VSTE

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

Elections

VSTE New and Returning Board Members Elected

VSTE is pleased to welcome five newly elected members to the VSTE Board of Directors. Board members are elected to serve three-year terms and are eligible to run for one-second term on the board.  Two of these members, Heather O’Brien and Chanel Alford, have been re-elected to serve a second term. Tina Coffey ran for election after serving on the Board last year as an appointee for Region 6. VSTE by-laws allow for an appointee to ensure statewide representation on the Board. JB Reynolds and Daniel Vanover are being elected to their first term on the board.

Chanel Alford
Technology Integration Specialist
Alexandria City Public Schools

VSTE is the voice for all educators in Virginia, and the organization sets the stage for new trends and technological advancements in classrooms. My vision for VSTE is that the organization continues to lead the way for education in Virginia by continuing to offer new professional development opportunities which will help educators to learn and implement new skills to improve their students' instructional experiencesIt is also my hope that VSTE will continue to pursue equity in all districts in technology access, training, and partnerships.

Tina Coffey
Instructional Technology Resource Teacher
Roanoke County Public Schools

VSTE has had a profound impact on me in my role as an educator and ITRT. I would like to see VSTE continue to provide professional development, resources, advocacy, and community to other educators in Virginia. I believe that it is important to have all eight VDOE Superintendent’s regions represented on the board so that all VSTE members throughout Virginia have a voice in how their organization is run.

Heather O’Brien
Instructional Technology Resource Teacher
Culpeper County Public Schools

As a teacher in a rural district, I see the ever-pressing need to advocate for greater accessibility for our students. As the recent coronavirus pandemic has shown, there is great inequality between urban, suburban, and rural access to broadband services. To meet the demands of the future and provide for the promise embodied in the state’s Profile of a Graduate, VSTE needs to be an advocate for struggling communities throughout the Commonwealth. My vision for VSTE is to empower teachers with the knowledge and ability to provide a stimulating academic environment with challenging student-centered experiences that result in creative learning experiences.

JB Reynolds
Instructional Facilitator
Loudoun County Public Schools

As a VSTE board member, I will advocate for new and emerging tools as well as build networks for collaboration. Through designing, organizing, and facilitating events such as local, statewide, and online opportunities, I am committed to expanding the impact VSTE has on education in the state.  I am energized by forming strong relationships and recognizing their value in bringing about the engagement of others as agents of change.

Daniel Vanover
Instructional Technology Resource Teacher
Wise County Public Schools

VSTE has always been a beacon for guiding and supporting Virginia's educators and students in educational technology and its ever-growing place within our profession. As a VSTE Board Member, I would work to ensure that light continues to shine. I want to do all I can to help the organization grow and reach more educators through outreach and communication. I would also work to provide more opportunities for professional development through these channels which in turn would help to encourage growth of membership among Virginia's educators and school administrators.

 

VSTE Welcomes New and Returning Board Members

a blue apple with a green leaf and brown stemFive candidates have been elected to the VSTE Board of Directors for the 2022-2025 term. Three are new members while two are returning for a second term. You can learn more about each Board member below.

 

Photo of Heather Askea

Heather Askea

Instructional Technology Coordinator

The University of Virginia's College at Wise

View Candidate's Statements
Photo of Dani Hall

Dani Hall

Coordinator of Instructional Technology

Prince William County Public School

View Candidate's Statements
headshot of Patrick Hausammann

Patrick Hausammann

Supervisor of Instructional Technology/ITRT

Clarke County Public Schools

View Candidate's Statements
photo of Wanda Parker

Wanda Parker

Manager, Service Desk, Desktop Support and Telecommunications

Richmond City Public Schools

View Candidate's Statements
Photo of Lucy Spenser

Lucy Spencer

Learning Technology Integrator

Albemarle County Public Schools, Baker-Butler Elementary and Broadus Wood Elementary Schools

View Candidate's Statements

 

Nominations for VSTE Board of Directors Open Now

VSTE members may nominate themselves or a colleague to be considered for election to the Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE) Board of Directors for a three-year term.  This is an opportunity to become involved in the key decision-making group for the Virginia Society for Technology in Education.

Nominations for the 2019-2021 Board term are open now through March 11, 2019. Nominees and those who nominate them must be members of VSTE.

The nomination form will be available in the Members' Only area of the website. When you are ready to nominate either yourself or someone else, you can start here.

Learn More About the VSTE Board of Directors

You can preview the nomination form but must submit the final form online.

Remember, you must be a VSTE member to nominate, to be nominated, and to participate in the online election.  Details for a complimentary membership can always be found at VSTE’s website.  Please let us know, via email to [email protected], if you have any questions or need further information about the election process.

In order to vote in the elections, you must be a member for at least ten days prior to the opening of the Board elections in April.

Member Login Information

It will be necessary for you to login to the system to participate in the nomination and election process. You can find the login page here. Unless you have changed it, you should use your email address at which you receive VSTE mailings for your login.  If you do not remember your password, you may click the link on the login screen for those forgetting their password. Your password will be emailed to you.  Once you login, you can update your membership information, change your login and/or password (as necessary) and submit a nomination.  Please write to [email protected] if you have problems accessing the member only section of our website.

Thank you for your interest,

VSTE Election Committee, 2019

Josh Long, Chair

Meg Swecker

Smiling woman with glasses

Meg Swecker
Coordinator of Technology Integration/ITRT
Roanoke County Public Schools

Educational Leadership

As the Coordinator of Technology Integration for Roanoke County Public schools, I support district wide initiatives, provide professional development, and collaborate with teachers and district leaders to use technology to empower learners. I have presented at local, regional, state, and International conferences.
I was elected to serve on the VSTE Board of Directors in 2015. During my term, I chaired the both the Elections Committee and the VEPLN Ad Hoc Committee and served on the Education Committee, the Outreach Committee, the Awards Committee, and the TSIP Ad Hoc Committee.

Vision for VSTE

My vision for VSTE includes advocacy, education, and outreach, three things that VSTE is already actively involved in.
VSTE’s advocacy, at both the state and national level, provides an active and passionate voice for Virginia’s students and educators. It is important that this voice continue to be heard.
VSTE supports Virginia educators by providing outstanding professional development in regional, state, and virtual events. The development of digital PD opportunities will create a positive impact on Virginia educators who may not be able to attend face to face events.

Biographical Sketch

I am passionate about the innovation and creativity that technology can bring to teaching and learning, and it is an honor to be able to share this passion with other educators. This is my 30th year as an educator and I feel like I’m just getting started!
When I’m not teaching, I spend my time gardening, keeping bees, and scuba diving.

Tim Stahmer

Smiling man with glasses

Tim Stahmer
Freelance Educator
Fairfax County Public Schools (Retired)

Educational Leadership

I have been a VSTE member for more than 25 years and have served the organization through my work on various teams, presenting at the conference almost every year, and supporting other smaller events. For the past three years, I have been honored to serve on the Board of Directors and working as part of the Outreach and Advocacy Committees. I was part of the team that renovated the VSTE website to make it more accessible and useful for the membership, and continues to maintain it. In addition, I have been part of the Conference committee for six years, originating and leading the Maker/Playground areas that bring more interaction to the annual event. I have also planned and present events for local, state and national organizations, including ISTE, ASCD, and NSDC.

Vision for VSTE

Over the past three years, the Board has worked to increase VSTE’s role as a vocal advocate for Virginia teachers, ITRTs, school administrators and other education professionals at the state and national level. We must continue and expand this effort to strongly articulate the views of our members on instructional issues related to the use of technology for learning. One way of doing this is by expanding our support of regional and local organizations and their events that help ITRT and teachers become more effective at using technology to improve student learning. We must also continue our efforts to learn and use the art of lobbying, especially in Richmond, so that the Governor, legislators, and other officials clearly understand our message.

Biographical Sketch

For more than 25 years, I was a teacher and Technology Specialist in Fairfax County. During the latter part of my time there, I was privileged to work with the 200 amazing instructional technology trainers (called ITRTs in most parts of Virginia) in our schools, primarily supporting their efforts with middle and high school teachers and students. Prior to that I was one of those trainers, back when one of us served multiple schools at multiple levels. In a life before that, I taught students in middle and high school the beauty and application of mathematics and computer science. On the side, I have been actively blogging for almost 15 years (ancient history in the web timeline) and regularly inflict my thoughts on the web through Twitter, flickr and other channels.