2018 Networking Summit Facilitator Biographies

Sedley Abercrombie

Adjunct Instructor
East Carolina University
sedleyabercrombie@gmail.com
Sedley Abercrombie, a graduate of the MLS program at ECU, is the lead Library Media Coordinator for 32 school libraries in Davidson County Schools. She is the immediate past-president for the NC School Library Media Association and an adjunct instructor for the Library Science program at ECU.

Jen Baker

Library Media Coordinator
Pamlico County High School
jenniferbaker@pamlicoschools.org
Jen Baker is the Library Media Coordinator at Pamlico County High School. She has been studying with Mindful Schools since 2015 and is currently enrolled in the Certificate in Instruction in Social-Emotional and Character Development program at Rutgers University.

John Claude Bemis

Children’s Book Author
jeanclaudebemis@gmail.com
John Claude Bemis is an award-winning children’s book author, musician, and educator. His books include The Wooden Prince and Lord of Monsters in the Out of Abaton series (Disney-Hyperion), The Nine Pound Hammer (Random House), Flora and the Runaway Rooster (Heifer International), among others. Originally from Pamlico County, John was a North Carolina Teaching Fellow who graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with his BA in Elementary Education and his MEd in Literacy. He received the Excellence in Teaching Award from UNC-CH’s School of Education for his work as an author-educator in schools around the state. John was chosen as North Carolina’s Piedmont Laureate for Children’s Literature in 2013. He lives with his wife and daughter in Hillsborough, NC. Visit him online at johnclaudebemis.com

Sarah Chrisman

(Co-Facilitator with Colleen Pinyan)
Media Specialist
Southern Elementary School
chrisms@gcsnc.com
Sarah Chrisman is currently in her eighth year as a Media Specialist at Southern Elementary School in Greensboro, NC. She has also taught 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade in the classroom. Sarah received her BS in Elementary Education at The State University of New York at Oswego and her MLIS at UNC-Greensboro. Her passion is integrating technology, web tools, and other digital resources into the curriculum to equip students with necessary skills for college and career readiness.

Patch Clark and Storybook Theatre

Professor & Director of Storybook Theatre
ECU School of Theatre and Dance
clarkp@ecu.edu
Professor Patricia “Patch” Clark, is coordinator for the Theatre for Youth and Theatre Education Programs at East Carolina University. She is the founder and Director of the ECU Storybook Theatre, which tours schools, libraries, and festivals. It also appears as part of ECU’s Arts Smart and Family Fare Series. She has directed many children’s theatre productions and her most recent productions are Treasure Island, The Little Prince, A Christmas Carol, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Hobbit, and School House Rock Live! ECU Storybook Theatre and the University of Shimane (Japan) were the recipients of an international award for collaboration presented by the Global Partners in Education in Yekaterinburg, Russia in 2016. Clark has worked as both teacher and consultant for public and private schools and the Virginia Governor’s School for the Visual and Performing Arts at the University at Richmond. She is the author of Intergenerational Arts in the Nursing Home (Greenwood Press) and co-author of Seniors on Stage (Praeger Press). She received the Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2017, the Distinguished Professor for Teaching Award presented by the UNC Board of Governors in 2013-2014, The Scholar Teacher Award 2012-2013, and the ECU Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Teaching for 2011-2012.

Kaye Dotson, Ph.D.

(Co-Facilitator with Beth Strecker & Lou Sua)
Associate Professor
ECU College of Education
dotsonl@ecu.edu
Dr. Kaye Dotson is an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator in the Library Science Program at East Carolina University. Her scholarship and research focus is on the evolving role of the school librarian and the impact of leadership, collaboration, and onsite training. Her goals include facilitating development of skills for librarians to support and serve as school leaders. She is the author of Developing Library Leaders: The Impact of the Library Science Internship. She has served over twenty years as a practicing school librarian, published articles about leadership and the school librarian, and presented at numerous conferences.

Joanna Gerakios

Lead Media Specialist
Pitt County Schools
gerakij@pitt.k12.nc.us
Joanna Gerakios has taught eighth grade Language Arts and Social Studies and worked as a school library media coordinator. She is currently employed by Pitt County Schools as the Lead Media Specialist and is an adjunct instructor for ECU as well. She has an interest in bringing books and technology together to energize education and empower students. She is a previous President of the North Carolina School Library Media Association and is the current Book Programs Section Chair. In her personal time, Joanna likes to travel, snap photos, experiment in the kitchen, and get lost in long epic historical novels.

Amanda Hartman McLellan

Head, Application and Digital Services
ECU Joyner Library
mclellana15@ecu.edu
Amanda Hartman McLellan is the Head of Application and Digital Services at East Carolina University’s Joyner Library and an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Illinois School of Information Sciences. Her research interests include library technology, usability and user experience, and library management.

Christy Howard Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
ECU College of Education
howardch14@ecu.edu
Dr. Christy Howard is an assistant professor of Reading Education in the College of Education at East Carolina University. She received her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Prior to coming to East Carolina University, she taught for ten years in Guilford County Schools and served as a Curriculum Specialist for the district and an Instructional Support Coach for the North Carolina New Teacher Support Program. Dr. Howard specializes in disciplinary literacy, teacher identity, and diversity in education. Her research has been published in journals such as Language Arts, Literacy Research and Instruction, and Middle Grades Research Journal.

Sara Levin

Media Coordinator
Falkland Elementary School
levins@pitt.k12.nc.us
Sara Levin is going on her thirteenth year as a Media Coordinator and her fifteenth year as a librarian. She is a 2002 graduate of the ECU MLS Program and has presented sessions at NCSLMA, NCTIES, the Librarian to Librarian Networking Summit, and Pitt County Schools’ TechFest. She currently works at Falkland Elementary School and serves as the Region I Elementary Battle of the Books Chair. She uses Breakout EDU to teach library skills, character traits, and more.

Vicky Mahoney

Media Specialist
Powhatan Elementary School
victoriamahoney@johnston.k12.nc.us
Vicky Mahoney received her MLS from East Carolina in 2010. She is now a K-5 Media Specialist at Powhatan Elementary School in Johnston County. She graduated from Illinois State University with a degree in Elementary Education and has taught in Japan and England. In 2006 she moved to North Carolina. A National Board Certified teacher, she received an NCSLMA Research Action Grant in 2017.

Laura Mangum

Media Coordinator
North Pitt High School
manguml@pitt.k12.nc.us
Laura has been a Media Coordinator for the past 19 years and has been at North Pitt High School since 2003. She has been running a successful digital Makerspace in her media center for the last four years.

Ellen McNair

Education Specialist
Fairfax County Schools
ejones5@me.com
Ellen worked as a High School and Middle School Librarian before becoming the Secondary Education Specialist in Fairfax County Public Schools, VA. There, she facilitated professional learning for both middle and high school librarians. Her article, “Personalizing Thinking: Think Like a Teenager!” recently appeared in the Nov/Dec issue of Knowledge Quest. She was on the Implementation Task Force for the new AASL National Library Standards and is currently providing workshops on the new standards in VA and NC.

Danianne Mizzy

Head of Kenan Science Information Services
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
mizzy@email.unc.edu
Danianne Mizzy is Head of the Kenan Science Library Research Hub and Makerspace at UNC-Chapel Hill. She was previously the Engineering Librarian at Columbia University, Director of the Ewell Sale Stewart Library and Archives at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University in Philadelphia, and Assistant Head of the Engineering Library at the University of Pennsylvania.

Abby Moore

Education Librarian
UNC-Charlotte
amoor164@uncc.edu
Abby Moore is the Education Librarian at UNC-Charlotte. Before her transition to academic libraries, she was a high school librarian in the Bronx. Before that, she was a high school English Teacher. Abby was a member of YALSA’s 2016 Best Fiction for Young Adults Committee for two years and most recently, she worked on YALSA’s 2016 Morris Award committee. A lifetime lover of reading for pleasure, Abby’s book collection has outgrown several apartments and currently resides in a spare bedroom in her home in Charlotte. She is patiently waiting for her built-in bookshelves to miraculously build themselves.

Kathy Parker

School Library Media Consultant
NC Department of Public Instruction
kathy.parker@dpi.nc.gov
Kathy is a Raleigh native who answered the calling to be a lifelong educator. She graduated with both English and History degrees from North Carolina State University and earned an ESL certificate and a master’s degree in library science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She began her career in education as a high school English teacher before transitioning to school library media. In 2008, Parker earned National Board Certification in Library Media. Joining the NC Department of Public Instruction in 2012, she is currently the state’s School Library Media Consultant in the Division of Digital Teaching and Learning. Kathy is available via email (above) or phone (919) 807-3221. You may also follow her on twitter @kparkerslmc.

Colleen Pinyan

Co-Facilitator with Sarah Chrisman
Media Specialist
Brooks Global Studies
pinyans@gcsnc.com
Colleen Pinyan is in her seventh year as Media Specialist at Brooks Global Studies in Guilford County. She enjoys helping students develop skills and passions that will encourage them to be lifelong learners and successful global and digital citizens. She has previously presented at the L2L Summit, the NCSLMA Annual Conference, and World View. She was the 2015 Media Specialist of the Year in Guilford County and a finalist at the state level in 2016. She received her BA from Wake Forest University and her MLS from East Carolina University.

Delores J. Reeves

Co-Facilitator with Heather Seibert
Special Collections Cataloger
ECU Joyner Library
reevesd@ecu.edu
Delores has worked for the State of North Carolina for 48 years in various school and state libraries in Pitt County and Greenville, North Carolina. Her positions have ranged from Library Clerk, Library Technician, and Librarian. Her experience spans the departments of Circulation, Information Services, Interlibrary Loan, as well as Head of Circulation and is currently a Special Collections Cataloger.

Lisa Rose

Media Specialist
Moyock Elementary School
lrose0220@gmail.com
Lisa Rose is a NBCT Media Specialist with twenty years of experience as a K-5 media specialist. She came to the library from a kindergarten classroom and brings her love for the little ones and books with her to work ever day.

Kristy Sartain

Librarian
Douglas Byrd Middle School
kristysartain@ccs.k12.nc.us
Kristy Sartain has worked as both a high school and middle school librarian as well as at a community college as an Instructional Development Specialist. She loves sharing tech tools, tips, and tricks with anyone who may or may not want to hear them!

Heather Seibert

Co-Facilitator with Delores J. Reeves
Scholarly Communication Technician
ECU Joyner Library
seiberth17@ecu.edu
Heather is currently a University Library Technician in the Department of Research and Scholarly Communications at Joyner Library, East Carolina University. She has a background in eBook and ETD cataloging and is working toward her MLS through ECU. She is a recent graduate of the North Carolina Leadership Institute and recently presented at NCLA on Open Educational Resources (OER’s). Her current position gives her the ability to focus on her interests including OER’s, Affordable Textbooks, Open Education, Open Access, Creative Commons, and OER Compliance.

Julie Sloup

Media Coordinator
Virginia Williamson Elementary School
jsloup@bcswan.net
Mrs. Sloup moved into the Media Coordinator position at Virginia Williamson Elementary School eleven years after teaching fourth, fifth, and AIG glasses. She has looked for ways for students to go beyond their rural county and partner with students across the globe.

Nancy Stevens

Business and IT Teacher
Dare County Schools
stevensna@daretolearn.org
Nancy Stevens is a Computer Science educator in Dare County Schools. She is a Code.org facilitator for Computer Science Discoveries and has been recognized as a Microsoft Innovative Educator. In addition, she is a Microsoft and Google Certified Educator.

Beth Strecker, Ph.D.

Co-Facilitator with Kaye Dotson & Lou Sua
Teaching Assistant Professor
ECU College of Education
streckerb15@ecu.edu
Dr. Beth Strecker is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Library Science Department at East Carolina University where she teaches “Technology for Library Services” and “Instructional Foundations of the School Library Media Program.” These courses focus on integrating and utilizing technology in libraries. She has presented on topics such as, Using Facebook in Education, Barriers to Integrating Technology, Literacy and iPads, Identifying Fake News, and Using Google Apps in the Classroom. Previously, Beth has worked as a Technology Director and Media Coordinator in North Carolina public schools. She earned her EdD and MLS from ECU. Prior to her career in librarianship, she taught mathematics and science in North Carolina public middle schools.

Lou Sua, Ph.D.

Co-Facilitator with Kaye Dotson & Beth Strecker
Teaching Assistant Professor
ECU College of Education
sual@ecu.edu
Dr. Lou Saunders Sua has been in librarianship for about 40 years. She has worked in public, academic, and school libraries as a Children’s librarian, Young Adult librarian, Family Literacy coordinator, and the Branch Manager of a lifelong learning (literacy) center for the Greensboro Public Library. She has also worked with community organizations and agencies as a Community Activist. Her work in libraries has given her the opportunity to develop, implement, and present programs for adults, children, young adults, parents, teachers, and communities. She has previously worked as an Adjunct Faculty at UNC-Greensboro teaching storytelling and the Public Library courses. Currently, she is employed by East Carolina University as a Teaching Assistant Professor and Graduate Program Advisor for the Department of Interdisciplinary Professions in the Master of Library Science Program.

Judy Walker

Education Librarian
University of North Carolina-Charlotte
jwalker@uncc.edu
There’s no denying it, Judy is a science geek. As an elementary Media Specialist, her center was known as the Walker Zoological & Botanical Gardens. As the North Carolina NASA Educator Resources person, she has worked with teachers across the state to integrate science into their classrooms. In her current position as the Education Librarian at UNC Charlotte, she works closely with the College of Education’s science methods professors to encourage pre-service and in-service teachers to use a wide range of print and digital resources to integrate science across their curriculum. One of the primary assignments for the elementary students is to take a children’s book and use it to teach science across the curriculum. Although in higher education, she is doing what any media coordinator worth their salt would do to promote reading, information literacy, and, of course, science!

Emily Yates

Media Specialist
Wake County Public Schools
eyates@wcpss.net
Emily Yates is one of the Library Media Specialists at Green Hope High School in Wake County. She received her MSLS from UNC-Chapel Hill and a BA in English from Mouth Holyoke College.