for the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching, Jason Culbertson leads the management of NIET's school services team, training development and Web-based technologies, and all site-level implementations and partnerships associated with TAP: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement and the Best Practices Center (BPC).
James Snyder
Vice President of Program Development
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Vice President of Program Development
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Dr. Anissa Rodriguez
Director of Learning Technology
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Director of Learning Technology
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Teddy W. Broussard
Assistant Director of School Services
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Assistant Director of School Services
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
David Kovach
Senior Program Specialist
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Senior Program Specialist
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Dr. Crystal Beshears
Senior Program Specialist
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Senior Program Specialist
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Dr. Ann Shaw
Senior Program Specialist
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Senior Program Specialist
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Stephanie Mosqueda
Senior Program Specialist
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Senior Program Specialist
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Alejandra Rice
Senior Program Specialist
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Senior Program Specialist
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Dedra Lee Collins
Senior Program Specialist
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Senior Program Specialist
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Allison Ellison
Director for Support Services
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Director for Support Services
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Jennie Robinson
Support Services Specialist
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Support Services Specialist
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
PUBLIC POLICY AND RESEARCH TEAM
Kristan Van Hook
Senior Vice President, Public Policy and Development
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
With more than 15 years of experience in government and public policy, Kristan Van Hook develops and implements strategies to build support for NIET's education initiatives, including teacher quality and performance compensation.
Senior Vice President, Public Policy and Development
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
With more than 15 years of experience in government and public policy, Kristan Van Hook develops and implements strategies to build support for NIET's education initiatives, including teacher quality and performance compensation.
Dr. Josh Barnett
Director of Research and Evaluation
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Director of Research and Evaluation
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Stephanie Ferguson
Senior Research Associate
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Senior Research Associate
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Dr. Nida Rinthapol
Research Associate
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Research Associate
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Karen Bucher, Principal, Hazel Park-Hilda Knoff Elementary School, River Ridge, Louisiana
". . . Many teachers had no idea how they were performing in specific areas. With TAP, teachers are working together to improve their classroom instruction and they are getting timely feedback on their performance—a valuable component of teacher accountability. This is making a huge difference in the classroom!"