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About UsThe Arkansas Council of Teachers of English and Language Arts (ACTELA) is a nonprofit organization whose aim is the improvement of the teaching and learning of English and language arts in the state of Arkansas. We provide a variety of services to teachers in our state, including participating in local events and conferences, offering mini-grants for teacher-led projects, recognizing outstanding language arts teachers throughout the state, and producing the yearly Arkansas Anthology.
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Who We Are |
ACTELA is made up of ELA educators from across the state. The organization is led by the members of the executive board.
Executive Board (effective January 1, 2026) President: Kay Walter (University Arkansas, Monticello) Vice President: Grover Welch (ASUN Adult Education) Secretary: Lauren Hendrix (Brookland Junior High) Treasurer: Sarah Winterberg (University of Arkansas, Fort Smith) Immediate Past President: Dawn Bessee (Crowley's Ridge ESC) Past Presidents: Aaron Hall (Westside High School), Jessica Herring Watson (University of Central Arkansas), Dixie Keyes (Arkansas State University), Donna Wake (University of Central Arkansas), Jeff Whittingham (University of Central Arkansas), Cindy Green (Virtual Arkansas) Arkansas Department of Education Liaison: Northeast Regional Representatives: Joan Linnstaedter (Black River Tech), Terry Flowers (Trumann School District) Northwest Regional Representatives: Sarah Winterberg (University of Arkansas, Fort Smith) Southeast Regional Representatives: Braden Taylor (PCT), Kay Walter (University of Arkansas at Monticello), Arley Beth Cravey (University of Arkansas at Monticello) Southwest Regional Representatives: Central Regional Representatives: Gina Bolick (Bryant Public School District), Mindy Lynn (Cabot Public School District), At-Large Representatives: NCTE Liaison Officer: Dawn Bessee (Crowley's Ridge Educational Cooperative) |
Board Appointments |
SLATE Representative (Advocacy and Intellectual Freedom): Grover Welch
Arkansas English Journal Editor: Sarah Winterberg Membership Committee: Jeff Whittingham Publications Committee: Kay Walter, Dawn Bessee Sarah Winterberg Social Media, Website, and Publicity: Grover Welch Arkansas Anthology: Grover Welch Finance Committee: Kay Walter, Sarah Winterberg Teacher Initiatives Committee: Terry Flowers, Arley Beth Cravey |
NCTE |
ACTELA is an affiliate of NCTE - the National Council for Teachers of English. NCTE"s mission statement is "The Council promotes the development of literacy, the use of language to construct personal and public worlds and to achieve full participation in society, through the learning and teaching of English and the related arts and sciences of language." For more information about NCTE, including how to join, visit NCTE's website at ncte.org.
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History of ACTELA |
For decades, ACTELA has been supporting English and Language Arts teachers in the state of Arkansas. ACTELA is an award-winning NCTE affiliate. Past awards include: NCTE Affiliate of Excellence (2014 & 2016), NCTE Teacher of the Dream Grant Award (2015 & 2016), NCTE Affiliate Newsletter of Excellence Award (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2024, 2025), NCTE Affiliate Website of Excellence Award (2017), and Kent D. Williamson Membership Award (2017).
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