Meet Our Team

Leadership Team

Taiam Simmons,
M. Ed.

Executive Director

A third-generation educator, Taiam has served as a principal, assistant principal, curriculum coordinator and elementary and middle school teacher over the span of more than 15 years with the Houston Independent School District. She holds a Master of Education from the University of St. Thomas and is CoachRICE-certified by Rice University’s Doerr Institute. While serving as principal at a TEACH school, Taiam saw first-hand the positive impact that TEACH’s curriculum and coaching made on campus culture and classroom management. In August 2015, Taiam joined TEACH as Director of School Partnerships, serving as the connector between school leadership and teachers to ensure the implementation of TEACH strategies campus-wide.

Nicole Haskins,
M.S. Ed.

Director of Program

For more than seven years, Nicole was able to see first-hand the impact of TEACH’s work in Houston and Aldine ISD classrooms. The former Transformation Principal for School Turnaround attributes her campuses’ tremendous growth and progress to TEACH’s support. Today, as TEACH’s Director of Program, Nicole uses the insights she gained as both a teacher and principal to lead and support TEACH’s Program Managers, developing the organization’s curriculum and coaching framework to continue to impact classrooms in her Houston community.

Nicole knew she wanted to teach from a very young age, when she’d round up the other kids in her family to “play school.” Inspired by her father, Nicole would go on to attend college as a Ford Co. Scholar, earning her Bachelor’s in Elementary Education from Stillman College and going on to earn her Master’s degree in Education Administration from Texas Southern University. Nicole says education is all about making an impact – on people and on communities – and no doubt, with TEACH, she’s getting to make the difference she so passionately set out to make.

TEACH Team

Lindsey Pollock, Ed.D.

Jon Blasko

Lead Program Manager

For Jon, school has always been a positive space for relationship-building, growing and learning, so he wasn’t surprised to find himself pursuing an undergraduate degree in secondary social studies education. During his seven and a half years at Nimitz High School in Houston’s northside, Jon’s role as a teacher and instructional coach provided him with the opportunity to coach teachers on best practices, aimed at helping build teacher capacity. This focus on helping impact education through the teacher-student relationship attracted Jon to TEACH, which he joined in June 2021. As a Program Manager, he’s most inspired by collaborating with others to make a significant, long-term impact. Through his work, he’s on a mission to show students that school can be a positive, enriching experience – much like his was.

Lindsey Pollock, Ed.D.

Nahdra Curry,
M.S.

Program Manager

As Houston’s first TEACH-certified teacher, Nahdra was perhaps destined to become a TEACH Program Manager. During her 11 years in Houston ISD, she served as a seventh-grade science teacher at Key Elementary School and, most recently, as a Teacher Specialist at Mitchell Elementary – one of TEACH’s first campuses, where she also served as a fifth-grade science teacher. As a TEACH Program Manager, Nahdra now helps educators create calm and safe classrooms and increase student engagement, leveraging the very same skills that once empowered her as a teacher herself.

It was one of Nahdra’s high school teachers who inspired her to consider a career in education. A self-proclaimed “science geek,” Nahdra received a scholarship from The National Science Foundation to pursue her Bachelor’s in Biology from Mississippi Valley State University. She’d later also acquire her Generalist Teaching Certification and would go on to earn a Master’s degree in 2022. She considers teaching an immeasurable privilege and aspires to be a changemaker for educators and students alike.

Lindsey Pollock, Ed.D.

Jo. Johnson,
M.S. Ed.

Program Manager

Drawing from her experiences growing up in an underserved and disadvantaged community, Jo. has dedicated her career to teaching and paving the future for students like her. After teaching biology for eight years and earning a Master’s in Education Administration from Lamar University, Jo. served as an Instructional Coach and as a Title 1 Campus Coordinator at Fort Bend ISD before joining TEACH as a Program Manager in January 2023.

Jo. is honored to have the ability to impact the learning environments of students who have similar socioeconomic upbringings and is eager to continue to be a positive change agent for local communities. Jo. is currently a doctoral student at Baker University, where she is studying Instructional Design and Human Performance Technology.

Lauren Latinkic

Development Coordinator

From a young age, Lauren has always had a spot in her heart for teachers, whom she credits with having the superpower to shape future generations. Great teachers shaped her own education journey, making a lasting impact on her desire to give back.

After earning her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a focus on Marketing and Management from Baylor University in 2021, Lauren sharpened her marketing and event-planning skills at Houston-based Forward Social and Boxwood Manor. Lauren’s penchant for relationship-building, combined with her servant heart, led her to join TEACH in June 2023 as Development Coordinator. In this role, Lauren maintains ongoing communications with TEACH’s donors and helps execute year-round fundraising events, including TEACH’s annual gala, which she’s especially excited about being a part of this year.

Tabiatha Penson,
M. Ed.

Program Manager

Tabiatha’s relationship with TEACH began long before she joined the team. Having served as a Teacher Specialist with the Houston Independent School District for seven years, she saw first-hand the lasting impact the organization made in schools. In June 2021, Tabiatha joined TEACH as a Program Manager, bringing with her extensive teaching experience, various Texas education certifications and Master’s degrees in Educational Administration and in Curriculum Instruction from Prairie View A&M University. Tabiatha is particularly excited to make an impact in the classroom post-pandemic. Her role, she says, is all about making a lasting impact and seeing how the strategies she helps teachers implement make a difference in their lives – both inside and outside of the classroom.

Lindsey Pollock, Ed.D.

Tylea Powell,
M.S.

Operations Manager

Tylea learned first-hand the impact that education could have on a young person’s life. She’d go on to become the first in her family to earn an undergraduate degree, later earning a Master’s degree in Developmental Disabilities with concentrations in Leadership & Advocacy and in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Seeing how powerfully nonverbal communication strategies could help children on the autism spectrum, she also obtained her certification as a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT). Her skills and passion for helping advance children’s development ultimately led her to serve as the Operations Manager for InBloom Autism Services in Houston and paved the way for joining TEACH in November 2021. In her role as Operations Manager, Tylea collaborates with all TEACH team members on all facets of operations to help TEACH achieve its mission.

Lindsey Pollock, Ed.D.

Michele Sheppard,
M. Ed.

Program Manager

It seems fitting that Michele’s interest in education was sparked by a great teacher. With encouragement and confidence from her beloved high school counselor, Michele would go on to earn her degree in Elementary Education and Interdisciplinary Studies from Lamar University in Beaumont. In 2017, Michele earned her Master’s degree in Educational Psychology from Texas A&M University-College Station, returning to school as a single mom of three sons while working full-time – something she considers one of her proudest accomplishments.

Michele joined TEACH in June 2023 after more than 30 years of teaching in inner-city, suburban and rural schools throughout Texas. A Certified School Counselor, she most recently served as a district-level Senior Counseling Specialist with the Houston Independent School District. As a TEACH Program Manager, Michele is eager to combine her vast classroom experience and counseling insights to create positive learning environments with the use of impactful nonverbal communication strategies.

Lindsey Pollock, Ed.D.

Ashley Spates,
M. Ed.

Program Manager

It’s a passion for supporting teachers like herself that drew Ashley to join TEACH. After beginning her education career in Aldine ISD, where she taught for several years, she moved to Abu Dhabi to teach english, math and science at multiple grade levels. Once back in the U.S., Ashley returned to Aldine ISD as a middle school teacher and rediscovered her true calling.

Ashley joined TEACH as a Program Manager in 2023, with a devoted focus on providing much needed support to teachers and creating positive learning environments for educators and students alike. In this role, she blends her educational background, which includes a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the University of St. Thomas, Houston, and certifications in Special Education, ESL and ELA, with her passion for fostering positive relationships with the more than 1,800 educators TEACH serves every day.

Lindsey Pollock, Ed.D.

Robyn Thomas,
M.S. Ed.

Program Manager

While Robyn grew up surrounded by a family of educators, her personal passion for education was, fittingly, cultivated in the classroom, where she had a front-row seat to the immense impact she could have as an educator. After spending four years in the Houston Independent School District, Robyn knew she had found her lifelong career – one that would reward her with the opportunity to make a lasting, community-wide impact. It was Robyn’s commitment to serving her community through education that led her to earn a Master’s degree in education from Johns Hopkins University and, ultimately, to join TEACH in July 2021. As a Program Manager, Robyn is most excited about seeing how her team’s work transforms Houston-area schools and helps enhance the community she proudly calls home.

Address

2900 Weslayan, Suite 375
Houston, TX, 77027

Email

info@toeducateallchildren.org

Phone

713.300.1097

 

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Address

2900 Weslayan, Suite 375
Houston, TX, 77027

Email

info@toeducateallchildren.org

Phone

713.300.1097