Alumni Network Board
Elizabeth Stuart Whitehead, Past President
'98 Art Education, '24 Ed.D. Educational Leadership
Dr. Stuart has served as the Visual Art Supervisor for Prince George's County Public Schools, MD since 2014. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in art education from UMD, a Master of Arts degree in education from the Maryland Institute College of Art, her certificate in supervision and administration from UMD and most recently her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Maryland. Dr. Stuart taught elementary art for nine years and was the content specialist for art, theater, and dance for Montgomery County Public Schools in Rockville, Maryland, for seven years. Elizabeth has co-authored two books—Using Art To Teach Reading Comprehension Strategies (Klein & Stuart, 2013), and Using Art to Teach Writing Traits (Klein & Whitehead, 2018). She loves to find ways for children to use art to deepen their understanding of other subjects and believes that all children can access the same level of understanding in different ways. Elizabeth lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, with her husband, Christopher, and her two children. Elizabeth currently serves as the chair for the Jump Start Your Job Search annual event.
Selvon Malcolm Waldron, Board President
'20 M.A. Minority and Urban Education
Dr. Selvon Malcolm Waldron is the Founder of Mentor POST, a mentorship and charisma coaching initiative that empowers educators, nonprofit leaders, and community advocates. He currently serves as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy, where he teaches courses in Nonprofit Management and Social Innovation. In addition, he serves as Senior Vice President & Executive Director of City Year DC.
Dr. Waldron previously served as the Executive Director of Genesys Works – National Capital Region, where he led a regional transformation that expanded workforce development opportunities for high school students through skills training, meaningful internships, professional certifications, and college coaching. He also led the nationally recognized art-education program - Life Pieces To Masterpieces - and was Director of Student Services at the Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School in Washington, DC.
A passionate advocate for education equity and community-rooted economic development, Dr. Waldron brings over fifteen years of executive leadership experience in nonprofits, education, and public policy. He earned his Doctorate in Education from the University of Pittsburgh, and his work has been recognized with numerous honors, including the Ron H. Brown Distinguished Leadership Award, the Amtrak/Monumental Pioneer Award, a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition, and the Capital One Community Heroes Award.
Jaime Bowers, Board Vice President
'24 Ed.D. Educational Leadership
Dr. Bowers is the Director of the Department of Testing, Research and Evaluation with Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) in Maryland. She has been as educator for over 23 years and has experience in several of Maryland's local school systems as well as the state department of education. Her insight and first hand knowledge of the school house as well as both state and local accountability and assessment has led to the successful implementation of both state and district assessment programs, which specifically focused on utilization of interim benchmarks summative measures in an assessment cycle to yield meaningful data and reporting to guide instructional decisions. She is currently serving as a board member for the Maryland Assessment Group, an organization that focuses on assessment and accountability information, policy and professional development opportunities for educators throughout the state of Maryland. She recently complete her Ed.D. from the University of Maryland in Educational Leadership, which will allow her to continue to share her passion and expertise in the ever changing educational landscape and fulfill her lifelong goal of officially becoming a TERP!
Bella Rosner , Board Secretary
'25 Psychology and Human Development
Bella graduated with a dual degree in Psychology and Human Development, with a minor in Nonprofit Management and Leadership. As a member of the inaugural Human Development Honors Cohort, she completed a thesis exploring relational reasoning in young children. She also earned her citation through the Public Leadership Scholars Program. During her time on campus, Bella held several leadership roles, including serving as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant in the Department of Psychology, Peer Advisor for the College of Education, and member of the Student Alumni Leadership Council. She was also a founding member and Treasurer of the Human Development Student Association. Bella interned with the UMD Alumni Association and later worked as the Program Assistant for the College of Education’s Office of Advancement. She is currently seeking opportunities to work as a researcher in a developmental psychology lab before applying to Ph.D. programs.
Jeanne T. Salvado, Treasurer
'96 M.Ed. Social Studies
Jeanne is a classroom teacher for Montgomery County Public Schools, MD. In her 28 years of teaching, 26 in MCPS, she also served as a Resource Teacher, Staff Development Curriculum Trainer with central office, AP Coordinator, and currently, classroom teacher. Prior to MCPS, she was a middle school teacher in Jacksonville, Florida. Jeanne is most interested in keeping student voice in large district decision making, and continues to not only keep the message alive in her own school but in the greater MCPS community. She is passionate about high expectations for both students and teachers, focusing on new teacher retention and support. Working across many schools in MCPS, as well as in central administrative offices, Jeanne continues to keep a focus to serve the students and the community as we move forward in adapting to new public education needs. The main interest for Jeanne in working with the alumni board is to engage, entice, and retain great students to become and continue to choose teaching as a profession. In her free time, Jeanne focuses on family, mainly her two boys as they move into the college realm. Jeanne enjoys reading, hiking, traveling, and cooking. She currently resides in Silver Spring, MD.
Jennifer Himmel
'23 Ph.D. Teaching, Learning, Policy & Leadership
Dr. Jennifer Himmel is an educational program and operations leader with 20+ years of experience driving improvements to learning and educational operations. She is currently the project director for the federally-funded https://ncela.ed.gov/ National Clearinghouse of English Language Acquisition. Her previous professional experience includes serving as a teacher educator at several universities in the metro region and at the Center for Applied Linguistics where she led the PreK-12 English Learner professional development business unit.
Dr. Himmel holds a PhD in teaching and learning, policy and leadership from the University of Maryland and her research interests include the promotion of peer interaction and dialogic approaches to content area literacy instruction to further the language and literacy development of multilingual learners.
Amanda Espina
'05 Art Education
Amanda Espina is entering her 20th year as a dedicated visual arts educator in Prince George’s County Public Schools. With experience teaching all levels PreK-12, she has built a dynamic career rooted in inclusive, student-centered teaching and was named PGCPS Teacher of the Year in 2016. Amanda is passionate about creating meaningful and engaging connections with her students, helping them discover their voice and recognize their potential as creative thinkers and change-makers. She believes deeply in the transformative power of both the arts and education—not only as tools for personal growth, but as catalysts for empowering families and strengthening communities.
Barbara Gill
'85 Sociology, '91 M.A. Education
Barbara Gill is a nationally recognized higher education leader with over 38 years of service at the University of Maryland, including a decade as Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management (2014–2024). In that role, she was responsible for three mission-critical offices—Undergraduate Admissions, Student Financial Aid, and the University Registrar. Barbara was the architect of the University of Maryland’s first enrollment management structure, creating an integrated and student-centered approach to recruiting, enrolling, and supporting undergraduate students from across the country and around the world. Under her leadership, the university significantly increased the academic talent and diversity of its incoming classes. Barbara is a champion for college affordability and access, Barbara assisted in the development of the Maryland Promise Program and Terrapin Commitment, the university’s most transformative need-based financial aid initiatives providing scholarship support to students from the lowest income backgrounds. Recently retired, Barbara’s career reflects a steadfast commitment to access, equity, and excellence in higher education.
Cherise J. Hunter
'01 Special Education, '02 M.Ed. Special Education, '11 Ph.D. Special Education
Dr. Cherise J. Hunter is a Senior Fellow at UMD's Center for Educational Innovation and Improvement (CEii) and adjunct faculty member for both the Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) in School System Leadership and the Special Education Program in the College of Education. Prior to working at UMD, Dr. Hunter was a school district Policy Manager and has expertise in school system policy management including setting the policy agenda, collaborating with the Board of Education, and engaging stakeholders in the policy development process. She also served for eight years as a Senior Research Analyst with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, where she managed a multi-million-dollar portfolio of policy research and evaluations. In 2007, Dr. Hunter was awarded a doctoral fellowship from the University of Maryland’s Institute for the Study of Exceptional Children and Youth. Before that, she was a Governor’s Fellow with the Maryland State Department of Education’s Division of Early Intervention and Special Education Services. Dr. Hunter is a three-time alumna having earned her Bachelors’, Masters’ and Doctorate degrees from the University of Maryland in Special Education and was also elected to the University Senate in 2023. She proudly began her career as a Special Education Transition Teacher and enjoys supporting educator leadership development in her current projects. Outside of work, Dr. Hunter focuses on making fun memories with her husband and their four children.