Meet the Teaching & Learning Collaborative Team
IU13’s Teaching and Learning Collaborative Team is fueled by energetic educational leaders with content-area and role-specific expertise. We partner with schools to provide the professional learning and consultative support needed to strengthen curriculum, instruction, and assessment systems and practices.
Dr. Lauren Miller is the Director of Teaching and Learning at IU13, where she provides leadership for curriculum, instruction, assessment, professional learning, and educational innovation initiatives. She leads a team of educational specialists committed to advancing student-centered learning and supporting schools in creating meaningful educational experiences that prepare learners for future success and community impact.
Throughout her career, Dr. Miller has served as a middle and high school science teacher, assistant principal, educational consultant, and supervisor of curriculum and instruction. She believes that education is the foundation of thriving communities and a powerful driver of economic prosperity, civic engagement, and social progress. A passionate advocate for project-based learning, she champions authentic learning experiences that connect students to real-world challenges and opportunities.
In addition to her role at IU13, Dr. Miller serves as Executive Director of the Lancaster County STEM Alliance (LCSA), where she works with education, business, and community partners to strengthen STEM education and workforce development opportunities. Her leadership focuses on building innovative partnerships and systems that connect learning, career readiness, and community impact.
Dr. Miller holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education from Millersville University, a Master of Science degree in Geology and Astronomy from West Chester University, and a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership and Change from Drexel University. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys running, spending time outdoors, reading, and being with her husband.
As a Curriculum and Instruction Specialist at IU13, Brian supports curriculum work across all subject areas, with a continued focus on social studies, drawing on his years of experience as a middle school social studies teacher. His focus is on research-based strategies to increase student engagement, critical thinking, collaboration and creativity in the classroom. He is passionate about how the intersections of the different social studies disciplines allow for students to have a better understanding of themselves, the past, and the world around them. Brian holds a School Climate Leadership Certification and serves as IU13’s Gifted Education Liaison as well as state lead for the Gifted Equity Initiative. Additionally, he leads AI in Education work in collaboration with the Ed Tech Team, focusing on AI’s use throughout the education process, and continues his work with project-based learning inspired by industry connections and leading industry tours. Brian holds a B.S. in Social Studies Education from Elizabethtown College, a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Principal Certificate from PennWest University and a M.Ed. in Instructional Media from Wilkes University. In his free time, Brian enjoys exploring Lancaster and Lebanon counties with his family.
Brian’s focus areas include:
- Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Design and Development
- Social Studies Education
- School Climate Leadership
- Gifted Education and Equity
- AI in Education
- Project and Inquiry-Based Learning
- Industry Connections and Tours
Audra Brackbill brings 17 years of secondary English teaching experience to her work with schools. As a department leader, she guided a redesign of the ELA curriculum around state standards and inquiry-based learning. She also worked with her team to remove high school course levels so that more students could access rigorous instruction with the supports they needed. A writer at heart, Audra developed a course in which students wrote and produced their own one-act plays. Her experience as an AP English Language reader further deepened her interest in writing instruction and meaningful feedback.
At the IU, Audra supports schools identified for Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) and Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) as they examine their systems, plan for improvement, and identify professional learning needs. Much of her current work focuses on adolescent literacy and practical ways to strengthen reading, writing, and speaking across content areas.
Audra believes deeply in the power of schools to expand opportunity for students and strengthen communities. She enjoys helping educators turn ideas into classroom practice and is especially interested in collaborating with schools on curriculum design, inquiry, project-based learning, and writing projects that give students something meaningful to create.
Dr. Kristina Fulton is a Curriculum and Instruction Specialist at Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13 (IU13), where she partners with educators and school leaders to strengthen curriculum and instruction, and provide professional learning. Her work focuses on helping schools create coherent, learner-centered educational experiences through thoughtful curriculum design and implementation, effective instructional practices, and meaningful professional learning.
Kristina began her career as a high school mathematics teacher and has also served as an instructional coach, and adjunct professor. Across these roles, she has worked alongside teachers and leaders to make sense of standards, strengthen instructional practice, design and implement curriculum, and create learning experiences that promote student thinking and understanding. She believes meaningful and sustainable change happens through collaboration, reflection, shared sense-making, and a clear focus on learning.
Her professional interests include curriculum design and implementation, mathematics education, instructional coaching and leadership, and professional learning. She is particularly interested in how curriculum can serve as a shared tool for teaching, learning, and collaboration and how professional learning can support meaningful curriculum implementation. Her doctoral research explored teacher and leader experiences with curriculum reform and the use of curriculum storyboards to support curriculum development and communication.
Kristina holds a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Virginia, an Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degree in Curriculum and Instruction and Instructional Technology, and a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Curriculum and Instruction. She also holds an Instructional Coaching Endorsement and a K–12 Curriculum and Instruction Supervisory Certificate and is a National Board Certified Teacher. Kristina has held leadership roles in state and regional professional organizations and presents at state and national conferences on curriculum, mathematics education, instructional coaching, and professional learning.
Aura Heisey serves IU13 as the Educational Partnerships Specialist. She brings leadership experience from across Lancaster County, along with a diverse teaching background from schools around the country. Throughout her administrative career, she has served as a high school assistant principal, high school principal, and middle school principal. As a school leader, she prioritized future planning for all learners, and she’s ready to partner with districts to build meaningful connections between the community and schools so students can access life-changing experiences.
As an art educator in a project-based content area, she saw firsthand how powerful authentic learning can be when students are engaged in the design process. Through teaching opportunities in Pittsburgh Public Schools, Los Angeles Unified School District, and Philadelphia Public Schools, she strengthened her belief that strong classroom culture and student-teacher relationships drive meaningful change.
By expanding work-based learning opportunities, Aura believes students can engage in deeper learning, develop life-ready skills, discover future career interests, and take ownership of their post-secondary pathways. She is passionate about creating programming that balances curriculum with real-world experience. As Albert Einstein said, “The only source of knowledge is experience.” Students can only learn so much within classroom walls, and Aura is ready to collaborate with districts to prepare learners for the future and ensure equitable access to authentic work-based experiences that extend beyond school.
Aura holds a Bachelor of Science in Art Education, a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Printmaking, and a Minor in International Art from The Pennsylvania State University. She also received a Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Principal Certification from Cabrini College. When she’s not at work, Aura enjoys making art, traveling, reading, and going on outdoor adventures with her family.
Other areas of focus include:
- CDT/Firefly assessments
- College and career readiness
- Chief Science Officers program
- School leader support/coaching
- Community and work-based learning
- STEAM
Keira London serves as a Program Assistant with the Teaching and Learning Collaborative Team at IU13, where she provides administrative and program support while working alongside a team dedicated to supporting teaching, learning, and professional growth.
Keira brings a diverse professional background in education, customer service, workforce operations, and banking. Before joining IU13, she spent nine years with Comcast (Xfinity) as a Workflow Coordinator within the Keystone Workforce Operations department and previously worked as a bank teller with BB&T (now Truist). She transitioned into education more than seven years ago, gaining experience supporting elementary students and educators, including serving as a Kindergarten Paraeducator. These experiences have strengthened her organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills and shaped her appreciation for the work educators do every day. She has also earned college credits through Harrisburg Area Community College and the Consolidated School of Business.
Outside of work, Keira is a proud mother of three, two boys and a girl. She enjoys being present for the moments that matter most, traveling, exploring new places, and creating memories with family and friends.
Gregory M. McGough, Ed.D., is a Certified School Improvement Specialist (CSIS) with the Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13. In his current position, he draws on his superintendency and district office experiences in curriculum design, federal programs/grants, comprehensive planning, induction/professional development, and the PA Information Management System (PIMS) to support leaders engaged in the PA Cycle of Continuous Improvement. Prior to administration, Gregg spent 18 years serving students as a secondary English/literacy and alternative education teacher. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he was a national speaker on rigor, relevance, and relationships for the International Center for Leadership in Education.
AASA Article: www.tinyurl.com/GuerillaPD
TEDx Lancaster Speaker: www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9RMjbeDiEI&t=66s
Professional Interests
- Implementation science
- Pennsylvania Cycle of Continuous Improvement
- Comprehensive Planning
- PVAAS support
- Leadership mentoring
Angie Nava is a Program Assistant at IU13. She brings a diverse set of skills and knowledge having worked in health information management and case management. She is a graduate from Millersville University with a BSE in Spanish. She is fluent in both English and Spanish and is passionate about tearing down language barriers to provide resources to the English language learning community.
Outside of the IU13, Angie enjoys reading, weightlifting and creative hobbies like drawing, painting and journaling.
Elizabeth O’Brien
Teaching & Learning Specialist – Literacy
elizabeth_obrien@iu13.org | (717) 947-1686
Elizabeth (Liz) O’Brien is a Literacy Teaching and Learning Specialist at IU13. In this role, she supports districts and schools with curriculum, instruction, and assessment initiatives in the areas of English Language Arts, Structured Literacy, and Instructional Coaching. She is the point of contact for IU13’s Literacy Leaders Network and co-facilitates the Instructional Coach Mentor Network.
Liz has a Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction, a B.S. in Elementary and Kindergarten Education and is certified in the areas of English as a Second Language and Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction. Her career in public education has included classroom teaching and instructional coaching experiences in the states of Maryland, Georgia, and Washington, as well as an ESL teacher, building level instructional coach, and district elementary ELA instructional coach in an urban district in south central Pennsylvania. Liz looks forward to using coaching conversations and collaborative support to enhance curriculum, instruction and assessment throughout the region.
