our team of experts
Bridgett Carwile
Bridgett Carwile has over 24 years in public education. Currently, she serves as the Chief Academic Officer and Federal Programs Supervisor at Putnam County School System in Tennessee. She previously worked as a consultant for ESEA and IDEA at the Tennessee Department of Education where she provided technical assistance to districts across the state and also monitored districts to ensure compliance with federal laws.
Bridgett began her teaching career in Overton County, where she was a classroom teacher, principal, and district supervisor. Bridgett is a graduate of Tennessee Technological University and attended Austin Peay State University where she was a member of the women's basketball team.
When she is not working, Bridgett and her husband can be found in a gym or on a field watching their two children play sports. They also enjoy spending their downtime at Dale Hollow Lake.
Dr. Alyson F. Lerma
With two decades of experience in PK-12 education, Dr. Alyson Lerma is a veteran educator who has served in a variety of roles, including classroom teacher, district supervisor of World Languages and ESL Programs, Director of ESEA and IDEA Monitoring at the Tennessee Department of Education, and Director of Grants in Metro Nashville Public Schools and at KIPP Nashville.
Alyson has over a decade of experience working directly with various grants and federal programs, including the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), public charter schools, equitable services to non-public schools, neglected and delinquent programs, migrant education, McKinney-Vento, risk-based monitoring, emergency relief funds, informing and implementing policies, youth in foster care, and education in juvenile justice and residential treatment facilities. She has experience with a wide range of federal entitlement and competitive grants, including the Title programs of the ESEA, Magnet Schools Assistant Programs (MSAP), ESSER (CARES, CRRSA, and ARP), Charter Schools Program (CSP), McKinney-Vento, IDEA, Full Service Community Schools, and more. Most recently, she led a team that managed a portfolio of more than $500 million in grant funds. In addition, she has managed and written winning applications for a variety of private and philanthropic grants as well as served as a peer reviewer for US Department of Education grants.
She is active in the professional community, serving as a board member of the Tennessee Association of Federal Programs Administrators (TAFPA), an organization she co-founded that serves ESEA directors across the state. In addition, Alyson serves as an adjunct faculty member in the graduate school of Peabody College at Vanderbilt University and has presented on various ESEA topics at the National ESEA conference. She also serves as CEO and consultant for her company, Education Foundations, LLC https://www.edfoundations.com/.
When she is not working, Alyson enjoys spending time with her family and is likely planning her next travel adventure.
John Stults
John Stults has a diverse background in education having worked previously as a classroom special education teacher in all grade bands, a self-contained classroom teacher for students with severe behavioral disabilities, an after-school and summer school grant director, and a district administrator.
As an administrator in Middle Tennessee, John was the Supervisor of Special Education and 504 for Overton County Schools. John has been with the Oak Ridge School system as the Supervisor of Special Education and 504 for the past two school years. In addition to his work in school districts, John spent over four years with the Tennessee Department of Education monitoring districts to keep their IDEA/ESSA programs compliant with state and federal laws.
John has his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in special education and his Ed. S. in instructional leadership.
John has been married to his wife Delvon for 12 years. They have three sons, J.C. who is eleven, Dawson who is nine, and Wilder who is three. John and his family love camping at the lake and attending U.T. football games.
Jill Thorngren, PhD, LCPC, LMFT, BCC
Dr. Jill Thorngren has served in various roles in higher education in state universities in both Montana and South Dakota. She has also served as a private counselor, executive coach, and consultant for over 20 years. Jill enjoys spending time outdoors and hosting friends at her home in MT.