archived information
REL Appalachia Governing Board
About the Governing Board
The REL Appalachia Governing Board is comprised primarily of educational leaders who live and work in the four-state region. They each bring unique expertise in elements of educational policy, research, program design, and special populations to help ensure that we address the needs of all students in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Members and affiliations are listed below:
Kentucky
- Karen Dodd, Chief Performance Officer, Kentucky Department of Education
- Jim Flynn, Director, Kentucky Association of School Superintendents
- Sherry Horner, Organizational Results and Data Officer, Partners for Education at Berea College, Madison County
Tennessee
- Cynthia Alexander-Mitchell, Ed.D., Director, Division of Family and Community Engagement, Shelby County Schools
- Kevin Schaaf, Director of Research and Analysis, Tennessee Department of Education
Virginia
- Jennifer Piver-Renna, Ph.D., Senior Executive Director for Research, Virginia Department of Education
- Sharon Pope, Ed.D., Chief Academic Officer, Chesterfield County Public Schools
West Virginia
- Susan Collins, Executive Director, West Virginia Association of School Administrators
- Amelia Courts, Ph.D., President/CEO, The Education Alliance
- Amber Stohr, Special Education Coordinator, West Virginia Department of Education
Four-State Region
- Ludy van Broekhuizen, Ph.D., Chief Innovation Officer, Cognia; Chair of the Governing Board
- Jeffrey Schwartz, Ph.D., (Retired) Education Program Manager, Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC)