elon}
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 Darris Means - Elon Academy Associate Director
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 John Pickett - Elon Academy Assistant Director of Scholar SupportPowell House 207 2108 Campus Box Elon, NC 27244 O: (336) 278-6110
C: (336) 279-0980
John Pickett hails from the farming community of Silk Hope, NC. He graduated in 2003 from Elon University with a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and a bachelor's degree in Special Education (K-12). John joined the Elon Academy in 2011. His primary responsibility within the program is to provide comprehensive and cohesive support for scholars and their families during the academic year and during the summer residential program. John supervises Elon Academy's Academic Coaching Program, College Access Mentors, and the Elon Academy Ambassadors Program. He also teaches in the summer program and leads scholar recruitment initiatives. From 2003 until joining the Elon Academy staff, John worked in Alamance and Orange county public schools as both a teacher and co-director of an award-winning after-school tutoring program. In 2007 he was one of Alamance County's top finalists for county teacher of the year. |
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Katie LaPlante is a graduate of Elon University, with a degree in Psychology. She earned a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Loyola University in Maryland. Additionally, she is a Licensed Psychologist in the state of North Carolina at the Licensed Psychological Associate (LPA) level. Katie coordinates family programs for both current and alumni families, and oversees the family council. She also provides counseling support and referrals to community resources to scholars and their families. |
Catherine Parsons is a graduate of Elon University, with a degree in Psychology. Though she grew up in Kansas and Asia, she moved to North Carolina her ninth grade year and graduated from Western Alamance High School. In her free time she works with the Alamance County Youth Advisory Council to promote a healthy lifestyle, reads, spends time with family and friends, and plays "keep the toy away from the human" with her mischievous dog. |
.png) Nathan Thomas - College Success Advisor at Elon Academy
Powell House 206
2108 Campus BoxElon, NC 27244 (336) 278-6285
Nathan is from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and was a member of the class of 2012 at Elon. He spent two summers during his undergraduate career as a mentor for the Elon Academy, his second summer as lead male mentor. In addition, Nathan served as a Student Program Coordinator for the Academy, recruiting and hiring new mentors. He obtained a bachelor's degree in Music Education and still enjoys performing in local community ensembles, but is looking forward to a career in higher education while teaching private lessons from his home in Mebane. His new role as College Success Advisor will allow him to work with the local college scholars, helping ensure their success in the collegiate phase of the Elon Academy program. |
 Buffie Longmire-Avital - Team Project Leader for Got Stress(?) and Assistant Professor of Psychology at Elon University
Long 208H 2337 Campus Box
Dr. Longmire-Avital received her doctorate in Psychological Development from the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development at New York University. She is a blend of developmental psychology, community psychology and public health. Dr. Longmire-Avital’s research focuses on how the developing experiences of racial identity, sexuality, and social class influence decisions about the concurrent patterns of drug (ab) use and sexual risk-taking among diverse American adolescents and emerging adults. Dr. Longmire-Avital was a dual postdoctoral fellow in the Behavioral Science Training in Drug Abuse Research program at the National Development and Research Institutes (Funded by the National Institutes for Health) and at the Center for HIV Educational Studies and Trainings (CHEST) prior to joining the Elon faculty as an assistant professor in the psychology department. |
 Crystal Black -Team Project Lead of Learning to Live Locally at Elon Academy and Senior Consultant at Urban Roots Greensboro, NC
Crystal studied Elementary Education at North Carolina A&T State University. Having over 10 years of master gardening experience, she began studying sustainability and permaculture in 2007 and began to develop garden-based curricullum and outdoor classroom integration. Using her gardening knowledge and her experience in education, Crystal developed the first elementary school, Seed to Table, gardening program. The passion, from the community, on growing your own food, led to her establishment of Urban Roots in 2012. Urban Roots is a local company designed to partner with schools, businesses, and the community to encourage others to think about their food. |
 Stu Johnston - Team Project Lead for Engineering and Teacher for Math and Physics at Guilford County Schools
Penn-Griffin School for the Arts
High Point, NC 27260 Stu currently teaches high school math and physics at Penn-Griffin School for the Arts (Guilford County Schools) in High Point, NC. He serves as math department chair and sponsors Key Club and Sports Club at PGSA. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Rhodes College (Memphis, TN), Stu began his career in education in the Baltimore City Public Schools as a Teach For America corps member, where he served for six years as a middle school science teacher (Booker T. Washington Middle School), high school math and physics teacher (New Era Academy), and high school assistant principal (New Era Academy). While in Baltimore, Stu earned a Master of Arts in Teaching Secondary Science from Johns Hopkins University and a post-graduate certificate in Administration and Supervision of Schools, also from Johns Hopkins. He and his wife, Carrie, moved to Greensboro, NC in 2009. |
 Terry Tomasek - Team Project Leader for Herpetology in the Piedmont at ElonAcademy and Assistant Professor of Education at Elon University Mooney Building 307B 2105 Campus Box Elon, North Carolina 27244
Dr. Tomasek received a Master of Science degree in Biology from Marshall University and her PhD in Science Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She teaches math and science methods in Elon's Teacher Education department. Dr. Tomasek also works with High School students across the Piedmont of North Carolina on several reptile and amphibian projects. Her current herpetology-related research interests are aquatic turtle population studies and how attitude toward snakes is associated with interpretations of snake-related encounters. She is an active member of the NC Herpetological Society and the NC Partners for Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (NCPARC). |
.jpg) Barbara Tyroler - Team Project Lead for Photography: Explorations of Self and Community through Art, Digital Photography, and Writing
(Office) 919.240.5819 (Mobile) 919-360-8791 Barbara earned an MFA in digital art from The University of Maryland-Baltimore County and an M.Ed. from the University of Massachusetts, She taught courses in lens-based critical theory, wet darkroom, and digital print-making at the University of Maryland in College Park. Barbara currently teaches Advanced Seminar studies and The Creative Documentary Portrait at Duke University's Center for Documentary Studies. As founder and director of the University of Maryland Photographic Arts Outreach Program, Barbara has received over 25 visual arts and community education grants to provide multicultural, arts-in-education, community projects integrating fine art and documentary photography. She produces site-specific portraiture for corporations, universities, and health-oriented non-profits as well as abstracted figurative water portraiture for individuals and families. Her photography is shown in numerous public and private collections in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. She is represented in Chapel Hill, NC by FRANK gallery. Samples of her work may be viewed at www.btyroler.com. |
Kendall Crouther - Student Worker; English Major with Literature and Teacher Licensure Concentrations at Elon University (Class of 2014)
Oak Hill, VA .JPG)
Kendall is a junior at Elon, studying English Secondary Education. She grew up in
Plano, Texas before moving to the ‘burbs of DC and is passionate about art, languages & cultures, exploring, reading, feasting on great food, and “waka-waka”-ing. In addition
to working at Elon Academy, Kendall is the RA of Story “Cloud 9,” working on a project at Cummings High School and loves Gospel Choir and Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. |
Stacey Crutchfield - College Success Team Mentor; Political Science Major at  Elon University (Class of 2014) Stacey graduated from Williams High School and is a sophomore at Elon University. At Elon, she is an Odyssey Scholar and active in Greek Life. She enjoys volunteering when she has free time and graduated in the first cohort of the Elon Academy. |
Connor Cummings - Student Worker; Undeclared Major at Elon University (Class of 2016)
West Chester, PA
Connor is a freshman at Elon University, where he is a member of the Business Fellows program. He plans to major in Marketing and History. Connor enjoys traveling, playing tennis, sports in general, watching movies, camping and hanging with friends. Connor hopes to get involved in many activities at Elon including, business competitions, the student TV station, intramurals, and community service. |
Matthew Feather - College Success Team Mentor; Statistics and Sport and Event Management Major at Elon University (Class of 2015) 
Clinton, Maryland Matthew is a sophomore at Elon University where he plans to double major in statistics and sport and event management. He is involved in the Isabella Cannon Leadership Program and Delta Upsilon fraternity. He enjoys watching and playing sports, and is a black belt. He wants to own a professional sports franchise one day. |
Kyle Keith - College Access Team Mentor; Middle Grades Education Major with a focus in English at Elon University (Class of 2014)
Hendersonville, NC  Kyle is a junior at Elon University and hopes to teach Middle School Language Arts or possibly French depending on if he can get certified. Kyle enjoys theater, watching old movies, the food network, attempting to read great literature, and hiking in the outdoors. Kyle has worked for Elon's Admissions office as a records clerk and learned a lot about the college admissions process. Kyle studied abroad in Costa Rica teaching English. Kyle doesn't like birds. |
Sarah Lentz - Student Worker; English Major with a literature concentration at Elon University (Class of 2013)  Hudson, OH
Sarah is Lumen Scholar and an Elon College Fellow studying English literature and Spanish. When she's not working for the Elon Academy, she is often found reading. Sarah devotes much of her time to her undergraduate research project, "Short-Cut to the Heart: A Historical Analysis of Men's Courtship Letters in Jane Austen's Fiction." She is also involved in Sigma Kappa and is an Odyssey scholar. She enjoys talking, singing, piano, and coastal towns. Sarah hopes to study in Barcelona in the spring of 2012. Sarah likes hummingbirds. |
Dominique Martin - Student Worker; Early Childhood Education Major at Elon University (Class of 2015)
Burlington, NC 
Dominique is a sophomore Teaching Fellow at Elon University. Dominique's favorite ice cream flavor is mint oreo and she's tried them all! Dominique enjoys doing intermural sports, including flag football and soccer. During her spare time, she enjoys reading, being with her family, and disc golfing. Dominique asks that if you buy her a gift, it is not purple. |
Mackenzie McCraw - Senior College Access Team Mentor; Mathematics with a Teacher Licensure concentration at Elon University (Class of 2014) 
Mackenzie is a junior at Elon. She is majoring in Mathematics with Teacher Licensure and obtaining a minor in Political Science. She is a North Carolina Teaching Fellow and plans to teach high school math upon graduation. Mackenzie enjoys being outside, reading, and traveling. |
Samantha Murray - Student Coaching Coordinator; Human Services Major at Elon University (Class of 2015)
Amesbury, MA 
Samantha is a sophomore at Elon University majoring in Human Services and minoring in Psychology. She works in the Kernodle Center for Service Learning as a Student Ambassador and also as the Academic Coach Coordinator for Elon Academy. She could not be happier in these two roles because they both fulfill her passion of helping others. Samantha dreams of counseling children and families or working with kids who have Autism. |
Tina Musilli - College Access Team Mentor; Psychology Major at Elon University (Class of 2013)
Wilton, CT 
Tina is a senior at Elon majoring in psychology with a minor in religious studies. Originally from Wilton, CT, Tina has had several different mentoring experiences which have led her to Elon Academy. She is actively involved in Greek Life at Elon where she holds a position which requires her to plan various events throughout the semester aimed at personal development of all members. During January 2013, Tina is planning to study in Vietnam where she is looking forward to having the chance to immerse herself in a new culture. When Tina has free time she enjoys reading, spending time with family and friends and taking photographs. Following graduation in the spring, Tina plans on taking a year off to work and travel before applying to Clinical Psychology Masters programs which will allow her to work with children suffering from mental health disorders. |
Molly O'Brien - College Access Team Mentor; Anthrology and English Major with a  concentrationin Creative Writing at Elon University (Class of 2013)
Apex, NC mobrien14@elon.edu Molly O'Brien is a Sullivan scholar at Elon University. She is currently a senior and has worked with the Elon Academy on their book project. She is excited that the book project just recently self-published their own book. Molly enjoys reading and writing in her free time, spending time with the Elon Academy scholars and listening to 90s pop music. Molly is planning on going to graduate school for anthropology after graduating. |
Katie Osborn - Spring College Access Team Mentor; History Education Major at Elon University (Class of 2014)
Katie Osborn is a junior pursuing a degree in History Education with a minor in American Studies. She is a North Carolina Teaching Fellow and hopes to teach High School History upon graduating from Elon. Katie is a member of Alpha Xi Delta Sorority with which she has become very involved with their philanthropy Autism Speaks. She studied abroad in London during the spring of 2012 where she enjoyed being immersed in a different culture. Katie enjoys spending her free time with her friends and playing intramural sports with her sorority. |
Julie Tonnesen - College Access Team Mentor; Middle Grades Education Major with  concentrations in Language Arts and Social Studies at Elon University (Class of 2014)
Salisbury, NC
Julie Tonnesen is a junior Teaching Fellow here at Elon. Julie would eventually like to pursue a degree in ESL education, as well. In addition to her involvement with Elon Academy as an Academic Coach and CAT Mentor, Julie is the co-editor of the Teaching Fellow's Newsletter, Teacher Talk. Julie loves spending time with her family and friends, traveling, spending time outdoors, and playing with her puppy. |
Emma Wolf - Senior College Access Team Mentor; Human Services Spanish Language Majors at Elon University (Class of 2016) 
Richmond, VA Emma is a freshman at Elon University, majoring in Human Services and Spanish Language. In addition to working for Elon Academy, she is the Research Assistant to Dr. Ketcham, the director of Pre-Health at Elon University. On campus, she enjoys being a part of running club, Young Life, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, small group, and the Elonthon Operations Committee. In rare moments of free time, she likes to curl up with a good book, spend time with friends, watch New Girl, and take naps. Emma gets the hiccups when she eats spicy food. |
Sarah Worley - Senior College Access Team Mentor; English Major with a Teacher Licensure concentration at Elon University (Class of 2014)
Canton, NC 
Sarah Worley is an English Education major, and plans on teaching high school upon graduation. She is a North Carolina Teaching Fellow, and is the editor of the Teaching Fellows Newsletter. At Elon, Sarah enjoys working with Elonthon, and being a part of her intervarsity small group. In her free time Sarah enjoys reading, working at a summer camp in the mountains, and spending time with friends and family. |
Julia Johns, Assistant Principal Hugh H. Cummings High School 2200 N. Mebane Street Burlington, NC 27217 336.570.6100 | Hannah Cobb, Assistant Principal Southern Alamance High School 631 Southern High School Road Graham, NC 27253 336.570.6400 |
Ako Barnes, Assistant Principal Eastern Alamance High School 4040 Mebane Rogers Road Mebane, NC 27302 919.563.5991 | Carole Workman, Academic Coach Walter Williams High School 1307 S Church Street Burlington, NC 27215 336.570.6161 Carole_Workman@abss.k12.nc.us |
Karen Gobel, School Counselor River Mill Academy 1242 S. Main St Graham, NC 27253 336.229.0909 kgobel@rivermill-academy.org | Dave Nebrig, Assistant Principal Western Alamance High School 1731 North Hwy 87 Elon, North Carolina 27244 336.438.4634 David_nebrig@abss.k12.nc.us |
Stacey Frazier, School Counselor Graham High School 903 Trollinger Road Graham, NC 27253
336.438.4535 | Vernetta Bridges, Lead Counselor Alamance-Burlington School System 1712 Vaughn Rd. Burlington, NC 27217 336.570.6060 Vernetta_bridges@abss.k12.nc.us |
Robyn Hadley, Executive Director What's After High School Initiative 1712 Vaughn Rd. Burlington, NC 27217 336.570.6644 Ext. 683 Robyn_Hadley@abss.k12.nc.us |
Deborah T. Long - Elon Academy Director and Professor of Education
Kim Pyne - Assistant Director of Academic Programs at Elon Academy and Assistant Professor of English and Education at Elon University
Katie LaPlante - Assistant Director of Counseling and Family Programs at Elon Academy
Catherine Parsons - Program Assistant at Elon Academy
