Dr. Nancy Latham will begin her tenure as executive director of the Council on Teacher Education (CoTE) on the Illinois campus starting Sept. 1.

Lathan said the vision of CoTE to advocate for future and current teachers and learners in Illinois, as well as serving as an institutional voice for positive direction and change, were big draws to the position for her.

“I was excited by the energy and vision at Illinois to move teacher education to an even stronger position at the state and national level,” she said.

Latham has been an Illinois educator for 30 years, 25 of which have been spent in higher education. She is a professor of early childhood education at Illinois State University and has served in various leadership roles for 15 years at the school.

In addition, along with serving on key committees at the state level, Latham has served as the lead consultant for the Office of the Governor on a three-year project in early childhood, has worked extensively with the Illinois Board of Higher Education, and currently serves on the Illinois State Board of Education’s State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board.

The scholar said she is looking forward to working on challenging issues currently facing teacher preparation in Illinois. She hopes to help bring the voices and expertise of teacher education faculty to teacher-preparation discussions before state decisions are made and mandates become operationalized.

In addition, Latham will actively look toward the future of teacher education in her new role.

“I am very concerned about teacher education, teachers, and learners 10, 15, and 20 years from now,” she said. “I am excited to work with CoTE on a vision to support positive and long-term impacts.”