Meet Our Team

Director of Curriculum & Instructor

Juliana Urtubey, NBCT, is the 2021 National Teacher of the Year and a bilingual special education teacher with over 15 years of experience in the classroom and the broader education field. A dedicated advocate for strengths-based learning, she is widely known as “Ms. Earth” for her work unifying communities through school gardens and murals. Juliana coined the term “linguistically gifted” to honor the rich linguistic heritage and assets of bilingual students and their families.

Her impact has been recognized at the highest levels: beyond her national honors, she represented the teaching profession on the cover of People Magazine and was appointed to President Biden’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics.

Since 2021, Juliana has shaped the next generation of educators through her leadership at the Arizona K12 Center and as an instructor for the Arizona Teacher Residency Program. A National Board Certified Teacher, she holds a Master’s in Special Bilingual Education from the University of Arizona.

Contact: juliana@ncgyo.org

Director of Teacher Preparation & Instructor

Missy Testerman is the 2024 National Teacher of the Year. Previously, she served as a kindergarten through eighth grade English as a second language (ESL) teacher. Missy remains a staunch advocate for her students, their families and her fellow teachers. Testerman served as a first and second grade teacher at Rogersville City School in Rogersville, Tennessee, for three decades before taking advantage of the state’s Grow Your Own initiative and adding an ESL endorsement three years ago. She previously worked as an ESL specialist at Rogersville City School, where she taught K-8 students who do not speak English as their first language and supported them in all academic areas.  

Missy holds a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education and a Master of Arts in reading education from East Tennessee State University. She added ESL licensure through Freed-Hardeman University, wanting to ensure that immigrant students and families had an advocate in their rural Appalachian area. Missy lives with her husband, David in Rogersville – where they both grew up and raised their children Andrew and Caroline.     

Contact: missy@ncgyo.org

Curriculum Designer & Instructor

Kurt Russel is the 2022 Ohio and National Teacher of the Year and a veteran teacher at Oberlin High School, where he has taught for over 29 years. He brings cultural relevance into his high school courses, which include African American History, U.S. History, IB History of the Americas, and Race, Gender, and Oppression.

Kurt served on President Biden’s Advisory Board for Presidential Scholars and testified before the U.S. Senate on behalf of teachers and students across the country. He is a respected voice in education and a passionate advocate for equity and student voice.

Beyond the classroom, Kurt is the lead teacher at Oberlin High School and advisor to the Black Student Union, Student Council, and Junior Class. As a longtime head coach of the Boys Varsity Basketball Team, he has earned multiple coaching awards, including Northeast Ohio Coach of the Year.

Kurt holds a B.A. in History and Black Studies from The College of Wooster, where he also received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, a Master of Education from Ashland University, and an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Xavier University and Cleveland State University. Kurt is married to Donna Russell, associate dean of academic affairs at Oberlin College, and is the proud father of two adult children, Kurt Jr. (KJ) and Korey.

Curriculum Designer & Instructor

Rebecka Peterson is the 2023 National Teacher of the Year and a 2021 Presidential Awardee of Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Currently in  her 17th year in education, Rebecka is a math teacher who loves stories. Her message as National Teacher of the Year highlighted teachers’ stories of the good that is happening in education. She believes that when we learn each other’s stories, we carry a piece of each other with us. This helps us to authentically advocate for our students, teachers, and their communities.

Rebecka is a proud immigrant of Iranian-Swedish descent. She lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with her husband, Brett, and their son, Jonas. She currently serves as both a teacher and teacher advocate as Union Public School’s Teacher Leadership Specialist.

Founder

David Donaldson was the lead author on the approved application by the U.S. Department of Labor to federally recognize the “K-12 teacher” and “K-12 principal” occupation as eligible for registered apprenticeship. His "Grow Your Own" and registered apprenticeship in teaching work in Tennessee was recognized by The White House, U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Labor.

Previously, David served as the Chief of Human Capital at the Tennessee Department of Education. He has been a teacher in Baltimore, principal in Detroit and administrator in New York City.

His goal is to create a world where an aspiring educator can become a teacher for free and get paid to do so.

Contact: david@ncgyo.org

Executive Director & Registrar

Kelly Boucher Morris most recently served as Vice President of Workforce Partnerships at Propel America, where she led national employer and training partner strategy, launched new regional operations, and scaled credentialed career pathways aligned to real hiring demand.

Previously, she served on the executive leadership team at Relay Graduate School of Education as Chief Student Services Officer, overseeing enrollment, financial aid, and student services across multiple states while supporting campus expansion nationwide. Kelly began her career as a special education teacher in New York City, grounding her leadership in firsthand classroom experience.

She specializes in building high-performing organizations by aligning strategy, operations, and partnerships to transform bold ideas into measurable, sustainable impact.

Kelly received her B.A. from Smith College, an M.S. in Secondary Education for Students with Disabilities from Brooklyn College, and an M.B.A. from Duke University.

Contact: kelly@ncgyo.org