Advisory Board
These teachers have been critical in the development and launch of "Red4EdNC 2.0". They are amazing educators with extensive advocacy experience who come from all parts of the state; get to know them!
John deVille (Macon County) grew up in the mountains of Western North Carolina. He graduated from UNC- Chapel Hill in 1986 with a B.A. in philosophy and social science education from Western Carolina University. For a while he explored various occupations on the East Coast, including family photography and selling rare books. He settled back down in Macon County, North Carolina in 1995 where he has since been teaching American history and philosophy. He has served as President and Vice President for his local NCAE chapter and has been a Teacher Fellow with the Hope Street Group. He is an occasional ghost tour guide, chronic public education activist, and political junkie. You can follow him on Facebook for a humorous take on state education news and see what else he's been up to on his website.
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LeAnna Earls Delph (Buncombe County) is a National Board Certified teacher of social studies and language arts for sixth graders in the mountains of Asheville, NC. As a first-generation college graduate from Appalachia, her passion is to show students how a love of learning and respect for education can be the key to a better quality of life and a more civilized society. A teacher at a high poverty school with a diverse population, LeAnna advocates for the schools our students deserve through chairing her school improvement team, serving as local vice president and regional director for NCAE, and sitting on the Governor's Teacher Advisory Committee. She has presented nationally on racial justice in the classroom and trauma-informed pedagogy.
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Stu Egan (Forsyth County) is a 20-year veteran English teacher in the Winston-Salem/ Forsyth County School system. Egan grew up in Georgia and obtained a BA in English and an MAEd in English Education from Wake Forest University. A National Board Certified Teacher, Egan currently teaches Advanced Placement English Language & Composition and Shakespeare as well as chairing the English Department. He sponsors the Speech & Debate Club, coaches the English Academic Team, and oversees the publication of his school’s literary magazine. A father of two children in public schools, Egan also authors a blog that deals with educational issues in North Carolina and raising a child with special needs. You can check out his blog at Caffeinated Rage or follow him on Facebook.
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Kim Mackey (Wake County) is a National Board Certified social studies teacher for Wake County Public Schools and an active member of Wake NCAE. Growing up in Canandaigua, New York, she knew in 7th grade that she wanted to become a social studies teacher. She was admitted to the SUNY Albany as a Presidential Scholar and earned B.A.s in History and Political Science in three years. She continued at SUNY Albany to earn her M.S. in Secondary Education and spent her first two years teaching in NY before moving to NC in 2007. As a civics teacher and parent of two children, Kim pushes leaders to live up to the state's motto, "To be, rather than to seem," by engaging with a variety of stakeholders and keeping others informed through her “Educated Policy” page on Facebook.
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Justin Parmenter (Mecklenburg County) teaches 7th grade Language Arts at Waddell Language Academy in Charlotte. He began teaching as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Albania in 1995, later teaching on the White Mountain Apache Reservation as a Northern Arizona University Peace Corps Fellow. Justin is a National Board Certified Teacher and was a finalist for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Teacher of the Year in 2016. He got interested in education policy as a Hope Street Group NC Teacher Voice Network fellow from 2016-2018 and writes frequently on educational issues on his blog and for state and national newspapers. Justin firmly believes in the power of teachers to initiate change in public education. You can check out his articles on his Notes from the Chalkboard blog or follow him on Facebook.
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Lauren Piner (Pitt County) graduated from East Carolina University and eventually found her home in the classroom. She teaches World History and Genocide Studies and Human Rights at South Central High School in Pitt County. A US Department of State Teachers for Global Classrooms Fellow, her passion is in global competence and education. Lauren joined this movement because she is passionate about helping teachers find their voices as advocates for their students, schools, and communities. As an educator, she sees her activism as a way to model for her students how to participate as a productive citizen of civil society. When not teaching, she spends her time with her dachshund Nancy Drew and planning her next overseas adventure.
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Lee Quinn (Wake County) earned his Bachelor of Arts in History and Religious Studies and his Master of Arts in Teaching from UNC-Chapel Hill. He serves 11th and 12th graders, teaching Theory of Knowledge in the International Baccalaureate program at Broughton High School in Wake County. In addition to his classroom work he is on the school's scholarship committee, serves as a Gilder Lehrman school liaison, and works as an IB examiner. He received the Jewell Teaching Excellence award for his school in 2010 and 2015. When not working he enjoys spending time with his wife and children, cooking, hiking, playing music, and baking.
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Mika Hunter Twietmeyer (Durham County) has been teaching science at Riverside High School since 2008. She is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher and is the science content instructor for the Master of Arts in Teaching Program at Duke University. Mika is an active member of the Durham Association of Educators and a NC Teacher Voice Fellow. She was recognized as the Teacher of the Year at her school for the 2017-2018 school year and was selected as Durham Public Schools Teacher of the Year for 2019. After teaching for several years in Durham, Mika realized that the needs of her students extended outside of her classroom and she needed to get involved in advocacy to make positive changes. She enjoys knitting, gardening, and spending time with her educator husband and two cats.
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Tamika Walker (Cumberland County) graduated from East Carolina University and began teaching music at Morganton Road Elementary. She earned her M.A.Ed in Instructional Technology from East Carolina University in 2018. Tamika was recognized in 2015-16 MRES Teacher of the Year and 2015-16 Westover District Teacher of the Year, is a member of the School Improvement Team and In-School Coach for Behavior Support team. Tamika serves as Vice President of the Cumberland County Association of Educators, and on the State level, Tamika serves as Region 6 Director on the NCAE Board of Directors and on the Student Program Advisory Committee. Tamika and her husband Adam are the proud parents of their son, Aiden.
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