James D. Spaniolo, J.D..
Chairman of the Board
Higher Education Advisor to the Governor at State of Michigan

James D. Spaniolo served almost a decade as the seventh president of the University of Texas at Arlington, retiring in 2013. During his presidency, enrollment increased by 34% to more than 33,800 total, annual research expenditures more than tripled to $71.4 million, and private giving more than tripled to over $20 million annually. President Spaniolo initiated and completed more than $400 million in campus construction, including a major engineering research complex and a 20-acre mixed-use development, the centerpiece of which is a 7,000-seat College Park Center.

Mr. Spaniolo’s career has encompassed leadership roles as a communications lawyer and executive, senior officer of a national philanthropic foundation, as well as a dean and university president. Most recently, he served as the President and CEO of the North Texas Commission, a public/private, non-partisan partnership of businesses, municipalities and higher education institutions, which promotes and advocates for the vitality of the North Texas Region, including 13 counties and 7.4 million residents.

Mr. Spaniolo earned his undergraduate degree in political science from Michigan State University, his law degree from The University of Michigan Law School, and a master’s degree in public administration from The University of Michigan Institute of Public Policy Studies (now the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy).

Rod Paige, Ed.D.
Former U.S. Secretary of Education

Dr. Rod Paige earned his B.S. from Jackson State University and his M.A. and Ed.D. from Indiana University. During his tenure as U.S. Secretary of Education, Dr. Paige was a stalwart supporter of improving the way that students learn on all levels and setting standards of achievement. Dr. Paige made history by becoming the first school superintendent to be named Secretary of Education. While serving as superintendent of the Houston Independent School District, the seventh largest school district in the U.S., he was honored as National Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators. Dr. Paige served for a decade as dean of the College of Education at Texas Southern University (TSU) in Houston, Texas, where he worked to ensure that future educators receive the training and expertise necessary to succeed in the classroom. He also established the University’s Center for Excellence in Urban Education, a research facility that concentrates on issues related to instruction and management in urban school systems. Dr. Paige speaks frequently to educators across the country and emphasizes, “Civilizations rise and fall depending on the quality of education.”

Deborah Jewell-Sherman, Ed.D.
Harvard Graduate School of Education

Dr. Deborah Jewell-Sherman, Harvard University Graduate School of Education, co-directed Harvard’s Urban Superintendent Program and now guides students in the University’s Doctor of Education Leadership program. Prior to joining Harvard, Dr. Jewell-Sherman worked with the Richmond, Virginia, public schools, serving as Superintendent from 2002-2008. Under her leadership the Richmond Public Schools became recognized nationally as a “Flagship” district. Previously, she served as an elementary school principal and taught English, mathematics, and computer science. Dr. Jewell-Sherman has both an Ed.D. and an M.A. from Harvard, both in Administration, Planning and Social Policy, an M.A. from Kean College in Educational Administration, and a B.S. from New York University in Elementary Education.

Don McAdams, Ph.D.
Vice Chairman
Chairman and Founder, Center for the Reform of School Systems

Dr. McAdams founded the Center for Reform of School Systems (CRSS), a not-for-profit Texas corporation, which provides governance training and advisory services for urban school boards. He is a nationally recognized authority on school district governance and is a frequent speaker and widely published author on school reform in America. Dr. McAdams served for 12 years as a member of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) Board of Education, serving twice as board president.

Teachers College Press published his first book, Fighting to Save Our Urban Schools... and Winning! Lessons from Houston in 2000 and his second book, What School Boards Can Do: Reform Governance for Urban Schools in January 2006. His latest book, co-authored by Dan Katzir, The Redesign of Urban School Districts: Case Studies in Urban School Governance, 1990-2011, was published by Harvard University Press in 2013.

Dr. McAdams earned his B.A. from Columbia Union College in Maryland and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Duke University. Dr. McAdams has been a research professor at the University of Houston; President of McAdams, Faillace & Associates, Inc; Executive Vice President of the American Productivity and Quality Center; and President of the Texas Independent College Fund. From 1975-1984, he was President of Southwestern Adventist College. Earlier, he was associate professor of history and acting chairman of the Department of History at Andrews University.

Shawntel Landry, M.B.A., Ed.D.
President

Dr. Shawntel Landry joined American College of Education in 2009, becoming interim president in 2013 and president in 2017. An advocate for student-first approaches to scalable operations and programming, Landry developed the college’s first yearly Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) report, led the college through development of a new mission, vision, and strategic plan, began programming in other disciplines, and guided the college to become the first company in Indiana that is both a Certified B-Corp and a Benefit Corporation.

During her tenure, she has reorganized all departments for operational efficiency, growing the staff and faculty while increasing operating margins and revenue per employee. Currently, American College of Education has five state-level non-profit partnerships, one national non-profit partnership, and just under 800 school district or charter school partnerships, reaching and impacting over 1 million educators in high need areas of the country. Under her leadership, American College of Education has reached its highest historical enrollment and won national and state awards for workplace flexibility and employee satisfaction, while running a 200+ organization with employees that span 34 states.

Prior to her current role, Landry worked for the college in program development and coordination, curriculum and assessment, and institutional effectiveness and assessment capacities as a senior vice president, along with assistant/associate provost levels. In these roles, Landry concentrated in growing high-quality programs and multiple degree levels, which resulted in program inventory growth over 400% and state pass rates in licensure programs meeting or exceeding state averages.

Landry has worked in K-12 classrooms and K-8 curriculum development, later working as a curriculum writer, editor, and director for Voyager Learning. In that capacity, Landry drove new scalable and technologically enhanced processes which drove efficiencies and cost-savings while enhancing curriculum products. She has worked directly with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on research about national and international mathematics standards and the impact to U.S. test scores while she was working at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.

Shawntel holds a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and a Master of Education in Gifted Education with a minor in Instructional Technology from University of Louisiana-Lafayette. In addition, she holds a Master of Business Administration and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Texas Christian University. She has completed post-graduate coursework at Southern Methodist University and University of Connecticut along with executive leadership professional development at Harvard University and The Wharton School. She has lifetime teaching certifications in elementary education and gifted education in both Louisiana and Texas.

Bryce Peterson, M.S., C.P.A.
Chief Financial Officer

Bryce H. Peterson joined American College of Education in June of 2018, as Chief Financial Officer responsible for ACE’s finance and compliance strategies and operations.

Prior to joining ACE, Peterson was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Universal Technical Institute (NYSE: UTI) responsible for UTI’s finance, IT and compliance strategies and operations. While at UTI, Peterson led the successful early adoption of ASC 606 (Revenue from Contracts with Customers); architected and implemented the company’s Financial Improvement Plan; implemented multiple, industry-leading technology solutions that significantly reduced operating costs; streamlined compliance operations and improved compliance metrics; and was recognized by Microsoft and the Phoenix Business Journal as a leader in technology innovation. Before joining UTI, Peterson was a Manager at KPMG, LLP, where he served international clients in multiple industries.

Peterson is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the State of Arizona and received a Master’s Degree in Information Systems Management and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Brigham Young University. Peterson is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and has published multiple articles on accounting, compliance, and technology innovation in the Journal of Accountancy, The Internal Auditor, and Books 24x7. Peterson currently serves on an advisory board at Brigham Young University and previously served on advisory boards at Pearson Education and Arizona’s Children Association. Peterson speaks Thai fluently and is actively involved in community service and faith-based initiatives.

Stephanie Hinshaw, M.B.A.
Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs

Stephanie Hinshaw is the senior vice president of academic affairs. In her current role, she oversees all the functions of the academic activities for the college, including academic departments, curriculum production services, student-facing publications, the library, and state licensing approvals.

As an advocate for student-first approaches and processes, Hinshaw’s ethos revolves around monitoring and converting student feedback into actionable changes and eliminating barriers to continuing education.

Hinshaw has worked in the higher education sector for 18 years and joined American College of Education in 2014, where she ascended the ranks, serving as senior director of registration and student services, senior director of student operations, and assistant provost and vice president of student operations. Previously, Hinshaw worked as the director of admissions operations for Orbis Education, where she spearheaded admissions efforts for their accelerated online nursing programs and co-led the development of a centralized nursing admissions model.

Before that, she served as an instructor, director of admissions, corporate director of admissions and marketing, and vice president of admissions for Medtech College, where she grew the college to 12 campuses during her tenure. Hinshaw also served as the high school marketing specialist and assistant director for high school marketing for Harrison College, and as an adjunct faculty member at Axia College, a division of the University of Phoenix.

She received her M.B.A. in marketing from Butler University and a bachelor’s in journalism and public relations from Indiana University. Hinshaw attended Harvard Graduate School of Education’s 2017 Women in Education Leadership conference, a program designed to help senior-level administrators shore up their leadership skills to advance education initiatives. Building on that interactive program, Hinshaw is pursuing a doctorate in interdisciplinary leadership at Creighton University.

KK Byland, M.S., SPHR
Vice President, Human Resources and B Corp Benefits Officer

KK Byland is the vice president of human resources and B Corp benefits officer. With a people-first mindset, Byland has set the tone for the college’s organizational culture, leading the development and implementation of paid parental leave, tuition assistance and remote working. She ensures ACE is compliant with employment legislation and refines processes to nurture employee engagement and growth as part of her leadership of the human resources office.

Byland successfully led ACE through the B Corp certification process, which evaluates companies based on their social and environmental impact. ACE was the first Benefit Corporation and certified B Corp in the state of Indiana. As part of that designation, Byland has led multiple service initiatives and cemented nonprofit partnerships with School Tools, Treasures 4 Teachers, Kids in Need, Kappa Delta Pi, A Gift for Teaching, World Vision and Teachers’ Treasures to reach students in need. She also serves on the board of directors for Teachers’ Treasures, helping set direction for the organization through strategic planning and budgeting.

She received her master’s degree in human resources management and services from Indiana Wesleyan University and her bachelor’s degree in elementary education and teaching from Ball State University. Byland also took part in Harvard Graduate School of Education’s 2017 Women in Education Leadership, a program designed to help educational leaders learn how to navigate competing demands and constituencies.