Governance
MERC is governed by a Policy and Planning Council. The Council is made up of the superintendent, a school board member, and a member from each school division, as well as several VCU representatives. The Council decides what research work is undertaken, appoints a study group to oversee how it is produced, and approves its dissemination. MERC also has a Steering Committee comprised of research directors from the school divisions and the MERC director. The Steering Committee is responsible for reviewing research protocols, identifying potential research projects, and reviewing technical study proposals.
MERC is governed by a Policy and Planning Council. The Council is made up of the superintendent, a school board member, and a member from each school division, as well as several VCU representatives. The Council decides what research is undertaken, appoints a study group to oversee how it is produced, and approves its dissemination. Research ideas come from many sources: classroom teachers, school administrators, and Policy and Planning Council members. The Council reviews these research ideas twice a year and selects those with the highest priority for funding. The current MERC Policy and Planning Council includes the following individuals:
Mervin Daugherty, Superintendent
Sharon Pope, Chief Academic Officer
Patty Fox, Coordinator of Research and Evaluation
Kathryn Haines, School Board Member
Jeremy Raley, Superintendent
Stephen Geyer, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction
Andrew Armstrong, Assistant Superintendent of Business Operations, MERC PPC Chair
Stacey Rainbolt, Division Coordinator of Testing
Michael Gill, Superintendent
Nancy Disharoon, Director, Accreditation and Accountability
Jennifer Greif, Assistant Superintendent
Amy Cashwell, Superintendent
Holly Coy, Chief of Staff
Leslie Hughes, Chief Learning Officer
Tiffany Hinton, Director of Research & Planning
Tamara Sterling, Superintendent
Gwendolyn Price, Director of Research, Testing, and Evaluation
Decardra Jackson, STEM Coordinator
Jason Kamras, Superintendent
Tracy Epp, Chief Academic Officer
Deanna Summerous, Instructional Assessment Analyst
Damia Thomas, Director of Academic Operations
Andrew Daire, Dean, School of Education
Kathy Rudasill, Professor and Associate Dean of Research Faculty Development
Lisa Abrams, Associate Professor, School of Education, Foundations
There is also a Steering Committee comprised of research directors from the school divisions and the MERC director. The Steering Committee is responsible for reviewing research protocols, identifying potential research projects, and reviewing technical study proposals.
The MERC Steering Committee includes the following:
- Patty Fox, Coordinator of Research and Evaluation, Chesterfield County Public Schools
- Nancy Disharoon, Director, Accreditation and Accountability, Hanover County Public Schools
- Tiffany Hinton, Director of Research and Planning, Henrico County Public Schools
- Stacey Rainbolt, Division Coordinator of Testing, Goochland County Public Schools
- Gwendolyn Price, Director of Research, Testing, and Evaluation, Petersburg City Public Schools
- John Grove, Manager, Data Sciences, Richmond City Public Schools
- Kathleen Rudasill, Associate Dean of Research and Faculty Development, Virginia Commonwealth University SOE
- Jesse Senechal, MERC Director, Virginia Commonwealth University SOE
- David Naff, MERC Associate Director, Virginia Commonwealth University SOE
