The Educator Advancement Council is a 21 member board of Directors with a broad range of voices, experiences, and perspectives from across the educator career continuum. As a statewide Council, the EAC intentionally seeks directors representing urban, suburban, rural and remote educators. Additionally, the EAC strives to have a Council that is racially, ethnically, culturally and linguistically diverse and reflective of Oregon’s educators and students.
EAC directors serve two-year terms, up to a maximum of two terms. Directors advise on policy making, budgetary decisions, planning and vision setting of EAC initiatives, as well as upholding the Council’s mission, vision, and values and actively employing the Oregon Department of Education Equity Lens.
Learn more about the current Council Directors here. For a list of vacant positions and application instructions, please visit our Join the Council page.
Andi Bales Molnar is the Professional Learning System Specialist at the Oregon Early Learning Division. She has been appointed by the Early Learning Systems Director, Alyssa Chatterjee, to serve on the Council and represent the Early Learning Division.
Dr. Traniece Brown-Warrens is a Principal in Portland Public Schools. She has taught 8th Grade U.S. History in Houston, TX in addition she was a department chair, instructional excellence coach, teacher specialist, football coach, and basketball coach. She has won awards for her culturally responsive teaching style that infused Hip-Hop music and History. Director Brown-Warrens is an active member of the Oregon Association of Black School Educators and received her Doctorate of Education at Baylor University.
Bio coming soon...
Brenda Chavez Tapia began her educational career as a grad coach and now as an education liaison at the Hillsboro School District. In her role, she works specifically with the Grow Your Own (GYO) Educator Program, which aims to recruit bilingual and ethnically diverse high school students who are interested in pursuing careers in education. This work connects students to pathways in teaching, counseling, and other education-related fields. Serving on the EAC, she hopes to not only contribute to creating a more inclusive educational system but to also help foster connections where knowledge is shared making a positive impact in education.
Dr. Veronica Dujon, Ph.D., is the Director for Academic Policy and Authorization at Oregon Higher Education Coordination Commission. She leads the Commission's efforts to coordinate academic programs, degree pathways, accelerated learning and student success initiatives among Oregon's public universities. Dujon also oversees degree authorization for private schools, and licensing and compliance for private career schools. Prior to joining the HECC Veronica was an Associate Dean for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Portland State University. She received her Ph.D. in environmental sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Jana Giles has been an educator in Oregon for six years. She grew up in rural Southern Oregon and attended Title-1 K-12 public schools. Giles has taught first-grade and is currently teaching in a third-grade classroom at North Marion, as well as being the Vice President of her Local Union. Her intimate experience within rural communities, school leadership, and elementary classrooms has directly shaped her approach to education.
Bio coming soon...
Bio coming soon...
Erin Lolich has served as a special education teacher, literacy specialist, school district and education service district administrator, and non-profit educator in Oregon and Colorado over her 25-year career. She currently directs School-based Initiatives at the Children’s Institute, leading a team that partners with public school districts to enhance, expand, and align the early years and early grades. Erin’s passion for high quality professional learning–especially in early learning–and social justice drew her to the Educator Advancement Council.
Representative Susan McLain is a 5th generation Oregonian, raised on farms in the Willamette Valley. A graduate of Western Oregon University (formerly Oregon College of Education), Rep. McLain spent over 40 years teaching and coaching speech and debate in Hillsboro. In 2011, she was honored to receive a Crystal Apple award for outstanding local teachers from the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce. Rep. McLain recently received a national award for longevity and excellence as Glencoe High School’s Speech and Debate coach. After her election to the Oregon State House in 2014, Rep. McLain has been a legislative advocate for Oregon students, teachers, and schools.
Analicia Nicholson is the Superintendent at Douglas ESD, where she leads with a focus on enhancing the educational experience for students in Douglas County. Analicia earned her undergraduate degree in public health education and promotion at Oregon State University. She furthered her education by earning a master's degree in secondary education and teaching from Willamette University. In her role as Superintendent, Analicia emphasizes the importance of keeping students at the center of the conversation, ensuring they have a sense of belonging and experience success. She believes that when students feel connected and supported, they lead healthier intellectual, emotional, and physical lives. Analicia's leadership is characterized by her ability to listen, learn, and lead, a motto that guided her through the challenges. Her efforts in connecting schools with community partners and finding creative ways to involve parents have been instrumental in serving the students of Douglas County.
Dr. Patiño-Cabrera, is a Latine, bilingual educator, researcher, and instructor at Oregon State University. She leads the TEAMS Grant program and focuses on advancing multilingual education. Her work is focused on providing equitable learning opportunities for multilingual, immigrant, and migrant students, and she is passionate about building inclusive spaces that empower educators, students, and families. She deeply cares and respects the work of teachers and is committed to fostering environments that truly support their growth and well-being. Serving on the Educator Advancement Council aligns deeply with her dedication to addressing systemic needs and creating meaningful policy change that uplifts Oregon educators and broadens access to quality education.
Vinh Pham came to the United States as a political refuge and has forged success for himself despite all of the challenges that came his way. Before becoming a public high school teacher, he was a researcher, dancer, and college professor. He hopes to leverage his diverse array of experiences to provide a unique perspective to the work of the Educator Advancement Council and be a representative for teachers across the state of Oregon.
Melissa brings 25 years of experience in public education to her roles as a Beaverton School District school board member and an EAC Director. In her professional capacity as a Clinical Partnership Liaison for Oregon State University’s College of Education, she is committed to helping our communities get (and keep) the amazing teachers our young people need by offering inclusive teacher preparation. Before joining OSU, Melissa served as the University Partnership Liaison for the Beaverton School District and the Teacher Connect Educator Pathway Coordinator for Portland Community College. She also served as an instructor and research faculty for Portland State University, a university supervisor for student teachers, and a high school biology and physics teacher.
Hsiao-Yun Shotwell brings 18 years of diverse educational experience across K-12 and higher education settings to her role as an EAC director. She has held various leadership positions, including department chair, curriculum specialist, program and curriculum director, advisory board member, and manager of the BIPoC Educators Program. In these roles, she has led initiatives focused on curriculum development, student and teacher support, and equity-driven educational reforms. Currently, Hsiao-Yun also serves as a university supervisor for teacher candidates, guiding emerging educators in their practical training and helping them develop culturally responsive, inclusive teaching practices. Her bilingual and bicultural backgrounds enables her to navigate multicultural spaces effectively, bridging communication and understanding between diverse student and educator communities.
Bio coming soon...
Bio coming soon...
Bio coming soon...
Monica Weathersby was born in the south to a mixed-race family. She began working toward justice for people who look like her and others who are oppressed at a young age. Her first career was working at OHSU. She then became a teacher, where she has been trying to help create change. She is, most importantly, also the mother of four children.
Dr. Charlene Williams has deep ties to the Pacific Northwest. She spent the past seven years as an administrator in Southwest Washington public school districts, most recently as deputy superintendent at Evergreen Public Schools, where she has been supervising district leaders, leading the development of the district’s five-year strategic plan and launching a superintendent advisory committee.
Williams previously served as an assistant superintendent in the Camas School District from 2016 to 2022. She supervised principals, designed professional development opportunities, and facilitated district level meetings and trainings to better align district services and support to schools. This included facilitating the adoption of the district’s first equity policy, establishing affinity groups for staff and students, and the creation of community forums for Camas residents to discuss equity issues. She was a recipient of the Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA) Award for promoting access, equity, and social justice for students.
Williams previously worked for seven years at Portland Public Schools, the largest public school district in Oregon. Her last role at the district was as the Senior Director of School Performance, where she helped redesign the teacher evaluation system in collaboration with the Portland Association of Teachers. She also worked with Peter Senge and the Waters Foundation to provide professional learning and resources for educators and leaders to implement systems thinking tools in their work.
She took on this role after serving as principal at Roosevelt High School in North Portland. While there she facilitated a collaborative grant writing process, resulting in a $7.7 million investment to transform the school, and led a focused effort to accelerate graduation rates and close the graduation gap for students of color, resulting in a promotion to campus principal. With her leadership, Roosevelt went on to significantly improve graduation rates and student performance. Williams led a collaborative team of teachers and administrators focused on closing the achievement gap across all academic areas for lower socioeconomic students and students of color through methods of acceleration. She earned multiple state and national awards for improving student achievement.
Williams arrived in Oregon in 1999 to become a math instructor, program coordinator and curriculum developer at Portland Community College. From 2002 to 2009, she served as the Director of Education and later principal at Rosemary Anderson High School, an alternative school that is part of the Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center (POIC).
Diane has worked in early childhood since 1996, as an in-home provider, recognizing a need for high quality options for families. She served on her local school board, achieving the highest standard in the Leadership Institute, while she was NW Area SMART Manager, partnering with school administrators to build robust volunteer reading programs in 7 counties. In 2012, Diane took over a non-profit child care center, adding Head Start and Preschool Promise classrooms, and assisted in building other programs in the county and served on the NWRESD board of directors. She is currently working as the Early Childhood Program Coordinator for the Lincoln County School District. Diane is looking forward to being a voice for Early Learning, and to continue advocating for staff and system alignment.
