ARCS Team
Dr. Joanna K. Garner
Executive Director, The Center for Educational Partnerships
Old Dominion University
Joanna Garner is the Executive Director of The Center for Educational Partnerships, and Principal Investigator for the ARCS project. Garner is an accomplished researcher and project manager with experience in K-12 teacher professional development, science curriculum writing, assessment development, and STEM identity research. Since joining ODU in 2011, Garner has been PI or co-PI on more than 20 funded projects supported by the United States Education Department, the Virginia Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and the Lemelson Foundation. Her work seeks to increase STEM+CS participation by historically underserved populations. Dr. Garner received her PhD in Educational Psychology from Penn State University and Bachelors and Master's degrees in Psychology from the University of Surrey, United Kingdom.
Dr. Desh Ranjan
Endowed Professor, Department of Computer Science
Old Dominion University
Desh Ranjan is the Subject Matter Expert for the ARCS grant. Desh is a widely published researcher who received his PhD in Computer Science from Cornell University and has more than thirty years of research and teaching experience. Desh is keenly interested in CS education and diversity issues. Through NSF supported grants, he has previously explored new pedagogical methods for teaching CS and directed projects for broadening participation in CS.
Dr. Shanan Chappell Moots
Director of Research Analytics, The Center for Educational Partnerships
Old Dominion University
The formative evaluation component of the ARCS project will be led by Dr. Shanan Chappell Moots, Director for Research Analytics in The Center for Educational Partnerships at ODU. The formative evaluation will focus on participant perceptions and experiences, incorporating teacher voice to align program elements to reflect participant needs and to achieve intended outcomes. Dr. Chappell Moots will also serve as the liaison between the implementation team and the external evaluators.
Melani Loney
Program Manager for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education Initiatives The Center for Educational Partnerships
Old Dominion University
Ms. Loney works with local school divisions to conduct educational research and provide professional development using effective, research based instructional strategies. As a member of the ARCS team, she will work with the Virginia Department of Education to serve as a school division liaison. She will leverage her 24 years of K-12 school division experience as both a teacher and administrator to provide a school division and teacher focused perspective to the project. Ms. Loney holds a BS. in Biology, BS. in Education, and a MS in Secondary Education from Old Dominion University; a EdS. from The University of Virginia; and a graduate Certificate in Integrative STEM from Virginia Tech.
Dr. Joseph Brobst
Research Assistant Professor, The Center for Educational Partnerships
Old Dominion University
Joseph Brobst is part of the formative evaluation team for the ARCS project, participating in instrument development/adaptation as well as data collection and analyses. He is a former high school science teacher turned educational research and program evaluation specialist, working on a variety of projects that seek to broaden participation in STEM and computing.
Halldora Webster, PMP
Director of Business Operations, The Center for Educational Partnerships
Old Dominion University
Halldora Webster is a Project Manager with more than fifteen years of management and administrative experience; twelve of which are in higher education, overseeing fiscal aspects of grants and contracts in collaboration with the Old Dominion University Research Foundation grant and contract administrators as well as external partners. She has extensive knowledge of Higher Education policies and procedures as well as seven years of Project Management Experience.
Robert Doherty
Director, Prior Learning Assessment, School of Continuing Education
Old Dominion University
Robert Doherty brings experience from Old Dominion University's School of Continuing Education. He has worked in both credit and non-credit programming and is the director of ODU's Credentialing Center. The Credentialing Center focuses on strengthening the skill sets of students by pairing nationally recognized credentials with specific degree programs. For ARCS, he will develop a testing, submission, and credential repository for our Computer Science Microcredentials.
Rebecca Dovi
Director of Education for CodeVA
CodeVA is a Virginia non-profit focused on making computer science available to all Virginia students. With 20 years of experience as a high school computer science teacher, Rebecca is an NCWIT Aspirations in Computing awardee, and was the instructor and content developer for the first national MOOC for high school students, Edhesive's AP Computer Science in Java course. From her experience helping write and implement the mandatory Virginia Computer Science Standards, to acting as the Computer Science Coordinator in Virginia for the NMSI project, her expertise in is designing and implementing teacher professional development in computer science.
Keisha Tennessee
Computer Science Coordinator, Office of STEM & Innovation
Virginia Department of Education
Keisha Tennessee is the Computer Science Coordinator for the Virginia Department of Education. She has over ten years of classroom experience, has a Career Technical Education (CTE) background, is a National Board Certified Teacher and Certified Scrum Master.
Prior to her current role at the Department of Education, she served as the Computer Science Technology Specialist at CodeRVA Regional High School. While at CodeRVA, she was instrumental in the development of the computer science program, provided professional development in the integration of computer science, and led computer science initiatives for students and families.
In addition to Keisha's classroom experience, she has worked with organizations such as CodeVirginia and Computer Science Teacher Association to provide professional development focused on computer science. She has served on various writing committees for the National Education Association Computer Science Microcredentials and Virtual Virginia computer science foundational courses. She believes that in today's modern society, computer science is a fundamental discipline for all students and that every student should have an equitable and meaningful learning experience that utilizes computational thinking and strengthens one's own understanding and appreciation of computer science.
Dr. Jennifer L. Maeng
Research Assistant Professor
University of Virginia
Jennifer Maeng is the head of the ARCS external evaluation and a research associate professor at the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education and Human Development. A former high school science teacher, her research investigates professional development (PD) that facilitates teachers' implementation of research-based STEM instruction.
Dr. Venicia A. Ferrell
Research Associate, The Center for Educational Partnerships
Old Dominion University
Dr. Ferrell has expertise in educational leadership, K-12 teacher and administrator professional development, science curriculum writing and implementation, assessment development, and STEM. As a member of the ARCS team, she will communicate with educational administrators in the participating school divisions in multiple subject areas in accordance with shifting Commonwealth instructional priorities beyond science. She brings unique K-12 experiences as a science administrator for 11 years, former earth and space, environmental and marine science teacher, and gifted specialist for 10 years.
Dr. Lisa Allen Steffian
Education Specialist, The Center for Educational Partnerships
Old Dominion University
As an Education Specialist for ARCS, Dr. Steffian will provide training and support to encourage participants' completion of all aspects of the ARCS program. Using her experience as a K-12 educator and in higher education, she will work to create and sustain a professional network among ARCS cohorts to build the capacity of our elementary schools to promote CS for all students. She also serves on the formative evaluation team for the ARCS project. Dr. Steffian holds a PhD in Developmental Psychology from the University of Wyoming and is a certified VDOE (PK-12) Library Media Specialist with an M.ED. from Old Dominion University.
Alexis S. Tharpe
Education Specialist, The Center for Educational Partnerships
Old Dominion University
Alexis Tharpe is an Education Specialist at the Center for Educational Partnerships. She is a graduate of Hampton University and a former classroom educator licensed in the state of Virginia. Prior to working for the Center for Educational Partnerships, she worked as a classroom teacher with over 20 years of experience teaching elementary and middle school students. She served as a science curriculum writer and Collaborative Learning Community (CLC) facilitator integrating Environmental Literacy, Computer Science, and STEM activities into the district-wide curriculum.
In support of the ARCS team, Alexis serves a primary contact, training coordinator, and mentor for the program.
