Policy Service Team

Carolyn Austin is Assistant Director for Operations, and oversees the department's finances and operations. She served as a policy consultant for eight years and continues to assist districts in customizing their local policies and keeping them compliant with changes in law.

Prior to joining TASB, Austin served as the discretionary grant coordinator for a large suburban school district. She is a graduate of Rice University and holds a Ph.D. in English literature from the University of California, Irvine.

Amanda Bigbee serves as division director of TASB Policy Service, where she leads a team that provides quality, up-to-date policy language and other regulatory documents to school districts across the state. Bigbee previously served as General Counsel for a north Texas school district for over 15 years where she provided legal guidance to the board and staff. Her time as an in-house attorney gave her a front-row seat to TASB's work for schools and communities. Bigbee has explained law and policy to countless administrators; shaped policy language with trustees; and worked collaboratively with teachers, students, and parents to ensure policies adopted reflect the values of the community. 

She earned her undergraduate and law degrees from Baylor University. Since 2014, she has been an adjunct professor at Texas Christian University, where she teaches graduate-level school law courses.

Kristy Birch has been with the TASB Policy Service team since 2023. As a policy consultant, she advises school districts on policy issues, analyzes district policy, and assists in the development and maintenance of up-to-date and legally viable local policies for school districts across the state. 

Before joining TASB, Birch was a classroom teacher for over 15 years, the last nine of which were as a high school social studies teacher in a Central Texas school district. Birch is a graduate of Texas Woman’s University, having earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history with minors in government.

Val Conner has been a member of the TASB Policy Service team since 2020. As a policy consultant, she analyzes district policy and provides guidance on developing and maintaining local policy, assists with the policy updates for education service centers, and provides training at TASB events around the state.  

Prior to joining TASB, Conner worked as the transition specialist for a special education cooperative in central Texas. Conner earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from Lubbock Christian University and a master’s degree in counselor education from Texas Tech University.

Tammy Jordan has been a member of the TASB Policy Service team since 2012. Before coming to TASB, Jordan worked for over two decades in public education as a teacher and an administrator. In her role as a senior policy consultant, Jordan helps school districts develop and maintain legally sound local policies. In addition, she acts as the lead consultant for the Regulations Resource Manual, ensuring that districts have access to comprehensive and up-to-date regulatory guidance. 

Jordan graduated from the University of North Texas in Denton with a degree in interdisciplinary studies/elementary education in 1991 and earned a Master of Education in mid-management in 1997.

Amy Kadlecek serves as Assistant Director for Policy Review and Training, where along with her consultant duties she coordinates training for new policy consultants, oversees policy reviews, and makes presentations at various TASB training events. She has been a member of the TASB Policy Service team since 2007. Kadlecek has devoted her entire career to public education. 

Prior to joining TASB, she was an elementary school teacher and coordinator for the gifted and talented program in a central Texas school district for 22 years. Kadlecek earned a bachelor’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Texas A&M University, and she has a Texas lifetime teaching certificate.

Eric Narcisse serves as Assistant Director for Update Research and Development, managing the updating of over 1,000 Texas school districts’ policy manuals to reflect changes in law and other state and federal agency rules. He joined TASB Policy Service in 2004 and has been Assistant Director since 2009. 

Before joining TASB, Narcisse worked as a high school student activity director and, for four years, as special assistant to the superintendent, where he was responsible for coordinating board meetings and other board-related activities as well as serving as the district’s policy contact to TASB. Narcisse is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, where he received a bachelor’s degree in government with a minor in history. He earned a master’s degree in government from Harvard University in 1998.

Lexi O’Hair has been a member of TASB’s Policy Service team since 2019. As a senior policy consultant, she assists school districts and education service centers with maintaining their policy manuals. O’Hair is responsible for leading the annual TASB Numbered Update for education service centers and serves as the governmental relations liaison for Policy Service, tracking legislation relevant to school districts. 

She graduated from Texas State University with a degree in political science, and prior to joining TASB, she served as a policy analyst on public education and intergovernmental relations issues for a state senator.

Brooke Knudtson Stroud has been with the TASB Policy Service team since 2018. In her role as a senior policy consultant, she works with over 100 school districts statewide to ensure they remain compliant with evolving legal frameworks. Her role entails direct engagement with members, conducting policy review sessions, leading Policy Service’s webinar projects, and delivering presentations at conventions and workshops around the state. 

Stroud has previous experience in both federal and state government working for U.S. and state representatives. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a Master of Public Affairs from The University of Texas at Dallas.

Kris Train has been a member of the TASB Policy Service team since 2023. As a policy consultant, she serves over 100 school districts across the state. Prior to joining TASB, Train worked for a large school district for 13 years in various roles at both the campus and district administrative levels. As a governmental relations specialist with the district, part of her role was acting as the TASB policy contact. 

Train holds a bachelor’s degree in human resource management from the University of Bellevue (Nebraska).

Paige Wimbush joined TASB Policy Service as a policy consultant in 2024. Prior to joining the team at TASB, Wimbush spent most of her career working in the field of special education with an emphasis on behavioral health. She previously worked in various school districts for the department of special education, where some of her responsibilities included providing consulting services, developing presentation materials, and conducting trainings. 

Wimbush is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, where she received a degree in applied learning and development: all-level special education. She also earned her master’s degree in autism and developmental disabilities from The University of Texas at Austin.