About Noble Education Initiative

Sherry is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Noble Education Initiative (NEI). Sherry has dedicated her working career to the success of students and teachers throughout the United States. Right after graduating from the University of Miami with her bachelor’s degree in music, she began her teaching career with the Broward County school system in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. After obtaining her master’s degree in education policy and planning from The University of Maryland, she returned to Florida to teach and serve as an adjunct professor at Florida Atlantic University. As her career progressed she would rise to become a Curriculum Specialist for the Broward County Schools’ district office. During her tenure at one of the largest education management companies in the United States, Sherry served as the Vice President of Education before being promoted to Chief Academic Officer. As the company’s CAO, Sherry was responsible for both the academic and operational functions of the company’s 84 schools. While she has proven her ability to lead large and diverse teams, deliver excellent results, and effectively scale the growth and development of programs, Sherry’s passion revolves around setting children up to reach their dreams.

Dr. Corbet Wilson serves as the President for Noble Education Initiative. As President, Corbet works closely with the CEO in developing and executing the organization’s strategic plan and has primary responsibility for financial management, business development, and operational performance of the organization. Prior to being promoted to President, Corbet served as the Chief Operating Officer for Noble Education Initiative. Corbet has over 20 years of administrative experience in the public and private sector in the areas of charter school management, education, training, and finance. During his career, Corbet has served in the roles of Assistant Vice President for a major bank, Director of Customer Training for a software company, and prior to joining NEI as Senior Vice President for a large Charter School Management company where he focused on school accountability and strategic growth. Corbet received his bachelor’s degree from Graceland University, his master’s from Northwest Missouri State University, and his doctorate degree from Nova Southeastern University.

Dr. Eve Carney serves as the Chief Policy, Growth, and Performance Officer for NEI.  In this role, she researches and informs state and local policy needed to support parent and student choice.  She is also responsible for school performance and outcomes – striving to meet and exceed metrics set by school authorizers, as well as state and federal accountability metrics.  Dr. Carney also leads NEI’s growth initiatives across its sectors.

Prior to joining NEI in 2023, Dr. Carney served as the deputy commissioner at the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE), where she oversaw divisions focused on school choice; assessment and accountability; school turnaround initiatives; and the Achievement School District. She has 20+ years of experience in the K-12 education sector, both in the classroom and in state leadership roles supporting local school districts.

She holds a doctorate in learning organizations and strategic change from Lipscomb University; a master’s in curriculum and instruction from the University of Tennessee; and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Tennessee and Middle Tennessee State University in accounting and English respectively.

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Eric Lewis currently serves as the NEI Sr. Director of Human Resources, Risk Management, and Compliance.  He is an accomplished educator with over 20 years of experience in school leadership.  Eric began his career by serving churches in youth ministry and transitioned into education as an elementary teacher.  Eric later served in school leadership roles in high-performing public charter schools, from Assistant Principal to Principal for over 10 years.  

Eric’s role with NEI began as State Director for Indiana, leading 4 traditional public schools, three of which were under the authority of the Indiana State Board of Education (SBOE) and designated as turnaround schools.  The Indiana SBOE took over these perpetually failing public schools after no less than 6 consecutive years of “F” grades on the Indiana School Accountability System.  NEI led all 3 failing turnaround schools to achieve a school grade of a “C” while leading an elementary school designated as an Innovation Network school authorized by Indianapolis Public Schools to consecutive “A” grades. Previously, as State Director for NEI Tennessee, Eric oversaw a state team that supported 3 public charter schools in Nashville and directed statewide efforts to lead educational opportunities for families as public charter schools, private schools, and early learning centers.  

Eric received his bachelor’s degree in Church Ministry and Counseling from Southeastern University (Lakeland, FL), his Master’s in Educational Leadership from Florida Gulf Coast University, and is pursuing a Doctor of Education degree from the University of the Cumberlands (Williamsburg, KY).

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Dayna Morales is the Senior Director of Student Achievement and AcademicOutcomes at NEI. Dayna has over 14 years of K-12 educational experience. Nomatter the role, Dayna has a passion for coaching and supporting teachers andschool leaders to ensure student success for all.

Dayna had served as a professional educator in many capacities. She beganher career as an elementary teacher at Winthrop Charter School in Riverview FLbefore moving to an instructional coaching role serving as a lead curriculumspecialist in the West Florida area. Dayna then continued pursing her passionin leadership and moved on to become the founding assistant principal at UnionPark Charter Academy located in Wesley Chapel Florida. Dayna was then named Principal of Union Park Charter Academy February of 2020 where she continued tosupport innovation, creativity, and collaboration through the mission andvision of Union Park. Through her work with community model schools, she becamea principal on assignment supporting principal mentorship and schools’ academicsupports in Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina on building flexibletechnology rich learning spaces dedicated to supporting all students. Prior to joining NEI, Dayna Served as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction for a large charter school management organization.

Dayna holds a Specialist in Education, ED. S in Educational Leadershipfrom Old Dominion University located in Norfolk, Virginia. She received herMaster’s in education, M.Ed., and Bachelor of Science in History with a Minorin Women’s Studies from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey.  

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Jenelle Robinson is an accomplished educational leader with abackground in administration and special education. She holds an EducationSpecialist degree in Administration Leadership from Walden University. Jenellealso earned a Master of Science in Teaching and Learning with a concentrationin Special Education from the University of Tennessee, Martin, and a Bachelorof Science in Biology with a minor in Education from Lane College in Jackson,TN.

Previously, Jenelle served as the Director of Lower Schoolat Nashville Collegiate Prep (NCP) in Nashville, TN, where she managed schooloperations, developed curriculum, and fostered staff development. She was alsothe Founding Assistant Principal at NCP, where she provided instructionalguidance and managed MTSS/RTI, Special Populations.

Jenelle began her career as a Teacher Counselor at HermitageHall and Genesis Academy in Nashville, TN, where she served as a specialeducation and science teacher.  Herdedication to education and student success is evident throughout her career,showcasing her commitment to creating safe, inclusive, and enriching learningenvironments.

Her career also includes significant experience at OakPlains Academy in Ashland City, TN, where she held roles such as Director ofOperations and Director of Education. At Oak Plains, she supervised securityoperations, coordinated educational services, led staff training, and ensuredcompliance with legal regulations and accreditation standards. She wasinstrumental in leading the accreditation review that resulted in AdvancEdaccreditation.

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Julie Alm is the Director of Educator Preparation. She oversees the Noble Pathway to Professional certification (NPP). NPP is a comprehensive, multi-faceted new teacher experience, designed to deliver developing educators asynchronously online courses in tandem with individualized mentoring and coaching. This alternative teacher certification pathway is a 9 month, 100% online, job embedded program that leads to professional certification. Julie has a passion for equipping teachers with pedagogical and best practices and inspiring educators to provide the ultimate learning environment for students. This passion is what led her to join the NEI team. She brings over 25 years of experience as an education professional. Julie earned her Bachelor of Science in Exceptional Student Education with a minor in Elementary Education and a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Florida Atlantic University. Julie is a recognized innovator who has developed and implemented programs yielding high student achievement and significant learner growth. She has served as a classroom teacher, curriculum specialist, program developer, and principal liaison. She was the principal of one of the highest performing K – 8 combination schools, in Florida, for the past sixteen years. She has presented online and at conferences on topics including enhancing school culture, innovative classroom management, growing teacher leaders, developing a growth mindset, response to intervention, and effective use of data to drive instructional practice. Julie empowers educators to meet the needs of the "Whole Child" while maintaining academic rigor and an invigorating school culture.

Teresa Ellison is the Director of Academics, Tennessee for Noble Education Initiative (NEI).  Teresa has over 25 years of PK-12 educational experience.  Whether as a teacher or leader, Teresa has a passion for providing students and teachers with exceptional opportunities and learning environments.  

Teresa began her career teaching, coaching and serving as an Athletic Trainer at the high school level.  From there, she had the opportunity to teach young learners in the pre-K and elementary school settings.  For the past twelve years, Teresa has served her local community school in various building leadership roles, most recently as principal and superintendent of a commission charter school.

Teresa holds her Specialist in Education, Ed.S, in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University. As well as her Masters in Education, M.Ed., from the University of West Georgia and Bachelor of Science, B.S., in Corporate Fitness and Wellness/Recreation from West Georgia.

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Jessica Mercadante is the Director of Professional Development and Training at NEI. Her passion for growing teacher and leadership capacity in others brought her to Noble Education Initiative in 2018 as a Professional Development and Training Manager. Jessica brings extensive experience in teaching curriculum, coaching instructional staff, and creating professional development for various stakeholders.

Under Jessica’s leadership, NEI has grown its national professional development presence hosting two national education conferences, multiple one-day Impact events, serving 1000s of educators and bringing in world renown speakers such as Ron Clark, Nick Vujicic and Dr. Rick Rigsby. She has also developed many training programs for new teachers, school leaders and in the area of social-emotional learning.

Over the past 10 years, Jessica has served as a professional educator in many different capacities. She began her career as an elementary teacher at Gateway Charter School in Fort Myers, FL before moving into instructional coaching roles such as curriculum resource teacher and curriculum specialist serving multiple schools in the West Florida area. Prior to joining NEI, Jessica served as assistant principal at Collier Charter Academy in Naples, FL.

Jessica holds a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from American College of Education and received her Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio.

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Misty Ndiritu is the Director of Grants for Noble Education Initiative and former State Director, Principal, and educator for Charter Schools USA. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Health, Physical, and Adaptive Physical Education from Manchester University in 2005 and her Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Administration from Ball State University in 2011.

Ms. Ndiritu began her education career as a Health and Physical Education teacher and transitioned into school leadership in 2009. As she continued her journey in school leadership, she has been a school leader in elementary, middle and high schools. Misty is passionate about school transformation and specializes in school operations. In 2021, she transitioned from school-based leadership to her role as Director of Grants where she is working to drive a team to maximize utilization while maintaining a focus on process procedures and training.

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Carlos Reyna is the Data Analyst and the computer programmer for Noble Education Initiative (NEI) . Carlos has over 15 years of data analyst experience and more than 20 years of computer programming experience. He also served for 9 years as a MDCPS high school Math teacher.

He served as a data analyst for MDCP and provided summarized, transformed  and visualized the data for all administrators of all Miami-Dade county Public Schools. He started with the implementation the Power Bi reporting system for all MDCPS.

Carlos earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and has taken various computer science courses for over 15 years.

Mehmet Acar is an Instructional Designer for Noble Education Initiative (NEI). He is responsible for designing instructional management systems and using different tools to make online courses interactive. His creations include custom designs and graphics and animation videos to support learning items. Mehmet is well-versed in different learning management systems (LMS), includingCanvas, Blackboard, Schoology, TalentLMS and Edmentum.

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Prior to joining NEI, Mehmet worked as a middle school math teacher in Turkey. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics Education from Firat University, Turkey, and earned his Master’s Degree in Educational Technology from Touro College, NY. In addition, Mehmet has Google IT Support Professional Certificate. Mehmet has successfully completed projects in both Turkey and the United States. He served as a designer of Nick Vujicic’s Attitude is Altitude Social-Emotional Learning Curriculum for Grades K –12.

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Ashley has a strong educational background with extensive experience working with preschool-aged children in various educational settings. Her journey in early childhood education has provided her with valuable insights into the developmental needs and learning patterns of young children. She is currently pursuing a degree in Communications at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), where her studies focus on effective communication, media literacy, professional writing, and interpersonal relations. These areas of study complement her previous experiences while opening up new opportunities in both educational and broader communication fields.

Ashley currently serves as an Enrollment Specialist, where her passion for guiding candidates through the admissions process truly shines. Known for her excellent communication and organizational skills, Ashley is committed to making the enrollment experience seamless and positive for all candidates.