TAEA Board Member Since: 2022

Past TAEA Board Roles: President-Elect, Higher Education Chair

Dr. Paige Medlock holds a practice-based PhD in Visual Culture from the University of Stirling, Scotland, MLitt in Visual Culture from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, MA in Intercultural Studies from Asbury Theological Seminary, and a BA in Art Education K-12 with a studio emphasis in stained glass from Asbury University. She previously taught art PreK-12 and has worked in community arts administration as program coordinator and gallery director. She is a practicing artist with large-scale commissioned stained glass installations in three countries, with most in Central Kentucky. Her research and artwork focus on visual art as a place where an inner shift can occur that enables us to see things differently and transform the way we perceive, think, act & interact. She is an award-winning art educator who teaches Art Education as well as studio art classes and supervises student teachers at Middle Tennessee State University. She presents regularly at NAEA, TAEA, and regional and national leadership conferences. She is a Kentucky native, daughter of an art professor, and she has a son, Luke, who plays fiddle and loves to explore the world.

TAEA Board Member Since: 2021 

Past TAEA Board Roles: East Region Co-Chair, Secretary, President-Elect, President

Caitlin Seidler has been an art teacher with Knox County Schools for 14 years, teaching at both the elementary and high school levels. Currently at Fulton High School, where she has taught for the past 12 years, she is also an Academy Lead and co-sponsor of both the National Art Honor Society and the Equality Club. Her Fulton peers voted her Teacher of the Year in 2017, and she was awarded 2021 TAEA East Region Art Educator of the Year. 

Caitlin earned her Master of Arts in Teaching degree in 2010 from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she was president of the student chapter of NAEA, and her bachelor’s degree from Colgate University in 2003. She has presented at NAEA and TAEA conferences and published two articles in Art Education. 

Prior to becoming an art teacher, Caitlin worked in publishing.

TAEA Board Member Since: 2024

Past TAEA Board Roles: Communications Chair

Dr. Ellery Nief has been an art teacher with Knox County Schools for ten years. She has served on the leadership team at Inskip Elementary School for five years. She has also been an evaluator and mentor through Inskip’s Instructional Support Team for six years. With the Knox County Schools’ Art Department, she is a member of the Curriculum and Textbook Committee. For the last six years, she has served as a Professional Learning Specialist team member, curating and facilitating professional learning opportunities for the district’s art teachers and serving as the Head Professional Learning Specialist for four. As a requirement of the Professional Learning Specialist Role, Ellery has additionally served on the Knox County Schools’ Art Department’s Leadership Team. Additionally, she has served on the Education Advisory Board for the McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture. Ellery holds degrees from the University of Memphis, the University of Nebraska-Kearney, and Carson-Newman University.

TAEA Board Member Since: 2021

Past TAEA Board Roles: Advocacy Chair

Dr. Amanda Galbraith is a post-doctoral research associate at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her research with the Arts-Based Data Visualization Project, a project funded by the United States Department of Education, explores how educators and students make sense of data through arts-based approaches in math, science, STEAM, and arts classes. She has over 20 years of experience as a district lead teacher, K-5 art educator, and graduate instructor. The Tennessee Art Education Association honored her as Higher Educator of the Year (2025) and Educator of the Year (2019). She currently serves as the director for arts leadership and administration at the Tennessee Arts Academy and on NAEA’s Advocacy Task Force. She holds degrees from Memphis College of Art, Union University, and Peabody College at Vanderbilt University. She and her family enjoy hiking, making art, and other adventures.

TAEA Board Member Since: 2022-present & 2016-2019

Past TAEA Board Roles: Administration & Supervision Chair

Heather Casteel, PhD, is the Humanities Supervisor and Visual Arts Specialist for Knox County Schools in Knoxville, Tennessee, where she leads K–12 visual arts education through curriculum development, professional learning, and teacher mentorship. With over twenty years of experience across classroom teaching, higher education, and district leadership, she is dedicated to expanding access to high-quality, student-centered arts education.

Dr. Casteel’s work focuses on designing choice-based, inquiry-driven learning experiences that foster creativity, critical thinking, and student voice. She leads the development of districtwide visual arts resources and facilitates professional learning at the district, state, and national levels. As Project Coordinator for ArtsEd Tennessee, she advances advocacy efforts that strengthen the role of the arts in a well-rounded education.

She recently chaired the 2024 Tennessee Visual and Media Arts Standards Revision Panel and has contributed to numerous state-level initiatives in policy, assessment, and educator development. Her work has been featured through presentations at the National Art Education Association and other professional organizations.

Dr. Casteel holds a PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Tennessee and was named the 2025 Southeastern Supervision and Administration Art Educator of the Year.