NW Staff

Deanna K. Hanlin

Serving as the Appalachian Region Math & Science (ARMS) Project Director, Dee Hanlin has been a middle grades educator for 18 years holding positions of teacher, team leader, staff development provider, and regional consultant. She has been the mathematics consultant at the Northwest Regional Educational Service Alliance (NWRESA) in Wilkesboro, NC, since 1996, where she chairs the curriculum and instruction council and curriculum coaches group and conducts regional and onsite workshops and works with teachers in curriculum design, alignment, and delivery. She also serves as Director of the Appalachian Region Math & Science Partnership Project and the Mountain Valley Partnership, and is on the MSEC Board at ASU.

Additionally, she has directed three regional Eisenhower grants and served as a federal grant reader for university proposals. She is a certified trainer of Thinking Maps and national trainer for Texas Instruments’ Teachers Teaching with Technology. She has presented at NCMSA, NCCTM, and at TI International Conferences. She served as assistant director of NWRESA in 2003, in the absence of a full time director.

Her formal academic background includes a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mathematical Sciences from Clemson University, graduate credit from the University of South Carolina and her Masters Degree in Middle Grades with Mathematics Concentration from Appalachian State University.

Dee’s other significant training includes AIMS: Math Connections Series A for grades K-2, 3-5, & 6-9; Core-Plus Mathematics Project; T³ International Conference training, T-cubed Algebra, Geometry, Integrating Multiple Technologies, Middle School Mathematics & Dealing With Data.

Dee lives in Miller’s Creek and has 2 sons, Kyle and Jesse who currently attend North Carolina State University.

Mardy Brown

Mardy Brown is the K-12 Language Arts Consultant and Staff Development Coordinator in the areas of Second Languages, ESL (English as a Second Language) and Student Services for NWRESA. In addition, Mardy serves as Reading First Director.

Upon joining the NWRESA team, Mardy has developed The NWRESA Collection of Student Writing Exemplars for Grades 4, 7, and 10, as well as, Writing Resources for Classroom Teachers in Grades 3-8. The NWRESA Paraprofessional Training Module was developed in partnership with Dee Hanlin, Math Consultant for the NWRESA.

In this position, Mardy shares literacy strategies across North Carolina.   Mardy’s accomplishments include:

         ·       Conference Director for the “Focus on Diversity Conference”
          ·       NC Certified Writing Trainer
          ·       NC Thinking Maps Trainer
          ·       Performance-based License Product Assessor
          ·        NC HOUSE Assessor
          ·        ASU Partnership Executive Board Member
          ·        Teaching Fellows Selective Process Committee
          ·        NC Public Schools Forum
          ·        USA Today Staff Development Evaluator
          ·        Alpha Delta Kappa
          ·        Regional Lead Teacher, Summer Science Institute, Appalachian State University
          ·        Former Teacher of the Year for Parkway Elementary School
          ·        Finalist for the Outstanding Young Educator Award

Mardy’s interests are varied. She has traveled abroad with the Foreign Study League studying art history. Special interests for Mardy include helping others, playing tennis, horseback riding, music, and reading. As a proud daughter to retired Appalachian State University professor, James Nelson, Mardy will tell you that teaching is “in her blood.” Mardy is also proud of her daughter, Bonnie, a current graduate in the Accounting Department of Appalachian State University.

Prior to joining the NWRESA staff, Mardy had a very successful twenty-four year career as a classroom teacher. During that time, she served on many committees and held offices in several professional organizations.

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Karen Lowe

Karen is the education consultant for school library/media and grant writing for the NWRESA. She has been at the NWRESA since 1987 providing staff development and consultative services to media specialists and teachers. Although she retired in 2002, Karen continues to work on a part-time basis. She previously taught in Asheville City, Madison County, Unicoi County (TN), and Ashe County Schools. After her retirement from full time work, she formed her own consulting firm, Beacon Consulting, through which she travels and does workshops throughout the U.S. She also teaches graduate classes in library science at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC.

Karen is very active in professional organizations at the state and national level. She is currently President of the North Carolina School Library Media Association for 2005-2006. She recently began a two-year term as Secretary of the Affiliate Assembly of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL). Previously, she served four years on the Publications Committee of AASL. She is the author of three books: Resource Alignment: Providing Curriculum Support in the School Library Media Center, Writing Grant Proposals: Tips for Educators and Others, and Backward Glances: A Journal of Endings and Beginnings.

She has published two articles on Resource Alignment in Knowledge Quest, the journal of AASL, one in Nov./Dec. 2001 and one in Sept./Oct. 2003, as well as articles in North Carolina Libraries and Leading and Learning with Technology. Her article on “Resource Alignment” can be found in KQ on the Web. She has presented at ALA and AASL national conferences and is a frequent presenter at workshops and state conferences around the country.

Karen has helped many school districts write successful grants, ranging in amounts from $1,000 to $1.9 million. She also conducts workshops for schools districts and the region in how to write effective grant proposals.

She is a former school library media specialist and classroom teacher with a strong background in elementary education, social studies and reading. She lives in Millers Creek, NC, with her husband, Ray and a Siamese cat named Jasmine. Together, they have five children and four grandchildren.

John Caldwell

John Caldwell has been associated with the Northwest RESA for 22 years. He has served in several capacities including Regional Science Coordinator, Lead Instructional Specialist, and Education Consultant. Currently retired, he is an independent contractor with the NWRESA as a trainer for Teacher Performance Appraisal and Mentoring the Novice Teacher.

John is a certified national consultant with Learning Focused Solutions, Inc., and through an agreement with the NWRESA, he serves as a consultant for the Learning Focused Schools Reform Model for member systems.

John's personal interests include being a member of the Lost Provinces Shape Note Singers. He is also a Certified Master Gardener Volunteer through the Cooperative Extension Service, USDA.

Carolyn Broyhill

Carolyn serves as an education consultant at NWRESA. She joined the staff in 2000 in the Human Resources section of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, a position in which she was responsible for licensing teachers in the counties served by the NWRESA.

She has worked with Initially Licensed Teachers in year one and year two of their teaching careers. In her duties in this area, she worked with new teacher who were preparing the Performance-based License Product as evidence of their knowledge of teaching methods as well as the training of the teachers who assessed these products.
She was instrumental in preparing and delivering the NWRESA Paraprofessional Training Module. At present, Carolyn serves as assistant director for Reading First and as coordinator for the North Carolina Senior Project Institutes.

Carolyn has been a middle grades educator for 20 years holding positions of teacher, team leader,and staff development provider. She taught mathematics, science, and communication skills in the Wilkes County School System. She also taught mentoring, ETTP, TPAI, and TPAS for the Wilkes County School System as well as for Wilkes Community College.

She was selected as a trainer for the North Carolina Teacher Academy and helped provide training for teams of North Carolina teachers.

Her formal academic training includes a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics and Science from Appalachian State University, graduate credits from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a Master of Arts Degree in Middle Grade Education from Appalachian State University. She is certified at the graduate level for the Academically Gifted, K-12, as well as a certified mentor.

Barbara Ledford

Barbara serves the office manager for the organization. She began working at the NWRESA with the Division of Manpower in 1977 and a year later became a full time employee of the regional center. She has worked with the center through its several transitions from a technical assistance center to a regional education center.

In addition to being the office manager, Barbara is the executive assistant to Dr. Sinclair. She handles the budget and other financial matters and keeps well-organized records. Anyone needing information knows Barbara is the go-to person!

She is a member of American Businesswomen’s Association and Baptist Home Baptist Church. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening and interior design projects. Barbara has three children and six grandchildren.

Linda Reeves

Linda joined the administrative staff of the NWRESA 12 years ago, and observed the transformation from Technical Assistant Center to what is now the Northwest Regional Educational Service Alliance. She is an administrative assistant to our four educational consultants, and plays a vital role in planning and coordinating regional staff development activities and regional conferences.

Linda’s pleasant personality is reflected in each contact she has with educators on a daily basis. Her organizational skills and her patient manner contribute to the smooth operation of the Northwest RESA.

Linda and her husband Roger have two children and one grandchild. Linda enjoys cooking and entertaining with family and friends.

Carla Leslie

Carla serves as the administrative assistant for the Appalachian Region Math and Science Partnership Project (ARMS). She has been a member of the NWRESA staff since July 2004. Originally from West Virginia, Carla worked twenty-five years for Mercer County Schools in a number of departments including Federal Programs, Human Resources, Finance, and as an executive secretary for three superintendents. She also has expertise in technology training, website design, and public relations.

Prior to coming to North Carolina, Carla spent many years in public service assisting her husband in his eighteen-year term as Mayor of the City of Hinton. She was creator of the “Sunday Arts in the City” series, an arts program that hosted many notable events for the community including the West Virginia Symphony, Theatre West Virginia, and Parkersburg-Wheeling Ballet Company. Carla also served as Executive Director of the Summers County Convention and Visitors Bureau for six years. In this position, she handled all marketing and advertising, procured several grants from the West Virginia Division of Tourism, developed a website for the organization, and created a number of information pieces promoting tourism within the area. She additionally served as a board member for the Southern West Virginia Convention and Visitors Bureau which represents a 9-county region.

Carla was instrumental in founding a museum for veterans, the Veterans Memorial Museum of Southern West Virginia, Inc., in 1997, the first one of its kind in the state. She also served as Director of the museum which features exhibits from all major conflicts including Spanish-American War, Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam, Gulf War, Afghanistan, and the Iraqi conflicts.

Carla and her husband Jim have four children: Derrick, a pharmaceutical technician; Brian, a helicopter pilot for the United States Air Force who just returned from his fifth tour in Iraq; Heath, who attends the University of North Carolina at Greensboro; and Heather, who attends the University of North Carolina Wilmington.