Alumni Network Board

Meri Robinson, Vice President
'96 Early Childhood Education, '16 Ed.D. Education, Leadership, & Policy

Meri Robinson is an esteemed University of Maryland alumna, currently, she serves as the Supervisor of Digital Learning for Prince George's County Public Schools, where she passionately integrates cutting-edge technologies and innovative teaching methods to empower students and educators. With over twenty three years of experience, Meri has demonstrated her visionary leadership in supervising technology implementations across hundreds of Title I Schools. Her ability to navigate the dynamic landscape of educational technology, coupled with her relentless pursuit of excellence, has earned her national recognition. As an influential speaker and successful entrepreneur in team building and personal development, Meri's high-energy and engaging communication style motivates audiences to embrace the boundless potential of education. Moreover, as Vice President of the University of Maryland College of Education Alumni Network Board, she continues to contribute her visionary guidance and transformative insights to shape the future of education, making a lasting impact on the lives of students and educators alike.

Candice Lietzke, Treasurer/Membership Chair |
'98 Elementary Education

Candice has been serving as a first grade teacher at Kensington Parkwood Elementary School in Montgomery County Public Schools, MD since 1997. s a Nationally Board Certified Early Childhood Generalist and certified Reading Specialist, she strives to instill a love of literacy, and believes in the powers of hard work and reflection to grow.  She has been fortunate to serve in a number of roles outside of the classroom to support other educators, including as an instructor for National Board graduate courses, district literacy trainer, and advocate of new educators through New Educator Orientation, training, and mentoring.  Being a life-long learner, Candice is passionate about developing professionally, most notably earning The John F. Kennedy Center's Changing Education Through the Arts Award six times from 2010-2020.  In her leisure time, she loves to spend time with her husband and dogs, Liberty and Sunshine, read voraciously, and enjoy all things Lilly Pulitzer.

Patricia Myers, Secretary 
'65 Elementary Education

Pat began teaching 5th grade in Montgomery County Public Schools until she moved to Howard Community College, where she taught life and learning skills to at risk students. Recognizing the need for well trained volunteers at all levels in area schools, Pat developed and then taught interactive k-12 trainings in Junior Achievement's economics curriculums to business professional volunteers. Prior to retirement, Pat became volunteer trainer and manager at OASIS where she developed a training for retired seniors.  These 175 plus seniors worked with a k-6 student 1 hour a week at one of 35 schools in MC, PG, or DC. Pat is on the Board because she is passionate about having UMD Education Alumni stay connected to the University by offering professional and social opportunities.

Linda Pieplow, Past President 
'72 English Education, '78 M.A. Secondary Education

Linda is a recently retired teacher from the Howard County Public School System where she taught eighth grade English for 30 years and served in several leadership positions within the school community.  She is a National Board Certified Teacher and is the recipient of the Washington Post Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award in 2010. Linda has been a volunteer alumni leader for the College of Education Network for more than 15 years and has served on the university’s Alumni Board of Governors. Her family includes three generations of Terps, and she and her husband are Lifetime Members of the Alumni Association and the Terrapin Club.  Linda also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company in Baltimore.

Darryl Williams
'11 Ed.D. Education, Leadership, & Policy

Dr. Darryl Williams is a Professor of Practice in the School of Education and Urban Studies at Morgan State University. Previously, he served as Superintendent of Baltimore County Public School, MD from 2019 to 2023. He chooses to serve on the Alumni Network Board because it provide him an opportunity to continue to build a pipeline of educators and administrators in our local school systems. Dr. Williams sees himself as a "servant leader" who wants to provide opportunities to counsel our young people to become teachers, counselors , administrators and other educators. Dr. Williams is a member of the School Superintendent Association, Large Countywide and Suburban District Consortium, Public School Superintendents Association of Maryland, the National Alliance of Black School Educators, and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. His favorite passages as a school principal were "Failure is not an option" and "Together, we can." When Darryl is not working he is spending time with his wife of 30 years, Shellie and their three young children. 

Elizabeth Stuart Whitehead
'98 Art Education

Elizabeth 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, and her certificate in supervision and administration also from UMD.  She is currently seeking her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Maryland. Whitehead 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. 

Jacob Goldberg
'12 Secondary Education Social Studies

Jake serves as the Data Coach at Laurel High School in Prince George's County, MD and an Expert Reviewer for MSDE. Jake serves on the Alumni Network board because he feels like the College of Education always did a great job in supporting students and he wanted to pay in forward and make sure alumni see the value in supporting the next generation of educators. Jake currently serves as the chair of the Social Committee. 

Jaime Bowers
Educational Leadership 

Jaime 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 is also currently working to 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! 

Kristan Skendall
'12 Ph.D. Higher Education, Student Affairs, & International Education Policy

Dr. Kristan Cliente Skendall became the Chief Operating Officer of the Center for Expanding Leadership & Opportunity in 2023. Kristan brings with her 20 years of experience in the higher education sector. She most recently served as the Senor Program Manager at the Aspen Institute and as the Associate Director of the Gemstone Honors Program in the Honors College at the University of Maryland. Kristan’s research focus is primarily related to college student leadership and service-learning where she has published several articles and book chapters related to college student leadership, alternative spring break, multiple identity development, and new professionals needs. Kristan has taught graduate-level courses on research methods, leadership, and student development in addition to undergraduate leadership courses and Gemstone courses. In her free time, Kristan enjoys running, spending time with friends and family, and listening to audio books and podcasts.

Nicole Long 
'12 Ph.D. Counseling & Personnel Services

Dr. Nicole N. Long is the Assistant Vice President for Student Experience and Belonging in the Division of Student Life at the University of Delaware. She has nearly 20 years of diverse experience in student affairs administration (student diversity programs, fraternity and sorority advising, and student conduct administration), along with experience in institutional research and assessment units. While serving in administrative capacities, Dr. Long has maintained adjunct faculty appointments in education graduate programs and served as a reviewer for the Journal of College Student Development - Research in Brief. She is a professionally engaged leader in higher education, with current service as  a peer evaluator with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education accreditation body and advisory board member of the Council for the Advancement of Standards.  In 2017, ACPA-College Student Educators International named Dr. Long as an Annuit Coeptis Emerging Professional. 

Selvon Waldron 
'20 M.A. Urban Education Education

Selvon is currently the Executive Director of the National Capital Region Genesys Works, a non-profit organization that provides high school students with skills training, meaningful work experiences and connections to professional networks.  Selvon also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland, where he teaches Nonprofit Management and Social Innovation. He founded Mentor POST, a mentorship and charisma coaching program for educators and community activists. Selvon has a love for community resilience building through education and economic development. He has a tremendous passion for education equity and workforce development.

Tia Washington 
'03 Social Studies 

Tia is a Learning and Achievement Specialist for Montgomery County Public Schools, MD. In her 19-year career in MCPS, she also served as a middle school social studies teacher and Staff Development teacher. Tia is a passionate equity warrior and specializes in coaching school teams to disrupt systems of oppression to better serve their students and community. The leading motivation for Tia in working on the alumni board centers on professional learning and providing alumni with the knowledge and skills to serve their school communities, both K-12 and in higher education. In her spare time, Tia enjoys reading historical fiction, live music, and her dog Chili. She currently lives in Clarksburg, Maryland. 

Tiki Ayiku

'05 M.A. Higher Education, Student Affairs, & International Education Policy

Tiki is the Vice President for Program and Events for the United States Green Building Council. She previously served as the Assistant Vice President for Professional Development for the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA). Tiki was awarded the 2022 Alumni Volunteer of the Year Award for her dedication and inspiring service to the College of Education.