During the 2022-2023 school year, the LANL Foundation is supporting cohorts of 15 new candidates and more than 15 returning candidates in the NBCT process.
The LANL Foundation is committed to supporting New Mexico’s teachers, counselors, and school leaders in their personal and professional growth. The NBCT process offers an opportunity for teachers to advance their professional status through National Board Certification. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards’ respected, advanced teaching credential goes beyond state licensure. Research shows teachers who have achieved their NBC see increased student academic performance and success within the classroom.
The National Board Certification for Local Teachers Program is directly related to the LANL Foundation’s Theory of Change. Specifically, we know that supporting outstanding educators is a key component to improved opportunities for students and communities. By supporting professional learning experiences and advancement opportunities for educators, we are helping to promote a climate of learning and growth for teachers, students, and communities.
Congratulations 2024 National Board Certified Teachers!
Stephanie Abney
Math, Los Alamos High School
Initial Certification
Stephanie Abney is in her 10th year at Los Alamos High School, where she currently teaches AP Precalculus and AP Calculus. She also has experience teaching abroad, having spent a year in England.
“I pursued National Board Certification to improve myself as a teacher and gain insights on what it takes to be a good teacher. It also has helped me connect with outstanding teachers who have gone through this process and teachers who went through the process with me. Thanks to Bethany Scott, Katie Lake, and others, I was able to finish in just one year. I am so thankful to those who have helped me through this experience.”
Cadie Carillo
Literacy, Reading, & Language Arts, Administrator, Chama Valley Schools
Maintenance of Certification
Cadie Carillo has been working in education for just over 10 years and finds great fulfillment in her career. She is dedicated to supporting other educators in improving and enjoying their own practice and has experience as both a teacher and an administrator. Deeply rooted in Northern New Mexico, she loves being part of the community where she grew up. Her greatest joy comes from the life she has built with her husband and children, and being a mother is her greatest passion.
Audrey Edinger
Science, Taos High School
Initial Certification
Audrey Edinger has lived and worked in Taos, New Mexico, for the past 11 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Smith College and has worked in education throughout her adult life. Her earliest jobs included working as a tutor and an adjunct instructor of biology at Trinidad State Junior College in Colorado. She learned how to be a teacher in northern New Mexico from the talented staff at Taos Integrated School of the Arts (TISA), a K-8 charter school.
For the past 6 years, Audrey has taught many different classes at Taos High School, from World History to Chemistry. She specializes in 9th graders, and taught 9th grade Biology for 5 years before transitioning to 9th grade Health Education this year. In addition to Health, she currently teaches AP Biology and Textiles, an art elective. Audrey’s core values as an educator include fostering a peaceful and inclusive classroom where students feel empowered to explore and create.
Cherry Malaque
Literacy, Reading, & Language Arts, Dulce Elementary School
Initial Certification
Dr. Cherry F. Malaque is the Principal and Pre-K Administrator of Dulce Elementary School in the Dulce Independent Schools District. She holds a Level III-B Administrator license in New Mexico with endorsements in Reading, Language Arts, and TESOL. With over 20 years of teaching experience in both the Philippines and the U.S., she has worked across various grade levels and engaged in international programs promoting cultural exchange and English proficiency. She earned her Master of Arts in English (Summa Cum Laude) and her Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Administration and Special Education (Bene Meritus). Her research on enhancing language competence among Indigenous people earned her the “Researchers Choice Award” and “Best Research Award” in her home country.
Beyond academics, Dr. Malaque has served as Coordinator for the Gender and Development Office and the Office of Anti-Sexual Harassment. She remains active in community outreach programs within the Fil-Am community and has collaborated with students from universities in Japan and South Korea. She credits her husband, Lino Malaque, and her children for their support during her journey to National Board Certification. She also expresses gratitude to the Dulce Independent Schools District, the LANL Foundation, and Ms. Pat Graff for their guidance and encouragement, and above all, to God for making all things possible.
Gigette Nieto
Exceptional Needs, Rio Rancho Middle School
Initial Certification
Gigette Nieto has been in the field of education for fourteen years, holding numerous positions throughout her career. She currently serves as a special education instruction leader, where she facilitates IEPs, provides guidance on their development, collaborates with educators to enhance instruction for students with disabilities, and delivers staff development. Over the years, she has taught English Language Arts, Science, and Math and has served as both a mentor teacher for her school district and an NMPED Teacher Liaison. She is also one of the lead facilitators for the NMPED Advancement Program Level Micro-Credentials, overseeing the Assessment Literacy Micro-Credential.
Nieto holds both an administrator’s license and a Level III teaching license. She is a New Mexico Teach Plus Policy Fellow Alumni and currently serves on the Hispanic Education Advisory Council, where she oversees the New Mexico Hispanic Education Act. She earned dual bachelor’s degrees in sociology and communication from the University of New Mexico, as well as a master’s degree in special education from New Mexico Highlands University. Additionally, she has obtained her educational leadership certificate and is a National Board Certified Teacher in Exceptional Needs/Early Childhood through Young Adulthood.
Susha Pratt
Counseling, Monte del Sol Charter School, Santa Fe
Maintenance of Certification
Susha Pratt is a dedicated school counselor at Monte del Sol Charter School in Santa Fe, NM, where she works with students in grades 7–12. Passionate about Restorative Justice, she enjoys leading student groups and creating supportive spaces for growth and healing. She holds a Master of Education from Lewis & Clark College and has spent her entire career working in middle schools, though she hopes to gain experience in both elementary and high school settings before retiring.
Beyond her work in education, Susha is an avid pickleball enthusiast and has embraced the challenge of growing flowers in the desert—learning firsthand the importance of water!
Celina Roybal
Physical Education
Española Public Schools Maintenance of Certification
Celina Roybal is a passionate educator with 22 years of experience in health and physical education. A National Board-Certified Physical Education Teacher, she earned her BA in Human Performance and Sport (2002) and MA in Curriculum and Instruction with a Bilingual Education emphasis (2007) from New Mexico Highlands University. She has taught PE at all grade levels, including Creative Movement for the Classroom at the college level.
Currently teaching K-6 PE at Hernandez, Abiquiu, and Alcalde elementary schools in Española Public Schools, Celina is a Drums Alive Master Trainer and an advocate for lifelong fitness. She has collaborated with organizations like the American Heart Association, coordinating Jump Rope for Heart/Kids Heart Challenge events in New Mexico and Colorado. Inspired by her late sister, Della, who was born with cerebral palsy and underwent open-heart surgery as a premature infant, Celina’s dedication to heart health has earned her numerous awards, including the 2012 NMAHPERD Jump Rope for Heart Coordinator of the Year and the 2018 SHAPE America Jump Rope for Heart Grant Recognition Award. She is committed to making exercise fun and encouraging people of all ages and abilities to lead active, healthy lives.
Bethany Scott
Math, Los Alamos High School
Initial Certification
Bethany Scott earned her Bachelors in History Teaching with a minor in Math Education from Brigham Young University in 2003. She taught US History and Geometry for two years at Canyon View Junior High School in Orem, Utah, and then taught math for two years at Oakton High School in Fairfax County, VA. She then made a career switch and worked as a learning consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton in Washington D.C. and earned a Masters Degree in Instructional Design and Development from George Mason University. After her oldest son was born in 2009, she chose to stay home and enjoyed 13 years as a full-time mom to her three sons. In 2022, she returned to the classroom as a math teacher at LAHS and has taught Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, and Financial Literacy. She loves being part of the math department at LAHS. Bethany’s national board certification is in the area of Adolescent/Young Adult Mathematics.
“I chose to pursue National Board Certification in order to improve my practice as a teacher. It was a grueling process (much harder than I ever imagined!) that required me to learn the characteristics of an effective teacher, and then to reflect on what I do as a teacher and what I should do as a teacher in order to better meet the needs of my students. It has definitely helped me grow and improve professionally.”
David Tolen
Physical Education
Salazar Elementary School
Initial Certification
David Tolen has been an Elementary Physical Education instructor for 13 years with the Santa Fe Public Schools. His teaching journey began after his degrees in Music performance led him to teaching music to private students and then at the New Mexico School for the Arts. He received his teaching credentials from Santa Fe Community College and began teaching at Amy Biehl Community School where he has taught for 13 years. He is now currently teaching at Salazar Elementary. David is also a musician with the Santa Fe Symphony and plays with the Santa Fe Opera in the summer. David was born in Alaska but has spent the majority of his life in Santa Fe. He is a proud father, loving husband, and loves his job as an educator.
Toni Wright
Social Studies, Taos High School Maintenance of Certification
Dr. Toni S. Wright is the Social Studies Department Chair and member of the school Leadership and Safety Teams at Taos High School. She also serves as the district’s Secondary New Teacher Mentorship Coordinator. Dr. Wright also works with Taos Pueblo’s After School Enrichment Program, serves as an educational consultant with ConnectEd, and runs Taos Youth Travel Club. She holds a Master of Arts in Teaching History and a PhD in Educational Leadership: Curriculum & Instruction. Growing up in a family of educators, her path was set early on. She now has over two decades of teaching experience and worked as a GEAR UP Program Director and Corps Member Development Coordinator at Rocky Mountain Youth Corps. Dr. Wright, who is triple certified, re-certified her National Board status this year because she finds the close examination of her practice beneficial to her growth as an educator. She is a published writer, a two-time Fund for Teachers fellow, has presented at several national conferences including Southern Region Education Board and Expeditionary Learning. In her spare time she is an avid reader, loves travel, gardening, cooking, being in nature and with family and her beloved animals. Her goals are to continue helping students learn to believe in themselves and their own potential while pushing them to reach higher than they ever knew possible.