Who We Are


The Texas Center for Educator Excellence (TxCEE), an Austin-based satellite office of the Region 18 Education Service Center, provides leadership and technical assistance across Texas to improve educator effectiveness. Over the last decade, TxCEE has received three Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) Grants; a Teacher and School Leader (TSL) Grant; and an Education, Innovation, and Research (EIR) Grant from the U.S. Department of Education, totaling more than $175 million. The statewide projects have supported TxCEE’s mission of equipping educators to improve student achievement by aligning district resources and increasing educator effectiveness through educator training, coaching, and instructional support.

Texas Center for Educator Excellence staff consists of Texas educators with decades of experience as teachers, teacher leaders, campus and district administrators, state education officials, and higher education professionals. Our team is passionate about helping Texas school districts develop and implement systems that support teachers and principals.

TxCEE Leadership Team

Joann Taylor, Chief TxCEE Officer
Joann Taylor
Chief TxCee Officer
Jeanifer Caldwell, Director of School Training and Support
Jeanifer Caldwell
Director of School Training and Support
Trish Jarrott, Director of HCMS
Trish Jarrott
Director of HCMS
Jessica Sievert Navarro, Director Partnerships
Jessica Sievert Navarro
Director of Partnerships

TxCEE Staff

Lauren Anshutz, PBCS Coordinator
Lauren Anshutz
PBCS Coordinator
Ruth Blackwell, Business Operations Specialist
Ruth Blackwell
Business Operations Specialist
Elizabeth Brooke-Garza, ED.D, , Instructional Training and Support Specialist
Elizabeth Brooke-Garza, ED.D
Instructional Training and Support Specialist
Patsy Charles, Business Operations Manager
Patsy Charles
Business Operations Manager
John Dees, Leadership Training and Support Specialist
John Dees
Leadership Training and Support Specialist
Amanda Frisby, Instructional Training and Support Specialist
Amanda Frisby
Instructional Training and Support Specialist
Rick Garner, Leadership Training and Support Specialist
Rick Garner
Leadership Training and Support Specialist
Elijah Kanellakis, Help Desk Analyst
Elijah Kanellakis
Help Desk Analyst
Daniel Moses, Data Project Manager for Data Management System
Daniel Moses
Data Project Manager for Data Management System
Claude Pardue, Project Manager for Data Management System
Claude Pardue
Project Manager for Data Management System
Bryan Sanchez, Project Coordinator and Support Specialist
Bryan Sanchez
Project Coordinator and Support Specialist
Robert Stell, Leadership Training and Support Specialist
Robert Stell
Leadership Training and Support Specialist
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