April Coker has been involved in education for the past 26 years, 19 of those in alternative education. For 16 years she directed and taught a self-contained classroom at Lindale ISD. Named by her students during Operation Desert Storm, Operation Graduation is a school within a school in East Texas. After seeing her own children graduate, she went to work for Mesquite ISD as a DAEP teacher at the Learning Center. She recently accepted the position of Mabank ISD’s DAEP Coordinator. Since earning her master’s in educational administration in 1997, she waited a long time for a chance to be an alternative school administrator and looks forward to serving the Mabank community.

A TAAE member since 1991, April has served as state secretary, vice president, and president elect, and is currently serving as president. Besides alternative education, April enjoys spending time with her husband Jimmy and grown children Matt and Natalie. April is also the author of I’m Dreaming of a Black Christmas: A Holiday Survival Guide, published in 2006 by PublishAmerica.
 

Deborah A. Johnson is a veteran educator with 31 years of experience as a teacher, special education supervisor, special education director, DAEP principal, and central office administrator supporting DAEPs and a special education program for students with severe disabilities presenting with challenging behaviors.  She originated from Louisiana where she taught for seven years before moving to Houston, Texas.  Once in Houston, she worked in special education with Houston ISD for 15 years prior to adding DAEP to her experience while working for Harris County Department of Education (HCDE).  She is currently Senior Director – Special Schools Division with HCDE. Ms. Johnson has been a member of TAAE since 2001.  She has actively served on the conference committee and the scholarship/awards committee. While never aspiring to be a principal or imagining working with alternative programs, she reports her experience as principal of Highpoint North, a DAEP in HCDE, as one of her most rewarding educational experiences.  You can often times hear her say of the students served in the DAEP, “They’re not bad kids.  They are good kids making bad choices.

Emily Feagan has been in the field of education for the past 20 years in Bryan ISD. She began working with at-risk students through a summer program called Youth Opportunities Unlimited at Texas A&M. She taught English at the traditional high school for three years before moving to the alternative campus in the Fall of 1993. Since that time, she has been in the self-paced classroom for 15 years and served as the Instructional Specialist for almost two years. Emily moved to an Assistant Principal position for one semester and now serves as the Dean of Lamar Alternative High School. As a TAAE member, Emily has become a Conference Committee Co-Chair, Chair and recently Vice-President. In addition to her duties as Administrator and TAAE board member, she serves as PTO President for her son’s elementary school.