2020 National PTA Virtual Convention

Nathan R. Monell, CAE, joined National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) as Executive Director in May 2015. Throughout his entire career, Nathan has pushed to help improve the lives of individuals who are often marginalized by multiple life factors. At America’s oldest and largest volunteer child advocacy association, he is working side-by-side with parents, teachers and policymakers at every level to help ensure the educational success of our nation’s children.

For 32 years, Nathan has provided strategic leadership to organizations in the areas of: youth and adult mental health services; educational and employment outcomes; health and substance abuse prevention service, and housing and social services for families. Most recently he served as the President and CEO of the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships, the Department of Education-designated technical assistance and training provider for the $300 million GEAR UP college access and readiness program.

Nathan is a Certified Association Executive with the American Society of Association Executive (ASAE). He earned a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Georgetown University, a Master of Arts in communication studies (organizational communications/behavior) from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of Arts in speech from Cornerstone University.

Nathan has received more than 40 awards. He consults with and trains nonprofit executives, boards of directors and others in the advancement of the nonprofit profession and management. He and his husband, Rob, are proud parents of two adopted children, Zalo, 17 and Kira, 15.

Amy Fox joined Edelman in 2006 in the Washington, D.C. office.  She has extensive experience in advising major national and international corporations and non-profit organizations on strategic communication, media relations, executive positioning, influencer engagement and Corporate Social Responsibility.

Amy has managed and supported a number of non-profits accounts, including United Way Worldwide, the Council on Foundations, the Independent Sector, National PTA, Points of Light Foundation, FINRA Foundation, Melwood, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. She is currently managing COVID-19 response for United Way and the Independent Sector, as well as rebranding work for the Council on Foundations and National PTA. Since 2006, Amy has served as the client lead for United Way Worldwide. For United Way, she manages media strategy, thought leadership, and led the launch of the Advancing the Common Good platform. Amy also manages Edelman’s work with Volkswagen Group of America. She oversees corporate and product communications for the Volkswagen Group and the Volkswagen brand in the United States.

Amy has received the International Public Relations Golden World Award for her work with Dow Chemical and the Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) bronze anvil award for Waste Management’s environmental sustainability brochure. She was a finalist for a PRSA Silver Anvil award and Creativity in Public Relations Award for Dow Chemical’s corporate visibility program. Amy received a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in public communication from American University in Washington, D.C.

Jackeline Stewart is an award-winning communications strategist with experience in creating and disseminating transformative narratives to help advance immigration reform, racial justice, impact investing, criminal justice reform and Obama administration technology and green priorities. She has collected invaluable experience working with corporate foundations, national nonprofits, and thought leaders to develop dynamic media strategies that not only reach, but engage and activate diverse audiences to create change.

Before joining Edelman, Jackeline founded and managed the civil rights and racial justice portfolio at Spitfire Strategies helping clients like the Ford Foundation, the  NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and UnidosUS achieve meaningful results. She served in the Obama Administration as Press Secretary at the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), securing top-tier media placements and using social media to provide the American people with the critical policy and program information they need and expect from a 21st century government. A reporter tweeted that GSA is “one of the coolest agencies in federal government.” In less than 140 characters, his message was testament to successful communication and marketing strategies that transformed public opinion of the government agency.

The combination of her love of writing and passion for authentic diversity and inclusion fuels her drive to tell powerful stories. Jackeline started her career working on corporate partnerships, health care, immigration reform, and education issues at the National Council of La Raza (now, UnidosUS). She then helped develop the Latino worker narrative at the Service Employees International Union and was a writer for the 2012 Democratic National Convention Committee.

Jackeline graduated from the American University in Washington, DC with a combined B.A./M.A. in journalism and public policy.

Leslie Boggs is the 56th president of National PTA, the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer child advocacy association. A leadership development expert from Odessa, Texas, Boggs has over 20 years of leadership experience at all levels of PTA. Boggs will serve as president of the National PTA until June 2021.  Previously, Boggs served as National PTA president-elect and chair of several national committees. At the state level, Boggs served as president of Texas PTA from 2014-2016 and was president of New Mexico PTA from 2003-2005.

Boggs began her career in the fashion and design industry and then became the owner of an oil and gas wholesale distributor, as well as an HVAC installation company, both family businesses. After selling the corporations, she founded CarrellBoggs Consulting to help other entrepreneurs and nonprofits enhance their leadership and management skills.  A mother of three and a grandmother of four, Boggs is a dedicated and passionate advocate for children and their right to receiving a quality public education no matter their demographics, ethnicity or household income.

Boggs is a certified DISC trainer and a professional consultant and loves helping other achieve success. She is certified in Nonprofit Leadership and Management and is a member of the John Maxwell Team and Mentorship.

Naomi has had the privilege to serve at the local, county and state levels of PTA, in varying roles over the last nine years. She believes strongly that engaging stakeholders across various facets of the educational spectrum is a critical component of a PTA’s success and by extension, victories for our students, families and schools. She has been instrumental in implementing technology resources designed to increase communication and engagement within her school communities. As a mother of five children, ranging from 2 to 20 years, Naomi’s commitment to children runs deep. She enjoys sharing her passions and talents with other child advocates through trainings, seminars, and one-on-one chats. In her spare time, Naomi is an avid musician and opera singer and performs throughout the year in her hometown of Tampa, FL. She also provides private vocal coaching to students of all ages and abilities.

Frances Frost is a wife, mother, author, and advocate for equitable opportunities for learning for all children. Through various roles and opportunities at the local, county, state and national PTA levels, Frances has developed her knowledge and skills in education policy, family engagement, and advocacy. She focuses on efforts to identify and address barriers to student success and parent engagement through advocacy, collaborations in the community and school district, and PTA programs, with an emphasis on equity for all children.  Frances is currently on the National PTA Board of Directors.  She is an Honorary Life Member of Maryland PTA and National PTA. Previously, she served as the first U.S. Department of Education Family Ambassador, and is currently working in student support and family engagement in a local school district.

Collin Robinson is serving his second term on the National PTA Board of Directors. He has been an active PTA parent leader at the local, regional, state and national levels and served as president of Oregon PTA from 2015-2017.

Professionally, Robinson is a freelance web developer where he often focuses on the human experience, assesses issues from a various perspectives and produces usable solutions to complex problems. Because of his experience in the digital space, Robinson was named PTA Connected Ambassador in 2018 and he uses his expertise to educate families on how to use digital spaces safely and effectively.

Robinson and his wife Jennifer have two school-aged children, Coral and Asher.

Janice currently serves as President of Washington State PTA. She served in leadership at the local, council and region levels prior to her election to the state board positions of Region Director and Finance Officer. She has served on the WSPTA board of directors for six years. Janice is focusing on “The Power of Connection” during her term as president. She hopes to strengthen bonds and build our bench of new leaders in Washington and have fun in the process!

Janice has a B.A. in Business Administration with emphasis in Finance and Interpersonal Communications from the University of Washington. Professionally, she has worked in the accounting field for large and small businesses. For thirteen years, she has been managing the finance and business operations of a small business on a part-time basis, from home. This has been helpful in raising two children, providing flexibility for PTA volunteering, and spoiling her pugs.

Julie is the Vice President of Washington State PTA. She has served in numerous PTA roles at the local, council, and region levels over 18 years in PTA. Her areas of expertise are nonprofit law, finance, and leadership. She was elected to the state board of directors as Secretary in 2015 and spent three years as WSPTA Leadership Director. She is focused on improving service delivery across the state and building leaders.

Julie has a B.S. in Human Development from Oregon State University and an M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University.  She particularly enjoys teaching, writing, and speaking on topics related to servant leadership, conflict transformation, and supportive processes.  Professionally, she is a freelance writer who specializes in grants and nonprofit education resources. She enjoys quilting and knitting, catering to the whims of a big orange cat, carpool karaoke, and travelling with her family.

Michelle Ramos is an ed tech mover and shaker in the L.A. startup world. As the Strategic Partnerships Lead for GoGuardian, she maximizes the company’s impact on its community of educators through cutting edge corporate, research, and non-profit partnerships. Through these partnerships, she informs the company’s data science, corporate strategy, and product development with the goal of improving student educational outcomes. Prior to GoGuardian, she has worked in non-profit, public, and private sector companies galvanizing large scale partnership building, event management, parent organizing, and community engagement in the education space for nearly 10 years.  Her pet passions include student mental health, career & technical education and urban gardening.

Laura Bay is Past President of National PTA (2015-2017) and has served for over 13 years with National PTA and a previous 12 years with the Washington State PTA. Ms. Bay believes that supporting the “whole child” is crucial to our communities and families and that is why after completing her term as National PTA president, she continues her advocacy and leadership work with National PTA in addition to supporting mental health advocacy through two national mental health organizations.

Ms. Bay currently serves on the board of directors and is the public policy committee chair of Mental Health America, she also serves as an advisory board member for the  National Center for School Mental Health. For nearly 20 years she has been an educator in the Bremerton School District. Laura started as a classroom teacher and currently works as a District Coordinator of Assessment and Instruction. Ms. Bay works with building staff and principals supporting SEL initiatives, student learning/assessments and supports new teachers.  Ms. Bay holds a Bachelor’s Degree and a Masters in Middle Level Education (Math and Science) from Old Dominion University. She earned a residency certificate in Educational Leadership and Policy (Administrator and Principal) from the University of Washington. Ms. Bay is the mother of three adult children, two adorable grandchildren and a faithful Corgi – Furby. Ms. Bay and her husband of 39 years reside in Poulsbo Washington.

Sheryl Scheafer is the Montana PTA President as well as the President and a presenter for the Billings, Montana chapter of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness).  Sheryl brought the mental illness resolution to National PTA for approval at the national convention in 2018.  She has been an advocate for youth with mental illness since her daughter struggled through high school with Bi Polar disorder.  Sheryl has been involved in PTA for 30 years, at the local, council and state levels.

Tracy Clements is the Director of Counseling Services for Neosho School District in Southwest Missouri. She has worked in the counseling field for 28 years, the last 14 in educational settings.  Tracy is a Licensed Professional Counselor and holds K-12 certification as a Professional School Counselor. She began her professional career working in child protective services, then moved on to working in psychiatric hospitals, a child advocacy center, and private practice before working in educational settings.

Tracie Potts is a board member and inaugural Family Engagement Fellow with National PTA. She helped develop a transformative family engagement framework and created a family Engagement Advisory Team for her school district. Tracie served as a Council PTA officer and local PTA President, leading her school to become the district’s first National PTA School of Excellence. This year she was named the district’s “Champion for Children.”

As Maryland PTA’s Family and Community Engagement chair, Tracie pioneered weekly e-blasts and School of Excellence mentors. She received the Maryland and National PTA Lifetime Achievement Awards. In 2020 she was honored as the nation’s first featured “Learning Hero.

Tracie is a correspondent for NBC News. She works with her husband, a youth minister, to inspire young people. Their three children and two grandchildren are her motivation to train families to support learning, speak up for children and advocate for equity.

Dori Tate has been involved in PTA since 1997.  During her tenure in PTA she has held many positions including serving 12 years on the Washington State Board of directors.  She is best known for her conflict resolution skills and being the WSPTA Growth and Development chair for the past 5 years.  Her friends tease her and call her the PTA Google.  She is fun to be around with a great sense of humor.  Besides her PTA roll she is a Medical Assistant for a podiatrist, she raised two amazing sons and lives in Puyallup WA.

Julie Kluthe created and led Rising Stars Academy, an innovative PTA leadership development initiative for the Lewisville (Texas) ISD Council of PTAs that has inspired similar programs across Texas and beyond. Julie is a member of the Texas PTA Leadership Committee and communications chair for Flower Mound High School PTSA. She recently authored an article for National PTA’s One Voice blog: “Back the Future: A New Dedication to a Continued Mission.”

Shannon Nault understands that many local unit leaders feel underprepared and overwhelmed by their PTA roles. She developed and moderated quarterly Presidents Panels and Treasurers Panels that break down these big responsibilities into more manageable pieces and create a collaborative learning environment amongst local units. Shannon has just concluded two years as the treasurer of the Lewisville (Texas) ISD Council of PTAs and will serve this year as VP of leadership development. She is president of the Flower Mound High School PTSA and treasurer of the McKamy Middle School PTA. She has four children ages 12-19.

Michelle Alkhatib has served two terms as the president of Lewisville (Texas) ISD Council of PTAs and will serve this year as treasurer.  She also serves on two local PTA boards in vice president positions.  She has helped lead and facilitate leadership opportunities throughout Lewisville ISD, such as Rising Stars Academy, Presidents Panel, Treasurers Panel and Leadership Launch.  Michelle is a 2019 graduate of the Texas PTA Emerging Leaders Academy.  Prior to becoming a fully dedicated PTA and nonprofit volunteer, she was a teacher and principal.  She is an active mom to four young children ages 4 to 13.

The National PTA Field Service Committee is composed of individuals with vast and varied levels of experience, both within and outside of PTA. All committee members have served as the president of their state PTAs, all have served on numerous National PTA committees, and almost all either have served or are currently serving on the National PTA Board of Directors.

The National PTA Field Service Committee is composed of individuals with vast and varied levels of experience, both within and outside of PTA. All committee members have served as the president of their state PTAs, all have served on numerous National PTA committees, and almost all either have served or are currently serving on the National PTA Board of Directors.

The National PTA Field Service Committee is composed of individuals with vast and varied levels of experience, both within and outside of PTA. All committee members have served as the president of their state PTAs, all have served on numerous National PTA committees, and almost all either have served or are currently serving on the National PTA Board of Directors.

The National PTA Field Service Committee is composed of individuals with vast and varied levels of experience, both within and outside of PTA. All committee members have served as the president of their state PTAs, all have served on numerous National PTA committees, and almost all either have served or are currently serving on the National PTA Board of Directors.

The National PTA Field Service Committee is composed of individuals with vast and varied levels of experience, both within and outside of PTA. All committee members have served as the president of their state PTAs, all have served on numerous National PTA committees, and almost all either have served or are currently serving on the National PTA Board of Directors.

The National PTA Field Service Committee is composed of individuals with vast and varied levels of experience, both within and outside of PTA. All committee members have served as the president of their state PTAs, all have served on numerous National PTA committees, and almost all either have served or are currently serving on the National PTA Board of Directors.

LaWanda Toney is a seasoned communications professional that has worked in the media industry for over 20 years. She is the Director of Strategic Communications at National PTA and has served in that role for over 7 years and a total of 10 years with the association. She manages a team of nine in the areas of web, social media, editorial, creative development and media relations.

Leslie Boggs is the 56th president of National PTA, the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer child advocacy association. A leadership development expert from Odessa, Texas, Boggs has over 20 years of leadership experience at all levels of PTA. Boggs will serve as president of the National PTA until June 2021.  Previously, Boggs served as National PTA president-elect and chair of several national committees. At the state level, Boggs served as president of Texas PTA from 2014-2016 and was president of New Mexico PTA from 2003-2005.

Boggs began her career in the fashion and design industry and then became the owner of an oil and gas wholesale distributor, as well as an HVAC installation company, both family businesses. After selling the corporations, she founded CarrellBoggs Consulting to help other entrepreneurs and nonprofits enhance their leadership and management skills.  A mother of three and a grandmother of four, Boggs is a dedicated and passionate advocate for children and their right to receiving a quality public education no matter their demographics, ethnicity or household income.

Boggs is a certified DISC trainer and a professional consultant and loves helping other achieve success. She is certified in Nonprofit Leadership and Management and is a member of the John Maxwell Team and Mentorship.

Jackeline Stewart is an award-winning communications strategist with experience in creating and disseminating transformative narratives to help advance immigration reform, racial justice, impact investing, criminal justice reform and Obama administration technology and green priorities. She has collected invaluable experience working with corporate foundations, national nonprofits, and thought leaders to develop dynamic media strategies that not only reach, but engage and activate diverse audiences to create change.

Before joining Edelman, Jackeline founded and managed the civil rights and racial justice portfolio at Spitfire Strategies helping clients like the Ford Foundation, the  NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and UnidosUS achieve meaningful results. She served in the Obama Administration as Press Secretary at the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), securing top-tier media placements and using social media to provide the American people with the critical policy and program information they need and expect from a 21st century government. A reporter tweeted that GSA is “one of the coolest agencies in federal government.” In less than 140 characters, his message was testament to successful communication and marketing strategies that transformed public opinion of the government agency.

The combination of her love of writing and passion for authentic diversity and inclusion fuels her drive to tell powerful stories. Jackeline started her career working on corporate partnerships, health care, immigration reform, and education issues at the National Council of La Raza (now, UnidosUS). She then helped develop the Latino worker narrative at the Service Employees International Union and was a writer for the 2012 Democratic National Convention Committee.

Jackeline graduated from the American University in Washington, DC with a combined B.A./M.A. in journalism and public policy.

Amy Fox joined Edelman in 2006 in the Washington, D.C. office.  She has extensive experience in advising major national and international corporations and non-profit organizations on strategic communication, media relations, executive positioning, influencer engagement and Corporate Social Responsibility.

Amy has managed and supported a number of non-profits accounts, including United Way Worldwide, the Council on Foundations, the Independent Sector, National PTA, Points of Light Foundation, FINRA Foundation, Melwood, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. She is currently managing COVID-19 response for United Way and the Independent Sector, as well as rebranding work for the Council on Foundations and National PTA. Since 2006, Amy has served as the client lead for United Way Worldwide. For United Way, she manages media strategy, thought leadership, and led the launch of the Advancing the Common Good platform. Amy also manages Edelman’s work with Volkswagen Group of America. She oversees corporate and product communications for the Volkswagen Group and the Volkswagen brand in the United States.

Amy has received the International Public Relations Golden World Award for her work with Dow Chemical and the Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) bronze anvil award for Waste Management’s environmental sustainability brochure. She was a finalist for a PRSA Silver Anvil award and Creativity in Public Relations Award for Dow Chemical’s corporate visibility program. Amy received a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in public communication from American University in Washington, D.C.

Dana Taylor is a Programs & Partnerships Manager at National PTA and has been with National PTA for one year. Overseeing the STEM + Families Initiative, she is responsible for driving the strategic vision of the initiative and caring for the overall strategies and goals of the initiative. Dana is excited to be able to share National PTA’s STEM @ Home resources with PTA members. Dana is passionate about ensuring that STEM opportunities are made available to all children, families, and PTAs across the country on the behalf of National PTA.  Dana is currently looking to adopt a dog in the near future!

Jacki Ball is the Director of Government Affairs at National PTA, where she leads PTA’s federal policy, advocacy and lobbying efforts. Prior to joining National PTA, she was the Associate Director of Advocacy at the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

Jacki has spent her entire career in either the classroom or advocating on behalf of children, families and educational equity. She started her career as a history and government teacher in Fairfax, Va. Jacki has worked on Capitol Hill as a legislative aide and also served as Manager of Government Relations for Reading is Fundamental (RIF). She is an active member of Women in Government Relations (WGR) serving as President-Elect on the Board of Directors and is member of the Education Task Force.

Jacki has a bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC, and a master’s degree from the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL.

Trevor Greene is the superintendent of Yakima Schools, a district serving 16,000 in Washington State.  In this high-poverty district, over 80 percent of the student population is Latinx and Native American, as the district boarders the Yakama Indian Reservation.  Prior to his current role, Trevor led in a large, multi-linguistic, urban district, adjacent to Seattle.  Trevor has had tremendous success as a principal on the Yakama Indian Reservation. There he led a high school of 99 percent poverty to unprecedented success. His staff established nationally certified engineering and biomedical programs, and his students realized a near 95 percent graduation rate and a 67 percent increase in state science scores. Subsequently, Trevor was selected as the Washington State High School Principal of the Year and is the only principal from the Pacific Northwest, and first Native American, to be recognized as the National Principal of the Year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

Trevor attended the College of Education at Central Washington University and earned his superintendent certification though Washington State University.  He and his wife live in Yakima, Washington and have four children.

As a senior associate for policy and advocacy, Taryn helps identify, advocate for, and support changes to state policy and practice that make data work for students. She tracks the changing landscape of state policies that govern education data and helps DQC develop and share resulting insights and recommendations with policymakers and the field. She manages efforts to build DQC’s expertise on the data implications of emerging education issues, such as personalized learning and measuring student growth, and identify action steps state policymakers can take to ensure effective data use while pursuing their education goals.

Debbie Tidwell is serving as the Lead on the Ohio PTA From Report To Results Committee and is also serving as Ohio PTA’s Parliamentarian.  She is a former State President of Ohio PTA and long-time PTA volunteer at the local, state, and national level.  She has served on the Fairview Park City School District school board and as a District Representative on the school board for Polaris Career Center.  She works as an administrative assistant for the Curriculum Department of Bay Village City School District.  She serves as treasurer for her local school levy committee and has been playing in her church bell choir for nearly 30 years.  Debbie continues to advocate for education change on behalf of her six grandchildren and believes that parents should have a voice at the stakeholder table when it comes to the education, health and safety of children (and not as an afterthought).

The Nominating and Leadership Recruitment Committee (NLRC) is an elected committee of seven members who are charged with screening and evaluating individuals and nominating candidates for such National PTA leadership positions as president-elect, secretary-treasurer, member representatives to the Board of Directors and the NLRC committee.

The elected members of the NLRC represent a diverse cross-section of PTA, including geographic representation. Each member serves a term of three years and is unable to serve in any other position within the National PTA governance structure during said term.

The Nominating and Leadership Recruitment Committee (NLRC) is an elected committee of seven members who are charged with screening and evaluating individuals and nominating candidates for such National PTA leadership positions as president-elect, secretary-treasurer, member representatives to the Board of Directors and the NLRC committee.

The elected members of the NLRC represent a diverse cross-section of PTA, including geographic representation. Each member serves a term of three years and is unable to serve in any other position within the National PTA governance structure during said term.

The Nominating and Leadership Recruitment Committee (NLRC) is an elected committee of seven members who are charged with screening and evaluating individuals and nominating candidates for such National PTA leadership positions as president-elect, secretary-treasurer, member representatives to the Board of Directors and the NLRC committee.

The elected members of the NLRC represent a diverse cross-section of PTA, including geographic representation. Each member serves a term of three years and is unable to serve in any other position within the National PTA governance structure during said term.

Alvin Gainey is a long time child advocate with leadership at every level of PTA,
currently serving as: a member of National PTA’s Nominating and Leadership
Recruitment Committee; the Secretary of Florida PTA; the Bylaws Chair and Executive Committee Member for Georgia PTA, a member of the Governance and Convention Committees for North Carolina PTA; and as a Past President of Miami-Dade County Council.

Alvin’s guiding principles are his faith, family, and service to others; serving as a mentor with the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Program, as a certified school volunteer with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and in various community organizations. Alvin brings energy, humor, keen insight and unmatched passion to all that he does and his unique experience and varied skill set enhances his service and commitment. Alvin is married to Jessica; the father of three: Kiera, Alvin, III and Alyssa; and is an experienced funeral services professional.

The Nominating and Leadership Recruitment Committee (NLRC) is an elected committee of seven members who are charged with screening and evaluating individuals and nominating candidates for such National PTA leadership positions as president-elect, secretary-treasurer, member representatives to the Board of Directors and the NLRC committee.

The elected members of the NLRC represent a diverse cross-section of PTA, including geographic representation. Each member serves a term of three years and is unable to serve in any other position within the National PTA governance structure during said term.

The Nominating and Leadership Recruitment Committee (NLRC) is an elected committee of seven members who are charged with screening and evaluating individuals and nominating candidates for such National PTA leadership positions as president-elect, secretary-treasurer, member representatives to the Board of Directors and the NLRC committee.

The elected members of the NLRC represent a diverse cross-section of PTA, including geographic representation. Each member serves a term of three years and is unable to serve in any other position within the National PTA governance structure during said term.

The Nominating and Leadership Recruitment Committee (NLRC) is an elected committee of seven members who are charged with screening and evaluating individuals and nominating candidates for such National PTA leadership positions as president-elect, secretary-treasurer, member representatives to the Board of Directors and the NLRC committee.

The elected members of the NLRC represent a diverse cross-section of PTA, including geographic representation. Each member serves a term of three years and is unable to serve in any other position within the National PTA governance structure during said term.

Ruth has worked at RB for over 30 years in increasingly senior roles. She oversees RB’s professional relationship with relevant nonprofits and government agencies such as NEA, CDC, PTA, and others.

Reckitt Benckiser (RB) is the global leading consumer health and hygiene company with world leading household name brands such as Lysol. Driven by a purpose of providing innovative solutions for healthier lives and happier homes, RB has operations in over 60 countries. From the foundations of wellness to the fundamentals of a hygienic home, its global brands help people live healthier, happier lives.

As the Co-Founder and President of Pathways to Empower, Donna Volpitta, Ed.D. makes the brain science of resilience and mental health easy to understand and apply. Her Resilient Mindset Model, which draws on the latest research in neurology, psychology and education, has been applied to areas of leadership from parenting to corporate management. Donna is co-author of the book The Resilience Formula: A Guide to Proactive–Not Reactive-Parenting, author of Neuroworld: A Guide for Teaching the Brain Science of Resilience, and co-creator of the Nametags Education Program.  Dr. Volpitta holds Advisory Board positions for One Revolution Foundation and Kids Helping Kids, both of which develop resilience in youth. She is a Global Presence Ambassador for Parenting 2.0 and a member of the Character Col-laborative. She is an expert for Understood.org and Modern Mom and has given presentations at numerous professional conferences.

The Membership Committee is a National PTA appointed governance standing committee. Members are Darlene Harris, Kelly Coffey, Tiffany Foster, Heather Gillette, Christina Rae Harrison and Nicole Lesnick.

The Membership Committee is a National PTA appointed governance standing committee. Members are Darlene Harris, Kelly Coffey, Tiffany Foster, Heather Gillette, Christina Rae Harrison and Nicole Lesnick.

The Membership Committee is a National PTA appointed governance standing committee. Members are Darlene Harris, Kelly Coffey, Tiffany Foster, Heather Gillette, Christina Rae Harrison and Nicole Lesnick.

For fifteen years, Ms. Thomas has volunteered with the Plano ISD PTAs in Texas on campus and Council levels.  She has spent 8 years on the Plano ISD Council of PTAs board in roles ranging from Newsletter Editor to most recently as President of the Council of PTAs.  In conjunction with her time on the Council Board, Ms. Thomas participated in local campus PTA leadership.

Outside of PTA, Ms. Thomas has served on the Leadership Plano Board of Directors, where she was recently appointed Chair, the Destination Imagination NExT Region Board of Directors, Plano East Running and Theatre Booster Clubs as well as a variety of roles with her church.

Throughout all of these roles, Ms. Thomas works to infuse her love for advocacy and leadership training.

Penny is a native New Orleanian who now calls Lexington, KY home. She and her husband Claude are the proud parents of 4 wonderful daughters. She has been fighting for equity in education for 20 plus years.

Penny is currently the 16th District PTA President in Fayette County. Her advocacy work at the district level includes serving on the Parent Superintendent Interview Committee and parent Representative on the District Safety Advisory Council. She has facilitated presentations with school administrators on the importance of PTA and Parent Engagement. One of the most rewarding experiences for her is being a member of the Inaugural Cohort of the EdTrust Family Fellowship. Recently, Penny completed her requirements to become a Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership (CIPL) with the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence. These opportunities have provided her with immeasurable resources and training in not only family engagement, but how to advocate successfully. A highlight of her presentation experience has been participating in a panel discussion at the 2018 National PTA Convention in her hometown.

Jenna is a longtime PTA advocate and leader, with over 15 years of involvement in the Northern Virginia schools.  She is currently the VA PTA Health and Safety Chair, the Fairfax County Council Representative to the Trauma Informed Community Network, and Vice President of Outreach at Glasgow Middle School. She is a champion of trauma informed schools, speaking at local schools, district conferences, and national events such as the Creating Trauma Sensitive Schools conference.  She is recognized for bring the parent voice to community efforts around trauma and resilience, selected for a Fairfax County Partnership Award in 2019.  In the spring of 2019, she was selected to the first ACE Interface Presenter Cohort in Northern Virginia, where she has attended ongoing trainings and has delivered the curriculum to multiple groups throughout the County, representing the PTA.  She recently completed training to join the Safe and Sound Schools Parent Leadership Council.

Dr. David Berendes is an interdisciplinary epidemiologist on the Global Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Team of the Waterborne Disease Prevention Branch at CDC. He also serves as the hand hygiene subject matter expert for both domestic and global settings. He conducts applied research and monitoring and evaluation focusing on sanitation and hygiene-associated exposures and their impact on health, as well as the increasing role of the environment in transmitting antibiotic resistant organisms. He has a BS in Cell and Molecular Biology from Duke University and an MSPH in Global Epidemiology and a PhD in Environmental Health Sciences from Emory University. He previously spent 6 weeks as the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Team lead within the Community Interventions and At Risk Task Force within CDC’s COVID-19 response and currently backstops the International Task Force on water, sanitation, and hygiene-related issues in low and middle income countries.

Dr. Zubler is a general pediatrician with over 20 years of experience. She volunteers as a pediatrician and is the coordinator of a multidisciplinary developmental and behavioral pediatric clinic. She is actively involved with the Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and is an executive committee member of AAP’s Section on Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. Although her youngest child graduated high school last year, she enjoyed being involved with her local PTSA as a VP for health services. She was able to see firsthand how PTSA’s collaboration with administrators, counselors, teachers, and students creates the opportunities by being involved in the development of a wellness program at her local high school.

Joseph Rubino has been with RB for 33 years. He currently holds the position of Director in Research & Development working on special projects. Prior to this Joe was R&D Director for Equity, Claims and Compliance supporting Lysol, Dettol and Harpic brands. During his time with the company, he has taken on many different functional and managerial responsibilities in R&D including microbiology/virology, product development, consumer sensory science, regulatory compliance, analytical chemistry and clinical testing. Joe began his career with the company in 1987 as Group Leader for the Microbiology and Virology Laboratories when it was L&F Products. Joe was previously with Gibraltar Biological Laboratories, a contract microbiology laboratory where he worked as a microbiologist. Joe began his professional career as a Biology Teacher at Lodi High School in New Jersey.

Joe holds a B.A. in Biology from Upsala College, as well as an M.A. in Biology from Montclair State University. He also attended New York Medical College where he studies public health. Joe has both authored and co-authored more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles on antimicrobial agents, transmission of infectious agents and infection control strategies for example in journals such as the American Journal of Infection Control and Nature Scientific. He is a member of several trade and professional associations including the American Cleaning Institute where he sits on several task forces and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Prevention.

Katie Peinovich is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 20 years of experience working in criminal justice, school and community-based settings providing clinical care to children affected by complex trauma. Ms. Peinovich graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received an MSW from the Columbia University School of Social Work. Ms. Peinovich has completed post-graduate training at The Ackerman Institute for the Family, the Beck Institute, and Columbia University School of Social Work. Currently Ms. Peinovich works at the Child Mind Institute as a Community Clinician providing evidence-based trauma treatment to children in the New York City public schools, and working with parents, teachers and school administrators to deepen their understanding of childhood trauma, its impact, and how to connect affected children with high quality care. Ms. Peinovich is passionate about education equity and views access to high quality mental health care for children and mental health information for parents and educators as an important stepping stone to reaching equity.

Sunjay Nath travels globally sharing insights on leadership and performance. He is best known for his trademark, “The 10-80-10 Principle” which is a framework that helps individuals and teams improve performance. The framework is the synthesis of years of studying many different business models and philosophies and then distilling them into a very simple and easy to apply the framework. Some of the concepts it compasses include The Pareto Principle (The 80/20 Rule), The Gallop Research that was used in the writing of “Now Discover Your Strengths”, Sir Isaac Newton’s Laws of Motion and Jack Welch’s concept, Differentiation. Most successful organizations use these concepts in one form or another. The 10-80-10 Principle can be used to explain why Apple is such a resounding success and how the financial meltdown occurred in 2008. It can also explain why we care more about gas prices than mortgage interest rates even though the latter has a significantly larger impact on our lives. The successful understanding and application of this principle will have a tremendous impact on the performance of any individual, team or organization.

A powerful and recognized speaker in the fields of leadership, engagement, organizational development, and workforce retention, Leah is a Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator, Dale Carnegie Certified Trainer, and Certified Behavior Analyst with TTI. Her energetic approach to learning through experience and storytelling engages audiences, involves them in the learning, and creates opportunities for participants to connect with their teams across roles and functions, building stronger relationships, and becoming more effective in their roles. She is consistently recognized for powerful environments of change, growth, performance and excellence for leaders, teams, and individuals.

Her industry experience includes teaching, training, facilitating improved leadership performance with the military, healthcare, manufacturing, construction, finance and education. She’s a faculty member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management, partnering with Chambers and Associations throughout the U.S., a contributing author to the 2018 book, Staying Power: Why Your Employees Leave & How to Keep Them Longer, and a professional member of the National Speakers Association and the Society for Human Resources Management. Leah was recognized for her professional impact when Louisville’s Business First Magazine included her in their “20 People to Know in Education/Workforce Development” list in 2015.  

Leslie Boggs is the 56th president of National PTA, the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer child advocacy association. A leadership development expert from Odessa, Texas, Boggs has over 20 years of leadership experience at all levels of PTA. Boggs will serve as president of the National PTA until June 2021.  Previously, Boggs served as National PTA president-elect and chair of several national committees. At the state level, Boggs served as president of Texas PTA from 2014-2016 and was president of New Mexico PTA from 2003-2005.

Boggs began her career in the fashion and design industry and then became the owner of an oil and gas wholesale distributor, as well as an HVAC installation company, both family businesses. After selling the corporations, she founded CarrellBoggs Consulting to help other entrepreneurs and nonprofits enhance their leadership and management skills.  A mother of three and a grandmother of four, Boggs is a dedicated and passionate advocate for children and their right to receiving a quality public education no matter their demographics, ethnicity or household income.

Boggs is a certified DISC trainer and a professional consultant and loves helping other achieve success. She is certified in Nonprofit Leadership and Management and is a member of the John Maxwell Team and Mentorship.

Anna King has over 20 years of leadership experience at all levels of PTA and was elected president-elect of National PTA in June 2019. She previously served at the national level as a member of the board of directors, vice president of membership and as chair of several committees.

At the state level, King is vice president for Douglass PTSA in Oklahoma City and has served as Oklahoma State PTA president, council president and worked on membership and legislative committees.

King is also involved in other community activities as a board member of the Douglass Law and Public Safety Academy, a Salvation Army volunteer and the co-lead for Moms Demand Action NE Chapter. King is a co-owner of a family mobile catering business. She is married to Glenn King and has three children and nine grandchildren. She loves being a nana, believes everything is possible for all of our children and membership is one of the key components for our association!

Angela N. Romans is a Partner at Achieve Mission, a non-profit consulting firm that empowers social sector leaders to make transformational change. Angela has spent over two decades as a leader in nonprofit and public sector organizations. She brings deep experience in leadership development, racial equity, and education access through her most recent roles as Senior Vice President of Programming at Say Yes to Education, co-Director of District & Systems Transformation at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University, and Senior Advisor on Education to Mayor Angel Taveras of Providence, RI. In her roles, Angela has developed and coached organizations and senior leaders in areas of strategy, governance, collaborative action, and diversity/equity/inclusion, and managed multiple, complex systems-change projects. She is recognized for her facilitative leadership style and systems thinking.

 Angela began her career in teaching math and science in small, alternative public high schools in Boston and New York City and spent over a decade as a selective college admissions officer and academic advisor.  She holds an S.B. in biomedical engineering and an Ed.M. in secondary math teaching and curriculum, both from Harvard University, and is an Annie E. Casey Foundation Children and Family Fellow. 

A powerful and recognized speaker in the fields of leadership, engagement, organizational development, and workforce retention, Leah is a Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator, Dale Carnegie Certified Trainer, and Certified Behavior Analyst with TTI. Her energetic approach to learning through experience and storytelling engages audiences, involves them in the learning, and creates opportunities for participants to connect with their teams across roles and functions, building stronger relationships, and becoming more effective in their roles. She is consistently recognized for powerful environments of change, growth, performance and excellence for leaders, teams, and individuals.

Her industry experience includes teaching, training, facilitating improved leadership performance with the military, healthcare, manufacturing, construction, finance and education. She’s a faculty member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management, partnering with Chambers and Associations throughout the U.S., a contributing author to the 2018 book, Staying Power: Why Your Employees Leave & How to Keep Them Longer, and a professional member of the National Speakers Association and the Society for Human Resources Management. Leah was recognized for her professional impact when Louisville’s Business First Magazine included her in their “20 People to Know in Education/Workforce Development” list in 2015.  

Anna King has over 20 years of leadership experience at all levels of PTA and was elected president-elect of National PTA in June 2019. She previously served at the national level as a member of the board of directors, vice president of membership and as chair of several committees.

At the state level, King is vice president for Douglass PTSA in Oklahoma City and has served as Oklahoma State PTA president, council president and worked on membership and legislative committees.

King is also involved in other community activities as a board member of the Douglass Law and Public Safety Academy, a Salvation Army volunteer and the co-lead for Moms Demand Action NE Chapter. King is a co-owner of a family mobile catering business. She is married to Glenn King and has three children and nine grandchildren. She loves being a nana, believes everything is possible for all of our children and membership is one of the key components for our association!

Lawrence Clermont is a graduate of the University of Florida and has been a PTA member for 15 years and counting. He has served as a PTA volunteer and leader for 10 years at the local, county, and state levels. He is the immediate past president for Pinellas County Council PTA and currently serves on the Florida PTA College & Career Readiness committee, as well as, secretary for Sunshine State PTA. He believes that bringing others to the table and collaborating creates a powerful unified voice.

Lawrence is the proud father of three, committed advocate for children, community activist, and mentor to 5 young boys at Sexton Elementary. He is also active within his community with a variety of organizations.

Lawrence and his family own and operate a home health care business. He is also a Director with Father and Family Council, which serves to equip men and families with the tools needed to positively impact the lives of their children and their communities.

Alvin Gainey is a long time child advocate with leadership at every level of PTA,
currently serving as: a member of National PTA’s Nominating and Leadership
Recruitment Committee; the Secretary of Florida PTA; the Bylaws Chair and Executive Committee Member for Georgia PTA, a member of the Governance and Convention Committees for North Carolina PTA; and as a Past President of Miami-Dade County Council.

Alvin’s guiding principles are his faith, family, and service to others; serving as a mentor with the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Program, as a certified school volunteer with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and in various community organizations. Alvin brings energy, humor, keen insight and unmatched passion to all that he does and his unique experience and varied skill set enhances his service and commitment. Alvin is married to Jessica; the father of three: Kiera, Alvin, III and Alyssa; and is an experienced funeral services professional.

Sylvia R. Reyna earned a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Texas A & M University at College Station. She served as a teacher, principal, and executive cabinet member in four urban school districts in Texas during her 37-year career. In 2014, she retired as Chief of School Leadership from Dallas Independent School District. Throughout her career, Dr. Reyna has demonstrated a keen ability to build school leaders’ capacities and engage communities in meaningful partnerships to ensure academic success. In 2018, she accepted a position as an assistant professor of practice at the University of Texas at Austin in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy, working to prepare future executive school leaders.

In 2014, Dr. Reyna was elected to the Texas PTA Board of Directors and in 2016, she was elected as Vice President of Programs and Resources for Texas PTA.  She first joined PTA as a teacher in 1977, maintained membership throughout her career, and served in various capacities at the local and council levels over the course of her career.  She received her National and Texas PTA Life Memberships in the 1990’s. She currently serves on the National PTA Board of Directors and Chairperson of the Diversity, Inclusion, and Outreach Committee. She lives in San Antonio, Texas and serves on several charitable and civic organizations.

Sylvia Reyna and her husband, Arthur C. Reyna, Jr., an attorney, celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in December. They have two sons, Arthur C. Reyna, III, an attorney, practicing law in California, and Adrian R. Reyna, a middle school teacher in the San Antonio Independent School District.

Tracie Potts is a board member and inaugural Family Engagement Fellow with National PTA. She helped develop a transformative family engagement framework and created a family Engagement Advisory Team for her school district. Tracie served as a Council PTA officer and local PTA President, leading her school to become the district’s first National PTA School of Excellence. This year she was named the district’s “Champion for Children.”

As Maryland PTA’s Family and Community Engagement chair, Tracie pioneered weekly e-blasts and School of Excellence mentors. She received the Maryland and National PTA Lifetime Achievement Awards. In 2020 she was honored as the nation’s first featured “Learning Hero.

Tracie is a correspondent for NBC News. She works with her husband, a youth minister, to inspire young people. Their three children and two grandchildren are her motivation to train families to support learning, speak up for children and advocate for equity.

Charles Scott is a business advisor who has been employed at FedEx for over 39 years. He holds a BS degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He has been actively involved in PTA since the fall of 2004. Charles currently serves as the Membership Chair for the United Shelby County Council PTA (Memphis/Shelby County, TN) and his state (Tennessee PTA). Charles has served as a Tennessee PTA (TNPTA) Vice President for Child and Youth Advocacy, a TNPTA National Congress of States Representative, and as its 1 st State Diversity Chair. Charles was also honored to have take part in the 1st NPTA EML (Emerging Minority
Leaders) class!

Charles was elected as a National PTA (NPTA) Nominating and Leadership Development Committee (NLDC) member and served as a member of the NPTA Strategic Planning Committee twice. He was also elected to the NPTA Board of Director twice, and served on the NPTA Field Services, Polices, and Strategic Outreach Committees.

Aside from PTA, Charles is in his seventh year as a TnAchieves mentor, and volunteers for Memphis Little League Baseball, serving as board member on the Save One Foundation. He is a past Executive Board member for Memphis City School (MCS) Parent Assembly, past board member for MCS WATCH D.O.G.S., past Chairman for the Whitehaven High School Leadership Council and has served on numerous community volunteer committees. Charles is a Tennessee and National PTA Lifetime Award recipient and has received several community, local and Tennessee State Government awards for his volunteer service. He has a son (Chavez) who graduated from Whitehaven High school (Medical Doctor and Captain US Army) and a daughter (Christi) who attended both public and private school in Memphis/ Shelby County/TN (Master-Commination Sciences & Disorder, Speech Language Pathologist).

Yvonne Johnson is the vice president of Advocacy for National PTA and chair of the National PTA Legislative Committee. She previously served on the national Field Service and Resolutions Committees.

Johnson’s personal motto is, “Never underestimate the power of a parent’s voice!” She has been involved in PTA for nearly 30 years, serving as Delaware PTA’s state president, vice president for advocacy, federal legislative chair, nominations chair and regional vice president, in addition to serving on many committees.

Johnson functions as the directing arm of all advocacy issues in Delaware and serves as the voice for families around education issues. She has successfully assisted in passing many education bills in the state of Delaware and was proud to have received the National PTA 2014 Shirley Igo Award recipient for leading a grassroots advocacy campaign around inclusive classrooms in the local school district. She continues to work with local, state and federal officials on behalf of all children.

Cindy Gerhardt is the current NPTA Resolutions Chair, where she works with an incredible committee to develop and refine resolutions that will guide the advocacy work and contribute to the public policy agenda for National PTA. Prior to serving in this role, she was the President of Florida PTA. While there, she devoted 20 plus years to serving the needs of children and families across the state, specifically focusing on inequities in educational opportunities, unstable housing, foster care issues and juvenile justice reform.

Cindy continues working as a member of the Florida PTA Board of Directors and has also created a non-profit to assist victims of domestic violence.

She is a mother of five, Big Mama to three perfect grandchildren and currently resides in Georgia.