NCYI - Key Persons
Amie Dean, M.Ed., B.A. has worked in education since 1993. She has experience teaching at all levels, and has taught both special and general education. She was with Fulton County Schools (GA) for ten years, four of which she provided support to teachers and students as the Student Support/RTI Coordinator for her middle school. She holds a Master's degree in Education and is Nationally Board Certified as an Exceptional Needs Specialist. With decades of experience as an educator and a professional consultant, Amie has worked with thousands of teachers, counselors and administrators in over 250 districts to improve best practices in behavior support, student engagement, and differentiated instruction. Amie has trained with Dr. Rick DuFour, Dr. Kay Burke, Dr. Spencer Kagan, Dr. Ruby Payne, and many others.
Dr. Angie C. Smith embraces multiple roles as a partner, mother, Associate Teaching Professor, Program Coordinator for the Counselor Education program at North Carolina State University, Faculty Fellow for the Office of Faculty Excellence, Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor-Supervisor, Approved Clinical Supervisor, and National Certified Counselor. She has been teaching online and on-campus at NC State University for 13 years and has worked in corporate environments, academia in college counseling environments, and private practice settings.
She served as the DELTA (Distance Education Learning and Technology Applications) Faculty Fellow supporting all faculty at the university by sharing teaching strategies for creating and delivering courses using technology on-campus and online. She serves on the review board for the Journal of Employment Counseling, Past-president of the North Carolina Career Development Association and recipient of the National Board of Certified Counselors Approved Clinical Training Award.
Dr. Smith initiated a book project for Springer Publishing entitled An Innovative Approach to Career Counseling: Theory and Practical Application and co-authored and edited the book highlighting career topics and as well as spotlighting a multitude of career experts across the counseling field. Additionally, she led a book project and co-authored a book entitled Developing Online Learning in the Helping Professions: Online, Blended, and Hybrid Models. As a novice instructor in the counseling field over a decade ago, she searched for this type of book to support her work in teaching and training her graduate students. The book provides multiple voices from experts in the field and concrete examples that can be used and adapted based on the instructor's style and strengths.
Angie and Jeff, her partner, celebrated their 23-year anniversary and have 3 children; Hannah (16), Ella (13), and Colton (11). For fun, she enjoys playing tennis, spending time with friends and family, volunteering with her kids, and spending time at the beach!
Job Titles:
- Director of School Counseling Services at the Tennessee Department of Education
Dr. Leigh Bagwell most recently served as the Director of School Counseling Services at the Tennessee Department of Education. Her experience includes working as a school counselor and school counselor supervisor in both suburban and urban school districts. In addition to her work in Tennessee, Leigh has shared her experiences and knowledge with school counselors and school counseling leaders in across the country through speaking engagements and working with the American School Counselor Association. Leigh recently earned her doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision at the University of Tennessee and is working as a school counseling consultant. Leigh has authored two books in the 15-Minute Focus series and served as an editorial consultant on several SEL children's books.