ARLINGTON, VA. – December 13, 2022 – The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), has announced the election of four prominent educators to its Board of Directors, including accomplished educators from Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, and Hawaii.
Joining the Board of Directors are:
- Carol Bauer, NBCT is a middle school STEM and CTE teacher in York County, Virginia and Vice Chair of the Virginia Education Association. Carol Bauer also was elected to serve as the Vice Chair of the NBPTS Board of Directors.
- Mona Al-Hayani, NBCT, is a History Teacher at Toledo Early College High School in Toledo, OH and Vice President of the Toledo Federation of Teachers.
- Jie-Qi Chen, is the Barbara T. Bowman Professor of Early Childhood Education and Founding Executive Director of Early Teaching and Learning Academy at the Erikson Institute in Chicago, IL.
- Logan Okita, NBCT, is a Response to Intervention Coach at Admiral CW Nimitz Elementary School in Honolulu, HI and Vice President of the Hawaii State Teacher’s Association.
“I couldn’t be more excited to welcome our newly elected Board members. They bring a wide range of experience and insight and I’m confident that they will help us advance our mission,” said Peggy Brookins, National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT), president and CEO of the National Board.
These new directors were elected during the National Board’s November board meeting to join 25 other education and business professionals on the National Board Board of Directors — including Dr. Travis Bristol, associate professor of teacher education and education policy at the University of California, Berkeley’s School of Education, who serves as chair. Most board members are NBCTs, classroom teachers, and Teachers of Color.
“We know that National Board Certified Teachers have a measurable impact on student learning. To achieve our mission, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Board of Directors and staff work tirelessly to increase the number of National Board Certified Teachers across the nation and to drive policy to help ensure that all students have the best possible teacher. I’m excited to welcome our new board members who join a group that has a great range of experience and serve as a powerful force to help the National Board elevate the teaching profession,” said Travis Bristol, Board Chair.
Members retiring from the Board of Directors, each of whom has served since 2013, are: Renée Middleton, former Dean of The Gladys W. & David H. Patton College of Education at Ohio University; David Quolke, former President of the Cleveland Teachers Union; Mary Cathryn Ricker, executive director of the Al Shanker Institute and former Minnesota Commissioner of Education; and Sarah Brown Wessling, NBCT, who served as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors and is a teacher at Johnston High School in Johnston, Iowa.
Nationwide, more than 130,000 teachers have achieved National Board Certification, demonstrating that they have met the profession’s highest standards for accomplished practice. National Board Certification is available in 25 certificate areas, from Pre-K through 12th grade.
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About the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (www.nbpts.org):
The founding mission of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is to advance the quality of teaching and learning by maintaining high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do; providing a national voluntary system certifying teachers who meet these standards, and advocating related education reforms to integrate National Board Certification in American education and to capitalize on the expertise of National Board Certified Teachers. Recognized as the “gold standard” in teacher certification, the National Board believes higher standards for teachers mean better learning for students.