Erin Goodman joined the SERVE Center as administrative support in 2018. She currently works with Operations and NCHEP and assists as she can with anything else that comes up. Before starting at SERVE she did temp work with UNCG’s Donor Relations, worked as an assistant manager at a local restaurant, learned to quilt as part of her job at a fabric shop, and taught English to high school kids in Japan for three amazing years. She still occasionally expects the steering wheel to be on the right side of the car and enjoys tennis, short hikes, and curling up on the couch with a good book.
Eric Grebing is a Project Director and has been on the SERVE team since June 2016. His projects involve management, research, evaluation, data analysis, and consulting for various educational inititatives, including SERVE’s Early College Research Center. Eric also served as co-director of the National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) and worked on various projects with the Region 6 Comprehensive Center before those programs wrapped. Before joining SERVE, Eric taught high school math and science and led research and development at an education non-profit, both in North Carolina. Drawing from these experiences, Eric enjoys helping teams make and understand their impact through data utilization/visualization, program evaluation, and technical assistance to improve educational outcomes for all students. He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT, an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Concordia University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis from North Carolina State University. Eric also holds a PMP certification from the Project Management Institute.
Director Early College Research Center Phone: 336-315-7415 Send e-mail
Dr. Julie Edmunds is Director of the Early College Research Center at SERVE, where she leads a team doing research on the early college model and related topics. She has been studying early college and dual enrollment for almost 20 years; her research includes a 17-year experimental study of the impact of early colleges and evaluations of multiple large-scale efforts across the country to apply early college principles to traditional high schools. She is also Principal Investigator of a $5 million grant examining the impact, implementation, and cost of North Carolina’s dual enrollment program, as well as a grant examining the transferability of college credits earned in high school. Dr. Edmunds additionally conducts evaluation and research on other school improvement topics using designs ranging from randomized controlled trials to developmental, formative approaches. She has published multiple award-winning articles and has written, with colleagues, a book on Early Colleges as a Model for Schooling.
Samantha Durrance originally joined the SERVE Center in February 2022 as a Program Specialist for the Region 6 Comprehensive Center. After the RC6 ended, she continued in her specialist role with various other projects. Prior to joining SERVE, Samantha was a Policy Analyst at the Southern Regional Education Board, where she gained a great deal of knowledge about early literacy and dyslexia. She has been involved in several state task forces and committees related to dyslexia policy. Her current professional expertise includes policy research and analyzing the implementation of state initiatives. In another life, Samantha served as a Student Support Team Coordinator at an elementary school and an eighth grade mathematics teacher at a middle school, both in Georgia. She holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from Emory University and a Master of Public Policy from Georgia State University.
Samantha currently lives in Texas with her husband, Matthew, and their son, James. They enjoy exploring local playgrounds and spending time together as a family. In the event that she has free time, Samantha enjoys working on home improvement projects, watching shows, and playing video games.
Specialist for State Projects Phone: 803-269-7857 Send e-mail
Don D. Doggett joined the SERVE Center in October 2019 as the Region 6 Comprehensive Center SEA Principal Liaison for South Carolina. After RC6 ended, he continued as a specialist for state projects. Prior to joining SERVE, Don worked as a Superintendent of Schools, served as a Senior Technical Assistance Consultant at SEDL at the American Institutes for Research, and served as the Director of an Early Head Start Child Care Partnership (EHS-CCP) Grant. A former state turnaround principal of two elementary schools, Don worked in urban and rural parts of South Carolina. Don’s interests include leadership development, school improvement, school turnaround, reading and literacy, data-driven decision-making, change process, professional learning communities, technology, and family and community engagement.
Operations Support Specialist Phone: 336-334-3875 Send e-mail
Tina Danner-Groves joined the SERVE Center as Operations Support Specialist in April 2020. Before starting at SERVE, Tina worked as a project manager for a National Science Foundation grant (focusing on out-of-school STEM experiences and their effects on youth STEM identity) in the UNCG School of Education, an administrative assistant for the UNCG Educational Research Methodology Department, and as an educator, serving as a GED Coordinator for a Department of Labor grant (juvenile justice rehabilitation and job training) in Tampa, Florida. Although her career path has led away from the classroom and toward more supportive roles, education is her passion, and Tina enjoys providing support for those who strive to make education better and accessible for all.
When she’s not working, Tina enjoys spending time with her wife and three cats, taking pictures of local flora and fauna, and curling up with a good book or video game.
Communication Specialist Phone: 336-315-7443 Send e-mail
Curtis Burgins joined SERVE, Inc. as Technology Support Manager in October 2020. In 2022, he moved to the SERVE Center side of things as a Communication Specialist. Before starting at SERVE, Curtis worked as a senior Technical Support Engineer for Dell EMC, where he provided technical administration and problem resolution for issues in customer environments. He was a student athlete at North Carolina A&T State University, where he was just recently inducted into the school’s Sports Hall of Fall for his accomplishments on the football field. In his time off, he enjoys playing golf, watching sports, and spending time with his two kids.
State Coordinator NC Foster Care Program Phone: 336-315-7027 Send e-mail
Prior to her role as State Coordinator for the North Carolina Foster Care Education Program, Dr. Blythe served as Program Specialist with the National Center for Homeless Education at SERVE for over three years. She worked with Guilford County Schools for 15 years and gained experience as a teacher, school counselor in a Title I school, as the district administrator for homeless and foster care education, and as a district crisis team leader. During this time, Dr. Blythe also served as a member of the North Carolina Homeless Education Program (NCHEP) Leadership Team. Her experience in homeless education included: overseeing district data collection, overseeing tutoring and summer academic programs, providing professional development to school staff and district leaders, presenting at state and national conferences, and serving on the Guilford County Continuum of Care Board. Dr. Blythe earned a bachelor’s degree in social studies with a K-12 education licensure from Meredith College, a master’s degree in human services from Capella University, and a Doctorate Degree in Education Organizational Leadership from Grand Canyon University.
Senior Research Specialist Phone: 336-315-7414 Send e-mail
Dr. Nina Arshavsky joined SERVE as a Senior Research Associate in 2008. Dr. Arshavsky’s research and evaluation projects focus on STEM and high school reform efforts. She has also focused on studying the Early College High School model, the implementation of this model, and how it impacts student learning and postsecondary outcomes. She served as a Project Director for a number of projects, including the evaluation of the NSF-funded ATE project MechTech Institute; the evaluation of the Math and Science Partnership ASSIST; the evaluation of the Race to the Top STEM initiative; and the evaluation of North Carolina Department of Public Instruction state-wide professional development initiative on formative assessment, and coordinated an evaluation of the STEM Early College Expansion Partnership. Currently, she leads an evaluation of the Smart Foodscapes project funded by The National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and evaluates early college and dual enrollment implementations in the states of Indiana and North Carolina.
For nearly 30 years, Dr. Arshavsky’s work has spanned all aspects of math education, particularly in the middle and high school levels, including research and evaluation, curriculum development and professional development.
Samantha Durrance
Tina Danner-Groves
