Meet the Team
Joseph Brown, Ed.D.
Senior Consultant
Dr. Joseph Brown has over 15 years of experience as an educator serving students and families across all backgrounds, especially traditionally marginalized students. His career began in 2007 teaching students who qualified for K-12 Hospital/Homebound services. This led to him pursuing a certification in Special Education. Joseph worked as a certified special educator for seven years and during that time he received his Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership in 2015. He has served on the instructional leadership team as a Mentor Teacher at multiple schools within the Teacher Advancement Program model. He also served in Higher Education as a Chief Academic Officer, Instructor, and Dean of Men. His most recent leadership role in K-12 education was as the founding Director of Academic Programs at Louisiana’s first Corporate Charter School, which is a part of America’s highest-performing charter school network. Presently, Dr. Brown serves as the Senior Consultant of 12 Seven Education group, where he collaborates with key educational stakeholders to provide resources and professional development to educators that lead to student achievement and equitable outcomes for all stakeholders. Dr. Brown is also certified as a Youth Mental Health First-Aid instructor.
Brandi Maynard, Ph.D.
Consultant
Dr. Brandi Maynard is an accomplished and passionate educator with over 25 years of experience in the field of gifted education. Throughout her career, she has impacted the lives of thousands of students, teachers, and parents with her dedication to empowering gifted children and their families. Dr. Maynard’s extensive academic background includes a Master’s in Teaching Gifted and Talented Students from Whitworth University and a PhD in Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University. Her vast experience encompasses a variety of roles, such as teaching K-12 gifted students both online and face-to-face, consulting with school districts in the Western Region, training teachers and administrators, speaking at state conferences, and serving as a Director of Gifted Education. Dr. Maynard has also taught master’s level gifted students at Whitworth University and served on her local school board, where she was board President in 2018 when they won Washington State School Board of the Year. Her expertise and passion for the field have enabled her to support gifted families and promote excellence in education. She has a track record of success in helping students realize their full potential and is highly regarded by her peers and colleagues in the field. In her free time, Dr. Maynard enjoys exploring the outdoors by camping and riding dirt bikes in the Pacific Northwest mountains with her family.
Tamesha Bland, BCBA, LBA
Consultant
Tamesha is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with a specialty in working with individuals with high intensive behaviors and caregiver training. She was introduced to ABA while working as a paraprofessional in self-contained classrooms and has developed a deeper love for learning since then. Tamesha received her Bachelors in Psychology and Health Science from the University of Missouri-Columbia and obtained her Masters in Applied Behavior Analysis at Lindenwood University. She gained experience working in various settings within the field, from RBT (Registered Behavior Technician) to BCBA, in-home, clinical and in residential facilities. Mrs. Bland recognized the need for ABA services and the extremely long wait list, with hopes to reach more families and individuals during the time of need.
Randi Washington, NCC, PLPC
Consultant
Randi Washington has experience in K-12 and higher education. Her experience includes counseling and career services, lifestyle coaching, and assisting individuals with accessibility and disability support. She is a National Certified Counselor and Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor in Louisiana. She is a graduate of Northwestern State University of Louisiana, where she earned a master’s degree in Counseling with a concentration in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She has worked with diverse groups of people ages five and older. Randi’s mission is to help educate, give hope, and inspire through panel discussions, professional development, and social services. She is the author of two e-books, Step 1: Advocating for Access to Learning and Step 2: Creating the IEP/504 Plan. These e-books are purposed to help educators, families, and advocates better understand individual education plans (IEPs) and 504 plans. Currently, she works with students ages 15-18 in many capacities, including supervising residential life, clubs and organizations, recreation, activities, programming, and health services.
Yvonne Chimwaza, M.N.S.
Parental Engagement Specialist/Consultant
Yvonne Chimwaza holds a Master of Natural Science degree with a concentration in Math Education from Louisiana State University. She has experience as a Student Support Administrator at a virtual charter school of over 1900 students where she managed and created systems and initiatives for a team of innovative professionals. The team focused on increasing parental involvement/engagement, student buy-in, truancy prevention, and academic success and the school’s parental engagement rose to one of the highest in the company nationwide. Yvonne has been an educator for over a decade and has served as a 6-12th grade math teacher. As a teacher, Yvonne was selected as Teacher of the Year for two consecutive years at two different schools on the basis of her aptitude for engaging parents and inspiring students. Moreover, Yvonne has had experience as a homeschool teacher and learning coach. She has had multiple opportunities to provide professional development to educators such as providing professional development for a Middle School online math in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Education and Louisiana State University; training educators on adapting to new state math standards (Core Advancement); and various engagement-focused professional developments as the Student Support Administrator. She also consulted with Staples in 2020 to provide virtual teaching tips for teachers forced to teach remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She enjoys writing, watching documentaries, and spending time with her family, especially her husband and four children.
John W. Hatcher III, Ed.D.
Consultant
Dr. Hatcher is an experienced and accomplished educator with over 25 years of experience in K-12 and higher education. He is currently an Associate Professor and Masters Program Coordinator at the Southeastern Louisiana University. His personal objective is to lead and inspire people towards the discovery of their personal identity and development of their gifts and talents, and the fulfillment of their life’s purpose. Passion has driven him work in various leadership roles and develop content to teach educators the following topics: Educational leadership, Curriculum Development, Instructional Leadership, Education Law, Human Resources & Community Relations, School Improvement, and Professional Development. His research interests include: Leadership, Identity Development, Underrepresented Student Populations, School/Community Partnerships, Tier Mentoring, Achievement Gaps and Character Education.