Meet Your Math Specialists
Jessica Kent
K-5 Math
Jessica Kent serves as an Elementary Math Specialist for Athens City, Oneonta City and Blount County. She taught in both Alabama and Tennessee for eleven years before becoming a math specialist for AMSTI. Jessica holds National Board certification in Early and Middle Childhood Literacy along with two master's degrees. She is a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the Alabama National Board Certified Teacher Network.
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Contact:
256-627-3481
K-2 Science
Amy King
K-5 Math
Amy King serves as an Elementary Math Specialist for Region 2. She holds an Educational Specialist degree (Teacher Leader) from Jacksonville State University. Prior to working for AMSTI, she was a classroom teacher for 24 years. She taught fourth and fifth grades in both Jefferson County and Blount County Schools. Mrs. King believes in providing mathematics instruction that promotes conceptual understanding and encourages students to be problem solvers. She is a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
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Contact:
205-514-9366
Leanne Helums
K-5 Math
Leanne Helums serves as an Elementary Math Specialist for Limestone County and Lawrence County. She holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Elementary Education. Prior to joining AMSTI-Athens, she was a school based math coach, MARS grant system coach through DODEA, and taught first and fourth grade in Madison County Schools. She has 23 years of experience in education. Leanne is an OGAP certified facilitator in Additive OGAP. Leanne develops, pilots, and presents professional learning to meet the needs of educators in our state She is a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, and the Alabama Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
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Contact:
256-497-4214
Nicole Russell
K-5 Math
Nicole Russell serves as an Elementary Math Specialist for Hartselle City. Nicole has 10 years teaching experience as a classroom teacher in 1st and 5th grades in Limestone County. She was named 2020-2021 Teacher of the Year at her school while teaching in Limestone County Schools. Nicole holds a Bachelors of Science and a Master's Degree in Elementary Education. She is a member of the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics and Alabama Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
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Contact:
256-874-3938
Charissa Wright
K-5 Math
Charissa Wright serves as an Elementary Math Specialist for Morgan County and Cullman County. She has 10 years of experience as a classroom teacher in the 1st and 3rd grades. Charissa holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a Master’s degree in Instructional Technology. She is dedicated to engaging students and teachers in learning mathematics in a way that encourages inquiry in solving real-world problems. Charissa is a member of the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics, Alabama Council for Teachers of Mathematics, and TODOS: Mathematics for All.
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Contact:
256-221-2600
Kimberly Dockery
6-12 Math
Kimberly Dockery serves as a Secondary Math Specialist (Grades 6-8) for Region 2. Prior to her current position, she was a middle school math teacher for sixteen years. During her time as a middle school math teacher, Kimberly was named Morgan County Schools Teacher of the Year in 2010 and Cullman City Schools Secondary Teacher of the Year in 2020. In 2005, Kimberly was recognized nationally as a recipient of the Leavey Award for Excellence in Private Enterprise Education. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in education and a National Board Certification as a Middle Childhood Generalist. Kimberly is a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the Alabama Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
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Contact:
256-338-8828
Becky Cornelius
6-12 Math
Becky Cornelius serves as a Secondary Math Specialist (Grades 9-12) for Region 2. She holds a Master's Degree in Secondary Mathematics Education and an Education Specialist Degree in Instructional Leadership. She is National Board Certified in Adolescence and Young Adulthood Mathematics, and she has 15 years experience teaching 7th grade math through Algebra II. Before coming to AMSTI she was a District Mathematics Specialist, and she also worked as a Data Specialist for Life Academy, a content recovery and acceleration program for at-risk high school students. Becky is an Alabama OGAP certified trainer in both Fractional and Proportional OGAP and serves as a mentoring facilitator for Proportional OGAP. She has developed, piloted, and presented numerous mathematics professional development opportunities for Alabama teachers. She is a member of Alabama Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
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Contact:
256-810-8545