Teacher Advisory Network

Appointed July 1, 2019
April Smith is a Business Education teacher at Samson High School, in Samson, Alabama. While teaching Business Education classes such as Business Technology, Multimedia Publications, and Sports Marketing, she is also the FBLA Adviser and SGA Sponsor. She also serves on the Alabama FBLA Admin. Board. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, a Master’s degree in Student Affairs and plans to further her education with and obtain her Educational Specialist in Instructional Leadership. Aside from being a teacher, April enjoys traveling, spending time with family and watching Alabama Football and the Atlanta Braves. She and her husband have 3 children that keep them busy with football, cheer, and baseball.

Appointed February 1, 2021
Ever “Benny” Heredia – Bio and picture coming soon!

Appointed February 1, 2021
Jeanne Sampson is a Business Education teacher at Granite Bay High School, in Granite Bay, California where she has taught for the last 25 years. Previously, Jeanne taught at Oakmont High School, in the same district, for 7 years. She spent 30 years as a FBLA Adviser and is currently transitioning to DECA due to the fact it is a better fit for Granite Bay High School’s Business Program of Study. Jeanne also teaches IB Business Management SL along with Sports & Entertainment Marketing. One of the reasons Jeanne enjoys teaching business classes is because of the real life and authentic learning opportunities they offer, not only for college readiness but career readiness as well. Offering an IB Business Management SL course along with the Business Program of Study, Principles of Business (intro), Sports and Entertainment Marketing (concentrator), and Empowering Entrepreneurs (capstone), affords students the opportunity to study business at a much higher and in-depth level. She loves when students take the full range of business classes, go on to college as business majors, and then come back telling stories of how prepared they were and how much they knew already from their business classes at GBHS. Also, connecting with former students on LinkedIn and celebrating their successes in various careers is always a joy.

Aside from being a teacher, Jeanne enjoys reading, cycling, hiking and camping, the beach, wine tasting, her dog Kona, and spending time with her husband of 29 years and 4 children (two are married so a bonus son-in-law and daughter-in-law).

Appointed July 1, 2019
JoLynn Baral is currently the MBA Research High School of Business Teacher, DECA C0-Advisor at Riverdale Ridge High School (CO), and Colorado DECA District 7 Board Member. Since starting the HSB program at her previous school Mrs. Baral helped increase enrollment in the business and marketing program. Mrs. Baral grow up in Wyoming and now lives Colorado. She has her Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Business Education from the University of Wyoming.

Appointed February 1, 2021
Janet Brophy is a High School of Business teacher from Haxtun High School in Haxtun, CO. Janet earned her BA from the University of Wyoming and her MBA from University of Phoenix. Prior to teaching high school, Janet worked in human resources and then support staff for an education consortium before completing alternative licensure program. Janet has taught in a high school classroom for six years as well as 10 years as an adjunct professor for a community college. Janet is also the Haxtun FBLA Adviser, chairperson of the HSB Teacher Advisory Committee, and membership director for Colorado for M-PBEA.

Appointed July 1, 2021
Heather Sweeney is a Business Teacher and DECA advisor at Mark T Sheehan High School in Connecticut. She has worked hard to increase enrollment in the school’s Business program as well as create the school-based enterprise, which has recently been upgraded to a physical place within the school. Heather has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business with a minor in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Education. She has taught a variety of Business courses over the last 8 years, including Accounting, Marketing and Entrepreneurship to name a few. Previously, Heather served as FBLA advisor in another district where she highly focused on giving back to the community, specifically for St. Baldrick’s, and led FBLA members to raise over $10,000 during their first St Baldrick’s head shaving event. Her focus as a leader is to incorporate social responsibility and a strong sense of community. Prior to teaching high school, Heather worked in retail, marketing and in the hospitality industry for numerous years. She is very passionate about encouraging students of all interests to take business courses as they make their way through high school, connecting course topics to real life experiences as much as possible. Aside from teaching, Heather is the Assistant Girls Soccer and Softball Coach at Sheehan High School. Outside of her career goals, Heather enjoys traveling and exploring new places. She loves spending time with friends and family along with her fur baby, Prince. One of her goals is to have a second home by the water to enjoy on days off and on vacations.

Appointed September 1, 2022
Kirsten Tuz is the Marketing Teacher and DECA Advisor at Danbury High School in Danbury, Connecticut. She currently teaches Marketing and Fashion Marketing to grades 9-12. Kirsten oversees the school-based enterprise, the “Hatters Hotspot”. Kirsten has a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Western Connecticut State University and a Master’s Degree in Finance from Sacred Heart University. The first 23 years of her career were spent in various marketing positions in children’s publishing. She left the corporate environment to spend more time with her young family and transitioned to working in Special Education before earning her Master’s in Education from the University of Bridgeport. In the three years she has been at Danbury High School, she and her students have rebranded the school store, updating the physical space, initiating a social media presence, bringing in popular teen apparel, and updating the POS system. Short term goals include online ordering capabilities and operating an apparel print shop within the SBE. While working in Special Education, Kirsten coached Unified Sports. Under her guidance, the program was chosen as a Unified Champion School.

Appointed February 1, 2021
Shayna Brown is the Marketing Teacher and DECA Advisor at Houston County High School in Warner Robins, GA, where she has taught for 13 years. She teaches the Sports and Entertainment Marketing Pathway and runs the school-based enterprise, Bear Necessities. She serves on the GA DECA Board of Directors and assists in running Region 9 Competition. She has a passion for the students in her classroom and watching them be successful. They impact her more and more each year and help to make her a better teacher. Shayna enjoys reading, watching Georgia football and traveling to the beach to recharge when not teaching.

Appointed February 1, 2021
Renee Lumsden – Bio and picture coming soon!

Tami Perez is currently an online business and marketing teacher for Idaho Technical Career Academy in Meridian, Idaho and an adjunct professor at College of Southern Idaho. Tami earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Idaho State University and a Master of Education from the University of Idaho. The first 10 years of her career was in payroll and human resources for Idaho school districts. This is her 10th year in the classroom. Tami was the first High School of Business site in Idaho and spent six years at a project-based learning New Tech Network high school. She shares her love of PBL by training new teachers. Tami is currently an advisor for Business Professionals of America (BPA).

Appointed July 1, 2019

Matt Schneiderman is currently a business and marketing teacher for Caldwell High School in Caldwell, Idaho and an adjunct professor at Treasure Valley Community College in Idaho/Oregon. Matt earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Colorado Technical University, education minor from University of Idaho, an MBA in Operations Management and an MBA in Marketing, both from Colorado Technical University. The first 23 years of his career was a combination of serving in the Idaho Army National Guard and working in the locomotive manufacturing industry starting as a production mechanic and welder and later moving into management positions. This is his 6th year in the classroom as a secondary instructor. Matt has helped open the 6th High School of Business site in Idaho and has participated in the MBA Research Leadership Forum since 2017. Matt is currently an advisor for Business Professionals of America (BPA).

Appointed February 1, 2021
Andrew Thonstad currently teaches business and computer classes for Sioux Center High School in Sioux Center, Iowa. Andrew earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, focusing on Human Resource Management and Finance, from Central Washington University. After working for 12+ years in the human resource management field, Andrew returned to the classroom to complete his master’s degree in Teaching from the University of Sioux Falls. This is his 10th year in the classroom. Andrew is the co-advisor for the Sioux Center FBLA chapter and has held numerous leadership positions within the school and around the state of Iowa with the Iowa Business Education Association.

Appointed February 1, 2021
Sarah Sweet is in her 16th year of teaching at Emporia High School. She is the business department chair and currently teaches Marketing, Marketing Applications, Consumer &Personal Finance, Business Management, and Applied Business Development. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degree from Emporia State University and also holds an ESL endorsement from Kansas State University. She serves as a co-adviser of FBLA and is the adviser of National Technical Honor Society. Sarah has been married for17 years and they have one son who is active in sports. Outside of teaching, she enjoys traveling, reading, and crafting

Appointed July 1, 2019
Ed Crutchleo is in his fifth year as a Business Instructor. He currently is the FBLA Advisor at Dayton Independent High School in Dayton, Kentucky. Ed received both an MBA with an emphasis in Management and a MAT from Thomas More University. He is currently in his fourth year of service on the Kentucky Business Education Association Board of Directors and is the KACTE Representative. Ed is also in his third year of service with the Teachers Advisory Network. He has presented at various conferences on building relationships with students, curriculum creation for various business classes, and best practices in preparation for the ASK Exam.

Appointed July 1, 2019
Amber Florence is starting her 4th year as a business and marketing teacher at Harrison County Area Technology Center. She received her Bachelor’s from Midway and Master’s from Morehead State University. She has been an FBLA adviser since her first year of teaching. She teaches several courses with a few being offered as dual credit to her students. Entrepreneurship is her favorite course to teach because it helps to build so many connections with the community. She is very active with her local Chamber of Commerce as an ambassador, and she is excited to soon start a JR. Ambassador group with the Chamber for her students.

Will Morgan is a national instructor for the High School of Business program at Eastern High School (KY) and a retired Army Warrant Officer who specialized in budget management and managed a culturally diverse workforce of military and civilian employees. After the Army, Will worked in manufacturing, specializing in supply chain management, special projects operations, budget management and staffing large complex departments. Will later entered the world of academia as a high school instructor and part-time facilitator with University of Phoenix. Will has instructed courses ranging from web design, German language, critical thinking, finance and marketing, to action research. Will utilizes his educational background which includes a bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral work in management, seeking personal and professional improvement while sharing with others.

Jennifer Milke is a Marketing, Small Business, and Personal Finance teacher, as well as a DECA advisor at Henry Ford II High School in Sterling Heights, MI. Jennifer received her BS in secondary education from Central Michigan University and is vocationally certified in marketing and business. She received her Master’s in public administration with an emphasis in educational administration at the University of Michigan Flint. She became an International DECA Certified Trainer in 2012 and trained teachers at the the state and regional levels. She has been on the Michigan Marketing Educators (MME) Board since 2009, and served as the president and secretary. In 2010, Jennifer received the Dr. Jack T. Humbert New Professional of the Year Award. She was selected as a lead teacher for the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) Marketing in Economics Curriculum Integration Grant administered through Berrien RESA. Her leadership resulted in the development of 45 lesson plans aligned to the State’s economics standards allowing teachers to grant state graduation credit through State Approved Marketing Education Programs.

Appointed July 1, 2019
Holly Boisjolie is a Business and Marketing Teacher at Blaine High School where she is also a Computer Science Teacher in the Center for Engineering, Mathematics, and Science (CEMS) program. Holly has taught a variety of Business and Marketing courses and CEMS Computer Science courses throughout her teaching career. Holly is the Business Internship Coordinator, School Store Advisor, Business Professionals of America (BPA) Advisor, Co-Department Leader at Blaine and is the district Curriculum Specialist Teacher (CST) for the Business and Marketing Department. Before teaching Holly worked in Sales and Marketing, gaining industry experience that she brings to the classroom. Holly has her Associates of Applied Science Degree in Marketing, Bachelors of Science in Business and Marketing Education with a minor in Business Administration, and her Masters in Education.

Appointed July 1, 2019
Margot Cowing is a Marketing, Business, and Economics teacher and DECA advisor at Chanhassen and Chaska High Schools in Minnesota. Prior to relocating to Minnesota, she served as a DECA advisor and CTE Department Chair at Bentonville High School in Bentonville, Arkansas. She engages her students through personalized, project-based learning and community partnerships that provide authentic learning experiences. As a 10-year DECA advisor, she has had many students place in the Top 10 and Top 20 at DECA’s International Career Development Conferences (ICDC), and has even had 1st – 3rd place winners. Margot received a Business Administration degree from the University of Maine and a Masters of Education in Curriculum Instruction with emphasis on Career and Technical Education from the University of Arkansas. Her work experience also includes 6 years as a consumer advisor in direct marketing for LEGO Systems, Inc. She has been married for 25 years to her husband, Roy, and has 4 children. Outside of school, she enjoys traveling and cooking.

Appointed July 1, 2019
Megan Bruce is a Business and Marketing Educator at Fort Zumwalt South High School in Saint Peters, Missouri. She has taught for the past 10 years and has been a DECA Advisor for the past 5 years. Megan earned her Masters in Education with an Emphasis in Technology from Lindenwood University in 2012 and obtained her Bachelor of Science in AgriBusiness Management from the University of Missouri – Columbia in 2006.

Appointed February 1, 2021
Justin Gipe is currently a business, marketing, and computer science teacher and DECA advisor for Scottsbluff High School in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. This year marks his 16^th with Scottsbluff and 12^th as a business education teacher for the district and 3^rd year as a DECA advisor. Justin previously served 5 years as the district’s Technology Integration Specialist and has taught in other departments including physical education, graphic arts, and computer-aided drafting. Other current roles include middle school pole vault coach, middle school assistant wrestling coach, and Nebraska DECA Board Member. Justin obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Education degree for Business and Physical Education as well as his Masters in Educational Administration from the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK). He will receive his MBA with an emphasis in Marketing this May from UNK.

Appointed February 1, 2021
Kaylen Tunink is a Business Education teacher, FBLA Adviser, and NTHS Adviser at Wakefield Community Schools, in Wakefield, Nebraska. Prior to this role, Mrs. Tunink spent 10 years in the workforce; her careers included Banking, Real Estate Agent, Agronomy Accounting, Business Services/Financial Aid at the college level, and a Staff Accountant. Being able to share these career experiences with students and providing them with the necessary skills to become college and career ready, is part of her passion and philosophy.

Appointed February 1, 2021
Aaron Girdner currently teaches Business Economics, Finance and Entrepreneurship at Capital High School in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he was named Teacher of the Year in 2019. He has taught for eleven years, ten of which have been as a DECA advisor. In addition, he serves on the Advisory Board for the Hospitality Program at Santa Fe Community College and as Policy Chair for the New Mexico DECA Advisory Board. Aaron earned a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from New Mexico State University in 2000 and a Master of Arts in Economics from the University of New Mexico in 2010.

Michelle Bardsley is a career and technical education (CTE), business, finance, IT, and marketing educator with Wake County Schools, North Carolina. For eight years, Michelle has successfully implemented MBA Research materials and strategies into classroom instruction. She is a lead teacher in North Carolina Public Schools (face-to-face and online classrooms) who implements technology, effective instructional strategies, project-based learning, and real-world experiences to motivate students toward strong academic success. Michelle holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration-finance from Old Dominion University. She serves on her school’s Instructional Leadership (ILT) and SREB teams, and is an FBLA Advisor and Microsoft Innovative Educator. She holds certifications in Word, PowerPoint, and A*S*K Marketing & Entrepreneurship. Michelle has presented at numerous NC CTE conferences, managed FBLA conferences, and directed a summer STEM camp. She has a passion to encourage educators, equip her students with 21st century career skills, and build solid relationships with local community stakeholders.

Appointed July 1, 2019
Tessa Brown is a Business/Marketing/Digital Media teacher at East Henderson High School, part of Henderson County Public Schools system in Western North Carolina. She has a BA in Communications and a Master’s in Business Administration, both from North Greenville University, as well as her Real Estate license. Tessa has taught for the past eight years; serving as Department Chair, on the School Improvement Team and the state Marketing Curriculum Revision Team. She had 10+ years in business before entering education, where she has taught a variety of classes including Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Sports Marketing, Digital Media, Principles of Business and Adobe Visual/Digital Design. She is also an advisor for Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) and National Technical Honor Society (NTHS). She loves connecting her curriculum to the “real-world” by getting her students involved through projects and hands-on learning experiences.

Appointed July 1, 2019
Connie Whidbee is dedicated to helping students develop and possess the needed skills for college and career readiness. She is a Business and Marketing Teacher at Northeastern High School in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. She currently teaches Principles of Business and Finance, Entrepreneurship I, Entrepreneurship II, and Business Law, and is a co-advisor for FBLA. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, a Teacher Certification from Elizabeth City State University, and a Master’s in Business Administration from Strayer University. She holds a Fundamental Business Concepts A*S*K Certification. She is a proud mom of three young adults – Jonathan is an attorney, Joshua is an engineer and Gia is a nursing student.

Appointed February 1, 2021
Laurie Salander is a Marketing Educator at Northern Cass School in Hunter, North Dakota. She started her teaching career in elementary education, teaching 1st grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade Science, Social Studies, ELA, Math and STEM. Laurie has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Special Education and now an endorsement in Marketing Education. She also holds a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with STEM. During her time in elementary, she implemented marketing concepts and entrepreneurial skills in her lessons. This led to the interest of high schoolers asking about DECA and starting a chapter at their school and now serves on the North Dakota DECA Advisory Board. She continues to create a Marketing educational pathway within our school for learners in 8th grade – 12th grade. She is continuing to build curriculum connecting to Personalize Learning and Proficiency Scales in CTE courses within the district. Aside from being an educator, Laurie enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and watching North Dakota State University Football and any form of baseball games.

Nadine Scott is a Marketing Instructor and DECA Advisor for the Penta Career Center at Oak Harbor High School in Oak Harbor, Ohio. Over the past twenty years, she has taught several courses and is currently teaching Digital Marketing, Integrated Marketing, Marketing Applications and Strategic Entrepreneurship. Mrs. Scott holds two bachelor’s degrees from Bowling Green State University in business and secondary education. She received her Master’s degree in business administration from Ashland University. Her work experience also includes eleven years in the financial services industry and teaching at a local community college. Nadine’s leadership roles include Ohio Marketing Education Association executive board where she has held the titles of membership chair and president. For the past ten years, Nadine has been a co-chair for DECA District 2 and has been instrumental in organizing several DECA events. She has been a top-ten honored educator for Ottawa County on three separate occasions. In 2012, she received the Ohio ACTE Outstanding CTE Professional in Community Service.

Appointed July 1, 2021
Debra Coffey is a Career Tech instructor at Broken Arrow High School, in Broken Arrow, OK. She currently teaches Accounting, Marketing Fundamentals, Intro to Entrepreneurship and Business Management. She has been a DECA advisor for 11 years and has been teaching her entire 15 year career at Broken Arrow. Prior to becoming a CTE teacher, she taught Personal Finance, Bookkeeping and Microsoft Office classes. Her previous career was as an attorney for 13 years in both Oklahoma and Arkansas. She received her B.S. in Business Administration from John Brown University and her J.D. from the University of Arkansas. In addition to “calling the hogs”, she enjoys reading and spending time with her husband, 3grownchildren and one wonderful grandson.

Appointed July 1, 2021
Melody Johnston has 25+years of teaching experience. She is starting her 7th year as a Business Technology instructor at Meridian Technology Center in Stillwater, OK. She provides instruction to both Secondary and Post-Secondary students. She teaches a variety of courses for 4 career majors including Accounting Assistant, Administrative Assistant, Entrepreneur, and Social Media Specialist. She served for 2 years as lead advisor for Business Professionals of America and 4 years as supporting advisor. She has trained many students to become state and national champions in their competitive events. Her main focus is on continuous improvement for herself and her students .She loves helping students reach their educational and career goals. Employability skills and skills needed for independent financial living are cornerstones of her program.

Dr. Ann Stewart spent 25 years in the business world before turning her attention to education. As a marketing and entrepreneurship teacher, Ann facilitated the development and opening of the first full service in-school coffee shop in the district and the first high school business to have full membership in the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce. As the CTE Department Chair at Stewarts Creek High School, she is the Director of the Entrepreneurship Center for the school, a four-year entrepreneurship curriculum for non-marketing students. Ann has also been a DECA advisor for 15 years. She has had many students place in the Top 10 and Top 20 at DECA’s International Career Development Conferences (ICDC), and has even had 1st – 3rd place winners. Ann received her doctorate from Tennessee State University in 2013 with a dissertation entitled A Mixed Methods Study of Service Learning in a Public High School.

Appointed February 1, 2021
Tanya Torres-Steen teaches Business and Marketing A & B, Retail Store Operations, Business Management, Entrepreneurship, and Yearbook at Graham Kapowsin High School in Graham, WA. She has a BA in Business Administration with a Major in Marketing and a Minor in Economics from New Mexico State University. She also obtained a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from NMSU. This is her 23rd year teaching and is her 23rd year as a DECA Advisor. She is the current treasurer of the Washington Association of Marketing Educators and MBA Project Management trainer. She has been married for 26 years and has 3 children, and 4 grandchildren.

Appointed July 1, 2019
Kim Britton is in her 11th year of teaching Business/Marketing in high school, and previously taught Accounting/Business at Ohio Valley University for 4 ½ years. In her first career, she was as an Accountant for local businesses, and still remains active by working with her family business and two pre-owned auto dealers in her area. She has been married for 35 years, with 2 grown sons, a daughter-in-law, and 1 grandson. Family & teaching are two of her greatest passions in life.

Adam Feazell is in his eighth year of teaching in Putnam County, WV. He started his career as a technology integration specialist in the elementary and middle grade levels, then spent the next 4 years as a business education and special education teacher. The past two years he has worked as a business/marketing education teacher. Adam attended WVU Institute of Technology’s Community College where he received his AS in Accounting, and then attended Marshall University to earn a BS in Business Education. He obtained an MA in Multi-Category Special Education and an MA in Leadership Studies. When he started teaching, Adam served as a school advisor for both FBLA and DECA. This is Adam’s second year as the West Virginia DECA’s Chartered Association Advisor.

Appointed July 1, 2021
Heather Lane is a Marketing Instructor for Mercer County Technical Education Center in Princeton, West Virginia. Heather earned her BS (Business) from Bluefield State College, BS (Education) from Bluefield University, and Masters (Leadership) from Concord University. This is Heather’s 10th year in the classroom and 2nd year teaching WV Virtual School. She is the Adviser for National Technical Honor Society for Mercer County. Heather also serves as the General Manager for a school-based store, MCTEC Mercantile, which is open to the public and is operated by her Marketing class.

Appointed September 1, 2022
Shawna Michelena is a Business Education and Computer Science teacher at Tongue River High School, in Dayton, Wyoming. While teaching classes such as Introduction to Business, Sports and Entertainment Marketing, Introduction to Computer Science, Career and Independent Living, and Digital Media, she is also the FBLA Adviser and Sophomore Sponsor. She also serves as a district technology liaison. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Education, a Master’s degree in Educational Administration with endorsements in early childhood education, early childhood special education, middle school, and computer science. In addition, she is pursuing an endorsement in instructional technology K-12. Aside from being a teacher, Shawna enjoys traveling, spending time with family and hiking in the Bighorn Mountains. She and her husband have three children that keep them busy with volleyball, basketball, and track.