The North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Promoting Excellence in Mathematics Teaching and Learning for All
The elections for State and Regional Presidents will be conducted this November.
Emily Elrod currently teaches in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Elon University. Emily has taught at the high school, community college, and university levels - teaching mathematics, statistics, as well as mathematics education courses for pre-service teachers. NCCTM was the first professional organization Emily was ever part of during her early years of teaching. She has been involved in NCCTM through presenting at state and regional conferences, judging the Western Region Math Fair, and volunteering at the State Mathematics Conference and State Math Fair. Emily has served NCCTM as co-chair of the Math Celebrations committee, Western Region Vice-President for Colleges and Universities, and State Secretary. Emily is now running for the office of NCCTM State President because of her desire to give back to this incredible organization and further the mission of NCCTM. If elected as NCCTM State President, Emily would like to continue the incredible work the organization is doing to provide valuable resources and professional learning opportunities for educators across the state, while promoting high-quality mathematics teaching practices and technology integration.
Ginger Rhodes is a professor of mathematics education at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and has over 25 years of experience as a mathematics educator. She grew up in eastern North Carolina and taught high school mathematics in Onslow, Pitt, and Wake Counties. As a teacher educator, she has partnered with school districts on multiple projects, including the BRIDGES Project, Mathematics Achievement and the Common Core, and Project-Based Mathematics. Ginger has served on the NC DPI writing committee for high school mathematics standards and participated on the NC Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics Teaching selection committee. She continues to learn from k-12 students and teachers and is inspired by them during her weekly volunteer efforts in an elementary mathematics classroom. In recent years, Ginger has participated on the NC2ML project and the Mathematics Teacher Education Partnership through the NC Network Improvement Community.
Ginger’s connection to NCCTM has developed and grown in similar ways as her teaching experiences. She attended her first NCCTM conference as an undergraduate student at NCSU. As she gained more experience as an educator, she began presenting at the regional and state conferences. In recent years she has served on the NCCTM Board as Eastern Region President and Eastern Region College Vice President. She values what she has learned from the NCCTM community of educators and her experiences within the organization. As NCCTM President, Ginger would continue NCCTM’s mission and vision to advocate for all students to have access to high-quality mathematics experiences as well as teachers to have adequate resources and support as they implement high-quality mathematics instruction for their students.
Kayla Chandler is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education at East Carolina University. She graduated from ECU in 2009 with a BS/BA in Secondary Mathematics/Mathematics and in 2010 with a Master’s in Mathematics Education. Kayla initially began her career as a high school mathematics teacher. After completing her Master’s degree, Kayla realized that her impact on students could be broader if she could help their teachers. Because of this, Kayla decided to pursue her PhD, which she completed in 2017 at NC State. While finishing her graduate studies, Kayla returned to the classroom where she taught math to middle and high school students. In August 2019, Kayla joined the faculty at ECU and is grateful to be able to serve the teachers in Eastern North Carolina through a program that had such an impact on her own teaching. Kayla’s involvement with NCCTM began when she was an undergraduate, where she was a student-affiliated member, and actively participated in ECU’s Gamma Student Chapter of NCCTM. During her senior year, she first attended NCCTM’s annual conference (Fall 2008) and quickly realized the value of the organization. Through the years, Kayla has continued attending, presenting, and volunteering at the annual conference and has served as a judge for the Eastern Regional Math Fair. In 2021, Kayla was elected to serve as the Eastern Region Vice President of Colleges and Universities. In this role, Kayla worked with other leaders to promote membership and engagement in NCCTM Student Chapters across NC campuses and provided insight during board meetings on the state of mathematics education in the East.
Kayla is passionate about the mission and vision of NCCTM and is honored to be considered for this role. As the Eastern Region President, Kayla will continue to support NCCTM’s current initiatives by leveraging her connections with mathematics educators across the state, members of NC DPI, and other stakeholders to ensure all students in NC have access to high quality mathematics instruction. Through a collaborative approach, we can consider how to implement best practices, share ideas and resources, develop pathways for leadership, and raise awareness of and celebrate the great things mathematics teachers are doing across both the Eastern region and our state.
Emily Myers serves as the Senior Mathematics Specialist for the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, NCCAT, where she facilitates professional learning for educators throughout North Carolina. Emily joined NCCAT in 2022 following her role as Secondary Curriculum Director in Beaufort County Schools. Previously, she served as the Mathematics Instructional Specialist in Beaufort County and High School Math Teacher in New Hanover County. In 2016, Emily was recognized as the NCCTM Outstanding Mathematics Teacher for New Hanover County. Emily is working on her Ed.D. at UNCW and holds a B.S. in Mathematics from Meredith College, M.A. in Mathematics from Wake Forest University, and National Board Certification. Emily currently serves on the Visions Project team with NC2ML, seeking to support high-quality, equitable mathematics instruction where all students have the opportunity to flourish. Emily has been an active member of NCCTM throughout her career, presenting at NCCTM regional and state conferences. NCCTM has provided Emily with a strong community of practice and opportunities for professional growth. As Eastern Regional President, Emily seeks to share her passion for mathematics teaching and learning while advocating for mathematics education, continuing to build a community of math educators, and providing meaningful professional learning opportunities.
Perry Gillespie has been employed at Fayetteville State University (FSU) since August 1999. Since then, he has moved up the ranks from Lecturer to Assistant Professor and is currently a tenured Associated Professor. Perry has been employed as a mathematics adjunct professor at Methodist University (part-time 2001 to 2002), Martin Community College (part-time - 1999), and a math teacher Bertie High School (full-time – 1998 to 1999). Dr. Gillespie completed his undergraduate studies at Fayetteville State University, May 1996 and graduated on the Dean’s List with a double Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Computer Science. The following fall, he enrolled in North Carolina A&T State University and completed his Masters of Science degree in Applied Mathematics, May 1998. After taking a break for a few years, Perry decided to enroll in the University of North Carolina at Charlotte as a part time student to pursue his terminal degree in Applied Mathematics. He obtained his Ph.D in May 2011. Since being employed at FSU, he has had a great impact with his students. He has mentored several research students in the McNair Scholar’s, North Carolina Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (NC-LSAMP), and Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) Scholar’s programs. These students have presented poster/oral presentations of their research at conferences and one has published their research. He has mentored various students from different majors. In turn, some of these students have made Dr. Gillespie their life mentor. He has been a poster and oral presentation judge, facilitated various workshops for the FSU population and the community. Some of the workshops include: TI-Calculator, SAT Prep, and GRE Prep. He has served as a Co-PI (Co-Principal Investigator) on Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Grant – NSF and received two mini-grants for course redesigned. Dr. Gillespie has received various recognitions and honors, such as, Top Co-PI, Academic Advisor of the Year (Department), Teacher of the Year (Department), and Service Award (Department). He also serves on several committees on the departmental, college, and university level. Dr. Gillespie has also been involved in the community. As community service, he has taught at a local high school twice a week. Dr. Gillespie has also mentored and tutored at a local middle school and was a part of the judging panel at another local middle school. He has reviewed oral presentation abstracts for the 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019 Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) and reviewed applications from the 7th through 12th grade level competition for the 2015 and 2018 Presidential Award of Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). He has been a committee member of the State Math Exam since FSU has become one of the host intuitions. This committee is responsible for creating a Math I, II, or III exam and administrating it to the local high school teams that are participating. Dr. Gillespie served as a committee member for the 2nd Annual Undergraduate and Graduate Research Symposium.
Dr. Gillespie is a member of the following organizations: Association of Social Behavior Scientists (member), Society for Information Technology and Teachers Education (member), National Council of Teachers in Mathematics (NCTM) (member), and served as the North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCCTM) (Central Region Vice President of Colleges and Universities) 2021 - 2023. Dr. Gillespie has presented in local and national conferences He has co-authored a chapter in a book entitled “Culturally Responsive Strategies for Reforming STEM Higher Education”. The name of the chapter is “Strengthening Computer and Mathematical Sciences Engagement and Learning”. Perry has authored and co-authored several articles which have been published in educational and mathematical/statistical journals. Finally, Perry attends Bethel Christian Assembly, located in Fayetteville North Carolina where he currently serves as the assistant superintendent of Christian Education and church musician. Dr. Gillespie enjoys spending time with his lovely and beautiful wife Aarona, playing basketball, bowling, and playing the sax. ~ Motto: I can teach anyone; however, I may not be the teacher for everyone! ~
Emily Hare is the Director of Mathematics for Guilford County Schools. Previous to reconnecting with K-12 public schools she worked as a full-time Research Assistant at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, teaching pre-service teachers, providing professional learning for multiple districts, and working on a large Research-Practice Partnership project between UNC-G and NCDPI called “NC Collaborative for Mathematics Learning.” Emily’s teaching experience is in high school mathematics but her coaching experience spans middle and high. Emily is a NC Teaching Fellow and received her undergraduate degree from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. She also has a Masters in Secondary Mathematics Education from UNC-Greensboro. She is currently working on her Ph.D. from UNC-Greensboro. Her research interests include mathematics teaching practices and professional learning.
Emily currently serves as one of the Conference Committee chairs and manages NCCTM Social Media accounts. She recently served as State Vice President for Secondary Schools. Under her leadership she hopes to increase opportunities for educators in the Central Region to connect by increasing access to Central Region professional learning both in person and in virtual settings. She hopes to use her network of colleagues across the Central region and the state to leverage the vast expertise of the math education community we are so privileged to have in North Carolina. She also wants to work along with the NCCTM board to increase diverse representation on the board and in committee leadership and focus on outreach to new members.
You can follow Emily on Twitter at @EmilyBryantHare or connect with her on LinkedIn.
Candidates for Western Region President
Hello, my name is Amanda M. Thompson and I would like to serve as your next Regional President. I have served as a Regional Vice President and on the statewide convention committee. I gained experienced and was able to support the execution of a successful conference. Also, my experience of serving on various executive boards, leading in rural and urban school districts, as well as being highly qualified in Mathematics and Special Education gives me the insight to lead with inclusive and equitable practices. I am a collaborative leader who believes in empowering and building capacity in others which attract, sustains, and builds membership engagement.
I am also an education advocate that listens and takes heed of the concerns of educators. I believe in the problem-solution approach. As a reflective leader, it is important to always get feedback. This allows us to see what members want and to get buy-in into the vision of the North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
I am currently a District Level Math Specialist where I support instructional leaders with instructional pedagogy, content knowledge, and equitable practices for all learners. I have designed and led professional development workshops at the local, state, and national levels. My educational diversity allows me to be a content expert and content strategist. I have also served on a team that supported a national conference where we planned the event by analyzing logistics, creating and staying within our budget, and bringing ideas to support conference participant engagement.
Through my leadership and desire to support educators, I would love to serve as your next Regional President.
Julia Webster teaches in the Mathematics & Statistics Department at UNC Asheville, where she is the Coordinator of 6-12 Mathematics & Science Teaching Licensure and is serving as a Center for Teaching and Learning Faculty Fellow. She is a member of the university's STEM Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Journal Club, where faculty members read and discuss current research in the field. Julia is the Asheville Chapter MATHCOUNTS Coordinator, site co-director of the Mathematical Puzzle Program, an AP Calculus reader, and a member of the Blue Ridge Math Teacher Circle. Past college course topics include Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers, 6-12 Mathematics Teaching Methods, Student Teaching Supervision, Precalculus, Calculus, Statistics, and Quantitative Literacy.
Prior to working at the university, she was a high school mathematics teacher for 10 years with Buncombe County Schools, both in a traditional high school as well as in a STEM magnet school. In the high school setting, she taught almost every mathematics course offered, worked with all levels of students, and received the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards Certification.
"NCCTM has been both an anchor and launching pad. Attending the conference feels like homecoming - a chance to reconnect with former teachers, colleagues, and students. The conference content helps improve my teaching as well as providing training for becoming a public advocate for mathematics. The NCCTM network has introduced me to professional opportunities and helped shape my career by exposing me to new ideas, people, and organizations. I have given presentations at the Statewide and Western Region Conferences and I served as NCCTM Western Region Vice President for Colleges from 2019-2021. One of my current interests is supporting emotional resilience in educators by highlighting and fostering strategies for long-term careers in education."
You have the power to change the future of Mathematics Teaching in North Carolina.