As a membership organization, NASBE is governed by a board of directors, which includes representation from each of NASBE’s four regions: Northeast, Southern, Central, and Western. New state board members and NASBE affiliates are also represented on NASBE’s board.
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 […]
Fern Desjardins
Chair
Dr. Fern Desjardins was appointed to the Maine State Board of Education in 2018 and is in her second 5-year term on the board. She serves as chair of the School Construction Committee and a member of the Legislative Action Committee. She served four years (2021-2025) as chair of the board and has served on […]
Matt W. Donaldson
Secretary-Treasurer
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 […]
Alan Dunklow
NCOSEA Representative
Alan Dunklow is principal counsel for the Maryland State Department of Education.
Byron Ernest
Immediate Past Chair
Dr. Byron Ernest was the 2010 Indiana “Teacher of the Year” and 2011 Christopher Columbus Foundation Outstanding National Agriscience Teacher. As a globally recognized speaker and facilitator, Byron founded Leadery Global to offer custom tailored speaking and consultative packages for clients in education and other industries all around the world. Through his professional service firm, he […]
Mary Fertakis
Western Area Director
Mary Fertakis, M.Ed. serves as the Chair of the Washington State Board of Education (SBE). Her SBE service includes chairing the Legislative Committee, serving on the Equity Committee, and representing the Board on two state-wide groups – the Social-Emotional Learning Advisory Council and the K-12 Funding Equity Work Group. She is the CEO of M […]
Matt Hymas
Chair-elect
Matt Hymas serves as chair of the Utah State Board of Education. He has served on the board since 2021 and was reelected in November 2024 for another four-year term. He previously chaired the board’s Law and Licensing Committee from 2023 to 2025. An educator since 2008, Hymas has worked as a mathematics teacher, coach, […]
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, […]
Michele Marinucci
New Member Representative
Michele Marinucci is a member of the Delaware State Board of Education, appointed in March 2026 by Governor Matt Meyer.
Randy Spaulding
NCSBEE Representative
Randy Spaulding serves as board chair of the National Council of State Boards of Education Executives (NCSBEE), an affiliate of NASBE, and is an ex officio member of NASBE’s board. He has served as the executive director for the Washington State Board of Education since 2018. Spaulding has worked in education policy in Washington for […]
Lu S. Young
Southern Area Director
Lu S. Young, Ed.D., is a clinical professor in the Department of Educational Leadership Studies at the University of Kentucky College of Education. She also serves as chief leadership officer for the UK Center for Next Generation Leadership. Dr. Young is a former public-school superintendent with more than three decades of service in Kentucky’s P–12 […]
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