Executive Director of Content and Development
Debra was recruited by Ronda Brandon, COO, after 28 years of teaching high school English in Oklahoma, “and it is because of her influence and leadership that I’ve stayed,” she says. “The impact that LTF training has had and continues to have on teachers and the lives of their students is highly significant, and I want to be a part of that.”
Debra particularly enjoys constructing training opportunities and events, especially since this gives her the opportunity to spread the word about LTF training – and ultimately offer its benefits to more and more teachers. She is most proud of her contributions to LTF materials development and helping to pioneer the summer institutes and one-day seminars LTF now offers. Debra hopes to see LTF continue its expansion so that teacher training and material development will be available to more teachers everywhere. She anticipates “an exciting and rewarding time as we use technology, along with the human connections we make everyday, to push forward into places where we are really needed.”
Regarding her own connection with the LTF mission, Debra says, “My optimism in the willingness of people to grow in their professions and my belief in the great potential of education to change the world is played out every day through the efforts of LTF trainers and writers. I know that the real work of educating young people occurs within the classroom under the guidance of individual teachers, and LTF training empowers those teachers to reach higher levels of success than ever before.”
Debra holds a BA in English, an MEd in English Education, and in Secondary Guidance and Counseling. Her experience includes ten years teaching AP Literature and AP Language and serving as a reader for the AP Literature Exam. Debra also taught freshman composition classes at community colleges in Oklahoma City before coming to LTF.