Staff
Jennifer Stevens
President & CEO
Jennifer Stevens, a native of southern Virginia, began her career in education in 1995, first serving as a public school teacher and then moving on to lead grant-funded education projects for Longwood University, Virginia Tech, and NASA Langley Research Center. In 2007, she held a lead role on the team of educators and community leaders that secured a $13.2 million grant from the National Math and Science Initiative to create Virginia Ed Strategies and went on to become one of the organization’s first staff members.
Now, as the President and CEO, Jennifer serves as Principal Investigator for CHOICE, a $10.8m Education Innovation and Research (EIR) project, and the Rural Math Innovation Network (RMIN), an Investing in Innovation (i3) project – both funded by the US Department of Education, and leads the Ed Strategies team in accomplishing its mission of assisting Virginia’s businesses and schools in preparing our future workforce.
Jennifer is certified by The Ohio State University as a DACUM facilitator and has used her training to conduct numerous job analysis sessions for the purpose of creating new training and degree programs at community colleges and universities for high-demand career fields such as unmanned aerial systems and cybersecurity. Jennifer is also co-author on the National Career Development Association’s School Career Development Advisor training curriculum, and she has presented at numerous state and national conferences on topics such as motivating students to learn and succeed in math, supporting teachers in a virtual networked improvement community, the importance of math in high-demand technician careers, and the need for early and dedicated career planning for students.
Jennifer lives in Virginia Beach with her husband, John, who is a proposal manager for Hitachi Energy. They are the proud parents of 5 sons – Jared, Noah, Caleb, Isaac, and Levi – who range in age from 25 to 9.
Amanda Adams
Director of Policy, Planning & Innovation
Amanda has just over a decade of experience in education, with most of her time spent working in low-performing schools with student populations facing barriers to educational achievement. A first-generation college student herself, Amanda launched her career in education while serving as an AmeriCorps college advisor in Pittsylvania County. Serving two high schools, Amanda assisted underrepresented and underserved students with navigating the challenges of pursuing post-secondary college and career options. She would continue this work years later while serving as a college advisor to the Charlottesville Boys and Girls Club.
Amanda also served as a testing coordinator in Bedford County, working to streamline comprehensive testing and diagnostic results in order to better align instruction to student needs. Amanda was also able to formalize a data input and tracking method to ensure IEP and 504 students received all necessary testing accommodations in real-time. She left Bedford to work as an instructional specialist for adult education in Fairfax County, enabling her to train educators and assist adult students in their pursuit of high school completion.
In addition to her work in education, Amanda served as an Executive Director of a Bedford nonprofit focused on building revitalization, business recruitment, economic development, and stimulating long-term growth and investment in the region. Her roles in education and the nonprofit world have given her opportunities to secure grant funding, present at professional conferences, and work with municipal and state leaders.
Amanda has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the University of Virginia. She currently lives in Front Royal with her husband Mickey, a high school social studies teacher for Prince William County, and their son Grover. They also have two furbabies, Cali the cat and Major the boxer.
Sandy Wilborn
Director of Operations & Programs
Sandy Wilborn has been in the field of education since 2006. She began her career as a mathematics teacher with Halifax County Public Schools in Southside Virginia. She taught at both the middle and high school levels and taught dual enrollment courses through a local community college.
Sandy joined Virginia Ed Strategies in 2013 and serves as the Director of Programs. She is the lead facilitator for the Rural Math Innovation Network (RMIN), an Investing in Innovation (i3) project funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Prior to RMIN, Sandy was a math specialist for the Rural Math Excel Partnership (RMEP) from 2013-2017, for which she was responsible for creating and implementing teacher professional development, assisting with the planning and conducting of Family Math Nights in schools, and providing ongoing teacher support.
Sandy is a certified trainer of the National Math and Science Initiative’s Laying the Foundation Program. She is a co-author on “The Math Learning Gap: Preparing STEM Technicians for the New Rural Economy” which is published in The Rural Educator. She has presented at numerous state and national conferences on topics such as motivating students to learn and succeed in math, supporting teachers in a virtual networked improvement community, and the importance of math in high-demand technician careers.
Sandy lives in Alton with her husband, Chris, who is a superintendent with Duke Energy. They have two daughters, Sydney and Lacey.
Alicia Belcher
Instructional Specialist
Alicia is a Southwest Virginia native who began her career in the non-profit sector and spent fifteen years serving domestic violence victims, the homeless population, and at-risk youth. In 2013, Alicia returned to college as a non-traditional student, going from high school diploma to Ph.D. in six years.
Alicia has an Associates in Pre-Teacher Education, a Bachelors in Liberal Arts and Sciences with a concentration in Mathematics, a Masters in Mathematics Education, and a Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in Curriculum and Instruction. Alicia is licensed to teach Pre-K – 6th, Special Education K-12, and High School Mathematics and has spent several years working in the public school setting.
Alicia was most recently awarded Outstanding Woman Scholar of the Year by the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, Outstanding Alumni of the Year by Mountain Empire Community College, and Dissertation Poster of the Year by Northcentral University.
Alicia’s passions lie in innovation and education. It is her goal to guide teachers in increasing their instructional effectiveness and as a result, improving outcomes for students across the Commonwealth.
Alicia lives in Saint Paul, Virginia with her husband, Russell, who is a teacher and aspiring Speech-Language Pathologist, their three sons, Brandon, Brady, and Dylan, and their two dogs, Stewie and Gus.
Stephanie Keister
Research and Development Specialist
Stephanie Keister began her career in education 15 years ago as a children’s librarian where she created educational programs for children of all ages. Stephanie then moved to working in academic libraries where she designed and evaluated information literacy programs for undergraduate and graduate students.
Stephanie furthered her experience in program evaluation when she served as the assessment coordinator at Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave, Virginia. In this position, Stephanie worked with faculty and administrators to design annual assessment plans to track program improvements. She also was responsible for submitting institutional reports to state and federal agencies. In addition to her program evaluation and assessment experience, Stephanie has held adjunct faculty teaching positions and is passionate about the role she can play in helping first-year college students transition to higher education.
Stephanie received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of California, Davis and a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Studies from Florida State University. Stephanie is currently pursuing a Ed.D in Higher Education Administration from the University of Southern Mississippi. She has completed coursework in educational research and is currently researching how to improve survey response rates in first-year college students.
Stephanie lives in Harrisonburg, Virginia with her husband, Eric, and their children. She has a dog, Hunter, and a cat named Bluebell.
Megan Ferrell
Program Support Specialist
Megan has been in the field of education since 2009. She began her career as an elementary school teacher with Halifax County Public Schools in Southside Virginia where she taught various grade levels. In 2014, Megan was given the prestigious honor of being awarded Teacher of the Year for both her school and the Halifax County Public School division. She also served as a Lead Teacher for several years where she raised funds for students and teachers. During her time as Lead Teacher, she led several trainings for co-workers that included professional development and student information systems.
As a 2008 graduate of Longwood University, Megan completed her B.S. in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Elementary Education. Megan has actively retained her teaching certification in grades PK through 6. Aside from her active role as an educator, Megan enjoys being an engaged member of her church through children’s activities and serves as a board member of the church’s WEE school.
Megan lives in Alton with her husband, Jason, who is the Division Director of Parks Maintenance with the City of Danville. They have two sons, Graham and Sawyer.
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