AMLE Board of Trustees
Chair
Vice Chair
Executive Council
2025 AMLE Board of Trustees Slate of Candidates
Voting for the individuals who serve on the AMLE Board of Trustees is a privilege of School and Professional members. For the Fall 2024 election, members will vote for a slate of candidates at the Annual Business Meeting, which will be held in-person November 7 at 5:30 pm ET in conjunction with AMLE24: The 51st Annual Conference for Middle Level Education. Register to attend the Annual Conference.
If you are not able to attend the meeting and wish to cast your vote, you are encouraged to submit an absentee ballot. Absentee ballots must be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Time, September 30, 2024 to be counted in this year’s election.
The following candidates have been recommended for election to the AMLE Board of Trustees by the AMLE Elections Committee:
Stephanie Patton (OH) – for a second term
Dr. Stephanie Patton currently serves as an Area Superintendent for Columbus City Schools. She provides coaching to 5 middle school principals and 4 middle school assistant principals and leadership interns. Prior to this position, Stephanie served as a leadership coach and was the principal of an all-girls middle school focusing on equity, girl empowerment, and high academic standards. She currently serves as a faculty member for the AMLE Leadership Institutes and was the inaugural chair of the AMLE Schools of Distinction committee.
Andrew Maxey (AL) – for a second term
Dr. Andrew Maxey currently serves as Director of Strategic Initiatives at Tuscaloosa City Schools in Alabama. Prior to this position, Andrew served as Director of Middle School Education from 2015 – 2018 and Principal of Rock Quarry Middle School from 2011-2015. He also serves on state-wide planning and advisory boards that provide professional supports for middle level educators.
Rachel Graham (IL) – for a second term
Rachel Graham is the director of programs at the Lefkofsky Family Foundation based in Chicago, IL. In her role she oversees all of the Foundation’s education grantmaking focused on supporting middle level education. Through this work she runs the foundation’s middle grades support program, Success Bound, and supports systems change work. Rachel began her career as a school psychologist.
Megan Vosk (Laos) – for a first term
Megan Vosk is an English Language Acquisition /Individuals and Societies Teacher at the Vientiane International School in Laos. Megan has taught middle school students for more than twenty years in the United States and overseas in Vientiane, New Delhi, Seoul, and Abu Dhabi. Megan is currently the Chair of the AMLE Teacher Leaders Committee and a frequent contributor to the AMLE Focus on the Middle member newsletter.
Proposed Constitutional Amendments
The AMLE Board of Trustees proposes the following constitutional amendments. You can review the current AMLE Constitution here.
Amendment 1:
Article IV Section 2:
CURRENT: The Board shall be comprised of twelve (12) Trustees elected at large. Trustees must be qualified members, and shall serve staggered three year terms. No Trustee shall serve more than two consecutive terms. Trustees may be removed by the Board at any time for good cause shown in accordance with policies adopted by the Board.
REPLACE WITH: The Board shall be comprised of twelve (12) Trustees elected at large. Trustees must be qualified members and shall serve staggered six-year terms. No Trustee shall serve more than one consecutive term. Trustees may be removed by the Board at any time for good cause shown in accordance with policies adopted by the Board.
Historical Background: AMLE trustees may currently serve two, consecutive three-year terms. This results in four of twelve board members turning over each year. Or, alternatively, all four members being reappointed to second terms if their current service has been satisfactory resulting in no new trustees on the board. The AMLE Board of Trustees believes one, six-year term will better stagger board terms, resulting in two of twelve board members turning over each year, and avoid elections in which all trustees whose terms end at the conclusion of the calendar year are eligible for re-election.
Amendment 2:
Article V. Section 2 A. and B.:
CURRENT: A. Chair. The Chair shall be elected annually by the Board to serve a one-year term. The Chair can serve no more than two terms. The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Association; appoint members of all committees, except the Elections Committee, and serve as an ex-officio member to all committees.
B. Vice Chair. The Vice Chair shall be elected annually by the Board to serve a one-year term. The Vice Chair can serve no more than two terms. The Vice Chair shall serve as Chair of the Elections Committee and preside at meetings of the Association in the absence of the Chair.
REPLACE WITH: A. Chair. The Vice Chair shall be promoted to the position of Chair upon completion of their year as Vice Chair to serve a one-year term. The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Association; appoint members of all committees, except the Elections Committee, and serve as an ex-officio member to all committees.
Vice Chair. To be eligible for the position of Vice Chair, a Trustee must have served a minimum of three years on the Board prior to the start of their term as an Officer and serve at least one year on Executive Council. The Vice Chair shall be elected annually by the Board to serve a one-year term. The Vice Chair shall serve as Chair of the Elections Committee and preside at meetings of the Association in the absence of the Chair.
Historical Background: The Board of Trustees believes this amendment allow for improved leadership continuity and better prepare Trustees for the role of Chair by ensuring that Chairs has served in a progression through Executive Council and the Vice Chair roles. Currently, any Trustee who has served on the Board for one year may be elected to the position of Chair.
AMLE Staff
Stephanie Simpson
Chief Executive Officer
ssimpson@amle.org
Derek Neal
Chief Operating Officer
dneal@amle.org
Katie Powell
Director for Middle Level Programs
kpowell@amle.org
Kristy Yonyon
Marketing / Membership Coordinator
kyonyon@amle.org
Megan Mooney
Accounting Manager
mmooney@amle.org
Marcia Meade-Hurst
Senior Member Center Specialist
mmeadehurst@amle.org
Helen Polansky
Partnerships Manager
hpolansky@amle.org
Kristie Smith
CMLA East Chapter At-Large Advisor
Sarah Pennington
CMLA West Chapter At-Large Advisor
Dr. Lisa Harrison
Middle School Journal Co-Editor
Dr. Kathleen Brinegar
Middle School Journal Co-Editor
Dr. Ellis Hurd
Middle School Journal Co-Editor and CAEP Coordinator
Dr. David Virtue
Research in Middle Level Education Online Journal Editor
Past Presidents/Chairs
AMLE is grateful to the dedicated educators who have served as President/Chair and who have contributed to our rich history
2022-2023 Lisa Harrison
2020-2021 James Barnes
2019 Christine Thielen
2018 Nancy Ruppert
2017 Pam Millikan
2016 Kathleen McCaffery
2015 Ashley Smith,
2014 Mike Muir
2013 Jeff LaRoux
2012 Nancy Poliseno
2011 Joan Jarrett
2010 Cathie Thibodeau
2009 Janet Vernon,
2008 Theresa Hinckle
2007 Mike Dietz
2006 Patti Kinney
2005 Kathy McAvoy
2004 Marc Ecker
2003 Linda Robinson
2002 Deborah Kasak
2001-2002 Santo Pino
2000-20001 Fran Salyers
1999-2000 Marion Payne
1998-1999 Walt Grebing
1997-1998 Pete Lorain
1996-1997 Ross Burkhart
1995-1996 Jerry Adrian
1994-1995 Charlene Pike
1993-1994 Betty Edwards
1992-1993 Sue Swaim
1991-1992 Jeanette Phillips
1990-1991 Julia Thomason
1989-1990 James Garvin
1988-1989 Conrad Toepfer
1987-1988 Robert Shockley
1986-1987 Gerald Bourgeois
1985-1986 Ann Moniot
1984-1985 Ronald Johnson
1983-1984 Kenneth McEwin
1982-1983 Mary Compton
1981- 1982 Sherri Scott
1980-1981 John Swaim
1979-1980 Louis Romano
1978-1979 James Fox
1977-1978 Robert Malinka
1976-1977 Thomas Gatewood
1975-1976 Keith Brown
1974-1975 Glenn Maynard
1973-1974 Hal Gladdis
1972-1973 Gordon Vars