1917 Results
Professional Development Committee Chair
Lea Sloan
My CSTA Story
In 2003, Lea started teaching high school computer science. At that time, she created her teaching materials online. However, she was excited and relieved when CSTA was founded in 2004, providing her with more resources just when she needed them. Today, she serves as the Director of Professional Development at CodeHS and co-leads the CSTA Professional Development committee.
My Story
Lea Sloan, Director of Professional Development Lea has been a leader in educational technology, curriculum development, and professional development for nearly 20 years. Prior to that, she was a classroom teacher for 14 years and taught high school computer science courses from Intro CS with HTML and JavaScript, Programming Graphics in ActionScript, Java Honors as prep for AP CSA, and AP CSA in Java. She has developed dozens of online and blended courses and content for teachers and students in educational technology and computer science. She joined the CodeHS team in early 2018 and now leads the professional development team. She also serves as co-chair on the CSTA Professional Development committee that oversees the approval of CSTA-endorsed computer science PD providers.
Past Chair, 2025 Conference Committee;2024 Conference Committee Chair
Lisa Bohaty
My CSTA Story
I started my CS journey as a K-5 Computer Science teacher. I first attended CSTA Baltimore and loved learning from other CS educators around the country. I have continued to serve on the CSTA conference committee for the past three years.
My Story
I am a K-12 Computer Science teacher in a small rural school in Nebraska. I love helping students learn and explore using computer science.
Professional Development Committee Member
Lori Goldade
My CSTA Story
While working as a district technology director for a rural school district, Lori stepped into the classroom to teach computer science in 2011. After graduating with a Master of Science in educational technology and being a recipient of the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing award, Lori joined CSTA in 2017 to find connection with a broader community of computer science educators. As a doctoral candidate in educational leadership, Lori focuses her research on CS education in marginalized communities. She remains committed to making computer science accessible and equitable as the Professional Learning Product Manager at Code.org.
My Story
Prior to coming to Code.org as the Professional Learning Product Manager, Lori spent 20 years as a district technology director and high school computer science teacher in a rural K12 district and the last 5 years creating PD experiences for computer science teachers. Lori has presented on numerous topics including CS pedagogy, JavaScript, Python, Java, Cybersecurity, Exploring Computer Science, and AP CS Principles. As an NCWIT Aspirations in Computing award recipient, Lori continually strives to help women and marginalized populations find their voice in CS fields.
Awards Committee Member
Lisa Schwartz
My CSTA Story
Lisa presented at her first CSTA Conference in 2022 in Chicago and has volunteered on the Awards Committee. She likes being a part of the CSTA community because it brings educators together around CS.
My Story
Lisa Schwartz is a Regional Educational Technology Coordinator for the Learning Technology Center (LTC). Before joining the LTC, she spent 19 years in the K-12 classroom. Lisa is passionate about meaningful professional development and creating teacher and student leaders. She facilitates professional learning events regionally and statewide; provides consultation and support to school districts related to digital learning and technology integration, and develops instructional materials for school administrators, teachers, and students throughout the region and the state.
Elementary Strand Lead, 2025 Conference Committee; Elementary Subcommittee Member, 2024 Conference Committee
Paige Besthoff
My CSTA Story
Paige has been a CSTA member for seven years and served as an elementary subcommittee representative for the 2023 and 2024 CSTA conference committee, a reviewer for the CS Teaching Excellence Award, has been the co-chair of CSTA New Jersey CSPDWeek for the past three years, is currently the Vice President of CSTA New Jersey and she was previously the Secretary of CSTANJ. The friends she has made through CSTA are priceless. Paige says, “CSTA has made me a better teacher. I am no longer alone in my journey. As CSTA reminds us, we are part of the world’s largest CS department.”
My Story
Paige Besthoff has been a Computer Science teacher for 25 years, teaching elementary Computer Science for 9 of those years. Formerly from NYC, she currently teaches in NJ. Paige facilitates workshops in partnership with Code.org, TCNJ Central New Jersey Computer Science Education Hub and Rutgers CS Hub. Paige is a frequent presenter at CSTA, ISTE, and other CS and technology conferences across the country presenting the CSTA and NJ standards and sharing sample lessons. Paige is a recipient of the 2023 CS Teaching Excellence Award.
Equity Subcommittee, Conference Committee
Marisa Laks
My CSTA Story
In 2021, Marisa decided to teach herself how to code. Enjoying the challenge, she decided to move from teaching math to teaching computer science. She joined CSTA later that year and completed a program at CUNY Hunter College for teachers who wanted to become certified computer science teachers. Since then, Marisa has been an active member in the CSTA NYC chapter and a 2023 – 2024 CSTA Equity Fellow.
My Story
Marisa Laks is a teacher and the school programmer at the High School for Environmental Studies, a public school in New York City. She has taught computer science for 4 years and has been teaching for 19 years overall. Marisa has a Masters in Secondary Mathematics Education, an Advanced Certificate in Computer Science Education, and will complete a Certificate of Advanced Study in School Building and District Leadership in June 2024. As the programmer in her school, she has been working to increase participation in computer science through expanding course offerings and holding school-wide events. This past summer, she helped facilitate computer science training for non-CS teachers around New York City.
Admin/Coaches Strand Lead, Conference Committee
Maggie Chenoweth
My CSTA Story
Maggie became a member of CSTA in 2017 when she began teaching AP Computer Science Principles. Since then, she has taken an active role as a Chapter Leader with CSTA West Virginia and a volunteer on the conference committee. Maggie has been a member of the Ad Hoc and High School Subcommittees and currently serves as the Admin/Coaching Strand Lead for the annual conference. Through these experiences, she’s witnessed firsthand the incredible impact CSTA has on educators and students alike, and she is grateful for the opportunities and connections it has provided.
My Story
Maggie is Cabell County’s Academic Specialist for High School Mathematics. Prior to this position, she taught math and computer science at Cabell Midland High School and was an instructor at Marshall University. Maggie is a National Board Certified Teacher, Apple Learning Coach, and Prisms Paladin. In 2018, she was honored as Cabell County’s Teacher of the Year and recognized as a Diversity Champion by Code.org, making her school the first in West Virginia to enter Code.org’s CS Principles Hall of Fame. Maggie is an active member of the education community, contributing to initiatives such as the West Virginia Leaders of Numeracy and presenting at the California STEAM Symposium. She is passionate about promoting computer science education and is thrilled to serve as CSTA’s Admin/Coaching Strand Lead for the annual conference.
Elementary Subcommittee Member, Conference Committee
Michele Cislo
My Story
Michele Cislo has been an elementary school teacher in Connecticut for the past 32 years. Eight years ago she made the transition to an elementary CS teacher and currently works with over 600 preK – 5 students providing all students foundational skills and concepts in CS. She works diligently to spark interest and inspire students to want to learn more about CS. As a reflective practitioner, Michele constantly evaluates her teaching practice and looks for new opportunities for professional growth. Becoming an ISTE Certified Educator was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of her career. Applying her new learning, she played an integral role in writing her district’s K-5 CS curriculum and is proud of the program that was developed. She is also a Code.org CS Fundamentals Facilitator, Seesaw Certified Educator and a Co-District Facilitator for Connecticut’s Teacher Education and Mentoring Program.
2026 Chair, 2025 Conference Committee; Middle School Strand Lead, Conference Committee
Michele Lombardi
My CSTA Story
“Like many others, Michele was the only CS teacher at her school when she joined her local CSTA Chapter looking to learn from other CS teachers. The supportive and large-spread community she found turned out to be so much more. Opportunities and connections she made helped her grow and develop the CS program at her school, expand her own knowledge base, and have a built-in support system when she moved cross country.
After attending her first CSTA Conference in 2017, she started volunteering with CSTA including serving as local chapter leadership, submission reviewer, conference committee member, 6-8 strand lead, and now 2025 incoming conference chair. She is so excited to share the CSTA experience with new teachers!”
My Story
Michele is a high school math and computer science teacher in Seattle, WA. She strives to make learning engaging through collaborative and meaningful work. She is passionate about opening up computer science opportunities to every student. In almost 15 years of education, she has worked in public and private schools, taught grades 5 through 12, and in all-girls education. In her free time, you can find Michele exploring the trails with her dog, Zoe.
Equity Subcommittee Member, Conference Committee
Michelle-Noelle Magallanez
My Story
Michelle-Noelle Magallanez is the Head of Special Project, the innovation incubator at AVID Center, a national educational nonprofit with the mission to close the opportunity gap for all students by helping them build the skills they need to be future ready. With 20+ years of experience in product and program development, Michelle’s work currently focuses on designing professional learning and curricular resources in partnership with EdTech companies for K-12 content area teachers new to CS and STEM. Her mission is to build resources for the implementation of computational thinking, CS, and STEM problem-solving in content-area classrooms as foundational learning skills for all students.
6-8 Subcommittee, 2025 Conference Committee
Michelle Pierce
My CSTA Story
Formerly an Elementary School Teacher, Michelle switched to teaching Middle School Computer Science in 2019. As the only CS teacher at her school, Michelle needed help finding community and resources to help her provide quality instruction for her students. In 2020, Michelle joined the Amazon Future Engineer program and received a complimentary one year CSTA+ membership. After attending the 2021 virtual CSTA Conference, Michelle was excited to connect with other like-minded Educators and found the community she was looking for. Since then, Michelle has continued to find new opportunities to be involved with CSTA. She is an active member of her local NC chapter as well as the CSTA Black Affinity Group. She was awarded the 2022-2023 CSTA CS Teaching Excellence Award and selected as part of the 5th cohort of the Equity Fellowship Program.
My Story
Michelle is the Middle School Computer Science Teacher at Mallard Creek STEM Academy in Charlotte, NC. In addition to teaching, she serves as a Girls Who Code facilitator, team lead, teacher mentor, and head track coach. Michelle has been recognized as Amazon Future Engineer Teacher of the Year (2021), Middle School Teacher of the Year (2022-2023), and Amazon Future Engineer Teacher Ambassador (2023-2025).
Michelle is passionate about providing her students with quality Computer Science lessons that are engaging and reflective of their diversity. She uses project-based learning to help her students realize their potential through real-world problem-solving. Her goal is to make Computer Science relatable, enjoyable and relevant to her students’ lives. Michelle is a lifelong learner who looks for opportunities to develop herself as an educator and push beyond her comfort zone.
In her free time, she enjoys yoga, listening to music, traveling, and spending time with her family.
Editorial Board Committee Member
Monica McGill
My CSTA Story
Monica had the very rare opportunity to learn programming in high school at a time when such opportunities were very rare. This experience made her decision to choose between a career as a flautist or a computer scientist easy. Her career has spanned across four sectors: government, industry, academia (twice-tenured), and non-profit. She brings all of her experiences into her current role as President and CEO of CSEdResearch.org, where she leads a team of ten conducting and supporting K-12 CS education research–all with an equity-focus that centers CS for all learners. Monica has three daughters, two dogs, and one husband, all of whom continue to shape her as a human being.
My Story
Monica McGill, Ed.D., is Founder and CEO of CSEdResearch.org, an organization that focuses on conducting research that supports finding promising practices for supporting and teaching all students. Starting her computing career in government, then industry, then at academic institutions, she brings a broad set of skills and knowledge in both computer science and education. CSEdResearch.org is currently collaborating with CSTA on four projects.