NASBE Membership Elects New Leaders to Its Board of Directors

Alexandria, Va. — The National Association of State Boards of Education is pleased to announce the election of seven new members of its board of directors during its 57th Annual Conference last week in Baltimore. Jay Barth, a member of the Arkansas State Board of Education, was voted NASBE’s president-elect. Barth will begin his term as president-elect in January 2016 and then serve as president of the association in 2017. Jim McNiece, the current president-elect and member of the Kansas State Board of Education, starts his term as NASBE’s president in January. Georgia State Board Member Scott Johnson was also appointed to a two-year term on NASBE’s board as secretary-treasurer. The membership also elected regional officers. Their two-year terms also begin in January.

Newly elected to the board for two-year terms were the following:

  • Mary Ann Stewart, Massachusetts (Northeast Region)
  • Mireya Reith, Arkansas (Southern Region)
  • Angelika Schroeder, Colorado (Western Region)
  • Brooke Axiotis, Iowa (Central Region)
  • Byron Ernest, Indiana (New State Board Member Representative)
  • Catherine T. Hickey (NCOSEA Representative, serving one year)

This group will join the following board members who are returning for their second year:

  • Mary Lord, District of Columbia (serving as past-president)
  • Madhu Sidhu, Maryland (Southern Region)
  • Samuel Henry, Oregon (Western Region)
  • Allan Taylor, Connecticut (Northeast Region)
  • Richard Zeile, Michigan (Central Region)
  • Gordon Hendry, Indiana (New State Board Member Representative)
  • Donna Johnson, Delaware (NCSBEE Representative)

“Now more than ever, states are playing a more robust role in determining how our nation educates its children, and state boards of education are central to this work,” says NASBE Executive Director Kristen Amundson. “I am thrilled to have such a strong board of directors to help lead NASBE during this exciting time.”

The National Association of State Boards of Education represents America’s state and territorial boards of education. Our principal objectives are to strengthen state leadership in education policymaking, advocate equality of access to educational opportunity, promote excellence in the education of all students, and ensure responsible lay governance of education.

Featured

  • Designing for Every Mind

    Learning environments have the power to shape not just what students know, but who they become. When a school is designed with genuine empathy—for the full range of ways students think, sense, and engage with the world—it becomes more than a building. It becomes a catalyst for growth, confidence, and belonging. That is the animating idea behind neurodiverse design, and it is one that is transforming how more architects and designers are thinking about school design.

  • Phoenix School District Breaks Ground on New Prep Academy

    The Creighton Elementary School District near Phoenix, Ariz., recently broke ground on a campus replacement for Biltmore Preparatory Academy, according to a news release. The new space will allow the school to expand its enrollment by 50 percent for K–8 students and accommodate modern, collaborative learning styles.

  • Nashville Elementary School Receives LEED Gold Certification

    Goodlettsville Elementary School, part of Metro Nashville Public Schools in Nashville, Tenn., recently achieved LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), according to a news release. The 81,750-square-foot school opened in 2023 and was designed by Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC).

  • S4L Announces 2026 Education Design Showcase Winners

    Spaces4Learning is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2026 Education Design Showcase! Now in its 27th year, the annual awards program honors innovative solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction across K–12 and higher education.