Our People

Dr. Winzeler is the alternative licensure director for NC State’s College of Education and director of Pathway to Practice NC. She has served as program director for NC TEACH, a face-to-face teacher preparation program. She is a former high school English teacher and most interested in innovative course design and delivery for new teacher preparation.

Dr. Horne is the Assistant Dean for Professional Education and Accreditation in the College of Education at NC State. Dr. Horne taught 5 years in Wake County Public Schools as a 4th grade teacher, where she was named Wake County’s First Year Teacher of the Year and earned National Board Certification as a Middle Childhood Generalist. Dr. Horne’s research interests include beginning teacher retention, new teacher induction, and program evaluation and accreditation.

Rachel Lewis works as the Alternative Licensure Specialist at NC State with their Pathway to Practice NC and NC Teach programs and is a former Wake County teacher. She is working toward a master’s degree in higher education and has been part of research teams studying youth-led social justice movements and their perception of voting as an effective vehicle of change, as well as pre-service teachers’ dispositions on mathematics.

Abby Kimball is a doctoral student in the Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis program at NC State. She chose to pursue a Ph.D. after seeing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on student academic performance and socioemotional well-being. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Secondary History Education as well as a master’s degree in Reading and Literacy Education from East Carolina University. She spent five years teaching high school social studies, then went on to teach ELA and reading intervention at an alternative middle school for three years.

Callie Hammond is a doctoral student in the Literacy and English Language Arts program at NC State University. Prior to coming to NC State, she earned a Master of Education from the University of Virginia, and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania. She was a middle school English teacher for 9 years in a variety of school settings: public, charter, and independent. Her research interests are centered on gendered responses to literature in the classroom, critical literacy theory, feminist literary criticism, and the continued refinement of the literary canon.

Originally from Morocco and identifying as Amazigh, the Indigenous people of North Africa, Hakima Harris speaks five languages and has been immersed in diverse cultures throughout her life, which has given her a deep appreciation for the ways language shapes cultural understanding and human connection.

Her background includes work as a social worker and intercultural mediator in Spain, where she supported refugees and immigrants through ACCEM, a non-profit organization focused on social inclusion.

She currently serves as a Spanish Instructor at Wayne Community College, where she also chairs the Cultural and Global Education Committee. In addition to her teaching role, she is pursuing a Ph.D. in Teacher Education and Learning Sciences at NC State University.

With over seven years of experience teaching Spanish at both high school and college levels, she is deeply committed to supporting Spanish Heritage Learners. Her teaching practice and research are grounded in a strong dedication to equity and inclusion, and she is passionate about creating culturally responsive learning environments that honor our students’ linguistic diversity and affirm their identities.

DeVoshia Mason Martin is a Ph.D. candidate in the Teacher Education and Learning Sciences program at North Carolina State University. Additionally, she is a registered psychology associate, a NC-licensed K-12 Special Education (SPED) General Curriculum teacher, and a NC-licensed K-6 Elementary Education teacher with almost a decade of teaching experience. In the classroom, DeVoshia dedicated her career to being a SPEDucator in Title 1 elementary schools, primarily teaching culturally and linguistically diverse individuals with various abilities from economically disadvantaged underrepresented populations. As a psychology associate in the DMV area, DeVoshia evaluated and developed behavior plans for autistic teenagers and adults. DeVoshia’s research interests include: autism, belonging, advocacy programs for systemically marginalized families, as well as the intersection of racial disparities/disproportionalities in student disability diagnoses and socioeconomic status. She is also passionate about improving special education teacher training programs along with the recruitment and retention of special education teachers.

Tacey Miller is a doctoral student in the Teacher Education and Learning Sciences program with a concentration in elementary mathematics at NC State University. Her research interests include evaluation and creation of elementary math curriculum as well as support systems for beginning teacher retention. Miller also holds her Math Specialist and AIG Specialist add-ons to her teaching license. Prior to joining Pathway to Practice, Miller worked as a third grade teacher in Onslow County Schools for 9 years. During this time she served as a mentor to beginning teachers as well as was the University Liaison for student teacher placement through UNCW. While in the classroom, Miller coached many seasons of Girls on the Run as well as organized a student-led coffee stand (Bulldog Brews).

Mary Kathryn Oyaga is a first-year doctoral student in the Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis program at NC State University. Prior to starting the doctoral program and facilitator position with Pathway to Practice, MK served as a teacher and administrator in public schools in New York City and North Carolina for seven years. One of her favorite things about being an educator is coaching and supporting first-year teachers and watching their exponential growth. MK’s research interest is school integration and she hopes to study school diversity efforts in North Carolina such as Durham Public Schools’ 2024 Student Assignment Plan. MK lives in Durham and spends most of her time exploring the delicious food offerings, beautiful outdoor spots and eclectic art scene with her husband, son and pup.

Kerianne Peaden is a second-year doctoral student in the Teaching and Learning Sciences program at North Carolina State University, with a focus on Educational Equity. Her research explores the educational experiences of refugee and linguistically marginalized youth, particularly those dually identified as multilingual learners and receiving special education services. She is especially interested in how critical theory, trauma-informed practices, and inclusive curriculum design can promote equity, challenge deficit narratives, and strengthen family-school partnerships.

Kerianne began her teaching career abroad, teaching English as a Foreign Language to PreK–6th grade students in Spain. She went on to teach ESL in both Wake County and Johnston County Public Schools, and as an adjunct ESL instructor at Wake Tech Community College. She also has district-level leadership experience as an Elementary ESL Coordinating Teacher for Wake County Public Schools.
An alumna of Meredith College and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kerianne holds a B.A. in Spanish, an M.Ed. in ESL, and an M.S.A.

Outside of her academic and professional work, Kerianne enjoys beach trips, reading, and attending Burn Boot Camp. She lives in Wendell with her husband, Chad, and their four wonderful daughters.

Deandra Tart is a doctoral student in the Department of Teacher Education and Learning Science at NC State University. She has almost two decades in public education and has taught in numerous areas, including Special Education, English Language Arts, and Social Studies at the high school level. She received her master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from NC State in 2013 and is a licensed curriculum and instructional specialist. Being a teacher who began her career under a residency license, she understands the unique challenges of teachers in this program and is excited to be a part of their journey toward licensure. 

Julie Whetzel is a doctoral student in the Educational Leadership, Policy and Human Development program at NC State. Her research interests include school choice for students with disabilities and special education teacher retention. She has spent almost 20 years in N.C. public schools, serving as a special education teacher and administrator and as a consultant for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.