Inspirational Educators Slider Cover

Recognizing Educators Who Have Made A Transformative Impact On Students’ Lives

Inspirational Educators Recognition Ceremony

SOE thanks everyone who was able to attend this year’s event!

contact

Courtney Dabney, Senior Director of Development
Email: chdabney@uncg.edu
Phone: 336.256.0496
Address: School of Education Building, Room 346
1300 Spring Garden St. Greensboro, NC 27412

Inspirational Educators square logo

Over time, the UNC Greensboro School of Education will honor 1,000 Inspirational Educators, creating an Inspirational Educators Endowment of over $1,000,000. Each year, annual interest from this endowment will fund scholarships and awards recognizing outstanding School of Education students. Awards from the Inspirational Educators Endowment may be given to any student, undergraduate or graduate, in the School of Education. Recipients will be selected by a committee appointed by the Dean.

This prestigious awards program will highlight promising young educators. When you nominate an Inspirational Educator, your gift honors a legacy and inspires our students.

Upcoming Event information

Inspirational Educators recognizes and highlights the service of those educators to whom SOE alumni and friends are most grateful. You are cordially invited to help us recognize educators who have made a transformative impact on students’ lives.

Date: Sunday, April 21, 2024
Time: 2:30pm
Location: Room 120, School of Education, UNC Greensboro
Free parking in the Oakland Parking Deck is located along Forest Street.

RSVP by April 15

Terry Ackerman headshot

Terry Ackerman has a passion for teaching, especially working with those who struggle to learn. He has taught students at both the high school level (Racine Park, Racine St. Catherines, Florence H.S.) and the university level (University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, UNCG, and University of Iowa).

He received several teaching and mentoring awards, but says, “The real reward is to watch a student understand something they never felt was possible as their self-efficacy and self-confidence grow.”

Clint Alexander headshot

Clint Alexander served as a teacher, role model, and mentor as a football coach in Virginia and Michigan. He spent 12 years as the head coach at Woodberry Forest School where he was known to hold his team to high standards and expect perseverance, humility, kindness, and love.

He returned to his home state of Michigan in 2017, accepting a position at Grand Blanc High School near Flint where he felt he could have a greater impact on the lives of his students.

While at Woodberry Forest, Alexander was named the Virginia Interscholastic Athletic Association Private School Coach of the Year, won nine league championships, and finished as the top-ranked private school in the state seven times. He coached 87 players who played collegiate football, including three that played in the NFL.

Ruth Andreve headshot

Ruth Andreve moved to Greensboro in the 1950s and went to work as a school librarian in Guilford County Schools. She remained a school librarian for over 25 years. Andreve was an outstanding researcher who enjoyed helping students with research papers.

She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a MLS from Drexel University.

For her, education went beyond the school. She taught children about Girl Scouts and was an expert knitter, making scarves and sweaters for many and teaching others how to knit.

Betty Scott Banks headshot

Betty Scott “Scottie” Banks graduated with a teaching degree from Longwood College in 1952. She was a member of Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority, three different honorary fraternities, and listed in Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges. She began her teaching career at Hermitage High School in Richmond, Va.

Following her teaching career, she served in various volunteer capacities at her children’s schools, including multiple years as PTA president, and ultimately was inducted as a lifelong NC PTA member.

Her example was a factor in her granddaughter Caroline’s decision to attend UNCG and pursue teaching. Caroline now follows in her grandmother’s footsteps as a teacher.

Deborah Bartz headshot

Deborah Bartz served as the Director for the Center for Education Research and Evaluation (CERE) in UNCG’s School of Education. In that role, she served as the evaluator on the North Carolina Partnership in Improving Math and Science, an NSF-funded MSP project in 11 counties in Eastern North Carolina to improve K-12 math and science education outcomes.

She also taught evaluation courses in the Department of Educational Research and Methodology and worked with many graduate students.

Sarah Berenson headshot

Sarah Berenson directed the Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education at North Carolina State University before taking the inaugural Yopp Distinguished Professorship at UNCG.

While at NC State, Berenson received the Holladay Medal of Excellence, the highest honor presented to faculty members. In addition to her many juried publications and presentations, she was awarded 42 federal and state grants, providing professional development for teachers and research funding for graduate students.

Rochelle Brock headshot

Rochelle Brock has long made it her mission to bring people together.

A steadfast advocate for social justice, Brock holds a PhD in Curriculum & Instruction from Pennsylvania State University, and was a professor in the Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations Department at UNC Greensboro. In her academic career, she focused on Black feminist theory, urban education, narrative inquiry and multicultural education. She was executive editor of the Peter Lang Book Series “Black Studies and Critical Thinking.”

She’s was someone who encouraged her students to have open dialogues, be unafraid of voicing their opinions, and be willing to listen to those who disagree with them.

Anessa Burgman headshot

Anessa M. Burgman has dedicated her life to serving children and working with educators for over 33 years. She began her career as a third grade teacher.

After receiving her master’s degree in Educational Administration from UNC Greensboro, Burgman served as the principal of three elementary schools and a middle school in Guilford County. Following her retirement from Claxton Elementary in 2020, she spent a year as the start-up coordinator and director of a UNC System Laboratory School – Aggie Academy. She continues to work with school administrators as an Executive Educational Coach at High Point University.

Jim Carmichael headshot

James V. Carmichael, Jr. has long been known for championing the LGBTQ community and advocating research in other communities that have been marginalized.

He began working in UNC Greensboro’s Library and Information Science Department in 1989, and focused on three areas – library history in the Southern United States; gender equity; and gay library history. He has taught two generations (many current students had parents who studied under him) and has been recognized for his efforts with awards from the Atlanta Historical Society and North Carolina Library Association.

Flo Durway headshot

Flo Denny Durway earned a BA in English from Queens University in Charlotte, an MAT from Duke University, and an EDD in Curriculum and Teaching from UNCG.

Her 44-year career included stops in three states and one foreign country. From high school English, to Program Manager at the Louisiana Department of Public Instruction, to Assistant Professor at LSU, to director of International Baccalaureate Programmes in Wake County, her career was varied, interesting, challenging, and rewarding.

She now says that reading is a primary pastime and that continuing to teach occasionally keeps her mind alert. Her love of education never diminishes as she engages with grandchildren, young parents, and today’s teachers.

Lenwood Edwards headshot

Lenwood Edwards served as a teacher, principal, coach, and mentor in schools throughout Guilford County for more than 40 years. 

Born in the Eastern North Carolina town of Snow Hill, he played football, basketball, and baseball while in high school, and also served in student government and participated in the school choir. At Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, he was known for being a superb punter. He was also a lifelong learner, and earned master’s degrees from Springfield College and North Carolina A&T State University, and studied at the University of Helsinki in Finland.

Among the schools where he worked over the years were Lincoln Junior High School, Kiser Middle School, Page High School, and Dudley High School. In 1971, he began working at Greensboro Day School, and became its first African-American athletic director.

Tricia Fish headshot

Tricia Booth Fish believed that a teacher should love their subject, love their students, and listen as much as instruct throughout a career that spanned over five decades. 

She began her career in Durham Public Schools in 1957, and earned a master’s degree from UNC Greensboro in 1968. She taught in Greensboro Public Schools and then at Greensboro Day School, where she eventually became a college counselor. 

Fish retired in 2013, but continues tutoring.

Ye "Jane" He headshot

Ye He, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Teacher Education and Higher Education in the School of Education at UNC Greensboro. She works with educators to engage students and families of diverse backgrounds in local and international contexts.

Her research focuses on the promotion of strengths-based, community-engaged, and diverse language and culture-centered teaching and learning practices.

She has facilitated opportunities for students and faculty to travel and learn in her home nation of China.

Robert Howard headshot

Robert Lee Howard, Sr., valedictorian of his high school class, earned a BA from Williams College, an MBA from the University of Chicago, and a PhD from Ohio State University.

He has taught finance courses at Central State University, Ohio State University, Florida A&M University, and North Carolina A&T State University. He started the A&T chapter of the Golden Key International Honour Society.

In 2011, Dr. Howard received the University of North Carolina’s Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching.

At his church, Dr. Howard is chair of the budget committee. He and his wife direct an SAT preparation program.

Vicki Jacobs headshot

Vicki Jacobs is the Yopp Distinguished Professor of Mathematics Education in the Department of Teacher Education and Higher Education at UNC Greensboro. Prior to joining UNCG, she worked at San Diego State University and the Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education.

She completed her graduate work at the University of Wisconsin where she was part of the Cognitively Guided Instruction project—a research and professional development project that introduced her to the wonder and power of children’s ways of reasoning in mathematics. She enjoys collaborating with teachers to celebrate and explore young children’s reasoning and instruction that builds on this reasoning.

Dot Kearns headshot

Dorothy Kendall Kearns earned her bachelor’s degree from Woman’s College and her MEd from UNCG and was the first woman to serve on the Guilford County Board of Commissioners.

Kearns has held positions on both the High Point City Schools and Guilford County Schools Boards of Education. She advocated for the innovative Smart Start program and held community service positions with the National Conference of Community and Justice, the Guilford County Health Advisory Board, Communities in Schools, the NC School Boards Association, the Community Advisory Board for Kids Voting, Public Schools First North Carolina, and, at UNCG, the UNC Greensboro Foundation Board, and the Board of Visitors.

Carl Lashley headshot

Carl Lashley is a former associate professor in the UNC Greensboro School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations. He came to UNCG in 1998 and retired in 2022.

He was named the recipient of the 2024 Felix Barker Leadership Award presented annually by the North Carolina Council for Exceptional Children. 

Throughout his career, Lashley served as a general and special education teacher, an elementary school principal, director of special education, and director of curriculum and instruction in West Virginia Public Schools. 

Lashley focused his research on education law; special education law, policy, and practice; technology; and school leadership preparedness.

Thomas Leonard headshot

Thomas Leonard was the type of educator and leader who went well beyond the classroom. Known as Mr. Tom to his students, he spent tireless hours collaborating with and educating our youth, in areas that would benefit and serve them positively moving throughout life’s journey.

Giving his all for 30 years, working at Independence High School in Winston-Salem, his impact on those he touched is still presently felt. Students still speak highly of him, to this day, in the way in which he changed their lives.

Cindy McCormic headshot

Cindy McCormic is a retired principal from Cumberland County Schools. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the Fayetteville Police Foundation and also serves as an Executive Coach with the UNCG PPEERS Program.

She holds a Master’s Degree in Middle Level Education, Mathematics and School Administration. Throughout her tenure with Cumberland County Schools, she served as a teacher assistant, mathematics teacher, assistant principal, and for her last 11 years, as a principal. She was the principal of John Griffin Middle School, recognized as a National School to Watch and a high performing middle school for seven years and principal of Pine Forest High School for four years.

She has presented on numerous topics at county, state and national levels. McCormic is most passionate about developing school leaders and instructional leadership.

Linda McDougle headshot

Linda Wilson McDougle earned a BS from North Carolina Central University, a MED from UNCG, and an EDS from Appalachian State University. She retired as an educator from Guilford County Schools and the former Greensboro City Schools. She served as the first female principal at Dudley High School.

She was the Chair of the Greensboro Human Relations Commission in the late 1970s. McDougle was hired as one of the first African-American teachers at Greensboro City Schools’ Jackson Junior High School where she would later become assistant principal. She also served as the principal at Craven and Joyner Elementary Schools. Later in her career, McDougle spent time as associate superintendent and served as the President of the North Carolina Association of Educators – Principals Association. She was also a member of the Board of Directors for the National Educators Association.

William Purkey headshot

William Watson Purkey developed “Invitational Education,” a teaching theory asserting that human potential is not always obvious and is often waiting for invitation during his 35 years at UNC Greensboro. The theory has been taught throughout the United States, and has inspired many educators, including Dr. John J. Ivers, former dean of the College of Language and Letters at Brigham Young University-Idaho. He studied under Purkey in the 1980s and said the experience was a life-changing one.

Purkey was the recipient of the UNC Greensboro Alumni Teaching Excellence Award and the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. He also takes great pride in that more than 75 of his students have had articles published in state and national journals based on projects developed in his classes.

Leslie Rainey headshot

Leslie M. Rainey earned her BA from Pfeiffer University, MA from Appalachian State University, and PhD from UNC Greensboro. Her dissertation, “Influential Factors in Career Orientation and Career Aspirations of Early Adolescent Females” won national honors.

She served 25 years as a school counselor in North Carolina public schools.

Rainey has been married over 50 years and has two children, both of whom earned multiple degrees from UNCG. She has three grandchildren.

She currently funds the School of Education’s Leslie Martin Rainey Scholarship.

Bob Satterfield headshot

Robert D. Satterfield spent nearly 40 years as an educator. Born in Caswell County and raised on a tobacco farm, Satterfield attended East Carolina University and later earned a master’s degree from UNC Greensboro.

In 1970, he was hired on as one of Greensboro Day’s School’s 11 original faculty members. He eventually became head of the math department, and then assistant director of the Upper School. He was also the first recipient of the James P. Hendrix Teacher of the Year Award at Greensboro Day School. 

Katherine Davis Smith headshot

Katherine Davis Smith began teaching in 1944, and over the next four decades served as an inspiration to students ranging from kindergartners to high schoolers. What she loved about the profession was helping students grow and achieve their full potential. And she saw the students as family. 

A native of Pikeville, Smith graduated from the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina (as UNC Greensboro was then known) and started her career in Wilson County. She retired in 1985 as a kindergarten teacher at Pikeville School. 

After retirement, Smith continued serving as an elementary school volunteer. She also served as president of the board of the Northern Wayne Historical Museum and was a member of the Wayne County Historical Society.

Jennifer Stephens headshot

Jennifer Tomon Stephens serves as the Director of Academic-Residential Partnerships and Assistant Professor of Education at Elon University. From 2008 to 2023, she originated several positions in the UNCG School of Education and University Teaching and Learning Commons, most prominently co-creating and directing the Teacher Education Fellows Program.

She has served as a middle grades teacher, Education Policy Fellow, and, most recently, co-editor/author of the book Ignite: A Decolonial Approach to Higher Education Through Space, Place and Culture.

She holds a BA in Education from UNC Chapel Hill, an MS in Counseling from North Carolina State University, and a PhD in Educational Studies from UNCG.

Barbara Todd headshot

Barbara Ann Todd graduated as the valedictorian of Forbush High School in East Bend, N.C., before earning her bachelor’s, master’s, certificate of advanced study, and PhD from UNCG.

She served North Carolina public schools for 33 years as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal in Wilkes County and as superintendent in Yadkin County. She retired in July of 2007.

Following retirement, she worked as a clinical professor at Appalachian State University for three years and an adjunct professor in the Educational Leadership Department at Gardner-Webb University for 11 years.

She has been honored as the Wilkes County Teacher of the Year (1986-87), received North Carolina’s Order of the Long Leaf Pine (2007), and was inducted into Forbush High School’s Hall of Fame (2023-24). She continues to volunteer at a local food pantry and is the choir director and organist at Deep Creek Baptist Church.

Joan Tolley headshot

Joan Morrison Tolley earned her bachelor’s degree from East Carolina College and her master’s degree from UNCG. She spent 33 years in public education, working in four different North Carolina school systems, before retiring in 2000. Tolley spent 25 years at Gibsonville Elementary School in Guilford County. She served the Alamance-Burlington School System as a clinical mentor and assistant principal at Haw River Elementary School before being named principal at North Graham Elementary School.

Tolley was recognized with the Outstanding Alumnus Educator Award from East Carolina in 1987 and has maintained memberships in the National Education Association, the International Reading Association, the International Math Association, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, and the North Carolina Principal’s Association.

She and her husband Jerry established UNCG’s Gail Hennis Teaching Excellence Award. She is a recipient of North Carolina’s Order of the Long Leaf Pine.

Emilee Transou headshot

Emilee Transou is currently employed as the Early Childhood Development Chair and a preschool teacher at Greensboro Day School. She is in her 25th year as an early childhood educator. She has also served as an adjunct instructor in UNCG’s departments of Specialized Education Services and Human Development and Family Studies.

She earned her BS in Birth-Kindergarten from UNCG’s HDFS program and earned a graduate degree in the field of early childhood education. Transou spent 12 years working in UNCG’s Childcare Education Program. She has helped grow GDS’s early childhood program from 12 children to now over 180 students. Transou continues to be a lifelong learner, attending many NAEYC conferences and serving as a presenter for the NCAIS Early Childhood Educators Conference.

She is married with two children and enjoys spending time at the lake, riding bikes, and camping.

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Darrin Turner is a math teacher at Knox Middle School, a high-needs school that is majority minority. Turner has had a major impact on his current and past students. One of his former students credits the high expectations he set in the classroom to helping her become class valedictorian and earn a scholarship to Vanderbilt University.

Jackie Upton headshot

Jackie Upton dedicated her 35-year career to educating youth, teaching history, civics, economics, English, and journalism. She began her tenure at Greensboro Day School in 1986 as an AP History teacher, transitioning to College Guidance Director. She was a wonderful model for colleagues and students, always sharing her perspectives and doing so with wisdom, kindness, and compassion. She won the Outstanding Teacher of American History and the Hendrix Award.

In 2021, the Fish Upton College Counseling Center was dedicated in her honor. For more than two decades, her insight, thoroughness, and honesty she brought to the program earned the respect, admiration, and appreciation of students, parents, and college admissions officers across the country, establishing individualized college counseling as a signature feature of GDS.

Carol Williams headshot

Carol Williams has held teaching positions in South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and North Carolina since beginning her career in 1972. She has spent much of her career at Greensboro Day School where her primary focus has been on middle grades mathematics, while also being involved with designing curriculum which integrates the disciplines and includes every child.

She has been involved with the Teaching Excellence and Mathematics (TEAM) Project, a statewide professional development project that joined K-8 public school teachers across North Carolina in learning effective instruction, appropriate pedagogy, and the mathematics in order to become teacher leaders across the state. That experience has led to other opportunities to lead professional development throughout North Carolina.

Holt Wilson Feature Image

Holt Wilson is the Co-Director of the Institute for Partnerships in Education and Associate Professor of Mathematics Education at UNC Greensboro.

A former high school teacher and lifelong North Carolinian, Wilson works with educators in the Piedmont Triad and across the state to ensure more equitable learning opportunities and supports for teachers and students.

Annie Wimbish headshot

Annie P. Wimbish is a retired success agent who served more than 40 years in public schools. Her roles have transitioned from assistant teacher to school superintendent in four states – Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, and Mississippi.

As a higher education enthusiast, she has served as an instructor, adjunct professor, and associate professor at UNC Pembroke, Grand Canyon University, Old Dominion University, and serves as a leadership coach for aspiring administrators through UNCG. She serves as the Chair of the Trustee Board at Averett University.

She is the author of Rubber Bands on My Socks and is married to retired warrant officer Ray Wimbish. She is a mother with a motto of “It’s not where you come from, but where you’re going that makes a difference.”

Kay Zimmerman headshot

Kay Zimmerman inspired a whole generation to fall in love with Latin and French. Colleagues describe her as a “master teacher,” who served as a cheerleader for those learning the language at Greensboro Day School, and who challenged students to always be the “best version of themselves.” 

During her more than 40 years as an educator in both public and private schools, she regularly took students to Junior Classical League competitions, while encouraging them to believe in their abilities. She also helped rewrite the North Carolina Department of Instruction Latin curriculum, and has been the recipient of the James P. Hendrix Jr. Award for Excellence in Teaching at Greensboro Day School.

Though retired, she continues to tutor at Greensboro Day School, and volunteer at Hope Academy.

Barbara Baer

Wayne Journell

Kathy Matthews

Launched in 2018, Inspirational Educators recognizes educators who have made a transformative impact on students’ lives. The UNC Greensboro School of Education values the difference educators make in engaging communities and promoting life-changing opportunities through education while remaining steadfast in the advancement of equity, diversity, and inclusion.

The goals for the Inspirational Educators program are simple: elevate the profession of education, create an opportunity to honor people who have made a difference in the lives of others, and raise much needed funds for our future educators. A permanent recognition, the Inspirational Educators Wall, is displayed in the School of Education Building.