Tech College of Education & Human Sciences faculty take on statewide leadership roles
From left: Tech College of Education & Human Sciences faculty members Holly Anthony,
Leslie Suters and Amber Spears.
Professors in Tennessee Tech University’s College of Education & Human Sciences are
not only teaching the more than 1,800 students currently enrolled in their courses
– many are also teaching and leading other educators throughout the state.
A half-dozen faculty members in the College of Education & Human Sciences’s Curriculum
and Instruction Department alone hold current or recent key statewide leadership posts
within various education-focused coalitions and organizations.
Among them is Holly Anthony, professor of mathematics education, who serves as president
of the Tennessee Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators. In this role, Anthony
leads the state chapter of the nation’s largest professional organization devoted
to the improvement of mathematics teacher education.
Likewise, Leslie Suters, professor of elementary education, is president of the Tennessee
Science Teachers Association. The nearly 50-year-old nonprofit is dedicated to promoting
the development and advancement of science education in Tennessee.
Amber Spears, associate professor of literacy methods at Tech, is also the 2023-2024
chair of the Literacy Association of Tennessee. The organization promotes a literate
society by bringing together stakeholders to share knowledge and resources about literacy
through programs and services.
The three faculty members have more than a half-century of service to Tech students
between them. Anthony arrived at the university in 2005 after a career that had included
teaching in Australia and South Africa. Suters came to Tech in 2004 after teaching
in Jefferson and Knox County schools. Spears is a three-time Tech alumna who began
teaching at the university in 2009.
Jeremy Wendt, chair of the Curriculum and Instruction Department at Tech, says the
number of faculty members ascending to leadership positions outside the university
points to Tech’s stature as a leader in training future educators.
“It is vital to have strong state leadership in the many content-specific education
fields across the state in every professional area of expertise,” said Wendt. “Tech’s
representation is a testament to our dedication to achieving these goals in the Upper
Cumberland and across the state.”
Wendt adds that Tech places no specific requirement for faculty members to seek out
these volunteer leadership roles. Instead, faculty who take on such tasks are driven
simply by a desire to serve.
“Our faculty have numerous classes, grants, advisees, research projects and other
service areas that they also successfully manage,” added Wendt. “The willingness to
serve in those roles shows an unwavering commitment to the education of the students
in the State of Tennessee and makes our department, and in turn the university, an
example for others to follow.”
Anthony, Suters, and Spears are not alone among Tech College of Education & Human
Sciences faculty in their statewide influence. Associate Professor Jennifer Meadows
is also the current vice president of the Tennessee Mathematics Teachers Association.
Meadows is the 2017 winner of Tech’s Award for Excellence in Creative Inquiry Instruction
and the 2019-2020 winner of Tech’s Scholar-Mentor Award. 
From left: Tech College of Education & Human Sciences faculty members Jennifer Meadows,
Amy Callender and Kelly Moore.
Among faculty members who recently completed leadership terms are Amy Callender and
Kelly Moore, assistant professor and senior lecturer within the Curriculum and Instruction
Department, respectively.
Callender is immediate past president of the Tennessee Council for Exceptional Children,
the leading voice for special and gifted education. Moore is past president of the
Tennessee Science Education Leaders Association, a professional organization supporting
science educators across the state.
Most recently, Tech’s Center for Career Development hosted a March 21 career fair
for students in the College of Education & Human Sciences. The event drew 65 employers,
including school districts as far west as Memphis and as far east as Hamblen County,
as well as some employers outside the state.
Wendt is not surprised. “Thanks to our faculty and devoted students, Tech’s College
of Education & Human Sciences is known state-wide for its quality graduates,” he concluded.
Learn more about Tech’s College of Education & Human Sciences at https://www.tntech.edu/education/.