Dr. Jack Rhoton

Dr. Jack Rhoton,
Executive Director,
Center of Excellence in Mathematics and Science Education

        Dr. Jack Rhoton has dedicated nearly 20 years at East Tennessee State University, building a nationally recognized professional development program for science education, K -16. Prior to joining ETSU in 1987, Rhoton had 15 years of experience in public school settings in which he served as a high school science teacher and K -12 science supervisor.  Known for his creative approaches to investigating science education issues, his work focuses on the preparation of pre-service and in-service teachers of science and mathematics. His efforts have impacted university faculty members; K -12 teachers; and elementary, middle and high school students. He has received nearly six million dollars in grant funding to support math and science education in Northeast Tennessee. A prolific science education author, he has published five books and sixty journal articles, and he has made numerous presentations at the local, state, and national levels. Further, thousands of students have been positively affected as a result of his many endeavors.

        Rhoton has served as president of the National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA), Tennessee Academy of Science (TAS), and the Tennessee Science Teachers Association (TSTA). He has also served as program chair for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) area Conferences and as an NSTA board member, editor of a series of NSTA/NSELA publications, including the Science Educator Journal.

        He has received many honors, including the National Science Education Leadership Outstanding Science Education Leadership Award, National Science Teachers Association Distinguished Service Award, East Tennessee State University Distinguished Faculty Award, Tennessee Academy of Science Outstanding Science Teacher Award, and the Tennessee Science Teachers Association Distinguished Educator of the Year Award.

Dr. Aimee L. Govett

Dr. Aimee Govett
K-6 Science  Specialist

        Dr. Aimee Govett is an assistant professor of science education in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at East Tennessee State University, having earned an Ed.D. from West Virginia University.  Prior to coming to ETSU, she taught for five years at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas where she was appointed program director and advisor for the Professional Development Degree in Science and Education (PDDSE) an alternative teacher licensure program.  Her teaching experience includes elementary science methods, secondary science methods, cultural diversity, and various graduate courses such as physics for teachers, evolution & the nature of science, science curriculum & theory, and curriculum development.

        Dr. Govett now serves as the Faculty Senate Representative from the Clemmer College of Education (2006-2009), as a member of Faculty Senate Committee: Research, Creative, and Scholarly Activities (2006-2007), and as a Scientist Voting Member of the campus Institutional Review Board (IRB) Standing Committee (until August 15, 2008). Her responsibilities as a Mid-Atlantic Regional Representative for the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE) (2004-2008) and her position as Student Tennessee Education Association (STEA) advisor require commitments at the state, regional, and national levels.

        Her grant experience includes awards as a principal investigator on various  General Competition projects (TQI: Tennessee Higher Education Commission) and Eisenhower Professional Development Program Awards, and as a consultant and site coordinator and lead faculty on other outside funding (NSF, US Department of Education, and Eisenhower).

Mr. Alan Redmond

Mr. Alan Redmond,
Adjunct Faculty Member

         Mr. Alan Redmond is an adjunct faculty member with the Clemmer College of Education at East Tennessee State University. Previously he served thirty years with the Kingsport (Tennessee) City Schools as a science teacher, coach and administrator. He spent nine summers as co-director of the Kingsport City Schools Summer Science Challenge, a hands-on enrichment program.

     While with the Kingsport City Schools he also served three years on-loan to Eastman Chemical Company as a school liaison. At Eastman he helped establish the company’s Putting Children First program connecting industry with area schools. He organized and directed Eastman’s Science in the Summer enrichment program in conjunction with the Scott County (Virginia) Schools. The program ran for fourteen summers serving over two thousand youngsters and received the Gustav Ohaus Award for creative science programs from the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). He also designed the popular Eastman Discovery Lab at the Hands-On Regional Museum in Johnson City, Tennessee.

     Redmond is a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Secondary Science Teaching, the National Catalyst Award for Excellence in Chemistry Teaching, the Tennessee Academy of Science Outstanding Science Teachers Award and is listed in the first edition of Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers--nominated by former students. He has served on the board of directors of the Tennessee Science Teachers Association, the manuscript review panel for Science Scope magazine and the NSTA national laboratory safety committee.

      His Energyport Project which involved students in solving the energy problems of an imaginary city earned the STAR Award from NSTA. The project was published and presented at an international science educators’ conference. He has authored numerous science articles / grants and has conducted science teacher workshops in several states and Canada.

Mr. Brian Tate

Mr. Brian Tate
Math Education Specialist/ Adjunct Professor

   Mr. Brian Tate is a math education specialist and adjunct professor of math education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at East Tennessee State University.  Mr. Tate is currently completing the requirements for his Ph.D. in Mathematics Education from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.  Prior to arriving at ETSU, Brian taught high school mathematics for 10 years, serving eight years as Department Chair.  The last six years, he was promoted to administration serving as Assistant Principal in charge of curriculum, teacher evaluations and mentoring, technology, and data analysis.  Brian has also served the State of Tennessee as a grant evaluator and with a higher education curriculum advisory team. His teaching experience at ETSU includes: Early Childhood Mathematics Methods, Excellence in Mathematics, Mathematics Reasoning Block, and Elementary Mathematics Methods, all at the graduate and undergraduate levels.

     His grant experience includes two awards to establish different Advanced Placement courses(funded by the State of Tennessee), an award to implement a variety of on-line courses for implementation at the high school level (Funded by Virtual High School in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Education), and the Niswonger Credit Recovery Project for Hawkins County high schools.

Angela Haga
Executive Secretary

        Angela serves as the new Executive Secretary for the Center of Excellence in Mathematics and Science Education.  She was born in Richlands, Virginia, and she currently resides with her family in Bristol, TN.  Angela is a graduate of Honaker High School in Honaker, Va and brings many skills to her new position.  She has a wide array of work experience, including: administrative assistant, rental car manager, substitute teacher, finance specialist, customer associate, executive administrative assistant, and executive secretary.  Her hobbies include: crafting, interior decorating, reading, cooking, tennis, and scrap-booking.