Training Associates

Dr. Thomas R. Feller, Jr. is a 2023 School of Education Distinguished Alumni Award recipient of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, primarily for his work as a co-Director of Pitt County Schools' (PCS) R3: Recruit, Reward, Retain initiative. He currently serves as PCS' the Director of Continuous Improvement, a PreK-13 district of 38 schools and approximately 24,000 students. His primary responsibility focuses on implementing the principles of Networked Improvement Science with teacher leaders and school executives in the district. In addition to his work developing leadership systems, he specializes in coaching and training teacher leaders, school executives, and coaches. During his career, he has overseen the district's Race to the Top grant, Teacher Incentive Fund grant, Teacher and School Leader grant, Instructional Coaching program, PBIS program, Teacher Leadership Institute, and The Academy for Transformational School Leaders, and has served as an author or co-author on multiple grants and articles.

Dr. Feller earned his Doctor of Education in 2020 degree from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in the Curriculum & Instruction department. In his dissertation, Dr. Feller examined teacher leader identity, exploring the ways teacher leaders view teacher leadership in general and how they understand themselves as leaders, with a goal to inform and guide the development of effective systems and structures to develop teacher leaders. His research interests in teacher leader identity development, transformational professional learning , adult development, and the development of self-directedness in individuals. He also holds an undergraduate degree in K-12 Music Education and Musical Theatre from Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida and a Masters of School Administration from East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.

He is an active member of the International Association of Coaching (IAC), the Institute of Coaching, ASCD, and Learning Forward.

Publications:

Brown, S. and Feller, Jr., T. (2022). The Habits of Self-Directed Learners. Educational Leadership, 80(3). https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/the-habits-of-self-directed-learners

Feller, Jr., T. (2013). Bringing great teachers into high-needs schools. Educational Leadership, 71(2), Online Edition.

Feller Jr, T. (2020). Teacher Leaders' Conceptualization of Teacher Leadership and Individual Teacher Leader Identity [Dissertation, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill]. https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/concern/dissertations/js956n22r?locale=en

Feller, Jr., T., & Brown, S., (2022). Preparing Tomorrow’s Principals Today. Principal Leadership. March 2022, 34-39.

Feller, Jr., T., & Brown, S., (2018). Expanding the professional influence, capacity, and compensation of teacher leaders in Pitt County Schools. NCASCD Newsletter, Spring 2018, 13-18.

Feller, Jr., T., Brown, S., and Bowers, L., (2018, June 28). Developing Self-Directed Teacher Leaders [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.habitsofmindinstitute.org/articles-research-blogs/

Feller, Jr., T., and Gibbs-Griffith, B. (2007). Teaching content through the arts: Bulldog Beat. Educational Leadership, 64(8), 48-49.

Feller, Jr., T., Smith, A. & Bowers, L. (2019). When teachers become solutions to the problems schools face. NCASCD Newsletter, Fall 2019, 7-11.

Feller, Jr., T., Smith, A., and Bowers, L. (2019). When Teachers Become Solutions to the Problems Schools Face [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.habitsofmindinstitute.org/when-teachers-become-solutions-to-the-problems-schools-face/

Special Qualifications:

Dr. Feller is an International Association of Coaching Certified Coach and is also authorized in to facilitate the Leadership Circle Profile through The Leadership Circle and Emotional Intelligence 2.0 through MHS assessments.