Stephanie Simpson
Who Are These People, And What Do I Do With Them? A Young Adolescent Social and Emotional Development Primer
Stephanie Simpson is the Chief Executive Officer of the Association for Middle Level Education, the premier membership organization helping middle school educators cultivate the potential and possibilities of young adolescents. Under her leadership, Stephanie led the revision of AMLE’s landmark position paper on best practice in the middle grades and expanded the text include student voice and a robust offering of professional development resources. Most recently, AMLE launched an international recognition program to celebrate excellence in the middle grades. She is a seasoned professional association leader who began her career as a policy analyst at the American Medical Association after earning a J.D. from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and B.A. in International Studies and Information Technology from DePaul University.
Dr. Steven Bauernfeind
Benchmark Physical Therapy
Dr. Steve Bauernfeind is a certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist, Manual Therapist, Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Dry Needling, Kinesiology Taping, and Functional Capacity Evaluaor & Impairment Rating Performer. He completed his Orthopaedic Residency in 2018 and has previous medince experience with the University of Georgia’s football team as well as strength and conditioning training for Seton Hall University’s athletics. Dr. Bauernfeind graduated from Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ with B.S. in Biology in 2014, a Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2017,and Western Governor’s University with an MBA in 2019. He is a former rugby player and his other interests are basketball, golf, hiking, soccer, tennis, and football.
Stephanie Howell
Supporting EL Learners in the Classroom
Mrs. Howell has a BA in French from the University of West GA. She also has a MEd in Foreign Language Education in the area of TESOL from the University of GA. She has taught ESOL to students from over 65 countries. Mrs. Howell recently retired from Central Gwinnett High School in Gwinnett County after 34 years in the classroom. She also served as Department Chair of both the Foreign Language and ESOL Departments.
Dr. Melvin Middleton
Creating and Fostering an Inclusive Environment that is Welcoming to ALL Students
Born in Southfield, Michigan and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, Dr. Melvin Middleton Jr, is a graduate of Florida A&M University (B.S. Elementary Education), Nova Southeastern University (M.S. Educational Leadership), and Florida State University (Ed.D. Educational Leadership and Policy). An educator with three decades of service to students of all ages, Dr. Middleton has served as an elementary teacher, middle school teacher, assistant principal, principal, grant manager, college faculty member, and college administrator. He recently self-published two children’s book (Jameel’s Valentines and Our Teacher is a Doctor). He is a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. where he served as the Director of Educational Activities and Special Projects Coordinator for his local chapter. When not working or in service to his community, he can be found enjoying the turquoise waters and white sand of the Caribbean beaches.
Dr. Nancy Ruppert
Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain
Nancy Ruppert has been recognized at the state, national, and international levels as an outstanding middle school educator. She has received accolades related to ‘distinguished teaching’ (2018) and ‘outstanding service’ (2022) at UNC Asheville. She has received recognition at the State level as the recipient of the NC Middle Level Higher Education Teacher to Watch Award (2018), and the North Carolina C. Ken McEwin Middle Level Distinguished Service Award (2022); and at the International Level as the Association for Middle Level Education’s highest recognition, the John H. Lounsbury Association for Middle Level Education Award (2020). She regularly presents at middle level conferences in the southeast, for AMLE and the European League of Middle Level Education (ELMLE). Nancy taught middle school math and science for 19 years and has taught at UNCA since 2002. She regularly returns every six or seven years to teach full time in middle schools.
In her own words: “My joy as a professor is watching and celebrating with preservice teachers, alumni, faculty, staff, and colleagues who are becoming our next generation of passionate, caring leaders. As a middle school teacher, my joy has been to work collaboratively with others to meet students where they are, and to advocate, encourage, and challenge them to keep moving forward on their journeys.”
On her sabbatical she is collaborating with middle level educators on a chapter, on articles, and giving presentations related to culturally sustaining practices. In addition she is working on a project interviewing and surveying alumni and middle level leaders and teachers called ‘living the dream as an educator’. She is currently teaching 6th grade math at a local middle school.
Dr. Rob Sumowski
What Special Education Teachers Wish General Education Teachers Knew About Their Students
A member of the faculty at Georgia College since 2011, Rob Sumowski is an Associate Professor of Special Education. Prior to entering higher education, Sumowski spent 21 years as a Middle Level Special Education teacher, assistant principal, behavior specialist, and district-level director of student safety. He holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in Psychology and Music from Mercer University, Master of Education and Education Specialist degrees from Georgia College, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Georgia.
A state leader in Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), he has served on various visioning and planning committees with the Georgia Department of Education and has been called upon to testify as an expert witness in hearings involving classroom management issues. From 2015-2018, he served as a Professor-in-Residence assisting the Baldwin County School District with redesigning its behavior management system. He developed coursework in PBIS and served on the 2019 Georgia Professional Standards Commission Task Force that led to the creation of Georgia’s Teaching Certificate Endorsement in PBIS, the first of its kind in the nation.
In 2021, Sumowski received the national Charles Dunn Award for service to college students above and beyond the traditional role of professor by the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges, he delivered the keynote address at GCSU’s Fall Convocation, and in 2022 was elected presiding officer-elect of the University Senate. Sumowski’s student advocacy ranges from advising the Miss Amazing Scholarship Program to advocating for the LGBTQ+ community as a S.T.A.R. Ally, partnering with science faculty on a series of museum exhibits, and assisting with the development of GC THRIVE, an Inclusive Post-Secondary Education Program in which adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities will be afforded the opportunity to attend Georgia College. He is a 2022-2023 Georgia Governor’s Teaching Fellow.
Dr. Paula Reed
Meeting Student Needs In the Current Media Center Climate
Dr. Reed began her career in the Chattanooga City Schools, teaching
grades 3-6 (multiage) at the 21 st Century Preparatory School. She moved to Overton County, TN to teach grades 2-4 at Wilson Elementary School. While completing her doctoral studies, Dr. Reed supervised student teachers, provided teacher training across the Upper Cumberland region through the Reading Excellence Act, and taught
the introduction to education course at Tennessee Technological University. Dr. Reed taught fifth grade for two years in Hamilton County at Brown Academy for Classical Studies before coming to Rossville Middle School in 2005 as a 6th grade language arts teacher. During her time at RMS, she has taught both 6th and 7th grade language arts and STEM ELA connections. Dr. Reed is now the Media Specialist at Rossville Middle
School in Walker County, Georgia.
Dr. Reed and her husband, Barton, are proud parents to five boys -ages 27, 24, 22, and 18 year old twins, as well as one old dog named Lucy. As a recent empty-nester, Dr. Reed spends her time traveling between Tennessee Tech, ETSU, and UK. One of her boys plays in the Pride of the Southland Marching Band, and Dr. Reed spends many fall
weekends attending Tennessee football games just to watch the band. Dr. Reed enjoys reading (of course!), hiking, baking, and spending time with her family and friends.
Education: BS Multidisciplinary Learning, K-8 University of Tennessee, Chattanooga | MA Instructional Leadership Tennessee Technological University | PhD Exceptional Learning -Literacy Tennessee Technological University | Post graduate certification in Gifted, high school English, and School Library Media
The Bright House
Child Advocacy
The Bright House is an agency that provides advocacy and forensic services for children, adolescents, and adults who have been victims of sexual violence and child abuse in Milledgeville, GA and surrounding counties.
Dr. Betty Edwards
What Special Education Teachers Wish General Education Teachers Knew About Their Students
Dr. Betty Edwards has been a strategic consultant for K-12 schools, school districts, and non-profit organizations nationwide. As a strong believer that an engaging, high quality education is both an individual right and societal responsibility, she has worked consistently to make connections that lead to stronger educational opportunities for all students.
Dr. Edwards completed her doctoral studies in the area of administration with a focus on planning. Both her academic studies and professional experiences have consistently addressed organizational growth.
Betty currently serves as a consultant for Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools (SOUCS) where she serves as the Chair of the National Education Leadership Network and works to establish collaborating relationships between SOUCS and other educational organizations.
Previously, Dr. Edwards served as Executive Director of the Association for Middle Level Education , the nation’s largest professional association focusing specifically on the education of young adolescents. She established major collaborative relationships with other organizations while leading the association through a financial reorganization, the development and revision of foundational documents and tools, and the advancement of work in the areas of dropout prevention, service-learning, and technology in the middle grades.
Immediately before her work with AMLE, Dr. Edwards served as the vice president for testing and professional development for Measured Progress, a non-profit provider of customized assessments and professional development tools. She worked in cross-company teams, including the planning group, and directed the work of departments responsible for product development, graphic design/publications for both customized and off-the-shelf assessments, and professional development.
During its historic education reform initiative in the 1990s, Dr. Edwards served as Director of Curriculum and Assessment for the Kentucky Department of Education. Following her work in Kentucky, Betty served as associate director of the National Study of School Evaluation (NSSE) where she worked nationally on issues regarding school improvement and directed the development of program improvement guides on early childhood education and English as a Second Language.
Dr. Edwards has served on numerous advisory boards, including America’s Promise, The League, the National Youth Leadership Council, and the National Coalition for Academic Servie-Learning (NACSL). Betty served twice as the chair of the Alliance for Curriculum Reform, and she is past president of both the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) and the Kentucky Middle School Association (KMSA). In her role with AMLE, she represented that organization on the Learning First Alliance (LFA).
Chuck Puckett
Closing Session
Chuck Puckett is a life long learner and retired educator with 32 years of service in middle and high school; the last eleven years were spent with Georgia College Early College. He then served as professor in the John H. Lounsbury College of Education at Georgia College and State University. He is husband to Kay Puckett, a retired special educator and GC professor. Both are proud alumni of Georgia College with undergraduate and graduate degrees. They have two sons, Kalen, another GC graduate from the school of graphic design, and Nathan, a UGA graduate who has worked in Human Resources for both Tesla and Twitter. Kalen and his lovely bride, Jess, have a three year old son, Ashe Eli, and Nathan will wed Ally DeLucia next fall, with his father as officiant.
GCSU Summit 2022 