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Beth Rice

 Specialist for State Projects
Phone: 336-951-7393
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Beth joined the SERVE Center from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI), where she was the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Lead on the Integrated Academic and Behavior Systems (IABS) Team within Educator and Student Advancement. She led SEL for the state, including leading the North Carolina Social and Emotional Learning Implementation Team and co-leading the North Carolina Social and Emotional Learning and Educational Equity Project.

Additional focus areas within the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) framework include school mental health, secondary implementation, and building capacity through engaging professional development coaching. Through the MTSS framework, Beth initiated the Secondary MTSS Community of Practice (CoP); launched the state’s rollout of Check and Connect, an evidence-based mentoring program; and co-lead the School Mental Health Initiative’s Continuum Workgroup, which focused on a continuum of care for students. She is a trainer for Check and Connect and a skilled facilitator and coach, leveraging multiple tools, including Adaptive Schools and Cognitive Coaching. Relationships matter and are at the center of all her work. By focusing on data and fiscally responsible, research-based, and well-implemented practices, systems can make important changes that result in positive outcomes for the end user. As a leader, sensemaking and practicing humility and curiosity are central.

Beth grew up in western North Carolina and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from UNC Chapel Hill. She began her educational career as a Special Education Teacher in western North Carolina. She taught Developmental Psychology and graduated from Appalachian State University with a Masters and Certificate of Advanced Study in School Psychology in 2004. She worked as a School Psychologist in Wake and Burke counties in North Carolina. She worked as a Lead School Psychologist in Burke County. She served as the Secretary, President Elect, President, and Past President of the North Carolina School Psychology Association (NCSPA).

In 2011, Beth joined the Cabarrus County team as a District MTSS & PBIS Coordinator. She taught at UNC Charlotte in the Department of Special Education and Child Development and in the Department of Counseling. In 2014, Beth joined the NCDPI state team as an MTSS Regional Consultant. As a regional consultant, she worked with the Southwest, Sandhills, and Northwest regions. In 2018, Beth resumed her long-time passion in social and emotional learning and school mental health; and, in 2019, Beth shifted from a regional consultant to a Practices Lead with a focus on SEL. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in Leading and Learning in Organizations (LLO) at Vanderbilt University.