NAESP Welcomes New Staff Members as We Grow Our Team

As NAESP continues to grow, so does our staff. We’ve recently welcomed four new staff members who are dedicated to supporting you as school leaders.

David Griffith, Associate Executive Director, Policy and Advocacy

Griffith joins NAESP as the Associate Executive Director, Policy and Advocacy, bringing decades of experience advocating on behalf of the education community and for a whole child approach at the federal, state, and local levels. Prior to joining NAESP, he served as Senior Director of Advocacy and Government Relations at ASCD, and before that, as Director of Governmental and Public Affairs for the National Association of State Boards of Education. Griffith earned a bachelor’s degree from Villanova University and a master’s degree in Education from the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education.

Vanessa Sanders-Ford, Manager, Membership Processing

Sanders-Ford joins NAESP as the Manager, Membership Processing. She brings 20-plus years of experience in membership and accounting, working with nonprofits, in local county government, and in the corporate sector. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland.

Susan Doherty, Coordinator, Member Awards and Student Programs

Doherty joins NAESP as Coordinator, Member Awards and Student Programs. She previously worked as a Reading Recovery interventionist and an elementary school teacher with Williamsburg-James City County Schools and as the assistant director of Camp Launch at William and Mary’s Center for Gifted Education. She earned a Master of Arts in Education in Curriculum and Instruction: Elementary Education from William and Mary, a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Media from Rutgers University, and Reading Recovery Teacher Training certification from Georgia State University. Prior to earning her teaching degree, Doherty worked in publishing at Elsevier and at The New York Times.

Katie Graves, Coordinator, Advocacy Support Services

Graves is the Coordinator, Advocacy Support Services for NAESP. She worked as an elementary school teacher after earning a Bachelor of Science in Pre-K–6 Education from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. She is pursuing her Master of Education in Education Policy and Leadership at American University in Washington, D.C., where she was a research assistant, exploring the effects of teacher diversity and pathways to the teaching profession. Prior to joining NAESP, Katie worked in policy research.

Jurney Wiggins, Digital Media Specialist

Wiggins joins NAESP as a Digital Media Specialist in the Communications Department. She previously worked as a producer for East Wake Television in North Carolina. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Media Studies from the University of North Carolina – Greensboro. During her college career, she worked with Health Care Creative Communications, Creative Agencies, and Marketing Teams to produce videos and engaging content.

Please join us in welcoming them to the team. Learn more about them and the entire NAESP staff.