PROJECT STAFF
Skip Fennell is a mathematics educator and has experience as a classroom teacher, a principal, and supervisor of instruction. He is Professor Emeritus at McDaniel College, serves as the Director of the ems&tl Project, and is a Past President of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM).
Widely published in professional journals and textbooks related to elementary and middle-grade math education, Dr. Fennell has also authored chapters in yearbooks and resource books published by NCTM. He has played key leadership roles for the Research Council for Mathematics Learning, the Mathematical Sciences Education Board, the National Science Foundation, the MD Mathematics Commission, the US National Commission for Mathematics Instruction, and AMTE. Dr. Fennell also served on the National Mathematics Advisory Panel, chairing the Conceptual Knowledge and Skills Task Group. Fennell has received numerous honors and awards, including: MD's Outstanding Math Educator (1990), McDaniel College's Professor of the Year (1997), the Glenn Gilbert National Leadership Award from the NCSM, the CASE-Carnegie Foundation Professor of the Year - MD (1997), the AMTE Distinguished Outstanding Teacher Educator Award for Excellence in Service (2010), and the NCTM (MET) Lifetime Achievement Award (2012). He has also been the principal investigator on grants from the NSF, the USDOE, the MD Higher Ed Commission, and the ExxonMobil Foundation. He earned his bachelor's degree from Lock Haven University of PA and a master's from Bloomsburg University of PA before receiving a Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Fennell and his wife reside in Westminster, MD and have 3 children and 9 grandchildren. |
Jonathan (Jon) Wray is the Coordindator for Secondary Mathematics Curricular Programs in the Howard County Public School System. He served a 3-year term as an elected member of the National Council of Teacher's of Mathematics (NCTM) Board of Directors (2012-2015). Jon is a past president of the Association of Maryland Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMMTE) and the Maryland Council of Teachers of Mathematics (MCTM). In 2002, Mr. Wray was selected as the MCTM Outstanding Teacher Mentor, and was selected as his district's Outstanding Technology Leader in Education by the Maryland Society for Educational Technology (MSET) in 2004.
During his term on NCTM's Board he served on the Emerging Issues, Membership, and Executive committees. He has also served on the NCTM editorial panels of the peer-reviewed journals, Teaching Children Mathematics (TCM) and ON-Math. Jon is a contributing author of Elementary and Middle School Mathematics, Teaching Developmentally (6th-9th editions) by the late John A. Van de Walle, Karen Karp and Jennifer Bay-Williams. Wray is also a co-author of Common Core Mathematics in a PLC at Work, K-2 and 3-5 and Mathematics Coaching: Resources and Tools for Coaches and Leaders, K-12. Mr. Wray has also served as a primary and intermediate grades classroom teacher, gifted/talented resource teacher, elementary mathematics resource teacher, curriculum and assessment developer, grant project manager, adjunct instructor, and educational consultant. Jon earned his bachelor's degree from Towson University (MD), a master's degree from Johns Hopkins University. Jon and his wife have 4 children and reside in Marriottsville, MD. |
Beth Kobett is a mathematics educator and has experience as a classroom teacher, elementary mathematics resource teacher, adjunct professor, university supervisor and educational consultant. She is currently an Associate Professor at Stevenson University and serves as the Lead Consultant for the Elementary Mathematics Specialists & Teacher Leaders (ems&tl) Project.
Dr. Kobett conducts professional development with elementary and middle school staff throughout the region. She is a president of the Association of Maryland Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMMTE). Kobett is also a co-author of Common Core Mathematics in a PLC at Work, K-2 and 3-5, Mathematics Coaching: Resources and Tools for Coaches and Leaders, K-12, and Putting Essential Understanding into Practice: Addition and Subtraction. Beth Kobett has received MD's Outstanding Educator Award (1995), the Johns Hopkins University Excellence in Teaching Award (1997), and the Stevenson University Rose Dawson Excellence in Teaching Award (2000, 2013). She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and master's and doctorate degrees from Johns Hopkins University. Beth and her husband have 2 daughters and reside in Eldersburg, MD. |
Assistant Professor of Education Barbara Swartz is a Ph.D. recipient in mathematics education from the University of Virginia. Dr. Swartz graduated Magna cum Laude from Lehigh University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, having also completed minors in Economics and Spanish. Her Master of Arts in Secondary Education – Mathematics was also received at Lehigh.
Dr. Swartz has published manuscripts in the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology Journal, and presented at the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) annual conferences. Dr. Swartz is responsible for mathematics and mathematics education courses for preservice elementary and secondary teachers of mathematics at McDaniel College. She serves as the project evaluator of the ems&tl Project. Barb, her husband, and son reside in Westminster, MD. |
