Teacher Advisory Network

Appointed July 1, 2023
Shellie Ballard-Thomas is a Business and Finance Teacher at Florence High School in Alabama. She is the FBLA adviser and the instructor for the First Metro Bank Falcon Branch. Shellie is the current Business Section President for the Alabama Association for Career and Technical Education and serves on the Alabama FBLA Administrative Board. Before starting at Florence High School in August 2023, she spent 22.5 years at Colbert Heights High School in Alabama, where she was a Business Teacher and the FBLA adviser for the high school and middle-level chapters. While at CHHS, the FBLA chapters earned Chapter of Distinction, Alabama Blueprint for Success Outstanding Level, Gold Seal Chapter, Outstanding Chapter of the Year for the district, Champion Chapter Gold Level, Merit Chapter Excellence Level, and many students placed in the top four at the state level to advance to the national conference. Shellie Ballard-Thomas was named the Alabama FBLA Middle School Adviser of the Year for 2022-2023. When not molding future business leaders, Shellie likes to attend and watch Alabama Crimson Tide football games, reading, and travel to new places with stops at Buc-ee’s. She is married to Brad Thomas and has two fur babies, Ellie and Nick.

Appointed July 1, 2023
Shelley Pewitt is an experienced and dedicated Marketing and Business Teacher and DECA Advisor from the Hoover High School Business Academy. She and her fabulous colleagues run a successful student-driven DECA chapter with over 250  members. Motivated by her desire to build confidence in her students and help them discover their passions and career paths, she takes pride in providing the most relevant, engaging experiences in her classroom. Mrs. Pewitt is an avid user of MBA research classroom resources and attributes the success of her students at the international level to excellent and rigorous preparation using many resources.  Outside the classroom, Mrs. Pewitt provides students with opportunities to grow their networking skills and build problem-solving and critical thinking skills through projects and competitive events.

Mrs. Pewitt graduated from Auburn University with a Bachelor of Science Degree (1988) and a Masters Degree (1992) in Marketing/ Business Education.  She has demonstrated leadership in her state, serving in past roles such as Marketing Education Association President, ACTE Advisory Council, Alabama’s Marketing Teacher of the Year (2002), Advisor of the Year (2021,) Reviewer for Business and Industry Certification Teams, served as and the Hoover Business Academy Marketing program was recognized by the Alabama State Department of Education last year (2023). Mrs. Pewitt has advised 10 + State officers to date. She serves as State Officer Advisor to the 2023-2024 Alabama DECA President. Last year alone, Ms. Pewitt’s Seniors won $7500 in scholarships in the JA Be Entrepreneurial Business Plan Challenge by pitching their plans Shark Tank Style. One of her sophomores won an Ethics Essay Contest $300 sponsored by the Better Business Bureau. Mrs. Pewitt strives to learn and grow through the successes of her students.

Appointed July 1, 2023
John Rowe is a Business Teacher and DECA advisor at Carlmont High School in Belmont, California. John has grown the Carlmont business program from scratch starting in 2017, which now includes a Marketing, Sales, and Service pathway and over 250 students enrolled in the program annually. John has mentored over 20 DECA ICDC qualifiers and 6 California DECA state champions. John especially enjoys helping his students work on social causes, including website design, social media marketing, and search engine marketing for non-profit organizations. John is a co-site administrator for the Voluntary Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program with the IRS where his students complete tax returns for people with low to moderate income in the local community.

Prior to teaching business, John spent 10 years in marketing with semiconductor companies Altera and AMD. John earned a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and an MBA from the University of California, Davis. In his free time, John enjoys spending time with his family traveling, and playing sports.

Appointed July 1, 2023
Bonnie Maye has been in the education field for over 30 years in various roles, including technology, desktop publishing, student information systems, learning management systems, content and curriculum creation, and even tennis coach and PE teacher. At her district in El Segundo, CA, which is right next to the LAX airport, she supports students, teachers, and staff as a liaison and problem solver to help manage, update, and troubleshoot various tech and logistics-related issues. Bonnie loves helping to solve problems, creating systems that function logically, and being able to put things together in unique and creative ways – from a system for checking out over 2100 ipads, to helping manage traffic during COVID pandemic (when everyone in our district descended on the high school campus at once to pick up testing kids), to helping create and manage/coordinate the Business Pathway at my high school, and most recently helping the schools tennis program to be reborn despite not playing tennis. Being able to help set people up for success is one of her greatest passions. Whether it’s a student, teacher, parent, colleague, district, boss, or anyone using a system, she strives to make it a seamless experience that helps others to realize their hopes, dreams, and aspirations.

Appointed July 1, 2023
JoLynn Baral is currently the MBA Research High School of Business Teacher, DECA C0-Advisor at Riverdale Ridge High School (CO), and Colorado DECA District 7 Board Member. Since starting the HSB program at her previous school Mrs. Baral helped increase enrollment in the business and marketing program. Mrs. Baral grow up in Wyoming and now lives Colorado. She has her Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Business Education from the University of Wyoming.

Appointed July 1, 2024
Janet Brophy is a High School of Business teacher from Haxtun High School in Haxtun, CO. Janet earned her BA from the University of Wyoming and her MBA from University of Phoenix. Prior to teaching high school, Janet worked in human resources and then support staff for an education consortium before completing alternative licensure program. Janet has taught in a high school classroom for six years as well as 10 years as an adjunct professor for a community college. Janet is also the Haxtun FBLA Adviser, chairperson of the HSB Teacher Advisory Committee, and membership director for Colorado for M-PBEA.

Appointed September 1, 2022
Kirsten Tuz is the Marketing Teacher and DECA Advisor at Danbury High School in Danbury, Connecticut. She currently teaches Marketing and Fashion Marketing to grades 9-12. Kirsten oversees the school-based enterprise, the “Hatters Hotspot”. Kirsten has a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Western Connecticut State University and a Master’s Degree in Finance from Sacred Heart University. The first 23 years of her career were spent in various marketing positions in children’s publishing. She left the corporate environment to spend more time with her young family and transitioned to working in Special Education before earning her Master’s in Education from the University of Bridgeport. In the three years she has been at Danbury High School, she and her students have rebranded the school store, updating the physical space, initiating a social media presence, bringing in popular teen apparel, and updating the POS system. Short term goals include online ordering capabilities and operating an apparel print shop within the SBE. While working in Special Education, Kirsten coached Unified Sports. Under her guidance, the program was chosen as a Unified Champion School.

Appointed July 1, 2024
Lisa Cline is a seasoned Marketing educator at North Forsyth High School in Cumming, GA, where she has dedicated the last 11 years to teaching and inspiring students. With a career spanning 23 years, she is set to embark on her 24th year in the fall. Lisa previously taught in North Carolina before bringing her expertise to North Forsyth.

At North Forsyth, Lisa teaches the Marketing Management Pathway, guiding students through the intricacies of marketing in various industries. She is the lead DECA Advisor, mentoring students in the school’s DECA chapter and overseeing Raider Station, the school’s successful enterprise. As the CTAE Department Head, Lisa plays a crucial role in shaping the curriculum and supporting her colleagues.

Lisa’s involvement with the GA DECA Board of Directors spans over 9 years, during which she has held various positions, culminating in her current role as President. Her passion for Marketing and Entrepreneurship is evident in her commitment to showing students the vast opportunities these fields offer.

Outside the classroom, Lisa enjoys immersing herself in audiobooks, exploring nature through hiking, spending quality time with her family, and training her new Goldendoodle, Freya. Her dedication to education and her students is matched only by her enthusiasm for continuous learning and personal growth.

Tami Perez is currently an online business and marketing teacher for Idaho Technical Career Academy in Meridian, Idaho, and an adjunct professor at College of Southern Idaho. Tami earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Idaho State University and a Master of Education from the University of Idaho. The first 10 years of her career were in payroll and human resources for Idaho school districts. This is her 10th year in the classroom. Tami was the first High School of Business site in Idaho and spent six years at a project-based learning New Tech Network high school. She shares her love of PBL by training new teachers. Tami is currently an advisor for Business Professionals of America (BPA).

Appointed July 1, 2023
Sarah Pelayo has been in education for 20 years, 14 of those years as a CTE business and marketing instructor for Minidoka County at Mt. Harrison High School. She teaches various business courses, including Business Computer Applications, Photoshop, Video, Entrepreneurship, Marketing Econ., Business Essentials, Personal Finance, Business Ethics, and Yearbook!

Sarah is passionate about public education and has a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction, emphasizing Career and Technical Education. She believes in “paying it forward” and serves in many leadership capacities, including the roles of BPA Advisor of her school’s Business Professionals of America Chapter, Chair of her school’s Climate Committee, and Membership-Chair for the Career and Technical Educators of Idaho Association. Her past leadership experience as the former President of the Idaho Business Education Association has helped her extend her reach of mentorship and support.

Advocacy is another area that she is dedicated to. As an active member of the Idaho Education Association, Sarah takes pride in working to support students and colleagues locally and across the state. Previously, she served on the IEA’s State-wide IGNITE committee, tasked with early-career mentorship. She’s also been involved with professional development and teaching classes.

Appointed July 1, 2023
Antonio Carrico is a Business Teacher and DECA Advisor at Coeur d’Alene High School in Coeur d’Alene, ID, where he has taught for 19 years. His classes include Principles of Marketing, Marketing Economics, Entrepreneurship, Business Ownership, Introduction to Business, and Accounting. His number one priority is building relationships with his students and helping them start to find career options. Tony loves coaching football and middle school basketball. In his free time, he loves to mountain bike, ski, and golf.

Appointed July 1, 2024
Andrew Thonstad currently teaches business and computer classes for Sioux Center High School in Sioux Center, Iowa. Andrew earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, focusing on Human Resource Management and Finance, from Central Washington University. After working for 12+ years in the human resource management field, Andrew returned to the classroom to complete his master’s degree in Teaching from the University of Sioux Falls. This is his 10th year in the classroom. Andrew is the co-advisor for the Sioux Center FBLA chapter and has held numerous leadership positions within the school and around the state of Iowa with the Iowa Business Education Association.

Appointed February 1, 2021
Sarah Sweet is in her 16th year of teaching at Emporia High School. She is the business department chair and currently teaches Marketing, Marketing Applications, Consumer &Personal Finance, Business Management, and Applied Business Development. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degree from Emporia State University and also holds an ESL endorsement from Kansas State University. She serves as a co-adviser of FBLA and is the adviser of National Technical Honor Society. Sarah has been married for17 years and they have one son who is active in sports. Outside of teaching, she enjoys traveling, reading, and crafting

Appointed July 1, 2023
Reece Spears is a Business and Marketing teacher at Greenwood High School in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where he teaches Accounting and Finance Foundations, Advanced Accounting, Business and Marketing Essentials, and Ethical Leadership. Reece graduated from Morehead State University in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration Management, focusing on Human Resources. After graduation, he worked as a college admissions counselor before transitioning into teaching in 2018. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he has achieved a number of certifications in various fields. He is a Gold Certified High Achiever of the MBA Research Ethics ASK Exam and holds certifications in Tax, Investing, and Advanced Investing through Next Generation Personal Finance. He is also certified in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint and holds his Google Level 1 and 2 Certifications. His dedication to education has not gone unnoticed. In 2023, he was recognized as a Kentucky Master Teacher of Personal Finance, and currently serves on the Kentucky Business Educators Association Board as a Regional Representative and is also the sponsor of the IGNITE: Inspiring and Guiding the Next Innovative Teen Entrepreneurs program and the Academic Team Coach for Greenwood High School.

Jennifer Milke is a Marketing, Small Business, and Personal Finance teacher, as well as a DECA advisor at Henry Ford II High School in Sterling Heights, MI. Jennifer received her BS in secondary education from Central Michigan University and is vocationally certified in marketing and business. She received her Master’s in public administration with an emphasis in educational administration at the University of Michigan Flint. She became an International DECA Certified Trainer in 2012 and trained teachers at the the state and regional levels. She has been on the Michigan Marketing Educators (MME) Board since 2009, and served as the president and secretary. In 2010, Jennifer received the Dr. Jack T. Humbert New Professional of the Year Award. She was selected as a lead teacher for the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) Marketing in Economics Curriculum Integration Grant administered through Berrien RESA. Her leadership resulted in the development of 45 lesson plans aligned to the State’s economics standards allowing teachers to grant state graduation credit through State Approved Marketing Education Programs.

Currently unavailable.

Appointed July 1, 2023
Emily Smith is in her 17th year as a Business and Marketing Instructor at Warrensburg High School in Missouri. Emily is also an adjunct faculty member at the University of Central Missouri. She is the DECA advisor and Chair of the Warrensburg Area Career Center Business and Marketing Department. She serves on the University of Central Missouri Career and Technical Education Undergraduate Advisory Board.

Prior to teaching in Warrensburg she earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration – Finance and worked in lending and compliance in the banking industry. She was also a Business Instructor in the Raytown School District for three years.

Appointed July 1, 2023
Fielding Patrick (Pat) Hambright has been a Business Management and Marketing teacher at the Academy of Arts, Careers and Technology in Reno, Nevada since 2016.  As a High School of Business instructor and an FBLA Advisor at AACT, his students have routinely scored in the top 10 percentile on their HSB EOCs, compiled a 90 percent pass rate on their Nevada CTE exams, and won dozens of State Championships in their FBLA competitions.  In 2022, his AACT HSB students were chosen to help pilot global competitions for the MIT Solved and Intuit Social Innovation Challenges.  Their successes led to his being named the Teacher of the Year (July 2023) by the Nevada Association of Career and Technical Education.  Pat is a strong proponent of both project-based learning and simulated workplace, and his students have had great success collaborating with other CTE programs to create retail and fundraising projects to enhance existing funding sources.  He graduated from Colorado Mesa University and earned his Professional Certificate in Secondary Education from the University of Nevada.  His Business and Industry background comes from almost 3 decades in Broadcast Management in Colorado, California, and Nevada.

Appointed July 1, 2023
Gabriel Silva has been working with marketing and hospitality students to develop the skills and knowledge needed to become quality business professionals since he started teaching in 2004. He has developed a program of study that encourages students to solve problems, plan futures, strategize, and transform possibilities into reality using business-related courses such as Principles of Business & Marketing, Marketing, and Business Administration. Gabriel started his DECA Advisor journey when he first served as the DECA Advisor for East Career & Technical Academy, starting in 2008.  This year marks his 18th year with Clark County School District, his 3rd as a business education teacher for the Nevada Learning Academy, and his 3rd year as a DECA advisor at NVLA. In 2019, he helped support the Daniels Funds Ethics Initiative and became an MBA Ethics Integration Specialist to offer training to introduce the new materials and to help other Business & Marketing teachers in Nevada understand how they can best be used within the framework of Nevada’s policies and priorities.

Appointed July 1, 2023
Linda Modgling currently teaches business and computer classes at Mountainair High School, Middle School, and Grade School in Mountainair, New Mexico, where she was named New Mexico Career and Technical Teacher of the 2020-2021 School Year. She has taught for 6 years, five of which have been as a BPA advisor. Prior to her years in teaching, Linda worked at the IRS, The Comptroller of the Currency of the 12^th National Bank Region, United Bank of Texas, and First Interstate Bank, all in the auditing field. Linda earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Western Governor’s University in 2015 and a Master of Science in Management and Leadership from Western Governor’s University in 2016. She loves connecting her curriculum to the real world by reaching out to the school and community through projects and hands-on activities that give the “real” experience. In addition to teaching, Linda loves to read and spend time with her extremely supportive husband of 41 years and their 4 sons and 6 grandchildren.

Michelle Bardsley is a career and technical education (CTE), business, finance, IT, and marketing educator with Wake County Schools, North Carolina. For eight years, Michelle has successfully implemented MBA Research materials and strategies into classroom instruction. She is a lead teacher in North Carolina Public Schools (face-to-face and online classrooms) who implements technology, effective instructional strategies, project-based learning, and real-world experiences to motivate students toward strong academic success. Michelle holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration-finance from Old Dominion University. She serves on her school’s Instructional Leadership (ILT) and SREB teams, and is an FBLA Advisor and Microsoft Innovative Educator. She holds certifications in Word, PowerPoint, and A*S*K Marketing & Entrepreneurship. Michelle has presented at numerous NC CTE conferences, managed FBLA conferences, and directed a summer STEM camp. She has a passion to encourage educators, equip her students with 21st century career skills, and build solid relationships with local community stakeholders.

Appointed July 1, 2023
Terri Donegan-Sanchez is a Business/Marketing teacher at Rocky River High School, part of Mecklenburg County Public Schools. She has a BS in Business Administration/ Finance from SUNY Brockport, New York. She is also a National Board Certified Teacher certified in Cultural Proficiency Learning. Terri has taught for the past 20 years, serving as the district PLC lead for Sport/Event Marketing, School Improvement Team,  and the state Marketing Curriculum Revision Team. Before entering education, she worked in the credit union and commercial banking industries. She has taught classes including Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Sports/Event Marketing, Accounting, Career Management, Fashion Merchandising, and Microsoft. She has also been a DECA advisor for over 15 years. Terri is excited about project-based learning that immerses our students in real-world situations, encouraging collaboration and hands-on learning.

Nadine Scott is a Marketing Instructor and DECA Advisor for the Penta Career Center at Oak Harbor High School in Oak Harbor, Ohio. Over the past twenty years, she has taught several courses and is currently teaching Digital Marketing, Integrated Marketing, Marketing Applications and Strategic Entrepreneurship. Mrs. Scott holds two bachelor’s degrees from Bowling Green State University in business and secondary education. She received her Master’s degree in business administration from Ashland University. Her work experience also includes eleven years in the financial services industry and teaching at a local community college. Nadine’s leadership roles include Ohio Marketing Education Association executive board where she has held the titles of membership chair and president. For the past ten years, Nadine has been a co-chair for DECA District 2 and has been instrumental in organizing several DECA events. She has been a top-ten honored educator for Ottawa County on three separate occasions. In 2012, she received the Ohio ACTE Outstanding CTE Professional in Community Service.

Appointed July 1, 2024
Debra Coffey is a Career Tech instructor at Broken Arrow High School, in Broken Arrow, OK. She currently teaches Accounting, Marketing Fundamentals, Intro to Entrepreneurship and Business Management. She has been a DECA advisor for 15 years and has been teaching her entire 18-year career at Broken Arrow. Prior to becoming a Career Tech teacher, she taught Personal Finance, Bookkeeping and Microsoft Office classes. Her previous career was as an attorney for 13 years in both Oklahoma and Arkansas. She received her B.S. in Business Administration from John Brown University and her J.D. from the University of Arkansas. In addition to “calling the hogs”, she enjoys reading and spending time with her husband, 3 grown children and two grandchildren.

Appointed February 1, 2021
Tanya Torres-Steen teaches Business and Marketing A & B, Retail Store Operations, Business Management, Entrepreneurship, and Yearbook at Graham Kapowsin High School in Graham, WA. She has a BA in Business Administration with a Major in Marketing and a Minor in Economics from New Mexico State University. She also obtained a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from NMSU. This is her 23rd year teaching and is her 23rd year as a DECA Advisor. She is the current treasurer of the Washington Association of Marketing Educators and MBA Project Management trainer. She has been married for 26 years and has 3 children and 4 grandchildren.

Appointed July 1, 2023
Marc Hillestad is currently a Business and Marketing Teacher/DECA Advisor at Cedarcrest High School in Duvall, Washington. A graduate of Gonzaga University (Economics and MBA), he has been associated with DECA since 1991 and has started two DECA programs from scratch. He has taught over twenty-five courses in his career and has all his courses available for college credit/certification. Marc currently serves as the Board Chair for Washington DECA, President of Western Region DECA, DECA Inc. rep, is CTE Director Certified, and is a PMIEF Project Management Trainer.

In his free time, Marc enjoys coaching. After years as a Head coach in basketball and track, he now enjoys his time as an assistant while serving in his DECA roles. He also served as a local union president, state council rep, and negotiator.

Marc has two daughters, one in college and the other a high school junior. His wife is an elementary school principal, and they just celebrated their 25^th wedding anniversary.

Adam Feazell is in his eighth year of teaching in Putnam County, WV. He started his career as a technology integration specialist in the elementary and middle grade levels, then spent the next 4 years as a business education and special education teacher. The past two years he has worked as a business/marketing education teacher. Adam attended WVU Institute of Technology’s Community College where he received his AS in Accounting, and then attended Marshall University to earn a BS in Business Education. He obtained an MA in Multi-Category Special Education and an MA in Leadership Studies. When he started teaching, Adam served as a school advisor for both FBLA and DECA. This is Adam’s second year as the West Virginia DECA’s Chartered Association Advisor.

Appointed July 1, 2024
Heather Lane is a Marketing Instructor for Mercer County Technical Education Center in Princeton, West Virginia. Heather earned her BS (Business) from Bluefield State College, BS (Education) from Bluefield University, and Masters (Leadership) from Concord University. This is Heather’s 10th year in the classroom and 2nd year teaching WV Virtual School. She is the Adviser for National Technical Honor Society for Mercer County. Heather also serves as the General Manager for a school-based store, MCTEC Mercantile, which is open to the public and is operated by her Marketing class.

Appointed July 1, 2023
Georganna Mansfield has taught for 39 years. She teaches courses in the areas of marketing, accounting, and entrepreneurship. She is the DECA advisor at Mineral County Technical Center and the Chartered Association Advisor for West Virginia.

She is a retired teacher from Missouri and has taught for the last 13 years in West Virginia. She has a BSed in Marketing Education and an MSed in Vocational Education from the University of Missouri.

Georganna and her husband owned a construction company in Missouri for 25 years. They now own a bowling center in West Virginia.

Appointed September 1, 2022
Shawna Michelena is a Business Education and Computer Science teacher at Tongue River High School, in Dayton, Wyoming. While teaching classes such as Introduction to Business, Sports and Entertainment Marketing, Introduction to Computer Science, Career and Independent Living, and Digital Media, she is also the FBLA Adviser and Sophomore Sponsor. She also serves as a district technology liaison. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Education, a Master’s degree in Educational Administration with endorsements in early childhood education, early childhood special education, middle school, and computer science. In addition, she is pursuing an endorsement in instructional technology K-12. Aside from being a teacher, Shawna enjoys traveling, spending time with family and hiking in the Bighorn Mountains. She and her husband have three children that keep them busy with volleyball, basketball, and track.

Appointed July 1, 2023
Susan Evans has been in education for 20 years.  She is currently a Business and Marketing teacher and DECA advisor at Evanston High School in Evanston, Wyoming.  Her classes include Introduction to Business, Sports and Entertainment Marketing, and concurrent courses for Western Wyoming Community College include Personal Finance, Accounting, Computer Information Systems, and Excel Applications.  She received a bachelor’s degree in Business Education from Utah State University and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Wyoming.    She enjoys spending time on the family ranch and riding horses.