Our Board of Directors

Erin D. Benham
Northeastern Area Director

Erin D. Benham was reappointed to the Connecticut State Board of Education by Governor Ned Lamont in January 2023 and serves as the state board’s vice chair. She also chairs the board’s accountability and support committee, and is a member of the academic standards and assessment committee. In June 2020, Ms. Benham was appointed to […]

Rachel Bosovich
NCOSEA Representative

Fern Desjardins
Secretary-Treasurer

Fern Desjardins was nominated to the Maine State Board of Education by former Governor Paul LePage and was confirmed by the Maine Senate in April 2018 for a term of 5 years. She currently serves on the state board’s construction committee and sits on the Maine Charter School Commission. In the past, Desjardins has served […]

Matt W. Donaldson
Southern Area Director

Matt W. Donaldson was appointed as the Twelfth District Representative to the Georgia State Board of Education on January 12, 2021. Donaldson also serves on the board’s Budget Committee, Audit Committee, and State Schools Committee. Donaldson also serves on the Georgia Foundation for Public Education to represent the state board. For NASBE, Donaldson has served […]

Keven Ellis
Chair

Keven Ellis was elected to the Texas State Board of Education in November 2016 and reelected in 2020 and 2022. Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Ellis chair twice, where he served from 2019 to 2023. Ellis is a member of the board’s Committee on School Finance/Permanent School Fund, which oversees agenda items related to the Permanent School […]

Byron Ernest
Chair-elect

Dr. Byron Ernest was Indiana’s “Teacher of the Year” in 2010 and the 2011 Christopher Columbus Foundation Outstanding National Agriscience Teacher. Most recently, Ernest was named a scholar in residence by the C.S. Lewis Foundation and is spending time studying at The Kilns in Oxford, England. During this experience, he is also doing coursework at […]

McCall Flynn
NCSBEE Representative

McCall Flynn serves as executive director of the Montana Board of Public Education. Prior, Flynn served eight years under Governor Steve Bullock in numerous capacities, such as project manager, policy advisor to the Lieutenant Governor, and education policy advisor. Flynn has worked extensively with legislators and legislative staff, the Office of Public Instruction, members of […]

Matt Hymas
Western Area Director

Matt Hymas has served on the Utah State Board of Education since 2021 and was reelected in November 2024 for another four-year term. Hymas has chaired the Utah board’s Law & Licensing Committee since 2023. He also serves on the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice and is a member of the NASBE Governmental Affairs […]

Steven Isoye
Central Area Director

Dr. Steven Isoye was appointed as the Chair of the Illinois State Board of Education by Governor JB Pritzker in 2022. His term will expire in January 2027. Dr. Isoye is a retired educator having worked in Illinois high schools for 37 years—from science teacher to department chair, curriculum leader, principal, and superintendent. Most recently, […]

Sarah Moore
Immediate Past Chair

Sarah Moore was appointed to the Arkansas State Board of Education in 2018 by Governor Asa Hutchinson to represent Arkansas’ first congressional district. A resident of Stuttgart, Moore taught elementary school in the Stuttgart School District and then worked at the Office for Education Policy at the University of Arkansas. In addition, she has worked […]

Elizabeth Tegtmeier
New Member Representative

Elizabeth Tegtmeier was elected to the Nebraska State Board of Education in November of 2022 for a four-year term. In January 2024, she was elected by board president by her fellow board members. Tegtmeier has served as chair of her board’s Rules and Regulations committee which oversees policy and governance. She has also served on her […]