The REL Northwest Governing Board provides strategic guidance on REL Northwest work to maximize local effectiveness and leverages its regional networks to amplify and disseminate REL products. Meet the REL Northwest Governing Board:

Eric Anderson

State: Washington
Eric Anderson is the director of research & evaluation at Seattle Public Schools. He has nearly 20 years of experience working for large urban school districts in Los Angeles, Long Beach (CA), and Seattle in the areas of program evaluation, performance analysis, measurement, and accountability. He has been responsible for the design and implementation of district and school performance frameworks using multiple measures, value-added models for teacher and principal evaluation, school climate surveys, and using mixed methods to evaluate programs and interventions. Eric has served as a co-principal investigator for several federally funded research practice partnerships with faculty at the University of Washington, and he currently serves as a peer reviewer for the Institute of Education Sciences federal grant program. Dr. Anderson graduated summa cum laude from University of California, Davis, and received his doctorate from Stanford University (2002) in political science.

April Campbell

State: Oregon
April Campbell is a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the director of the Office of Indian Education at the Oregon Department of Education. Campbell has 20 years of experience working in Indian Education and works closely with state education agencies, the nine federally recognized tribes in Oregon, and Native communities and organizations in an effort to close the opportunity gap for American Indian/Alaska Native students and increasing Indigenous educators in Oregon. As a first generation high school graduate, Campbell has a passion for learning and helping others on their educational journey. Campbell led the revision of Oregon’s American Indian/Alaska Native Student Success State Plan, which includes efforts for Senate Bill 13—Tribal History/Shared History curriculum and the implementation of Native American curriculum in classrooms across the state.

Jayne Downey

State: Montana
Dr. Jayne Downey is a professor in the Department of Education at Montana State University, where she serves as the associate dean for educator preparation and the director of the Center for Research on Rural Education. As an educational psychologist, she has worked in educator preparation for over 20 years and her research and scholarship are focused on strengthening the preparation of teachers and counselors for rural schools and communities and improving outcomes for rural students. Dr. Downey serves on the board of directors for the Montana Small Schools Alliance, working on behalf of 140 of Montana’s smallest rural and remote schools. She is a co-leader of the Rural Education International Research Alliance and a co-author of Rural Education Across the World and Teaching in Rural Places: Thriving in Classrooms, Schools, and Communities. Dr. Downey has been awarded $10 million in funding for grants and research. She has published over 40 articles, technical reports, evaluations, and professional manuals, and given over 60 peer-reviews, and invited research presentations at regional, national, and international conferences.

Tracey L. Edou

State: Washington

Dr. Tracey L. Edou is the superintendent of Cascade School District in beautiful Leavenworth, WA. Prior to her arrival in Cascade in 2019, she was executive director of teaching and learning for Oak Ridge Schools, a high-performing STEM district in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. She has worked as a classroom teacher, a Peace Corps Volunteer, a math coach for the Microsoft Math Partnership out of Renton School District, an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow, and a senior project manager for science education programs.
Dr. Edou graduated from Mariner High School in Mukilteo, WA. She has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, a master’s degree in math education, and a doctorate degree in educational leadership. Dr. Edou has particular interests in STEM education, rural education, organizational structure, continuous improvement, professional development, strategic planning, and increasing access to opportunities for children.
Dr. Edou serves on the boards of Upper Valley MEND, Washington Association of School Administrators, and Wenatchee Valley Technical Skills Center; is a member of the Leavenworth Rotary Club; and is past president of the North Central Washington Superintendents’ group.

Joshua Garcia

State: Washington
Dr. Joshua Garcia serves the students, staff, and community as the Superintendent of the Tacoma Public Schools. In this role, Dr. Garcia’s teams lead several groundbreaking reform initiatives to close achievement gaps, increase graduation rates and to support the Whole Child. Dr. Garcia’s previous roles include deputy superintendent, assistant superintendent, executive director, high school principal, assistant principal, athletic director, and teacher. Dr. Garcia received his doctorate degree from Seattle University and his undergraduate degree from Washington State University. Dr. Garcia is an Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development International Outstanding Young Educator Award and Emerging Leader recipient and a Washington State STEM Entrepreneur Award recipient, and he was recognized as an Education Week 2015 Leaders to Learn From.

Jerad Koepp

State: Washington
Jerad Koepp (Wukchumni) has over 12 years of professional experience in Native American education. He earned a Bachelor of Arts (2004) and master’s in teaching specializing in Native education (2008) from Evergreen State College, and he is endorsed in history and social studies. Since 2013, Koepp has served as the Native student program specialist for North Thurston Public Schools in Lacey. He provides cultural and academic support for approximately 230 Native American students from more than 50 tribes, nations, bands, and villages in his 22-school district. Koepp currently leads the development of his district’s growing Native studies program, regularly teaches Native studies, and provides training and support for staff. He also serves as North Thurston’s tribal liaison, fostering strong relationships with tribal partners. Koepp believes our education system needs a fundamental redesign. He asserts that, by embracing indigenous practices and traditions in our schools and Native contributions to the founding of the U.S. and the current fights for justice, we can have schools that serve all students equitably.

Kelly Manning

State: Alaska
Kelly Manning is the deputy director of Innovation and Education Excellence at the Department of Education and Early Development in the State of Alaska. A lifelong Alaskan, Manning is dedicated to supporting an equitable and rigorous public education system that develops Alaskans for the Alaska workforce. Having worked in disabilities services, local arts education, tribal partnership, and juvenile justice, Manning brings an understanding of the wide needs of varied student populations to her work at the state level. Manning holds a BA in English from the University of Alaska Southeast, an MAT in secondary English teaching from the University of Alaska Southeast, and an MFA in creative writing from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Michaela Miller

State: Washington
Dr. Michaela Miller is the deputy superintendent at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). The deputy superintendent oversees a variety of divisions within the agency, supports the Superintendent to carry out his goals, and provides leadership and resources to support districts in helping all students develop skills necessary for their future. Prior to her appointment as deputy superintendent, she was the director of outreach and engagement for the National Board. From 2007–13, she was the director of Washington’s Teacher and Principal Evaluation Project, National Board Certification Program and Beginning Educator Support Team for OSPI. From 1995–2007, Dr. Miller taught high school, facilitated National Board candidates, and mentored new teachers in the North Thurston Public Schools. She achieved National Board certification in 2002 and renewed in 2011. She earned her doctorate from the University of Washington and holds a Washington state principal certification from Seattle Pacific University.

Christy Mock-Stutz

State: Montana
Christy Mock-Stutz is the assistant superintendent of the Montana Office of Public Instruction. Mock-Stutz has over 20 years’ experience in public education. She has worked as a teacher, instructional coach, and adjunct professor in a variety of school types ranging from smaller rural settings to large urban settings. Her work experience includes overseeing statewide educational programs, teaching college courses for pre-service teachers, and providing professional development. In addition, she has spent time advising national organizations, such as the Smithsonian and the National Endowment for the Arts, on supporting instruction in rural schools.

Lisa Parady

State: Alaska
Dr. Lisa Parady is the executive director of the Alaska Council of School Administrators (ACSA). ACSA was created to serve as an umbrella for four of Alaska’s premier educational leadership organizations: elementary principals, secondary principals, school business officials and the Alaska Superintendents Association. ACSA’s unifying purpose is to support educational leaders through professional forums, provide a voice that champions possibilities for all students, and purposeful advocacy for public education. Dr. Parady became executive director of ACSA in 2014 after six years in Utqiagvik (OO-tiyag-vik), where she served as the acting and assistant superintendent of the North Slope Borough School District. She led the district through many issues that confront rural districts today—educator recruitment and retention, curriculum that is standards based and culturally relevant and engaging, and the day-to-day challenges of district administration in remote regions. Before moving to Alaska, Dr. Parady served as chief of staff in the Wyoming Department of Education, as a cabinet member and director of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, and as senior policy analyst in the Governor’s office, where she was primarily responsible for all K–12 education, higher education, health, and social service issues.

Rob Sauer

State: Idaho
Rob Sauer is in his 28^th year as an educator in the Idaho public education system, as of the 2022/23 school year. He has served as a teacher, coach, principal, deputy superintendent for the Idaho Department of Education, district superintendent, and county commissioner. Sauer completed his undergraduate work at the College of Southern Idaho and Boise State University, and his graduate work at the University of Idaho. He is an award-winning educator, having been awarded the VFW High School Teacher of the Year Award, the Milken National Educator Award, and Idaho Superintendent of the Year.

Min Sun

State: Washington
Dr. Min Sun is an associate professor in education policy at the University of Washington. Dr. Sun investigates the policies and practices that drive improvements in teacher workforce and instruction, school accountability and effectiveness, and school finance, with the aim of advancing educational equity. In close partnership with practitioners and policymakers, her work seeks to provide meaningful, innovative, and rigorous research to address pressing educational issues from classroom to state level. Dr. Sun innovates in educational research by applying machine learning methods to examine textual and video data about curriculum and instruction, teacher professional networks, and school improvement actions/tasks on a large scale. She then uses econometric models to connect these quantitative measures of school and instructional processes with student success, both short-term (e.g., test scores, attendance) and long-term (e.g., high school graduation, postsecondary education, and employment). Dr. Sun’s recent work includes educational technology platform development that are codesigned with K–12 teachers and for them to efficiently plan and deliver instruction and collaborate with one another. Dr. Sun is the founder and co-director of Education Policy Analytics Lab. Dr. Sun’s contributions to the field have been recognized as a recipient of the National Science Foundation’s CAREER Award.

Jenn Thompson

State: Idaho
Jenn Thompson is the chief policy and government affairs officer for Idaho’s State Board of Education. She began her career in public education in 2004 as a high school English teacher at an inner-city charter high school. These kiddos remain her "why." She has since served as a high school principal, a governing board member, and a board trainer and has spent six years at the Idaho Public Charter School Commission (IPCSC). In 2020 she began serving the IPCSC as the agency’s executive director, and in April of 2023 she stepped into her current role with the State Board of Education. Thompson holds a Master of Arts in English Literature, Medieval and Early Modern Studies and a Master of Science in Educational Leadership. She is passionate about accountability and accessibility in public education.

Kali Thorne Ladd

State: Oregon
Kali Thorne Ladd is chief executive officer at Children’s Institute. She is a social entrepreneur who is a passionate advocate for equity and education transformation with a background that spans from teacher to program manager to policymaker to chief executive over the last 20 years. After spending four years as education director for former Mayor Sam Adams, Thorne Ladd pursued establishing and co-founding KairosPDX, a nonprofit dedicated to closing opportunity and achievement gaps for historically marginalized children. Thorne Ladd led KairosPDX as executive director for nine years before taking on the role of chief executive officer of the Children’s Institute, a statewide policy, advocacy, and research organization based in Portland. Thorne Ladd continues to serve at Children’s Institute. In May 2012, Thorne Ladd won election to the Portland Community College Board of Directors, Oregon’s largest higher education institution. She served for seven years and as Chair for two and a half years. In 2016, Thorne Ladd was appointed by Governor Brown to the Early Learning Council of Oregon, where she currently serves. Thorne Ladd received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education and Psychology from Boston College and earned a master’s degree in education policy from Harvard University.

Ethelyn Tumalad-Granados

State: Oregon
Ethelyn Tumalad-Granados is Oregon’s 2022 Teacher of the Year. She is a first-generation immigrant who arrived in the Pacific Northwest from The Philippines at the age of 5. Ethelyn is currently an English language arts and AVID teacher at Clackamas High School, along with the advisor for CHS Asian-Pacific Islander Student Union. She co-leads the Clackamas High School BIPOC staff affinity group while heavily involved with the North Clackamas School District Educator of Color Affinity Group in her district of North Clackamas. She has written for Oregon Education Association (OEA), led affinity group work for OEA, and been a part of OEA’s Equity Sparks, championing for equitable causes in Oregon’s education system. She is in her sixth year of teaching. She is passionate about community, identity, culture, and creativity and believes that the classroom can be a place of transformation where students can become change agents within their communities. She received her BA in English literature from Western Washington University and completed her MA in English literature and MA in teaching at Portland State University. Ethelyn loves spending time with her large Filipino family, reading gothic and science fiction, eating wonderful food, and going to the coast.

Carmen Xiomara Urbina

State: Oregon
Carmen Xiomara Urbina is the deputy director of the Oregon Department of Education. She is a bilingual and bicultural professional with 30 years of experience working with communities of color and education systems. She is a proven leader who brings diverse and unique lived-experience and skills. She has developed exceptional talents serving in early learning settings, K–12 school districts and Educational Service Districts, and higher education and in leading culturally specific and highly respected community-based organizations in Oregon. Xiomara Urbina’s efforts are always grounded in equity, focused on the needs of all students and families and designed to bring community and education organizations together in both safe and effective ways. She has facilitated and led asset-based complex and targeted outreach in communities of color to implement effective parent involvement and recruitment strategies in districts, schools, and community-based organizations. She attended the University of Santa Monica, where she was awarded a master’s in spiritual psychology, and Oregon State University, where she was awarded a bachelor’s in agriculture and resource economics and a minor in international economics in 1989; she also holds an associate degree in business administration and accounting.

Charla Wetsch

State: Montana
Charla Wetsch is the director of curriculum and instruction, district assessment coordinator, and professional development coordinator for Laurel Public Schools in Laurel, MT. In this role, Wetsch has been a lead change agent for instructional practices, teacher effectiveness, and collaboration. She has helped her district grow in using data-driven instructional tools to better understand the continuous improvement cycle of sustainable change practice, resulting in learner outcomes. Wetsch explores research-backed practices through professional learning communities to help guide district and school leadership teams in transforming into high-performing schools and systems. Wetsch has been instrumental in leading goal setting, action planning, and reflective adaptations in systems across schools and districts. Wetsch has a passion for teachers, literacy, and effective core instruction to better support students at the earliest stages of instruction. She has been a teacher, instructional coach, and assistant principal. She has served as a board member for the Montana chapters of Science of Reading organization and the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development. Wetsch completed her undergraduate work in Montana at Rocky Mountain College, her educational leadership work in Colorado at the University of Northern Colorado, and her superintendent licensure work in Montana at Montana State University, Bozeman. Wetsch is a teacher at heart who loves working with teachers to support them in what they need to become the best they can be.

Donnie Wetzel

State: Montana
Donnie Wetzel Jr. is Blackfeet (Amskapi Pikuni) and a husband and father to three powerful children. He has worked on positive efforts with youth and tribes at the national and state levels for 20-plus years in resiliency, mental health, athletics, and education. His goal is to help youth in their purpose and to support them to live a long and healthy life. He worked in Montana’s Office of Public Instruction for 13 years as the tribal student achievement, relations, and resiliency director and is now the Department of Labor’s first-ever tribal liaison. Wetzel encourages communication and relationship building with the inclusion of an Indigenous worldview in co-existence with Westernized methodologies.