Committee Volunteers

Local Representative, Conference Committee

Denise Snow

My Story

Denise is a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) in career and technical education (CTE), licensed to teach Computer Science, Graphic Design, Web Design, Animation, and Photography with more than 15 years of classroom experience enhanced with 20 plus years of experience in the digital multimedia design field. She is a project facilitator at the Nevada Learning Academy (NVLA) in the Clark County School District. She is committed to continual growth and professional development with a deep passion for lifelong learning and technology.

Admin/Coaches Subcommittee Member, Conference Committee

Elissa Hozore

My Story

Elissa Hozore is the computer science specialist at the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). In that role she advocates for and supports PK–12 computer science education throughout Maryland. She works collaboratively with others at MSDE, with the Maryland Center for Computing Education, and with other local, state, and national organizations to support school districts and teachers in providing computer science opportunities for all students.

Awards Committee Member

Eric Shewmaker

My CSTA Story

Eric Shewmaker is a member of the Awards Committee

Local Representative, Conference Committee

Fran Bromley-Norwood

My Story

Fran Bromley-Norwood is a Computer Science and Cybersecurity administrator in the Clark County School District, Nevada. She has the privilege of sharing her knowledge of computer science and cybersecurity with students, teachers, administrators, and industry professionals. Fran’s overall goal is to encourage and prepare educators and students to be career ready for industry positions. Fran is a member of the Nevada State K-12 Computer Science Standards writing team and a standards development member for the CTE Computer Science and Cybersecurity programs of study. She is also a member of the assessment teams for all of those content areas. Fran’s dedication to education has earned her the College Board AP Computer Science Principles Female Diversity Award, and NCWIT Aspirations Educator Award. Fran was also an inaugural member of the CSTA Chapter Leaders Committee and founding member of the Nevada Silver State CSTA chapter.

CSHS Committee Member

Eileen Malick

My CSTA Story

Founding member of the CSTA CSHS since October 2022.

My Story

Computer Science Instructor at CodeRVA Regional High School teaching all levels of Computer Science for over 2.5 decades. Supervisor and co-instructor of Student CS Teachers at the University of Mary Washington.

Awards Committee Member

Esmeralda Tovar

My CSTA Story

Esmeralda Tovar is a member of the Awards Committee

Middle School Subcommittee, Conference Committee

Glenda Guerrero

My Story

Dr. Glenda Guerrero has dedicated herself to lifelong learning for almost 30 years, focusing on helping students achieve success in the fields of computer science and engineering. With her expertise in grade-level content, Dr. Guerrero employs inquiry, observation, and evaluation as the basis for assessing and improving student learning in a manner that is appropriate for their age and language needs. While her initial interest in this field was sparked by her experience as the daughter of immigrants, her passion for justice and empathy towards individuals with developmental disabilities have compelled her to serve a wide range of students. As a first-generation Latina in S.T.E.M., Dr. Guerrero has fulfilled her mission by mentoring groups that are often underrepresented in terms of race, gender, and ability. She has encouraged self-exploration and empowered innovative approaches to learning, which have helped to support the academic achievements of students who have traditionally been marginalized.

Awards Committee Member

Ian MacIntyre

My CSTA Story

Ian has taught at the middle school level in Sugar Land, TX for about 20 years. During this time, he has been active in the CSTA Greater Houston chapter and the CSTA Awards Committee. He is a passionate advocate for programs that promote equity and creativity in the field of technology, building thriving Girls Who Code and Technovation programs in the Houston area.

My Story

When not in school, Ian can be found either on or in the water with his family. The pool, the beach, and the coastal marsh are their happy places, and many memories have been made kayaking and fishing the Texas coast!

Professional Development Committee Chair

James Koontz

My CSTA Story

James first came across the CSTA through the K-12 CS Standards as he was working to build a K-6 CS curriculum in Fairfax County, Virginia. With a passion for quality CS professional development, he joined the CSTA Professional Development Committee, eventually becoming a co-chair, and now serving as chair emeritus.

My Story

After working with the U.S. Army, NSA, and a variety of defense contractors, James became interested in making a difference through education. He became an elementary school teacher, sharing his love of computer science through after school clubs before founding a STEAM Lab for students in K-6. He currently works as an educational technology coach in Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia.

Teacher Standards Committee Chair

Janice Mak

My CSTA Story

Janice was inspired to be a part of CSTA initially through her local CSTA AZ chapter where she was surrounded by like-minded and passionate CS educators who cared about bringing CS to students in equitable and inclusive ways. To this end, she has served as president of CSTA AZ and on the board of CSTA.

My Story

As a former CS teacher, instructional coach, administrator, state board of education member, and now researcher, Janice brings a unique lens to her work of advocating for more equitable systems to support students toward full participation in CS education. She has been honored to be a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, NCWIT K-12 Educator, ISTE Making IT Happen, and NSF CAREER award recipient.

Professional Development Committee Chair; Teacher Standards Committee Member

Jared O’Leary

My CSTA Story

The last semester of my coursework for my PhD in music education I audited a class on coding music apps with a graphical programming language called Max. While taking the class I kept asking myself: When is this music? When is this coding? And when are the two indistinguishable? I explored these questions in K-8 coding and makerspace classes that focused on arts-based coding and interest-driven learning through Scratch, ScratchJr, Ruby, JavaScript, Code.org, and Swift. I eventually left the classroom to develop elementary computer science curricula and professional development used by hundreds of thousands of students and thousands of teachers around the world. I now create free content for gamers, drummers, and computer science educators at www.JaredOLeary.com, such as the #CSK8 Podcast, a podcast for computer science educators.

My Story

I am a multiplicity who creates free content for gamers, drummers, and computer science educators at www.JaredOLeary.com, such as the #CSK8 Podcast, a podcast for computer science educators.

Professional Development Committee Member

Jennifer Albert

My CSTA Story

Jennifer Albert is a member of the Professional Development Committee

Teacher Standards Committee Chair

Jennifer Rosato

My CSTA Story

I first joined CSTA when I started working with K12 teachers as part of a CS4HS grant project. The CSTA community holds the best interests of students and teachers at its core and is aligned to my personal values of wanting to see all students have engaging CS learning opportunities where they feel like they belong. I was a co-founder of the CSTA-MN chapter and part of the leadership team for several years until joining the CSTA Board of Directors.

My Story

Jennifer Rosato is the director of the Northern Lights Collaborative for Computing Education at the University of Minnesota, leading efforts to create more inclusive computing education opportunities. She has been supporting educators in K-12 and higher education in efforts to broaden participation in computing for over 20 years. She is passionate about collaborating with partners across systems and stakeholders to increase equity. She has led multiple grants and projects that provide curriculum and professional development for teachers and districts, is a CSforAll-MN steering committee member working on educational policy in Minnesota, and previously served as chair of the CSTA Board of Directors.

Awards Committee Member; Policy Committee Member

Jeremy Maker

My CSTA Story

Jeremy Maker is a member of the Policy and Awards Committee

High School Subcommittee Member, Conference Committee

Jessica Yauney

My Story

Jessica Yauney has a Master’s degree in Technology and Engineering Education from Brigham Young University and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Applied Math, and Education from Berkeley. She is a former Computer Science high school teacher and a current full-time software development engineer in Provo, UT. She continues to do research with local K-12 schools to study and improve computer science education.

Equity Strand Lead, Conference Committee

Jigar Patel

My Story

Jigar Patel is the Coordinator for Innovation & Special Projects for Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11 (TIU11), a regional education service center in rural central Pennsylvania. Jigar is Vice-President of CSTA Susquehanna Valley Chapter and CSTA Equity Fellow. Jigar is a Raspberry Pi Certified Educator who has been leading professional development using Raspberry Pi across the commonwealth for over seven years. Jigar supports TIU11’s Spark Lab, a makerspace for educators and learners from K-12. Jigar was named the 2021 Pennsylvania Association for Education and Communications and Technology (PAECT) Outstanding Leader of the Year for providing innovative solutions to remove barriers in distance education and provide equitable learning opportunities to all. Jigar is also part of the 2022 Pennsylvania STEM Ambassador Program. Jigar is passionate about providing equitable learning opportunities to those in rural areas who don’t have the same level of access to resources and opportunities.

Editorial Board Member

Joyce Seaman

My CSTA Story

Joyce joined CSTA in 2019 and has enjoyed being a part of this group of educators. The innovation and enthusiasm in the CSTA organization is an incredible source of inspiration. In 2022, Joyce began volunteering by being a part of the Cutler-Bell Award selection committee, the CS Teaching Excellence Awards selection committee, and the CSTA conference proposal selection committee. She is looking forward to other opportunities to volunteer within the organization.

My Story

Prior to volunteering with CSTA, Joyce has had over 26 years of experience in education. Starting as an art teacher, and then moving into teaching technology, Joyce has been mentoring teachers and pre-service teachers on how to integrate technology in their classrooms from the PK-College level for more than 20 years. Her favorite part about coaching others is seeing the moment when teachers see how the use of technology can enhance activities in their classrooms, and then watching students light up when they experience the activities. She loves to integrate robotics into the curriculum, and is a Certified Ozobot Educator. Joyce has also won grants from the NSA for the Gencyber program which brought cybersecurity summer camps to Winthrop University two years in a row for both teachers and middle/high school students. She partnered with the Citadel to bring Code.org training to Winthrop University for a programming summer camp for local teachers. In her free time, Joyce loves traveling with her husband and 4 teenage children.

Awards Committee Member

Juan Marquez

My CSTA Story

Juan is a teacher that enjoys using all available tools for success. He discovered how technology can give voice and ownership to students’ learning, but soon, he felt lonely. No many teachers like to try new things, even less technology. When he heard about a group of teachers that help each other for CS learning, teaching and implementing it in the classroom, he didn’t hesitate from joining. This has been 6 years and he is now an active CSTA member.

My Story

Juan is a passionate teacher who strongly believe in the Power of Yet and growth mindset. He lives by these believes inside an outside the classroom. Origanlly from Mexico, Juan came to the US and became a bilingual teacher. He has taught in Title I schools with major focus on ESLs. “One thing I really enjoy from teaching school year is witnessing the whole transformation that students go through. Watching them how things were at the beginning and then at the end of the year is so rewarding.”

Local Representative, Conference Committee

Kelly McFall

My Story

Kelly spent her first 20 years teaching math and computer science at Las Vegas Academy of the Arts, a performing arts magnet school in Downtown Las Vegas. In the spring of 2022, I decided to embark on a new challenge by accepting a computer science teaching position at Global Community High School in Las Vegas, NV, a high school for newcomers to the United States. She is always looking for ways to best meet the educational and emotional needs of her students, including learning technological vocabulary in Spanish and several other languages. Kelly is grateful to be serving as a Local/Regional Member of the CSTA 2024 Conference Committee.

Equity Subcommittee Member, Conference Committee; Awards Committee Member

Kingsley Onyekachi Okpeh

My CSTA Story

Kingsley joined CSTA in 2015 and has since enriched his knowledge of computer science education. With a background in computer science education and technology, his passion for this field has driven him to become a prominent CSTA/CS Equity Advocate for the Computer Science Teachers Association, where he champions diversity and inclusion. He considers himself fortunate to be a part of CSTA’s mission and is inspired every day by the dedication of CSTA members, both inside and outside the classroom, to support computer science teachers and their students. Kingsley has also volunteered in numerous CSTA programs, actively promoting equitable access to computer science education. His commitment to breaking down barriers and ensuring that students and educators enjoy equitable access to the world of technology remains unwavering. Kingsley continues to make significant contributions to the tech industry while fostering collaboration among CS educators and reaching underserved populations.

My Story

Kingsley’s journey spans business growth and passionate advocacy for computer science education. He’s dedicated to underserved communities, actively promotes computer science education, and fosters tech camaraderie. He has led growth initiatives that break boundaries and redefine success. His remarkable ability to innovate and adapt has been instrumental in expanding markets and propelling organizations to greater heights. He collaborates actively with non-profit organizations, utilizing his skills and network to drive meaningful change and uplift communities. His journey stands as a testament to his passion for collaboration and knowledge-sharing.He is resolutely devoted to bridging the realms of technology, education, and business. Kingsley harnesses the power of digital platforms to craft impactful marketing campaigns, thereby expanding brand reach and influence in the digital age. All the while, he serves as a dedicated CSTA volunteer and advocate, poised to contribute tirelessly to the growth of computer education.