National Board of Directors

National Board of Directors

Our National Board of Directors provides comprehensive strategic oversight of KDP for members, finances, and overall organizational success. Board members represent the depth and breadth of our diverse community to ensure expertise and representation needed on behalf of members’ interest. The Board comprises 50% of three KDP Standing Committees, which operate to ensure sound executive, governance, and fiscal leadership.

Misty Hathcock, EdD

President

UNC Charlotte

Wadesboro, NC

Dr. Misty Hathcock is a fifth-generation educator from Wadesboro, North Carolina, and a five-time graduate from UNC Charlotte. She received her BA in Intermediate Education, MED in Instructional Systems Technology, MA in School Administration, CAS in Educational Leadership, and EdD in Educational Leadership with a concentration in Curriculum and Instruction. For 11 years, Misty was an elementary/middle grades teacher, administrator, and beginning teacher coordinator in Anson County Schools. In 1998, Dr. Hathcock followed her passion for working with beginning teachers and became a faculty member of UNC Charlotte’s College of Education as the first full-time Director of the NC Teaching Fellows Program. Hathcock, a Clinical Professor in the Reading and Elementary Education Department, serves as Regional Director for the NC New Teacher Support Program, Director of Alumni Engagement, and student teaching supervisor for the Cato College of Education. Dr. Hathcock serves on several university boards in leadership roles such as President of the UNC Charlotte Alumni Association Past Presidents Council; Counselor for KDP, Honor Society in Education; and Treasurer for Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. For her work and service to schools, Hathcock is the recipient of the Bonnie Cone Lifetime Achievement Award and Distinguished Alumnus Award from the UNC Charlotte Alumni Association, Southeast Counselor of the Year by KDP, and the Public Service Award from the Southwest Education Alliance.

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Elizabeth Elliott, PhD, CFLE

Immediate Past President

Florida Gulf Coast University

Bradenton, FL

Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) M. Elliott is Professor Emeritus in the College of Education at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), where she had been since 2001. In addition, she served as Director of Little Eagles Learning Center, an Educational Research Center for Child Development located on the campus of FGCU. Prior to university teaching, she was a teacher in public schools for almost 10 years in the Florida Keys. Dr. Elliott served as Board President of Kappa Delta Pi, Honor Society in Education from 2020–2022. She has worked with various court systems and attorneys as an expert witness in child custody, parent supervision, and childcare cases involving young children, many of which were pro bono. She is a Florida native; however, after receiving her PhD from the University of Tennessee, Dr. Elliott is a proud Vol for Life (VFL). She is also a proud graduate of the University of South Florida. Her research interests include leadership development, emergent literacy, and teacher preparation.

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Angela Goodloe, EdD

President-Elect

Education Leadership and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consultant

Hampton, VA

Dr. Angela Goodloe joined KDP in 2007 and remains committed to its mission, which inspires and equips new teachers to thrive in today’s diverse classrooms. Her journey as a classroom teacher has led her from the west to east coast of the United States to international settings in both Kenya and Spain. She has also served in educational leadership roles in the private and public sectors. She continues to review the education parity between recruitment and retention and published articles toward this goal. Her research pursuit promotes the integration of administration leadership, social justice and diversity. Dr. Goodloe earned a doctorate in Education Leadership from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She holds an Administration and Supervision K–12 license and a Division Superintendent license from the Virginia Department of Education. She has also earned a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University. She uses her credentials and skills to advocate for educators and to promote equity in schools and educational organizations.

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Matt Bova, CPA

Board Treasurer 

Verizon Communications

Sanford, FL

Matt is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with over 10 years’ experience as a finance and accounting professional, including time as Treasurer of a nonprofit in central Indiana. Currently, Matt is Associate Director of Accounting at Verizon Communications in their Controlling and Reporting Accounting group in Lake Mary, Florida. In this role, he is a leader of a team of accounting professionals responsible for consolidating, closing, and reporting for all of Verizon's companies. In his free time, Matt enjoys spending time making memories with his family.

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Jeremy Coleman, EdD

Director-at-Large

Brookview Elementary School

Noblesville, IN

Jeremy Coleman EdD, is Principal of Brookview Elementary School in Indianapolis, Indiana. Dr. Coleman has taught and led in public schools for nearly 20 years. He started his career of service as a youth mentor and has served as a correctional officer, coach, teacher, and administrator. He has consulted for private and public schools on a range of topics, including school climate and classroom culture, parent and community engagement, and school leadership. He has partnered with The National Organization of Black Chemist and Chemical Engineers (NoBBChe) to deliver cutting-edge STEM programming to students in elementary, middle, and high school. Dr. Coleman worked with the PassWord Community Mentoring program, The 100 Black Men of Indianapolis, Student Development Resources and Scholarships (SDRAS), and served as a guest lecturer at Marian University. He also worked as a professional development coach for Teach for America. He currently serves as a committee member for Keep Indiana Learning, where he is tasked with improving Indiana school leadership and school culture. Dr. Coleman earned his EdD in Building Administration from Ball State University.

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Nichelle Cook, Esq., MA

Director-at-Large

Morris Brown College

Atlanta, GA

Nichelle N. Cook is an educator, attorney, and multi-disciplinary expert at addressing inequities that affect the academic and professional success of individuals living with neurobehavioral challenges. Having been formally trained in the fields of education, law, and policy, coupled with years of experience in the field of public health, her diverse background allows for a unique blend of skills that lend themselves to innovatively crafting solutions that respect and honor neurodiverse populations. She often credits her deep passion for these issues to having personally battled undiagnosed I-ADHD for most of her life. Like 40–60% of individuals who share her diagnosis, anxiety has also been a constant. Empowered by her faith, she continues to persevere in hopes of inspiring and unlocking the potential of others who share similar plights. Nichelle is a proud graduate of Spelman College, where she received her BA in Political Science. She also holds a JD from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law and two MAs from Xavier University of Louisiana in Educational Leadership/Supervision and Curriculum and Instruction. Currently, she serves as a K–12 gifted/2e educator and undergraduate adjunct professor. She also studies Clinical Neuropsychology at Teachers College – Columbia University in efforts to expand her work on behalf of neurodiverse populations.

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Joi Patterson, PhD

Director-at-Large

Governors State University

Munster, IN

Dr. Joi Patterson has more than 25 years of experience in education, as a vice-president of academic affairs/chief operating officer, director, department chair, associate professor, licensing advisor, accreditation reviewer/liaison, college professor, superintendent, principal, middle school bilingual science teacher, online instructor, NCATE/CAEP liaison/reviewer, Director of Educator Preparation, and, currently Dr. Joi Patterson has been selected to serve as Governors State University’s new Chief Diversity Officer. In her new role, Dr. Patterson will report directly to the President and will serve as a member of the President’s Cabinet.

Dr. Patterson’s service and tenure in education is inspired by the need to improve the lives of others and their families through education. Dr. Patterson’s service and scholarly interests include teacher retention and teacher shortage in high-need teaching areas such as with science, persons of color, and the disenfranchised.

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Mitch Pletcher, CPA

Director-at-Large

Solomon Edwards Group, LLC

Mitch is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Senior Manager at SolomonEdwards, a leading professional services firm specializing in strategy execution. With over 12 years of combined experience in public accounting and industry, Mitch brings a wealth of expertise in financial reporting, budgeting, month-end close, internal controls, and technical accounting advisory.

A graduate of the Kelley School of Business with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Mitch is a licensed CPA in the State of Indiana. Beyond his professional endeavors, Mitch finds joy in activities like running, golfing, and spending quality time with his wife and two daughters.

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Jessica Martz, M.S.Ed 

Director-at-Large

Juniata Valley Junior Senior High School 

Alexandria, PA

Jessica Martz is a high school English teacher at Juniata Valley Junior Senior High School in Pennsylvania and has been a teacher for the past four years. She has been a member of KDP for the past seven years and is dedicated to their mission of supporting new and aspiring teachers. During her time in KDP, she has served as Vice President, Secretary, and Social Media Coordinator for the Alpha Epsilon Sigma chapter. As a teacher, Jessica is passionate about encouraging her students to develop a love of reading and learning. She received a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education from The Pennsylvania State University, a Master's degree in Teaching English Language Learners from Western Governor's University, and a Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Western Governor's University.