MRSH Nashville Headquarters Staff
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| Claire Berg, Product Development Assistant |
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 Claire Berg received her Bachelor of Science degree from Vanderbilt University and her Masters of English Education at Nashville’s Belmont University. She taught high school English for five years in the Metropolitan Nashville Public School System and worked with the district to develop district-wide standards in language arts. In 1999, she began at MRSH, working with Dr. Kilgore on research and data analysis, and in the summer of 2002, she joined MRSH full-time as Assistant to the Chief Operating Officer. Her son arrived in April 2004, and Ms. Berg now works part-time on federal grant applications, research and achievement data, and product development.
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| Nancy Coop, Field Services Coordinator |
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 When MRSH moved to Nashville from Indianapolis, Nancy Coop joined the company to help establish its administrative functions. In her role as Field Services Coordinator, she works with the Field Site Managers, Associate Directors for Educational Partnerships, Chief Operating Officer, and MRSH trainers and consultants to schedule all training events at MRSH’s many sites. Ms. Coop also produces and manages all MRSH surveys and evaluations. She has over 25 years of experience in corporate administration with IBM, Greyhound Computer Corporation, and Edy’s Ice Cream; Ms. Coop also owned and operated a small business in sales and reprographics. |
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| Chriscynthia Ferrell, Project Manager, Product Development |
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 Ms. Ferrell comes to MRSH with 16 years of non-profit leadership experience. She has an M.B.A. in Global Management, a B.S. in Elementary Education with a concentration in psychology and sociology, and is certified in non-profit management. In her previous position, she served as the Director of Education for the Rape and Sexual Abuse Center, and while there, she developed an elementary school level sexual abuse curriculum, Safe@Last ®, which served over 45,000 children in middle Tennessee. In recognition of her efforts in eliminating sexual assault in Tennessee, she received the state’s H.E.A.R.T. Award from the Tennessee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. In addition, Ms. Ferrell has taught elementary school, served as a guidance counselor, and taught English conversation in Korea. |
Brenda Heidt, Accounting Coordinator |
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| Brenda Heidt came to MRSH in November of 2005, having formerly worked as a bookkeeper, office manager, and grant-writer, among other things. She has a dozen years of experience in office administration including five years in the non-profit world. Her educational background is in fine and commercial art, and she is currently responsible for all accounting and finance operations. |
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| Judy Lyles, Business Development Coordinator |
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 Judy Lyles has been with MRSH since 1999, when she was an assistant to Dr. Kilgore. As MRSH’s Business Development Coordinator, she provides intensive support to the business development team. In addition, Ms. Lyles oversees all aspects of information related to MRSH, such as maintaining the archives. She acts as MRSH’s media liaison, and works with Dr. Kilgore on various research projects. Ms. Lyles studied mathematics and computer science at the University of Tennessee and brings to MRSH over 20 years of managerial experience with a background in human resources and accounting. |
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| Sarah Lyon, Assistant to the President |
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 Ms. Lyon majored in English and theatre at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN. After a brief teaching career at Fort Campbell, KY, she moved to New York City. There she held a variety of positions including, for 18 years, assistant to the executive director of the Vera Institute of Justice, a non-profit organization that works to improve the delivery of legal and social services. She now resides near her family in Lebanon, TN.
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| Dr. Kristen Weeks Neal, Senior Advisor for Product Development |
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 Dr. Neal brings experience in the areas of curriculum, standards, and assessment and their applications to professional development. At Vanderbilt University, where she earned her doctorate in curriculum and instructional leadership, she worked on several initiatives focused on school-university collaboration and professional development, including the National Partnership for Excellence and Accountability in Teaching and the Teachers-in-Residence Program. While at the Center of Excellence in Research and Policy at Tennessee State University for five years, her responsibilities included design, implementation, and evaluation of professional development for K-8 teachers of science with an impact on 50,000 students. This work was funded by a National Science Foundation grant. Dr. Neal has been a project director for an Improving Teacher Quality grant and two Eisenhower professional development grants focused on supporting teachers' understanding of science. Dr. Neal has also been involved in data analysis for an IERI (Interagency Education Research Initiative) funded study examining the relationship between professional development and student achievement in science. A former elementary classroom teacher, Dr. Neal also holds a master's degree in education from Vanderbilt University and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Miami University. She currently serves on the MRSH Leadership Task Force. |
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| Laura Pfleiger, Office Helper |
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 “My name is Laura Pfleiger. I am 22 years old. I just graduated from Pearl Cohn High School. I was born with Down Syndrome, and I have many friends who also have it. We never let it stop us from doing the things we like to do. For instance, I go to the Metro Parks program and do fun things such as art, music, games and gymnastics. I also go to Special Olympics, and I have won medals and ribbons in swimming, soccer, gymnastics, track & field, and bowling.
I love music, swimming, reading, dancing, shopping, and watching TV. I love to play the computer and doing karaoke. I’m very creative. I love to get organized. I’m also very stylish. I work hard at my job at the Modern Red SchoolHouse, and I like the people that I work with. I also like earning money so I can buy CDs, videos, DVDs, PlayStation games, and computer games.”
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| Todd Smith, Production Coordinator |
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 Todd Smith earned a Bachelor of Business Administration, with a major in Management and a minor in Human Resources, from Middle Tennessee State University. His background is in retail management, human resources, and customer service, and his hobbies and interests include politics (local, national, and world), computer technology, competitive archery, motorcycles, and biblical archeology. Mr. Smith coordinates the production, shipping, and dissemination of all MRSH training materials.
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