Diana Schneider is a TQP Program Officer with the United States Department of Education.

Patricia A. Searles is a TSL Program Officer and an Education Program Specialist with the United States Department of Education. She has spent most of her career working for the Federal Government, including the past fifteen years with the U.S. Department of Education.

Terrell Sample is a SEED Program Officer with the United States Department of Education. As an advocate of well-being, she seeks to promote a holistic approach to well-being, resilience, and equity in education. She is a multifaceted professional who has served in various capacities within the private sector, non-profit, state, and local governments with a proven record of performance and progressive experience from conception to completion coupled with strong and effective leadership for more than 20 years.

Mone't Peterson-Cox joins the Office of Supporting Effective Educator Development Division as an Education Program Specialist. Prior to this role, she served as a Program Staff Assistant with OPE, International and Foreign Language Education, Advanced Training Research Division. Mone't has a wealth of experience with over 20 years of government service and 10 years of grants management.

Nikki Palmore is a TSL Program Officer with the United States Department of Education. She has over 20 years of experience in education, serving at the state and local levels. Nikki has experience working with federal programs through her previous work at the Georgia Department of Education and a metro-area school district.

Michelle Kennedy, Ph.D., is a Program Officer in the Office of Effective Educator Development. Michelle has over 15 years in K-20 education, including over 10 years teaching middle and high school English. She has worked as a grant evaluator and program data analyst to provide support for grantees and delivered detailed data reporting to state and local entities regarding program efficacy.

Melissa Harper-Butler is a SEED Program Officer with the United States Department of Education. She came to the Department in June 2022 with over nine years of experience in education. Prior to her transition to the Department, Melissa worked at the District of Columbia's state education agency, Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE).

Bryan D. Hale, Ph.D., is a TSL Program Officer and a School Ambassador Fellowship Program Lead with the United States Department of Education. A highly decorated veteran educator, he has spent over two decades of his career serving high-need, marginalized students in K-12 urban, suburban, and rural environments. His core belief that all children – regardless of their zip code, socio-economic status, ethnicity, or culture – are entitled to a first-class education has been the driving force behind work that he has done transforming schools and communities across the country.

Donna Defino is an Education Program Specialist with the Effective Educator Development Division. She is a Program Officer for the American History grant programs, and she also works on the teams for the Teach to Lead and School Ambassador Fellowship programs.

Louis D. Edwards, Ph.D., is a TQP Program Officer and Management Analyst with the United States Department of Education. Prior to coming to the Department, Louis served in many capacities with several public-school districts in the eastern United States. These positions included director, coordinator, assistant principal, and business and mathematics teacher.