About the DEAC
The North Carolina Driver Education Advisory Committee (DEAC) advises and recommends to the State Board of Education how to implement the North Carolina Driver Education Strategic Plan and other issues related to driver education and traffic safety:
- Advises and confers on matters pertaining to the establishment of rules necessary to carry out the duties of the Driver Education Program and the implementation of the North Carolina Driver Education Strategic Plan.
- Reviews and updates guidelines for the operation of the Driver Education Program.
- Promotes the positive effects of the Graduated Driver Licensing Program.
- Fosters partnerships with the NC Division of Motor Vehicles including testing, instructor training, driving school regulations and related protocol.
- Provides a communication channel between driver education and stakeholders.
- Stimulates public awareness of driver education needs and contributions.
- Serves as an advocate of driver education.
- Influences driver education support through appropriate channels.
- Lends credibility to driver education programs.
DEAC Members
| Committee | Biography |
|---|---|
Sherri Vernelson, Section Chief Sensory Support and Assistive Technology Office of Exceptional Children North Carolina DPI | Sherri serves as the Section Chief of the Sensory Support and Assistive Technology Section with the Office of Exceptional Children at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Sherri has twenty-six years of experience in education with three years of private school experience, ten years of public-school experience, and thirteen years at the State level. She is also a fellow in the Education Policy Fellowship Program. Sherri earned an M.Ed., in Special Education, a B.S. in Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and an A.A. degree in Elementary Education. She holds a current NC teaching license in Deaf and Hard of Hearing (K-12) and Birth to Kindergarten. |
Kevin Harrison, Section Chief Transportation Services Section District Operations Division North Carolina Department of Public Instruction | Kevin serves as the Section Chief for the Transportation Services Section at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and has been part of the Department for 16 years. He provides extensive knowledge in school bus transportation, vehicle safety, transportation policy, funding, and school bus and student safety. |
Dr. Brandi Gill, Stakeholder Support Lead Office of Charter Schools North Carolina DPI | Dr. Gill currently serves as an Educational Consultant with the Office of Charter Schools at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. She has twenty-four years in education including being a principal within the Wake County School district. She has three children who successfully completed driver education and believes traffic safety is an essential partnership between instructors and parents to ensure safety for all on the road. She received her Doctoral of Student Educational Leadership and Administration from Fayetteville State University. |
| Committee Member | Biography |
|---|---|
Terry Fuller School Bus & Traffic Safety Unit North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles | Mr. Fuller has worked for the Department of Motor Vehicles for twenty years serving in the Driver License Unit as an examiner, compliance, and Chief Examiner. He has also served with School Bus and Traffic Safety as a Driver Education Program Specialist and currently serves as the Manager of the Unit. |
Daniel Carter, Safety Planning Engineer North Carolina Department of Transportation | Daniel is a Safety Project Engineer with the North Carolina Department of Transportation. He serves in the safety planning group where he uses safety analysis methods to inform NCDOT project priorities and alternatives. Prior to his role at NCDOT, Mr. Carter spent 15 years as a Highway Safety Researcher at the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center. During his years in research, he used his civil engineering background to address highway safety from the standpoint of infrastructure improvements. His research experience includes the areas of roadway and safety data, countermeasure evaluation, and pedestrian safety. Mr. Carter holds a master’s degree in civil engineering and is a registered Professional Engineer in North Carolina. |
Dr. Cheryl Leonard, Assistant Director (Chair) Governor’s Highway Safety Program North Carolina Department of Transportation | Dr. Leonard serves as Assistant Director of External Affairs working to reduce traffic deaths and injuries through the planning and execution of innovative traffic safety initiatives. She oversees state-wide programs which aim to eliminate preventable roadway deaths and injuries by supporting grants and safe driving initiatives, such as Click It or Ticket, BikeSafe NC, Booze It & Lose It, Watch For Me NC, Speed a Little Lose a Lot, Rural Roads Initiative and North Carolinas Vision Zero Initiative, Teen Dream Teams, to name a few. In her earlier career as a highway specialist, she served on state and national committees effecting policy changes for traffic concerns with the National Sheriff’s Association as well as state committees focusing on the older and teen driver. Dr. Leonard has over 30 plus years’ experience working in both local and state government agencies in the fields of emergency and public health services, transportation, and highway safety. Dr. Leonard holds a BA degree in Political Science with a concentration in Criminal Justice, Master of Public Administration in Personnel Administration, and a PhD in Public Policy and Administration. |
Tonya Faulkner, Regional Chief Examiner Driver Services/Driver License Unit North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles | Ms. Faulkner has been with the NC Division of Motor Vehicles since 2014. She has held the positions of Examiner, District Manager, Staff Development Coordinator, and now Chief Examiner of the Western District. She is graduate of Central Piedmont Community College and Queens University in Charlotte. She has a master’s degree from High Point University. |
| Committee Member | Biography |
|---|---|
Marcia Kelly, Director Regional Affairs | Marcia has been in the insurance industry for thirty years in both the private and public sectors and has been employed with the NC Department of Insurance for seventeen years. Before becoming the Director of Regional Affairs, she was the Coastal Southeast Regional Director. Prior to becoming the Regional Director, she was the Outreach Coordinator for the Seniors' Health Insurance Information Program at the Department of Insurance. As a Regional Director, Ms. Kelly educates the public on insurance and safety issues. Ms. Kelly has a BA degree in Communications and Public Relations from UNC-Wilmington. |
| Committee Member | Biography |
|---|---|
Bobby Dixon Director North Carolina Division of Non-Public Education | Bobby currently serves as the Director of Non-Public Education. Before joining the DOA, he served 25 years in public education, working in North Carolina schools from elementary to high school. During this time, he enjoyed serving in various capacities including testing coordinator, classroom teacher, assistant principal, compliance officer, and principal. Most recently, Bobby served as the founding principal of Chatham School of Science & Engineering, an early college high school in Chatham County. Bobby is a graduate of Fayetteville State University, where he earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees. He collaborates with the Department of Public Instruction to provide support in providing traffic safety education to all public and home school students. The Division of Non-Public Education issues driver eligibility certificates to all eligible Non-Public schools in the state. |
| Committee Member | Biography |
|---|---|
Lieutenant Kenley H. Russell Field Operations North Carolina State Highway Patrol Law Enforcement | Lieutenant Russell currently serves as the Assistant Director of Field Operations for the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. He has 24 years of experience with the State Highway Patrol. He serves as the State Highway Patrol liaison with the Governor’s Highway Safety Program, NCDOT, Institute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE), and NC Operation Lifesaver Board of Directors. Lieutenant Russell has worked with the North Carolina Traffic Safety Committee to promote various traffic safety initiatives. He has extensive experience in traffic safety and enforcement of private and commercial motor vehicle traffic to include conducting numerous Traffic Safety Presentations for local schools, civic organizations, and industry over his 24-year career. Lieutenant Russell has also held certifications through the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance in the safety inspection of CMV drivers and vehicles transporting passengers, bulk goods, and hazardous materials. Lieutenant Russell received his Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from East Carolina University and graduated from the 72nd Session of North Carolina State University’s Administrative Officers Management Program (A.O.M.P.). |
| Committee | Biography |
|---|---|
| Devin Tanner, North Carolina Driver & Traffic Safety Association (NCDTSEA) |
Devin currently serves as the NCDTSEA President, a professional traffic safety association which provides leadership and support to North Carolina teachers and education of traffic safety professionals.
He was a high school educator for twelve years teaching Driver Education, Physical Education/Health, and Earth Science. Currently, he is the Driver Education Coordinator for Wake County Schools which serves nearly 15,000 students annually. |
| Committee | Biography |
|---|---|
|
Chad Aharon, Driver Education Coordinator Alamance-Burlington Schools In-House Programs |
Chad currently serves as the Driver Education Coordinator for Alamance-Burlington Schools and taught social studies for 18 years until accepting his current position in July 2021. He also served for 10 years as a distance learning educator for North Carolina Virtual Public Schools. His commitment as a driver educator has been a rewarding career and he recently taught a second-generation student. Chad received his B.A. in Adolescence Education from the State University of New York College at Plattsburgh in 2003 and his M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction Technology from Grand Canyon University in 2006. |
|
Asim McGill, Director of Student Involvement Martin County Schools In-House Programs |
Asim currently serves as the Director of Family and Student Involvement for Martin County Schools. He is a twenty-one-year educator and has been certified to teach driver education for ten years. As a driver educator, he has taught several students who were the first member of their family to obtain a North Carolina driver license making a lifetime impact. Asim received his Bachelor of Science in Physical Education from North Carolina Central University in 2001 and his Master of School Administration from East Carolina University in 2010. |
| Committee Members | Biography |
|---|---|
Eddie Jordan, Owner Jordan Driving School of the Carolinas | Eddie is the owner and operator of Jordan Driving School of the Carolinas. He served as a high school teacher and school administrator for Craven County Schools for seven years before joining the Jordan Driving School Raleigh staff in 2000. After eight years of working with JDS Raleigh, he formed Jordan Driving School of Carolinas which is the current contractor for eight school districts in North Carolina. His company is committed to upholding the highest quality of standards which has enabled JDS Carolinas to effectively serve the driver education community in the public and private sectors of North Carolina. He is a member of the North Carolina Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association and the American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association. Eddie received his Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from East Carolina University in 1992 and his Master of Education in Administrative Education from Campbell University in 1997. |
Tony Moore Owner North Carolina Driving School | Tony Moore has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from Appalachian State University, and Master’s degree in Driver Education and Education Specialist degrees from East Carolina University. He has forty-five years of teaching experience in North Carolina with thirty-five years in Driver Education since 1992. Tony has served in leadership positions with Northeast North Carolina Driver and Traffic Safety Association, Professional Review Committee for the State Board of Education, Member of the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee, Southeast Region Driving School Association of the Americas, and the Task Force Chair to review Legislative changes for North Carolina Commercial Schools. |
| Committee Member | Biography |
|---|---|
Justin Owens UNC Highway Safety Research Center | Dr. Justin Owens is a senior behavioral research scientist specializing in vulnerable road user safety at the UNC Highway Safety Research Center. Dr. Owens has been studying VRU safety issues for over twenty years, including safety for pedestrians, seniors, and people with disabilities. He was a researcher for fifteen years at VTTI prior to joining HSRC, and earned his Doctorate in Cognitive Science from Brown University and his Master’s in Human Factors Psychology from Clemson University. |
| Committee Member | Biography |
|---|---|
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Kelly Hatcher, Executive Director Child Fatality Task Force |
Kella Hatcher, JD, has been the Executive Director of the North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force since 2015. In this role, she works on a range of policy issues that impact child health and safety, including issues related to motor vehicle safety. She has worked closely with experts and leaders in motor vehicle safety and currently serves on the Occupant Protection Task Force and the Impaired Driving Task Force for the Governor’s Highway Safety Program. Kella received her law degree from the University of North Carolina and her undergraduate degree in professional writing from Purdue University. |
| Committee Member | Biography |
|---|---|
| Ebone’ Baker, At-Large Director, Guilford County North Carolina Parent Teacher Association PTA Representative | Ebone’ has worked with the North Carolina Parent Teacher Association for five years, with a focus on the organization’s DEI efforts for the past 2 years before joining the Board of Directors. As a member of the Board, she works with the Education Committee on initiatives that enhance the educational opportunities for the children of North Carolina. She also serves as the Vice President of the Guilford County Council of PTAs. Ebone’ holds a degree in Computer Network Systems and is currently pursuing a B.S. in Computer Information Technology. She has over 15 years of experience in providing technology-based consulting services for small businesses and not-for-profit organizations. |
| Committee Member | Biography |
|---|---|
| Vacant |