Nancy Brickhouse

Director, University of Delaware School of Education

Nancy W. Brickhouse is Professor and Director of the School of Education at the University of Delaware. Since appointed as Director in September 2007, Dr. Brickhouse has provided leadership to an academic unit of approximately 70 faculty and over 1200 students in 2 undergraduate and 10 graduate programs. Dr. Brickhouse has also provided leadership to the field of science education by serving as Editor of Science Education 2002-2007. Dr. Brickhouse has published widely on teaching about the nature of science and about gender issues in science education. Her work has been supported by the National Science Foundation and the Spencer Foundation in the United States. Her publications have appeared in journals such as Science Education, Journal for Research in Science Teaching, Journal of Teacher Education, and Educational Theory. Dr. Brickhouse has a B.A. in chemistry from Baylor University, and an M.S. in chemistry and Ph.D. in science education from Purdue University. She was recognized as an Outstanding Science Alumnus from Purdue University in 2007 for her contributions to science education.

Valerie Woodruff

Secretary of Education, State of Delaware

Valerie Woodruff has served as Secretary of Education since July 1999 when she was appointed in the acting capacity by former Governor Tom Carper. She was subsequently confirmed by the State Senate and then reappointed by Governor Ruth Ann Minner. Prior to being appointed Secretary of Education, Mrs. Woodruff served as the Associate Secretary for Curriculum and Instructional Improvement for the Delaware Department of Education. She has been a teacher, counselor, assistant principal and principal in high schools in both Maryland and Delaware. During her tenure as Secretary, Mrs. Woodruff has led the implementation of Delaware’s accountability system as well as the implementation of the federal No Child Left Behind system. Her focus on continuous improvement, the importance of high quality teachers and school leaders, and the importance of providing an excellent educational experience for all children has resulted in improved student achievement and positive recognition of Delaware public education. Secretary Woodruff led the development of the first School Based Wellness Center in Delaware, has served as a Thomson Fellow for the Coalition of Essential Schools, and was selected as Delaware’s Principal of the Year in 1990.She currently serves as a member of several boards including the Delaware Workforce Investment Board and its Youth Council, and the State Chamber of Commerce Partnership. She is also a Delaware representative on the Southern Regional Education Board, serves on the Executive Committee of SREB, and is the first K-12 educator to serve as Vice Chair. She has served on the Board of the Council of Chief State School Officers and is currently President of CCSSO.

Lillian Lowery

Superintendent, Christina School District

Lillian Lowery is Superintendent of Schools for the Christina School District in Wilmington and Newark, Delaware. She holds an Ed.D. degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, a master’s degree in education from the University of North Carolina, and a bachelor’s degree from North Carolina Central University. She was a Fellow in the Broad Urban Superintendents Academy in 2004. Before joining Christina, Dr. Lowery served as Assistant Superintendent of Cluster VII for Fairfax County Public Schools in Fairfax, Virginia. Prior to this position, she served for two years as an Area Administrator for Fort Wayne Community Schools in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She has a total of seven years’ experience as a school building administrator, serving as principal, Minority Student Achievement Monitor, and Assistant Principal for Fairfax County between 1995 and 2002. Dr. Lowery also taught middle and high school English for nine years in school districts in Fairfax, Virginia, Alexandria, Virginia, and Gastonia, North Carolina. Dr. Lowery is a member of the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), the American Association of School Administrators, and the LEAD Fairfax Program sponsored by the Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund. She also serves as a Board Member for the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra. She has been a presenter at state, national, and international conferences, and has received numerous awards. In 2002 she was presented with the Mayor’s Service Award by the City of Fairfax, Virginia, and an Outstanding Service Award by the City of Fairfax School Board. She was also named the Outstanding School Representative by the Fairfax Youth Community Alliance in 2002.

Michael Gamel-McCormick

Professor of Education, University of Delaware

Michael Gamel-McCormick is a Professor and the Interim Chair of the Department of Individual and Family Studies and the Director of the Center for Disabilities Studies at the University of Delaware. Dr. Gamel-McCormick is co-author, with Drs. Michael D. Davis and Jennifer L. Kilgo, of Young children with special needs: A developmentally appropriate approach. He has published articles on the inclusion of students with disabilities in general education programs, family child care, and family-centered early intervention. His research includes topics such as family members’ perceptions of early intervention services, quality child care, developmental outcomes of children receiving early intervention services, and disability and child care policy. Dr. Gamel-McCormick earned his doctorate in Human Development and Education from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1995. He also has earned a masters of science in counseling from the University of Wisconsin and a bachelor of arts and a bachelor of science from the University of Delaware in psychology and child development/early childhood education respectively. For 15 years he was a preschool teacher for children with and without disabilities, the director of an early intervention program for children with disabilities and their families, and the director of children’s services at a large inner-city social services agency serving children with disabilities and children at-risk for developmental delays between the ages of birth and eight. Most of his direct service work has been with children and families living in poverty.

Sharon Walpole

Professor of Education, University of Delaware

Sharon Walpole is Associate Professor in the School of Education at the University of Delaware. She teaches undergraduate courses on language and literacy development and instruction, master's courses on content area reading instruction and on organization and supervision of the reading program, and doctoral seminars on literacy and educational policy. She has extensive school-based experience, including both high school teaching and elementary school administration. In Delaware, she directs the professional development for the Reading First Schools - those elementary schools who have earned federal dollars to improve reading achievement. She has also been involved in other federally funded and homegrown school-wide reform projects. Dr. Walpole studies the design and effects of school-wide reforms, particularly those involving literacy coaches. She is co-author of The literacy coach's handbook: A guide to research-based reform, Differentiated reading instruction: Strategies for the primary grades, and The literacy coaching challenge: Models and methods for grade K-8 as well as many research articles and book chapters. She is 2007 winner of the National Reading Conference's Early Career Scholar Award.

Congressman Michael Castle

United States House of Representatives

A former Deputy Attorney General, state legislator, Lieutenant Governor and two-term Governor of Delaware, Mike Castle is currently serving a record eighth term as Delaware's lone Member in the House of Representatives. Mike Castle has played a key role in enacting many important laws that improve the lives of all Americans, including welfare reform, the balanced budget act, the Crime Bill, No Child Left Behind, vocational education, campaign finance reform, medical research and intelligence reform. Castle is the ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education which has jurisdiction over pre-school through high school education, including vo-tech education. Some of Castle's priorities include obesity prevention and child nutrition, Head Start and the recruitment of highly qualified teachers. Additionally, Castle is currently playing a key role in the efforts to reauthorize No Child Left Behind and to examine high school reform. Mike Castle also serves on the House Committee on Financial Services, which has jurisdiction over banking and the securities and insurance industries. Among Castle's other priorities are rail and port security, environmental protection, Amtrak reform, immigration reform, medical and diabetes research, ethics and lobbying reform, reducing the price of prescription drugs, protecting Delaware's beaches, ending egregious defense contracting practices, deficit reduction and implementing his vision to turn the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal into a recreational area for biking, hiking, fishing, and running. Mike Castle is also a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership, which he co-founded in 1998 to promote thoughtful leadership in the Republican Party, to serve as a voice for centrist Republicans and to partner with individuals, organizations and institutions that share centrist values. Mike Castle was born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware where he currently lives with his wife Jane. He is a graduate of Tower Hill School, Hamilton College and Georgetown University Law School.