December 2021

Marina McCormick, who earned an Ed.D. in professional leadership – special populations in 2019, won the 2022 Deborah D. Hatton Dissertation of the Year award from the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division on Visual Impairment and Deafblindness. She analyzed Texas’ teacher professional development efforts in deafblindness and its effect on teachers’ self-efficacy. McCormick currently serves as coordinator of the Region 4 Regional Day School Program for the Deaf and as an adjunct professor in the College’s special populations program.

Sandra Ramirez, who earned a B.S. in teaching and learning – EC-6 generalist in 2020, has been named Rookie Teacher of the Year at Aldine ISD’s Orange Grove Elementary, where she teaches third grade reading, math, science and social studies. 

Tori Amason and Yolanda Barnes recently had a policy brief published by NASPA, one of the two leading professional associations for higher education administrators. The brief is titled  “Five Things Student Affairs Professionals Can Do to Embed Racial Justice Into Their Work.” Amason is a doctoral student in the higher education program and Barnes earned a Ph.D. in higher education from the College in 2021.

November 2021

Three-time UH graduate Shawn Bird has been named the new chief academic officer for Houston ISD. Bird earned an Ed.D. in curriculum and instruction in 2005, an M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction – secondary education in 2000 and a bachelor’s in English with a minor in Spanish in 1998. He served on the board of the College of Education Alumni Association in 2010-11 and most recently served as deputy superintendent of instruction and school communities at Portland Public Schools.

October 2021

Adrienne Aul, who earned an Ed.D. in professional leadership – mathematics education in 2020, has been named the new national math content coach for IDEA Public Schools. Aul will focus on the implementation of the IDEA mathematics curriculum across Texas, Louisiana and Florida.

August 2021

Jessica Tovar-Hilbert, who earned an M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction – reading and language arts in 2010 and an Ed.D. in curriculum and instruction – reading and language arts in 2017, was recently promoted to program coordinator for professional learning at Klein ISD. Tovar-Hilbert previously taught second grade at Krahn Elementary School in the district.

July 2021

Katrina Cushenberry, who earned an Ed.D. in professional leadership — mathematics education in 2020, is the new mathematics director for secondary curriculum and development at Houston ISD. She previously worked as a secondary mathematics curriculum specialist in the district.

June 2021

Priscilla Rivas, who earned Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction — learning, design and technology in 2021 and a B.S. in teaching in 2005, has been named principal of the renowned Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston ISD. She previously served as principal at Crockett Elementary, which also has a performing and visual arts focus.

May 2021

Laura Lopez, who earned an Ed.D. in professional leadership — mathematics education in 2020, has been appointed head of the Lower School at Regis School of the Sacred Heart. Her responsibilities include articulation, development and implementation of the school’s curriculum in grades K-4. Lopez previously served as the school’s K-8 math specialist.

James Golden, who earned an Ed.D. in professional leadership in 2013, has been named principal of Spring High School in Spring ISD. He currently serves as a principal resident for the district and will begin his new position at the end of the school year.

April 2021

At least six alumni have won Principal/Administrator of the Year awards for 2020-21.

• Five alumni won First-Year Principal of the Year awards for their region in Houston ISD:

• • Samantha Brooks, North Houston Early College High School
  • Edgar Contreras, Fondren Elementary School
  • Erica Gil, Pugh Elementary School
  • Jerri Nixon, Westbury High School (in her first year leading Westbury)
  • Kylene Vasquez, Ashford Elementary School

• David Graham, who earned a bachelor’s in health – kinesiology in 2009 and a master’s in curriculum and instruction in 2014, won Administrator of the Year at Texas City High School in Texas City ISD.

Adalia Espinosa, who earned a master’s in higher education in 2019, was elected vice president of communications for the Executive State Board of the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education. She has previously served on the board in several areas. Adalia is a career counselor, instructor and pre-law advisor at University of Houston Career Services, supporting students enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.

Cecilia Crear, who earned an Ed.D. in professional leadership in 2013, has been appointed new area superintendent at Alief ISD, where she began her career as a math teacher at Elsik High School. Crear previously served as executive director of secondary schools in Fort Bend ISD.

Geordie Daniel, who earned a bachelor’s in teaching in 2015, won Teacher of the Year for 2019-20 at Fort Bend ISD’s Macario Garcia Middle School. The district recently held a drive-thru celebration for all the winners to acknowledge this achievement from last year.

March 2021

At least 10 alumni have won Teacher of the Year awards from their schools for 2020-21, a particularly challenging year amid the pandemic.

• Seven won Beginning Teacher of the Year awards in Houston ISD:
  • Guadalupe Banda, first grade teacher, Pugh Elementary
  • Tierra Harris, kindergarten teacher, Woodson Leadership Academy
  • Rosa Ontiveros, fourth grade teacher, Grissom Elementary
  • Maria Reveles , third grade teacher, Pilgrim Academy
  • Jordan Shaw, eighth grade teacher, West Briar Middle School
  • Ebonee Thomas, fourth grade teacher, Blackshear Elementary
  • Vanessa Trejo, kindergarten teacher, Rucker Elementary
  • Banda, Harris, Shaw, Thomas and Trejo were part of Teach Forward Houston, a special program at UH that prepares HISD graduates to return to the district as teachers.

• Jessica VanCleave, who teaches second grade, won Rookie Teacher of the Year from Alvin ISD’s Pomona Elementary.
• Hussein Pacha, who earned a bachelor’s in teaching in 2018 and a master’s in administration and supervision in 2020, won Teacher of the Year at Houston ISD’s Arabic Immersion Magnet School.
• Amanda Posterick, who earned a bachelor’s in teaching in 2004 and a master’s in curriculum and instruction in 2009, won Teacher of the Year at Klein ISD’s Metzler Elementary.

Alex Jones, who earned a B.S. in teaching in 2006 and an M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction in 2007, received the Wilhelmina C. Robertson Excellence in Science or Mathematics Teaching Award from the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Jones teaches science at Horn Elementary in Houston ISD.

February 2021

Stephanie Giuseppetti, who earned a B.S. in teaching in 2015, has been named Teacher of the Year at Katy ISD’s McElwain Elementary, where she teaches second grade. Giuseppetti completed her student teaching at Mayde Creek Elementary in Katy ISD.