Washington, D.C. January 22, 2025—Teach Plus, a national nonprofit that empowers teachers to lead student-centered improvements in educational policy and instructional practice, has named 17 educators from around the country to its highly selective 2025 National Teacher Policy Cabinet (NTPC), formerly known as the National Policy Advisory Board. During the yearlong leadership program, cabinet members will champion education policies at the highest level of government on behalf of their students, families, and communities.
“NTPC members bring a wealth of knowledge to this work, from their teaching careers abroad to their home-grown doctoral dissertations in education. The perspective, experience, and commitment our teacher leaders bring to their students, Teach Plus, policymakers, and the education landscape are invaluable. Teach Plus is deeply committed to elevating excellent teachers who have leadership skills and a commitment to their students and profession. The NTPC is an embodiment of this, and I am excited to see what these teachers accomplish alongside policymakers this year,” said Teach Plus CEO Kira Orange Jones.
“I am excited to further develop my advocacy skills at the national level after supporting legislation to expand and diversify the teacher pipeline as a Policy Fellow in Pennsylvania. Education has the power to change lives for the better and I hope to utilize my 23 years of classroom experience to help advise policymakers in their efforts to create a positive learning environment for all students,” said Leon Smith, a 2025 National Teacher Policy Cabinet Member, 2025 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year, and Teach Plus Pennsylvania Senior Policy Fellow and Regional Advisory Board Member.
The NTPC members hail from Teach Plus regions—Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and Texas—as well as from Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Many NTPC members are career professionals, with traditional education backgrounds and years of work in the classroom, while others transitioned into teaching as a second career through a high-quality alternative credentialing route. They will meet with members of Congress and support legislation that advances student opportunity and elevates state innovations, such as the Strengthening Educator Workforce Data bill.
The Teach Plus NTPC is a nonpartisan group of current classroom teachers that informs Teach Plus policy decisions at the federal level. In 2024, Teach Plus teacher leaders met with more than 90 U.S. senators or representatives and their staff, federal agency officials, and former Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to brainstorm solutions to develop and strengthen the teacher workforce.
“The National Teacher Policy Cabinet has allowed me to advocate for my students, colleagues, and community with national policymakers like Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona, Senator Todd Young, and Representative Frank Mrvan. Discussing teacher recruitment, retention, and research-based teaching methods has enhanced my advocacy and helped me inform my colleagues. I’m excited to continue serving on the Cabinet for another year,” said Steve Dull, a 2025 National Teacher Policy Cabinet Senior Fellow and high school math teacher.
The 2025 National Teacher Policy Cabinet Members are:
- Enchantra Green, Birmingham, Alabama: 8th-grade physical science teacher, 2024 Teach For America Corps Member and A+ Education partner
- Kelli Krebill Lechnir, Phoenix, Arizona: General education and multilingual learner high school teacher, ACCESS District Assessment Coordinator, and AZTESOL Board Member
- Amanda Dunn, West Memphis, Arkansas: Oral communications and Theater high school teacher, 2024-25 Teach Plus Arkansas Policy Fellow and Graduate Assistant at Arkansas State University
- Kayla Crockett, Valdosta, Georgia: High School American Government, and AP African American Studies teacher
- Khalil Roy, Bunkie, Louisiana: Career and social science high school teacher, 2024-2025 Louisiana School for the Agricultural Sciences (LaSAS) High School Teacher of the Year, and Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) United Nations Representative
- Melissa Dearborn, Cambridge, Massachusetts: 3rd-grade elementary teacher, Curriculum Rating By Teachers (CURATE) Fellow, and Teaching Assistant for Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Rebekah Johnson, Meridian, Mississippi: Elementary and middle school gifted teacher, Board Member of the Mississippi Association for Gifted Children, and active member of Mississippi Professional Educators
- Taylor Speiker, Belgrade, Montana: K-4 English as a second language teacher, Rankin County Learning Center’s Teacher of the Year, and member of Belgrade Elementary School Student Achievement Panel
- Leon Smith, Havertown, Pennsylvania: Social studies high school teacher, 2025 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year, and 2020 Claes Nobel Educator
- Dr. Tony Schiera, Ware Shoals, South Carolina: 10th-grade English teacher, and Ware Shoals School District 51’s 2024-25 District Teacher of the Year
- Leticia Skae-Jackson, Thompson’s Station, Tennessee: Middle school English teacher, State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) Fellow, and Hope Street Group Fellow
The 2025 National Teacher Policy Cabinet Senior Fellows are:
- Frances Lazette, Detroit, Michigan: French and individuals societies middle school teacher, 2023-2024 Teach Plus National Policy Advisory Board Executive Member, and 2024 Teach for America Michigan Education Policy Fellow
- Tess Carlson, San Francisco, California: Founding high school science teacher at Mission Bay Hub, 2023-2024 Teach Plus National Policy Advisory Board Member, and Knowles Teaching Fellow
- Lorelei Jackson, Denver, Colorado: K-8 special education specialist, 2023-2024 Teach Plus National Policy Advisory Board Member, and Notre Dame Mission Volunteer alumna
- Emma Muth, Las Vegas, Nevada: 2nd-grade teacher, 2023-2024 Teach Plus National Policy Advisory Board Member, and 2019 Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Indonesia
- Steve Dull, Hammond, Indiana: Geometry and algebra high school teacher, 2024 Teach Plus National Policy Advisory Board Member, and 2022-23 Indiana Department of Education Teacher Leader Bootcamp Mentor
- Melina Recio, McAllen, Texas: 10th-grade English and AP language & composition teacher, 2023-2024 Teach National Policy Advisory Board Member, and 2019 McAllen Independent School Secondary District Teacher of the Year
About Teach Plus
The mission of Teach Plus is to empower excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that affect their students’ success. In pursuing our mission, Teach Plus is guided by our Student Opportunity Mandate: All students should have the opportunity to achieve their potential in an education system defined by its commitment to equity, its responsiveness to individual needs, and its ability to prepare students for postsecondary success. Since 2009, Teach Plus has developed thousands of teacher leaders across the country to exercise their leadership in shaping education policy and improving teaching and learning for students. Teachplus.org
For more information and to arrange interviews with NTPC members, contact Kelly Pearce.
