AACTE Announces New Hires McKee, Lucero

AACTE has hired two new senior directors in the Department of Policy and Programs. Linda S. McKee is the Association’s senior director for performance measurement and assessment policy, and Rodrick S. Lucero will be senior director for member engagement and support.

“We are delighted to welcome Linda and Rod to AACTE,” said Mark LaCelle-Peterson, AACTE vice president for policy and programs. “Each of them brings extensive experience in education, from public schools and higher education to work with associations. They’ll add to our ability to respond to the needs of our members in an immense way.”

McKee joined AACTE November 17. Prior to her appointment, she was director for member and state relations with the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). Before working at CAEP, McKee spent 10 years as director of the Teacher Preparation and Certification Program at Tulane University (LA), where she led work on state approval and national accreditation, strategic planning, development of courses and assessments and more. Her extensive experience ranges from curriculum design, reform initiatives and educational leadership work to policy development in Louisiana’s Department of Education. McKee also was president of the Louisiana Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and served 4 years as president and president-elect of Louisiana Learning Forward, formerly known as the National Staff Development Council.

Lucero will join AACTE January 5. He is currently associate professor and associate/interim director of the School of Teacher Education and Principal Preparation in the School of Education at Colorado State University. Lucero was a well-respected, award-winning high school teacher and high school administrator for 21 years before moving to the university, where he has spent the last 9 years. He understands that the effectiveness of instruction unfolds when relevance is coupled with pedagogical expertise and content mastery. It is at this complex intersection that Lucero has fused his passion for educational excellence and his vehement advocacy for the educational enterprise.

Please join AACTE in welcoming these new leaders to our staff!

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AACTE: The Premier Voice on Educator Preparation
The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education is a national alliance of educator preparation programs dedicated to high-quality, evidence-based preparation that assures educators are ready to teach all learners on Day 1. Its over 800 member institutions represent public and private colleges and universities in every state, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Guam. AACTE leads the field in advocacy and capacity building by promoting innovation and effective practices as critical to reforming educator preparation. For more information, visit aacte.org.

For more information, visit aacte.org.