It’s time to vote on a change to the bylaws and cast your ballot for the open seats on the NCSSS Board of Directors. Read below for more details and bios of the candidates.

The Board has recommended the following change to the Bylaws:

Individuals from corporate members may now be eligible for a seat on the Board. They are to be appointed for one-year terms by the President. The language occurs at the start of the Bylaws, in Title I, Section 1. Please review the changes in this document, which are noted in red.

The Board of Directors is presenting a slate of candidates to be elected by you. In an effort to give all candidates equal vetting and to continue to adhere to the Bylaws that require the Nominating Committee to present the slate of candidates for election to you, your Nominating Committee has reviewed applications and conducted interviews with all the nominees before making its recommendation to the Board for recommendation to you.

Below is the slate of candidates vetted by your Nominating Committee and recommended by the Board for election. When voting, you can approve the entire slate by checking the box at the top, or elect certain individuals by checking the line by only those names you choose to elect.  

Please vote by September 6, 2024!

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Dr. Comfort Akwaji-Anderson was the Cedar Rapids Community Schools District’s chief of schools. She collaborated across career levels and held various roles in the district. Her role included leading service delivery, driving effective change, and developing the leadership capacity of school principals.

Her leadership style is one of empowerment, with a pace of accountability. This strategy develops principal capacity by engaging the team in solution design, while aligning learning supports for agreed factors ving student success. Prior to Cedar Rapids, she served as the Principal and Chief Academic Officer at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy for 4 years.

She has over 26 years of experience across the education lifecycle, from preschool through college teaching and learning. In her current role, some of her essential duties include planning and facilitating administrative meetings for principals and responsible for the professional development, coaching, and evaluation of school-level administrators.

Dr. Akwaji-Anderson has performed many roles in NCSSS, including presenting at the NCSSS Professional Conference, Co-planning and leading the Leadership Summit, and previously leading the Equity and Inclusion Consortium Connects series. She currently serves on the National Consortium of Secondary STEM Schools (NCSSS) Board of Directors.

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The University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees appointed Corey Alderdice as Executive Director of the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts in 2012.  He is now the school’s longest-serving Director. Since joining ASMSA’s community of learning, Alderdice has worked to bring national prestige to the state’s only public residential high school for talented students while developing new programs in computer science, global learning, and the arts that underscore the unique opportunities available through the school’s “early college” experience.  During his tenure, Newsweek, The Daily Beast, The Washington Post, Niche, and the Jay Matthews Challenge Index have named ASMSA among the nation’s top 2 and “public elite” high schools.  Over the past decade, Alderdice has helmed a $35 million transformation of the school’s physical campus.

Alderdice has been recognized by the Bezos Family Foundation, Arkansas Business, the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA), Code.org, and Arkansas Money and Politics magazine for his leadership in education and civic engagement.  Director Alderdice serves on the boards of the National Consortium of Secondary STEM Schools as the 2023-24 President, Women’s Foundation of Arkansas as Secretary, Hot Springs-Hanamaki Sister City Foundation as Chair, Hot Springs Fifty for the Future as Chair, Arkansas Learning through the Arts, and Western Kentucky University Center for Gifted Studies.

He is married to Stephanie Patterson Alderdice, an accomplished communications coach and marketing professional. They have one son, Elliott, who is fourteen years old.

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Taylor Gibson has served as the Dean of Data Science and Interdisciplinary Initiatives at NCSSM since 2022. In this role he helps develop new data science and interdisciplinary coursework and collaborates with faculty from all departments to deliver these new opportunities to students across all of NCSSM’s campuses and programs.

Taylor has also served as the Executive Director of the Ryden Program in Innovation and Leadership in Artificial Intelligence since June 2023. Previously Taylor was a member of the mathematics faculty from 2013 to 2022, serving as the Dean of Mathematics from 2018 to 2022. In the Mathematics Department, he helped create new courses in cryptography and data science and piloted a new standards-based grading approach to assessment. Taylor holds a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in mathematics education from the University of Georgia.

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As the Executive Director for The Ingenuity Project, Lisette oversees the overall strategy and operations of an advanced math,
science, and research program for over 900 students in grades 6-12 in Baltimore City Public Schools. The Ingenuity Project, a nonprofit partnership with Baltimore City Public schools and leading research universities, such as Johns Hopkins University, Morgan State University, and University of Maryland Baltimore Count (UMBC). Operating in four host middle schools and one high school, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, graduates of the program have succeeded in our nation’s most selective colleges,
and many are pursuing leading careers in STEM fields. Prior to Lisette’s work with The Ingenuity Project, she served in leadership roles with Baltimore City Public Schools, McGraw Hill, and The New Teacher Project. She began her career as a classroom teacher in Baltimore City and holds a Bachelors Degree in Communication and Business and an Masters in Education, Curriculum Design and Instruction.

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William Perkins currently serves as Chief Mission and Impact Officer at Illinois Math and Science Academy (IMSA), in Aurora, IL. In this capacity, he leads efforts to ensure that outreach and initiatives align with the Academy’s mission through a lens of innovation, integrity, and accountability.

Prior to his tenure at IMSA, William served in senior leadership capacities at several academic institutions, with ten years at Saint Louis University, where he last served as Assistant VP of Enrollment and Retention for Diversity Engagements. In this role, he served in the Vice President’s cabinet to collaborate with executive leadership in delivery of the university’s mission, vision and strategy—specifically focused on underrepresented and underserved populations.

Throughout his career, William has championed the development and execution of transformative strategies that have significantly enhanced operational efficiency for multiple departments, facilitated exponential revenue growth for the university, and streamlined organizational processes that enabled strategic goals to be met. While spearheading the successful implementation of operational policies, it was his inclusive approach to managing diverse teams that produced exceptional results.

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Vikki L. Wismer is an educator with over 25 years of experience in STEM and gifted education. She holds a Master’s degree in Elementary Education from Loyola College, a Bachelor’s degree in Public Affairs from American University, and Montessori training from the Association Montessori Internationale. Ms. Wismer also has advanced certifications, including a Virginia Professional License in Administration/Supervision PreK-12 and Elementary Education PreK-6.

As Director of the New Horizons Governor’s School for Science & Technology since 2008, Ms. Wismer has demonstrated transformative leadership in STEM programs for high-ability students. Prior to this role, she was instrumental in establishing pilot high school programs for The Governor’s Academy for Innovation, Technology & Engineering. Her tenure as a principal drove significant improvements in student achievement.

Ms. Wismer’s approach fosters innovative educational environments that support the academic growth of all students. Her qualifications, successful track record, and commitment to excellence in STEM and gifted education make her a strong candidate for the NCSSS Board.

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Dr. Seung Yu has close to 25 years working in youth development in New York City and Washington, DC. He currently serves as the principal at Stuyvesant High School, the largest specialized high school in Manhattan. Dr. Yu also serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor for the Summer Principals Academy (SPA) at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Throughout his career in the New York City Department of Education, he has held both school and
district leadership roles serving as the Senior Executive Director, Office of Postsecondary Readiness. This included the portfolio of Career and Technical Education, College and Career Planning, and Computer Science Education to support NYC public schools in strengthening the postsecondary preparation and outcomes of more than 325,000 high school-aged students each year. Dr. Yu was the founding principal of the Academy for Software Engineering, a top CTE school and New York City’s flagship computer science high school. He has participated in several leadership and mentor programs, including the Cahn Fellowship for Distinguished Principals, NYC Chancellor’s Fellowship, the Advanced Leadership Institute (ALI), Wallace Leadership Fellows Mentor Principal, as well as Model Principal.

Prior to joining the NYC DOE, Dr. Yu was the Executive Director of the State Education Agency K-12 Service-Learning Network in Washington, D.C., where he led the federal advocacy of K-12 school-based service-learning.

Dr. Seung Yu holds a BA in English Literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an MA in the Teaching of English from Teachers College, Columbia University; an MS in Educational Leadership from Baruch College; and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, Administration and Policy from Fordham University.

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