Commission

Nellie Tayloe Sanders serves as Governor Kevin Stitt’s Secretary of Education. A native of Washington D.C. and alumna of Salve Regina University, Sanders began her career in New York City in 2003 working for numerous high-profile publications, including Condé Nast, House & Garden magazine, WIRED magazine, Brides magazine & Brides.com, and Capitol File magazine.

In 2013, Sanders began her decade-long tenure at the Center of Family Love, a nonprofit serving neurodivergent individuals. As the Senior Vice President of Philanthropy and as a dyslexic thinker herself, Sanders channeled her passion and skills into raising over $25 million for enhanced services for individuals with developmental differences.

In his own words, Governor Stitt highlighted his decision to tap Sanders for the role of Secretary of Education, stating: "Nellie’s advocacy, rooted in her personal experiences and her journey as a parent, has led to impactful and sustainable changes.” As Governor Stitt’s top advisor on education, Sanders is working to transform Oklahoma’s education system into one that embraces every learner through innovation while preparing students for the workforce of tomorrow.

John Allen Daniel graduated from East Central University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1991 and earned a Master’s in Education Degree in 2003. He began his work career, as an environmental scientist for ManTech Environmental, a contractor for the EPA. He blames his mother for getting him into education, by having him substitute in her classroom. He has worked as a substitute, teacher assistant, teacher, principal and superintendent over the last 24 years in education. He currently is the superintendent of Cottonwood Public School. John has worked to maintain a high performing school with high expectations for all students.

Dr. Ashlyn Fiegener is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Oklahoma State University in the College of Education and Human Sciences, where she teaches master’s and doctoral courses in educational leadership, preparing current and future school leaders. Her primary research interests include teacher well-being and retention, the coherence and organization of the instructional environment, social learning spaces, and how leaders use intentional conversation to transform organizations. Dr. Fiegener works closely with Project ECHO®, leading the hub team for TeleNGAGE, a professional learning platform that connects schools, families, and communities for collective problem-solving. Also through Project ECHO®, she worked to develop a school leadership program in collaboration with the Ministry of Education in India. She previously served as a K-12 classroom teacher, a mentor for novice teachers, a research associate for the Oklahoma Center for Education Policy, and a curriculum developer for various educational publishers such as Pearson and McGraw Hill. Dr. Fiegener was awarded the 2023 President’s Outstanding Teaching Award at OSU-Tulsa.

Dr. Fiegener holds a Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Science in Educational Administration, Curriculum, and Supervision from the University of Oklahoma and a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education from Oral Roberts University.

Kathryn Szallar is an NBCT, Early Childhood Generalist, with more than 15 years experience in early childhood. She is a kindergarten teacher with a master’s degree in early childhood education, Marzano HRT level 1 and 2 certified, and is completing LETRS certification. Kathryn is an active member in the greater community serving as a commissioner for Oklahoma’s Educational Equality and Accountability agency, a former state textbook representative, a member of a coalition to support statewide professional development, and dedicated to designing and facilitating engaging professional development to inspire educators in implementation of innovative practices and meaningful learning experiences for their students. Kathryn has also been recognized statewide for efforts in community engagement and parent partnerships and is dedicated to supporting developmentally appropriate practices that engage learners and drive student learning and instructional measures

Ken Parker is Co-Founder & CEO of NextThought, an edTech media company loosely based in Norman, OK. As a first-generation college graduate, Ken deeply values education. After career chapters at Martin Marietta Aerospace and JPMorgan on Wall St, he helped co-found two startups: RiskMetrics (Wall St FinTech, sold in 2010) and now NextThought. Ken is passionate about using media and technology to make education more effective and accessible. He loves Oklahoma and is a grateful member of Leadership Oklahoma Class 30.

Ken and Carole, his lovely wife of 40 years, live in a log home in Noble. Their three children and their spouses live in San Francisco and Norman. Best of all, they have six beautiful grandchildren.

Geoff Kingsley joined the Crossings Christian Upper School staff in 2021 and currently serves as a high school History teacher and the History Department Chair for Crossings. He has a B.S. in History, Pre-Law from Oklahoma Christian University and a M. Ed. from the University of Central Oklahoma. Geoff began his teaching career in 1990 and has served as a teacher, coach, and administrator in public schools before transitioning to Christian education in 2013. Mr. Kingsley has also been an adjunct professor at Redlands Community College, Oklahoma City Community College, and Oklahoma Christian University in the History and Social Sciences divisions.

Greg Hallman works as an Instructional Designer with Epic Charter Schools. He is a former classroom teacher (Santa Fe South Charter Schools) and former Assistant Director of the Upward Bound Program at Oklahoma City Community College, where he worked to help low-income and first-generation students learn about college readiness. Greg himself is a first-generation college student. Thanks to a scholarship from the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, Greg studied at the University of Oklahoma as an undergrad and studied at the Masters and Doctoral level at Teachers College, Columbia University. He is a proud Oklahoma City Public Schools graduate (Classen School of Advanced Studies, Class of 1999). He is married to Nancy Hallman and has three children.