Lunch with Lynn – The Holmes Program Today

The November Lunch with Lynn conversation will focus on AACTE’s Holmes Program, which supports the graduate work of ethnically and racially diverse students at member institutions. AACTE President & CEO Lynn M. Gangone will be joined by Lisa F. Huffman and Gina Anderson from Texas Woman’s University where the program has grown and expanded despite statewide efforts to hamper DEI efforts.  Weade James, AACTE’s VP of Advancement and Holmes Program alumna, will also join the conversation to provide an update on recent program successes and expanded opportunities for participants.

Lynn M. Gangone, Ed.D., CAE
President & CEO
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education

Lynn M. Gangone, Ed.D., CAE has served as AACTE’s president & CEO since 2017, her fourth higher education association leadership role. As president & CEO, Gangone works to elevate AACTE’s values: diversity, equity, and inclusion; quality and impact; inquiry and innovation. As an experienced campus senior administrator, lobbyist and policy analyst, association executive, and dean/faculty member, Gangone brings a unique perspective to her work. Her experience includes work at the New York State and New Jersey State Education Departments, Centenary University (NJ), Maryland Independent College and University Association, University of Denver, and American Council on Education. She has held faculty appointments at two Colleges of Education, George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development and at University of Denver’s Morgridge College of Education. Gangone received an Ed.D. and M.Ed. from Columbia University Teachers

Gina Anderson, Ed.D.
Associate Dean for Educator Preparation and Partnerships
Texas Woman’s University

Gina Anderson is the associate dean for educator preparation & partnerships in the College of Professional Education at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas. She has served educational settings for more than 30 years in several roles, including elementary and middle school teacher, student teacher supervisor, university professor, program coordinator, and department chair. In addition to her administrative duties, Anderson directs a mentoring program for students pursuing doctoral degrees for careers in higher education, leadership, research, policy, or advocacy. Anderson is a founding member of the Texas Coalition for Educator Preparation and widely participates in advocacy efforts at the state and national levels. She serves on many local and national governing or advisory boards, councils, and committees for organizations such as the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Associate and Assistant Deans and Directors of Texas Colleges of Education, Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation, and Rotary Club International.

Lisa Huffman, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Professional Education
Texas Woman’s University

Weade James, Ph.D.
Vice President, Organizational Advancement
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education

Weadé James, Ph.D., is vice president of organizational advancement at AACTE where she oversees development, strategic initiatives, and partnerships that deliver on AACTE’s priorities to advance educator preparation policy, practice, and research. With 15 years of experience in non-profit management, she has served in various leadership roles at education nonprofits focused on literacy, disability rights, special education, and family engagement, including serving as the former executive director for the federally mandated Parent Training and Information Center for the District of Columbia. James earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota, followed by a master’s degree in educational administration and policy from Howard University. She was the recipient of a personnel preparation grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs that afforded her the opportunity to earn her doctorate in Special Education and Disability Leadership at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she was a Holmes Scholar.