The purpose of the K-12 Advisory Council, established in 2018, is to provide expertise and advice on QM K-12 expansion and initiatives in support of QM’s strategic objectives. The K-12 Advisory Council members are well-respected and experienced educators who understand issues, challenges, and needs of working within the K-12 domain, within the QM community and beyond.
Council Members
Dr. Shane Dennison graduated with a BA in Secondary Education (Comprehensive Social Studies) from the University of Findlay. Next, while teaching high school in Cleveland, OH he attained a MA in Education (Curriculum & 1-8 Education) from the University of Findlay. He then earned a MA in History from Cleveland State University. Finally, Shane earned a Ph.D. in Education (Specialization: Education Technology Management) from Northcentral University.
He started with Edmentum, Inc. in 2004. Shane was an “Education Consultant” with the company his first 8 years. In 2012, he took on the role of “National Assessment Consultant”. In 2013 he began his current role as “State Programs Manager”. Prior to working with Edmentum, Shane was a full-time high school teacher in Cleveland, Ohio for the previous 8 years as well as an adjunct professor at Cleveland State University.
Shane is responsible for consistent communications with each DOE director(s) within each state that oversee their individual states course and virtual academy approval processes. He also works closely with the Curriculum, Product, and Edmentum’s EdOptions Academy team members for quality assurance purposes surrounding new courses and custom courses that need to be created to adhere to both individual state and NSQ expectations/standards.
Carly is Vice President of Product Development & Innovation at Harris Digital Learning and lives in Pittsburgh, PA. A former math teacher and virtual learning educator, she’s passionate about helping schools and teachers use technology to create meaningful learning experiences. She is a proud QM K-12 Master Reviewer and participated on the K-12 Rubric, Sixth Edition Committee.
Clay leads the Curriculum Team, comprised of 20+ subject matter experts, curriculum coordinators, instructional designers, and learning object designers, in the development of online courses for VirtualSC, a program of the South Carolina Department of Education serving K-12 students across the state. He is a Project Management Professional (PMP) with 30 years of experience in online education, including K-12 curriculum development, HE accreditation, and executive leadership.
Clay regularly leads review teams for Quality Matters as a certified K-12 Master Reviewer and teaches the Master Reviewer Certification (MRC) course. He co-chaired the QM K-12 sixth edition rubric review committee and has served on the QMConnect program committee. His presentations at the annual QMConnect conferences include “Yoga as a Metaphor for Instructional Design,” “The Instructional Designer as Project Manager,” and “The Power of a Checklist.” Clay received the 2019 Director’s Award for Exceptional Service to Quality Matters.
Jessica Hooper is the Virtual Education Program Consultant for the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE). She holds a Bachelor's Degree from York University and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Grand Canyon University. Her 21 years as a classroom teacher included membership in various leadership teams, service as Department Chair, and participation in the Center for Educational Leadership at the University of Washington. Jessica has comprehensive expertise in teaching and designing virtual education courses and was instrumental in establishing a virtual education program in one of her former roles. Additionally, she has provided support for PLCs, data analysis, curriculum alignment, and assessment development. In her role at the WDE, Jessica is committed to ongoing innovation and improvement of the state's virtual education program.
Barbara has a Bachelor's in Business Management and a Master's in Curriculum and Instruction. Before coming to Katy ISD in 2013, she worked as a classroom teacher for 14 years in College Station ISD. Currently, Barbara is the Coordinator for the Katy Virtual School, where she oversees the development and management of Katy ISD's online courses. Additional duties include serving as the district’s Quality Matters Coordinator and Canvas administrator. She is a Quality Matters certified K-12 Master Reviewer. Barbara has also served on both the National Standards for Quality Online Programs revision committee and the QM K-12 fifth edition rubric review committee.
As the Lead Course Design & Development Specialist for Virtual Arkansas, a state virtual school, Paula McDougald supports the management of course design and development projects by assisting teachers with the creation, implementation, and revision of online courses. In addition to her experience designing and developing courses in a variety of subject areas, she taught high school mathematics in a brick-and-mortar classroom before teaching online for over 12 years. Paula has served as a Master Reviewer, Peer Reviewer, Course Representative, and QM Coordinator for a variety of QM reviews. Paula holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and a Master’s degree in Instructional Technology, with an emphasis in Media Design and Development. Outside of the office, she is a wife of over 20 years, a mom to two teenagers, a lover of all things creative, a reader, and an active part of local women’s ministry.
Dr. Jason Neiffer is the Executive Director of Montana Digital Academy, Montana’s state virtual school. For over 25 years, Jason has pursued innovative ways to combine technology and pedagogy to make learning engaging and meaningful for students of all ages. His professional interests include distance learning, media literacy, digital productivity, artificial intelligence, social studies, and humanities education. His first work in educational technology was in 1984 when he set up all of the Apple IIe computers at Roosevelt Elementary School as a rambunctious 4th grader. He has been chasing the thrill of Lemonade Stand and Oregon Trail ever since!
Dr. Allison Powell is the Director of the Digital Learning Collaborative (DLC), a membership organization that works to illuminate key issues in digital learning, disseminate data and best practices, and guide practitioners, policymakers, the media, advocates, and interested observers. She is the former Senior Learning Strategist for BloomBoard where she assisted states and districts in re-thinking professional development and licensing. She is the former Vice President for New Learning Models of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) which provides expertise and leadership in K-12 Blended, Online, and Competency-based Learning. Allison taught in face-to-face, online, and blended K-8 environments. She helped build the Clark County School District's Virtual High School and an online professional development program for the Nevada school district. She has served as a board member for several organizations and universities. She completed her doctorate from Pepperdine University in educational technology and leadership.
Dr. Meghan Roe is the Assistant Director of Operations at Launch, a K–12 virtual program operated by Springfield Public Schools in Missouri. Launch serves nearly 400 school districts across Missouri, as well as full-time students who have the option to enroll directly in the program. In her role, Meghan oversees the release schedule of new and revised virtual courses and collaborates with administrators, teachers, and instructional designers to create high-quality, engaging content for students.
Kirsten Wilson, M.Ed. is State Coordinator of Digital Learning with the DESE- Research and Technology Unit. Before that she was Director of Curriculum & Instruction for Virtual Arkansas, the Arkansas state virtual school. She has been immersed in online learning for a little over three years. 19 years of her career was in brick & mortar; experience spanning K-12. During that time she coordinated with a team that wrote 94% of the Virtual Arkansas course content providing rigorous, relevant online courses to over 250 public schools across Arkansas. Additionally, she was a strategic part of the Virtual Arkansas Organization being recognized by Quality Matters with the Making a Difference for Student Award: Outstanding Impact by a K-12 Organization or Individual. Kirsten now works with the Digital Learning Unit (also known as Team Digital) to support districts and educators leverage and purposefully utilize technology for student learning through a variety of strategies and models. She has designed an Instructional Model and Evaluation System that incorporates the elements of the Quality Matters Rubric and the National Standards for Quality (NSQ) for Online Teaching. Kirsten, outside of her work with the State Digital Learning Unit, is the wife of 27 years to Eric, and mother to Emmarie (18) and Kirstopher (16), along with being fur-mama to three dogs and four cats.
