Tuffy ’25 COHORT FELLOWS             Tuffy ’25 PRINCIPAL RESIDENCY

Tuffy ’25 Cohort Fellows

Crystal Boyd
Sponsoring District: Warren

Crystal Boyd earned a Bachelor of Arts in Middle Grades Education, a Master of Library Science, a Master of Arts in School Counseling, and a Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling from North Carolina Central University. She began her career as a 6th-grade science teacher at Warren County Middle School before later serving as the school’s media coordinator. She worked as a school counselor, primarily at Warren New Tech High School. A 2013–2014 NC State Kenan Fellow, Crystal also served as chairperson of both the Leadership Team and the School Improvement Team, as well as a member of the MTSS Team. She completed her Principal Residency at Northside Elementary during the 2024–2025 school year and currently serves as Assistant Principal at Warren County High School.

Hilary Bunch-Johnson
Sponsoring District: Alamance-Burlington

Hilary Bunch-Johnson earned a Bachelor of Music Education from Mars Hill University and a Master’s in Special Education from Liberty University. She began her career as a substitute teacher and EC paraprofessional before pursuing licensure in special education with a focus on severe-profound disabilities. Hilary went on to teach in an elementary special education classroom for 10 years, serving students through the NC Extended Content Standards. She later became an EC Program Facilitator for Elementary Adapted Curriculum classrooms in the Alamance-Burlington School System, where she also served on the District Autism Support Team and as a trainer for NC Communication and De-escalation Intervention. Hilary completed her Principal Residency at Em Yoder Elementary during the 2024–2025 school year and currently serves as Assistant Principal at E. M. Holt Elementary School.

​Drew Cardwell​
Sponsoring District: Warren

Drew Cardwell graduated from Davidson College with a degree in Sociology and Ethnic Studies. She began her career with Teach For America, teaching high school math in Warren County for three years, during which she also coached volleyball, served on the School Improvement Team, and led as Math Department Chair. Drew later worked in international education, coordinating Chinese foreign-exchange students in the Raleigh-Durham area, before returning to public education as a middle school math teacher in Granville County. She then served as an MTSS Instructional Coach in Warren County and completed her Principal Residency at Youngsville Elementary School during the 2024–2025 school year. As of August 2025, Drew serves as Assistant Principal of Franklinton Elementary School.

Regina Harris
Sponsoring District: Granville

Regina Harris earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from North Carolina State University. She was recognized as Teacher of the Year for the 2020–2021 school year and has served as an active member of her school’s Improvement Team for the past seven years. Regina is also a North Carolina Legislated Performance recipient for Fourth and Fifth Grade Reading. In addition to holding a Mentor Certification, she is a certified CPI (Crisis Prevention Institute) instructor. Regina is currently an active participant in the North Carolina Instructional Leader Academy (NCILA). She completed her Principal Residency at Northern Granville Middle School during the 2024–2025 school year.

Shelby Levisky
Sponsoring District: Granville

Shelby Levisky earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from York College of Pennsylvania and a Master of Arts degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Gardner-Webb University. She is also licensed to teach English as a Second Language for grades K–12. Shelby taught elementary students for 10 years before transitioning to the roles of Curriculum Coach and Reading Specialist in the 2022–2023 school year. That same year, she was recognized as Teacher of the Year. Throughout her career, she served on the School Improvement Team, the data team, and multiple other committees, while also mentoring beginning teachers. Shelby has planned and implemented numerous school-wide initiatives focused on student growth and achievement. She completed her Principal Residency at Butner-Stem Middle School during the 2024–2025 school year and is currently the Assistant Principal at Northern Granville Middle School.

Connor McKeithan
Sponsoring District: Franklin

Connor McKeithan,  a North Carolina Leadership Academy (NCLA) Fellow, earned his undergraduate degree in Health and Physical Education from East Carolina University. In August 2020, he began his career teaching K–5 Physical Education at Fox Road Elementary School in Wake County, where he also served on the MTSS Committee and the Equity Team. During this time, Connor additionally coached baseball at Millbrook High School. He later joined Franklinton High School in Franklin County as a Health and Physical Education teacher, where he also taught Physical Education and Team Sports. At Franklinton, Connor was an active member of the School Improvement Team, contributed to the FHS Cares Campaign, and served as a varsity baseball coach. Connor completed his Principal Residency at Edward Best Elementary School during the 2024–2025 school year. He currently serves as the Assistant Principal of Cedar Creek Middle School.

​Abigail Oliver​
Sponsoring District: Alamance-Burlington

Abigail Oliver earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education in 2019 from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a concentration in Communications. Abigail was an active participant in her grade level PLCs, a 2022-23 SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) participant, a member of the PBIS committee, and a member of the Safety Committee. Abigail took part in updating the science curriculum pathways for the 2020-2021 school year. Abigail taught second grade at Sylvan Elementary in the Alamance-Burlington School System. She completed her Principal Residency at Turintine Middle School for the 2024-2025 school year, where she now serves as an Assistant Principal.

Marissa Saxon
Sponsoring District: Johnston

Marissa Saxon earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, Language & Literature from the University of South Carolina–Upstate in Spartanburg, SC. In 2018, she joined Teach for America in Eastern North Carolina and began her teaching career as a 3rd-grade teacher at Northeast Elementary School in Lenoir County. She later taught 5th grade at Parkwood Elementary School in Durham County, where she also served on the PBIS Committee.Currently, Marissa is a 2nd-grade teacher and math team leader at Parkwood Elementary. She completed her Principal Residency at Cleveland High School during the 2024–2025 school year and now serves as the Assistant Principal at West Clayton Elementary School in Johnston County.

Emily Simler
Sponsoring District: Durham

Emily Simler earned her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education with a minor in History from Elon University. She went on to earn a Master of Arts in Literacy Education and a Master of Education in Sociology and Education with a concentration in Educational Policy, both from Teachers College, Columbia University. After working for two years with the nonprofit Harlem Children’s Zone as a Literacy Curriculum Coach, Emily entered the New York City Department of Education as a Middle School ELA Teacher and Literacy Instructional Coach at P.S. 149, Sojourner Truth School in Harlem. In 2020, she relocated to Durham, North Carolina, where she began teaching 4th grade at Hillandale Elementary School. During the 2022–2023 school year, she served as Grade Level Chair and Chair of the School Improvement Team. In 2023–2024, Emily transitioned with her students to 5th grade, continuing her leadership roles at Hillandale. She completed her Principal Residency at Lakewood Montessori Middle School during the 2024–2025 school year, where she now serves as Assistant Principal.