We are very excited to announce the first round of summer staff for Summer Institute 2022!

Led by full-time ATC Director of Summer Institute Matt Caston, the summer staff work together to plan and execute the full seven-week summer institute. All individuals chosen for roles in this first round of summer staff hiring have prior experience working at ATC Summer Institute or facilitating professional learning for fellows during the school year.

Jamie Powell will serve as the Coaching Coordinator, responsible for hiring, training, and managing a teacher-mentors. Jamie was a 2018 fellow and taught 5th-6th grade math and science at Scholarmade Achievement Place in Little Rock; she previously served as a summer mentor in 2020 and 2021 and is currently a full-time ATC Teacher Development Manager coaching teachers in central and southwest Arkansas.

Whitney Carter will serve as the Logistics Coordinator, responsible for daily operations and organization. Whitney was a 2018 fellow and taught career and technical education at Forrest City High School for four years. She served as a summer mentor in 2019, summer director of logistics in 2020 and 2021, and full-time ATC Recruitment/Outreach Manager during the 2021-22 school year.

Bernard Smith and Dasnee McChristian will serve as Equity Co-Facilitators, responsible for leading sessions on diversity/equity, identity development, and emotional resilience. Bernard was a 2017 fellow and has taught mathematics and computer science at Blytheville High School for four years; he served as a summer tutor in 2018, summer mentor in 2019, and director of equity in 2020 and 2021. Dasnee is a graduate of Arkansas State University with a B.S.E. in English and has taught ELA for eight years at partner schools like Osceola, Blytheville, and West Memphis; she previously served as a summer mentor in 2020. 

Nick Brown and Tonya Bobo will serve as Instruction Co-Facilitators, responsible for leading sessions on planning, pedagogy, and classroom skills. Nick has taught debate, oral communications, forensics, and criminal law for nine years, currently at Har-Ber High School in Springdale; he previously served as summer director of facilitation in 2019 and 2020. Tonya was a 2018 ATC fellow and has taught elementary (K-6) education for eight years, currently at Glenview Elementary School in North Little Rock; she currently serves as a content development facilitator for elementary fellows.