Heather Rowland is a 2022-2023 Teach Plus Mississippi Policy Fellow and teaches elementary gifted at Cook Elementary in Columbus. She is also the District Coordinator of Gifted Services and the District Coordinator for Elementary Arts for the Columbus Municipal School District. She previously taught elementary drama for nine years and has taught multiple courses in the education and theater departments at the Mississippi University for Women. She has served as school testing coordinator, professional development coordinator, and Whole School Arts grant coordinator over her 14 years of teaching. Heather has a National Board Certification in Early Childhood Literacy and completed the University of Mississippi’s Principal Corps in 2016-2017. She serves on the CMSD Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Council and has recently been appointed to the Mississippi Association of Gifted Children’s Board. She earned her BA in Theatre and gifted certification from the Mississippi University for Women, an MA in Theatre from Stephen F. Austin State University, and an EdS in Educational Leadership and her administrator’s license from the University of Mississippi.
