ESDB Advisory Council
Each ESDB school has its own advisory council that reports to the State Board of Education per SBE policy ADVS 007.
Each Advisory Council:
- Meets regularly to advise the State Board of Education regarding all aspects of school operations (day and boarding programs), including timelines, standards, and criteria, and other matters as designated by the State Board of Education
- Reviews and makes recommendations to the State Board of Education regarding development policies, personnel matters, student life and conduct, curriculum, finances, and other matters as designated by the State Board of Education
| Name | Role | Background |
|---|---|---|
| Robert Sidney Boyette Jr. | Individual from the county in which the school is located | Retired Assistant Director of the Div. of State Historic Sites, Archives and History, NC Dept. of Cultural Resources; Currently on the Wilson Board of Commissioners |
| Gary W. Farmer, Vice-Chair | Member representing a local school district | Retired teacher: Retired Dean of Students; Currently on the Wilson County School Board |
| Vacant | Individual from special education | |
| Ken Jones | Member at- large |
Former Chairman of the Wilson Chamber of Commerce; Former Chair of the Wilson Community College Board of Trustees; Past Director of Wilson Community College Foundation Board; Past Member of the Barton College Board of Trustees |
| Hal Wayne Wright, Chair | Individual from the deaf community | Retired Teacher and Principal of ENCSD |
| Name | Role | Background |
|---|---|---|
| Rachel Martinez, Chair | Member representing a local school district | Teacher of Visually Impaired: Spanish K-12 |
| Traci Wilkerson | Individual from the county in which the school is located | Braillist, Equal Eyes Vision Services |
| Donna Permar | Individual from special education | Staff Assistant for Medical Intensive Care Unit at Duke Medical Center |
| Ed Summers | Individual from the blind community | Senior Manager, Accessibility and Applied Assistive Technology at SAS Institute, Inc. |
| Annette Vinding | Member at-large | Teacher of Visually Impaired: 35 years of service to students with visual impairments from birth to age 21 and their families. |
| Name | Role | Background |
|---|---|---|
| Nancy Nation | Member representing a local school district |
Retired Special Education Teacher and Administrator, Cleveland County Schools;National Board Certified Teacher; Master of Arts in Education, Adaptive Curriculum; Currently serves as a Program Compliance Specialist with Cleveland County Schools |
| Tonia Stephenson, Vice-Chair | Individual from the county in which the school is located | President & CEO of the Burke County Chamber of Commerce, Certified Chamber of Commerce Designation, Graduate of OIM and High Point University, Former Director Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club of High Point |
| Georganne Crowe, B.S. | Member at Large |
Curator NCSD Historic Rusmisell Museum; Retired NCSD Librarian/Media Coordinator; B.S. in Library Science, Gallaudet University; NCSD Alumna Class of 1963 |
| Barbara Palmento | Individual from the deaf community | Retired NCSD English Teacher; B.A. Gallaudet University; MA California State University; Past President, NCSD Foundation, Inc.; Alder Springs Living Community Foundation Board |
| Deborah Kendall | Individual from Special Education | Retired Special Education Teacher and Administrator from Elementary and High School; Retired Director of BCPS Exceptional Children's Dept; Master of Arts in Special Education and School Administration |