Staff

Our Mission

The Arkansas Teacher Corps recruits, trains, and supports  exceptional, social justice-oriented individuals to serve as teachers for Arkansas students who need them the most.

Our Vision

All Arkansas students will have the agency to pursue extraordinary lives through excellent, equitable education that empowers them intellectually, socially, emotionally, and physically.

Brandon Lucius

Executive Director
Brandon oversees the day-to-day operations of ATC and is responsible for staffing, fundraising, and communicating with school leaders, legislators, and the public. Born and raised in the Arkansas Delta, Brandon taught 10th grade biology in the Helena-West Helena School District with Teach For America and 9th grade Algebra 1 in the Osceola School District before...
Brandon Lucius

Donnalie Nelson

Teacher Development Manager
Donnalie coaches and supports teachers through classroom observations and debriefs, in addition to coordinating and facilitating professional development. She is a 2013 Teach for America alumna who grew up traveling and living in a variety of different communities before settling in central Arkansas to teach English 10 and Pre-AP ELA at Pine Bluff High School....
Donnalie Nelson

Sarah Sutton

Teacher Development Manager
Sarah coaches and supports teachers through classroom observations and debriefs, in addition to coordinating and managing Summer Institute logistics. She is a native of Fayetteville, AR and earned her bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Latin American Studies at the University of Arkansas. Sarah was a 2014 Fellow and completed her educator certification for English 7-12...

Laureina Toler

Teacher Development Manager
Laureina coaches and supports educators through classroom observations and debriefs in addition to researching and providing educators with highly-effective practices and resources. Laureina was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Cal. where she earned a B.A. in development studies with a minor in education from the University of California, Berkeley. As a...
Laureina Toler

John Hall

Director of Recruitment
John plans and coordinates ATC’s recruitment, selection, placement, and licensure efforts, as well as managing the part-time University student workers who assist with outreach and communication. John received a Bachelor of Science in political science and a minor in business administration from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville where he is currently pursuing a M.A....
John Hall

Sarah C. McKenzie, Ph.D.

Faculty Director
Dr. McKenzie is the Executive Director of the Office for Education Policy at the University of Arkansas. A teacher at heart, Sarah has taught students from pre-kindergarten to university level, has provided training and consulting to public school districts, and has presented nationally and internationally on educational statistics. Since her days as an elementary teacher,...

Gary W. Ritter, Ph.D.

ATC Co-Founder & Chair of Board of Advisors
Dr. Ritter is the dean of the School of Education at Saint Louis University and also serves as chair of the ATC Board of Advisors. Before joining SLU, Gary was a professor of education policy and holder of the 21st Century Endowed Chair in Education Policy in the Department of Education Reform at the University...
Gary W. Ritter, Ph.D.