Candidates for Central Region Vice Presidents

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Elementary:  Brandi Newell and Virginia “Ginni” Stanfield

Brandi Newell is a K-5 Math Curriculum Specialist for Cumberland County Schools. This is her 26th year as a North Carolina educator. She has taught 2nd, 3rd and 5th grades, and has been an Instructional Coach. She is a National Board Certified Teacher with her Elementary Add-on Math License, and her Masters of Education in K-9 Mathematics. Brandi has worked with several different collaboratives over her career including NC2ML, ToolsforNCTeachers, NCPIMS, and Partners. She is a proud member of NCCTM and humbly accepts this nomination.

Virginia (Ginni) Stanfield is a K-5 mathematics coach and Multi-Classroom Leader (MCL) at Union Hill Elementary in High Point, NC. To students, she is also the “twin sister” to the math fairy, who flies around from time to time! Ginni also teaches TED 222- Mathematics for Teaching, at UNC Greensboro to undergraduates seeking admission into the School of Education. In class, she helps future teachers understand the why behind mathematics, while focusing heavily on concrete and representational foundations.  Before becoming a math coach, Ginni mostly taught 5^th grade math and loved it. She was increasingly focused on equity in education and tried to learn and grow so she could champion all her students. In 2014, she was chosen to represent the African American Male Initiative as a model classroom and then created and presented a PD entitled “Cultural Funds of Knowledge”. Within a couple of years, Ginni became a member of NCTM and attended the annual NCCTM Conference each year. It was there that initially sparked her interest in leading other teachers about best practices in mathematics. With the support of her friends, school family, and biological family, Ginni applied and was accepted into the graduate program at UNC Greensboro for Elementary Mathematics. Later that year, she gave her first public professional development session at NCCTM titled “Transforming Mathematical Performance and Identity” which focused on equitable strategies that increased students’ math understanding and “place” in the math classroom. NCCTM paved a path for Ginni to see herself as a leader in mathematics. Being a math coach is truly Ginni’s dream career and she feels lucky every single day to help empower teachers and students to become confident teachers and learners of mathematics.

Middle Grades: Alina Castillo and Joshua Mata

Alina Castillo serves as the 6-12 Math Specialist at Durham Public Schools. In this role, she provides instructional math support to schools and assists math teachers with building capacity in mathematics teaching through Professional Development, Professional Learning Communities, and coaching

Alina is running for the office of Central Region Vice President of Middle Grades. If elected, Alina will continue the outstanding work that the NCCTM is doing to provide valuable resources and professional learning opportunities for educators across the state, while promoting high-quality mathematics teaching and learning for All.

Joshua Mata is a proud member of NCCTM and a Secondary Math Coordinator in Guilford County Schools (GCS). Joshua began his work in education as a community college math tutor which inspired him to become a middle school math teacher in the school district from which he graduated. During his time as a math teacher, Joshua helped district leaders  create meaningful math resources for teachers and students across the whole county. For almost a decade, he has worked in and with over 50 secondary schools across GCS to find ways we can better serve our students so that every student can see themselves as a mathematician. He has been involved with NCCTM presenting at state conferences and volunteering at the State Math Fair. To expand his reach, Joshua has also worked with the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) in their first secondary math leader cohort to help increase best teaching practices across the state of North Carolina. Joshua is now running for the Central Region Vice-President of Middle Grades to continue to give back to the community and to advance the work of NCCTM’s mission and vision. If elected, Joshua would like to build on the work of NCCTM in providing meaningful resources and professional learning for educators across the state, while keeping a focus on high-quality mathematics instruction to help every NC student flourish.  

Secondary: Mason Kelly and Shannon Patton

Mason Kelly currently teaches Math 1 and 2 at Northern Guildford High School in Guilford County Schools and holds the head of department position as well.  Mason has taught 8^th grade mathematics, Algebra 1, Algebra 2 and Open Up Curriculum for courses 1 to 3.  She has attended NCCTM conferences including the most recent National Math Conference in Chicago, Illinois.  Mason seeks opportunities to collaborate, develop and implement best practices for equitable teaching aligning to her mission to provide all students with excellent teaching.  Several opportunities Mason has  been a part that align to her mission are: Presented New to Open Up Curriculum PD for Guildford County Schools teachers (2024); Presented monthly webinars for Math 1 Guildford County School teachers (2023); Vetted Open Up Resource Curriculum for various states (2022-2023); Completed Multi Classroom Leader course for Guildford County Schools (2022);  Created Unit Overviews and Pacing Guides for Guildford County Schools Math 1 (2021); Created Nearpod and Desmos activities aligned to Open Up Resources for Guildford County Schools Math 1 (2021); Developed supplemental material for Ready for Math 2 course designed to help address unfinished learning due to pandemic for Guilford County Schools (2020); Monitored and taught Ready for Math 1 course for Guildford County Schools (2020);  Developed and implemented school-wide policy regarding student work during remote learning (2020); Renewed National Boards Certificate in Early Adolescents (2020).

Mason is running for the Central Region Vice President position.  If elected, Mason is committed to providing opportunities for others in our community that fosters collaboration, improves teaching in a mathematics classroom and deepens understanding of equitable approaches to enhance all students’ learning experience

Shannon Patton is currently the 6th grade-Math 2 Mathematics Content Coach for Davie County Schools. She has 25+ years of experience in mathematics education, including teaching high school and middle school mathematics in Davie and Wake Counties, as well as teaching pre-service middle school and high school mathematics methods courses and coordinating the mathematics education student teaching program at NC State University. She holds BS degrees in Secondary Mathematics Education and Middle Grades Mathematics & Science Education from NC State University, and MEd and EdS degrees in Secondary Mathematics Education from the University of Georgia. Shannon is passionate about using high-level tasks to help students build their conceptual understanding of the mathematics content they are learning. She is also interested in problem solving, metacognition, and student and teacher efficacy.

Shannon was Davie County High School's 2021-2022 teacher of the year, is National Board Certified in mathematics (adolescence and young adults), and was a 2023 NC state finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). At the state level, she is currently serving an appointment on the Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission (PEPSC), an advising body to the NC State Board of Education. She has been involved in the NC Council of Teachers of Mathematics as a presenter at state conferences. Shannon is seeking a position as NCCTM Central Region High School VP in order to give back to the community that has taught her so much. She hopes that her own personal quest for continuous improvement and professional growth will also enable her to encourage and support mathematics educators in her region and across the state.

College: Latoya Brewer and Nicholas “Nick” Kochmanski

Latoya Brewer currently serves as a faculty member in the Mathematics and Computer Science Department at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. With experience teaching at the high school, community college, and university levels, she has worked with both undergraduate and graduate students. Her teaching portfolio includes courses in mathematics, statistics, and mathematics education, with a focus on preparing and supporting pre-service and in-service teachers. Latoya’s involvement with NCCTM began as an undergraduate student, where she attended her first conference through the organization. Over the years, NCCTM has provided her with invaluable professional growth opportunities at every stage of her career. If elected as Vice President for the Central Region, Latoya is committed to promoting and supporting accessible professional learning opportunities for mathematics educators across North Carolina.

Nicholas Kochmanski is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education at UNC Greensboro, teaching elementary and secondary mathematics methods courses. Nick is also a former middle school mathematics teacher and mathematics coach, and much of his research and service work focuses on supporting schools and districts to improve instruction at scale. Nick moved to North Carolina five years ago, and he immediately found NCCTM to be a welcoming and sustaining community. Nick is running for the office Central Region College/University Vice President because of his desire to build connections between members across the Central Region. Nick is passionate about developing high-quality and engaging professional development for educators, and, if elected, he will bring that same passion to NCCTM’s Central Region and statewide professional learning opportunities.