Stephanie M. Johnson, NBCT
Stephanie M. Johnson (she/her) is an elementary educator and National Board Certified Teacher in Early/Middle Childhood Literacy, with two decades of experience serving students in South Carolina. A strong advocate for public education, she currently represents South Carolina as a Director for the National Education Association (NEA) and is an active leader within the South Carolina Education Association.
Stephanie’s leadership in education is reflected not only in her service roles but also in the numerous accolades she has received throughout her career. She was honored as a 2024 University of South Carolina Champion of Education – Veteran Teacher Award recipient, a 2023 Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms awardee, a 2018 Lowell Milken Fellow, and a 2017 Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence recipient. In addition, she was named a South Carolina State Finalist for the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching in 2010.
A passionate and visionary leader, Stephanie consistently works to elevate the teaching profession and empower fellow educators.
Dr. Kevin Gilbert
Vice Chair
Dr. Kevin F. Gilbert (he/him), has been in education for 24 years and currently serves as an Assistant Superintendent for the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) in Howard County, Maryland. Prior to his arrival in HCPSS, he served as the coordinator for teacher leadership and special projects with the Clinton Public School District in Clinton, Mississippi.
Dr. Gilbert has worked as a social studies teacher, coach, bus driver, and administrator with the Clinton Public School District, Rankin County School District (Flowood, MS), and the Hinds County School District (Raymond, MS). Other professional experience includes serving on the National Education Association’s (NEA) Executive Committee from 2013-2019, and president of the Mississippi Association of Educators (MAE) from 2007-2013. Other leadership positions include serving as vice president for governance for the National Council of State Education Associations, chair of the NEA Committee on Human and Civil Rights, and co-chair of the NEA task force on Discipline and the School-to-Prison Pipeline.
He earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and a doctorate in education leadership from Mississippi College.
Jessica Cuthbertson, NBCT
Consultant
Jessica (she/hers) has over 15 years of teaching experience in Colorado K-12 schools. While most of her teaching focuses on middle school ELA, she enjoys supporting students of all ages and abilities. Jessica believes literacy is a powerful tool for social justice, equity, and advocacy. She recently has taken a break from the classroom to homeschool her son, an English language learning originally from Ethiopia. Jessica earned her M.Ed from University of Colorado at Denver and was a magna cum laude graduate in communication and sociology from Regis University.
Kristoffer Kohl, NBCT
Consultant
Kris (he/his) is a sixth grade teacher and PBIS and MTSS coach in Southern California. He previously led a variety of initiatives at CTQ designed to elevate and spread the expertise of accomplished teachers in districts and states across the country. As part of CTQ’s global endeavors, Kristoffer worked with educators from several high-achieving nations to develop a series of recommendations for how public education might evolve in the US to meet the demands of the 21st century. He runs a household circus in Irvine, CA with his wife Meredith and two children, Holden and Evelyn.
Jon Eckert
Lead Consultant, Research
Jon is the Copple Professor of Educational Leadership at Baylor University. His research includes teaching effectiveness, teacher compensation, and collective leadership development. His publications include Capitol Hill white papers, peer-reviewed journal articles, pieces for Education Week and the Kappan, and Leading together: Teachers and administrators improving student outcomes and The novice advantage: Fearless practice for every teacher. He served as a Teaching Ambassador Fellow at the U.S. Department of Education in both the Bush and Obama administrations, was a teacher outside of Chicago and Nashville for 12 years, and earned a doctorate in educational leadership, policy, and organizations from Vanderbilt University, Peabody College.
Alesha Daughtrey
President
Alesha (she/her) sees complex challenges as opportunities for collective learning and leadership and for rethinking how schools and systems can serve each learner equitably and effectively. Her work at Mira Education accelerates the organization’s impact as a design and implementation partner to teams and organizations throughout P20 education. Originally trained as a high school ELA teacher, Alesha’s passion for systems led to a decade of work in community organizing and engagement, policy, and philanthropy, all of which inform her approach to engaging diverse leadership teams in innovation efforts. Since joining Mira Education in 2009, she has co-developed professional learning and support models for teachers and administrators, researched conditions and practices for effective school leadership and educator retention, and co-led partnerships with more than 100 teams leading sustainable change in their schools, districts, and other organizations. Alesha holds a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from Duke University and a B.A. in English and secondary education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Lori Nazareno, NBCT
Head of School Design & Networks
Lori (she/her) leads efforts that include designing and implementing collective leadership structures, rethinking how students engage in their learning, and redesigning how time in school is structured. She has 25 years of teaching experience and is a National Board Certified Teacher in Early Adolescence (EA) Science. Prior to joining Mira Education, she designed and helped bring into form the Mathematics and Science Leadership Academy, a collaboratively led school where she served as co-lead teacher for three years.
Candace Dewith
Bookkeeper
Candace (she/her) provides support to the finance and administrative team. She comes to Mira Education from Florida where she worked in construction accounting, payroll, and contracts. Prior to Florida, she worked in her home state of California conducting audits and leading training and development in a retail environment. She graduated from Mira Costa College in Oceanside, CA, and holds an associate degree in mathematics.