Dinh Phan, Founder & Director​

​Dinh believes teachers are among the most creative, inspiring, and resourceful people in the world.  She started Creative Freedom Awards as a platform for teachers to connect and share what matters to them.  Dinh earned her A.B. in English and NC Elementary Education licensure from Duke University.  She earned her Ed.M. in Learning & Teaching from the Harvard Graduate School of Education with the support of the Woodrow Wilson-Rockefeller Brothers Fund Fellowship for Aspiring Teachers of Color.  A certified AIG teacher, Dinh has taught 5th grade LEAP and 3rd grade in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and K-2 AIG in Durham Public Schools.  She is currently the 2012-13 Duke Program in Education Fellow. Dinh will begin her doctoral program in Educational Leadership and Development at Boston University this fall.

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​​Phoebe Lee, Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Phoebe knew at an early age that she wanted to be a teacher. To follow her dreams, she received her B.S. in Social Studies Education and American Sign Language Summa Cum Laude from New York University. She then earned her Ed.M. in Education Policy and Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Phoebe is certified to teach K-12 in NC and has since taught Middle School Social Studies at Durham Public Schools. She is also working on her AIG licensure while obtaining a J.D. from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Phoebe is most excited about the opportunity to truly support and bring together teachers in the goal of celebrating and recognizing their creative work and impact.

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Advisory Team:​

 

​Our advisory team is comprised of outstanding educators and community leaders who share a great respect for teachers and the teaching profession. ​

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Zoila Airall, Asst. Vice President of Student Affairs for Campus Life, Duke University

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Sandy Dang, Founder, Asian American LEAD; Board Member, Vietnam Education Foundation

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Alissa Griffith, Lecturing Fellow in Education, Duke University (Retired Public School Teacher)

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Janice Jackson, Executive Director, Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education

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Sam Miglarese, Director, Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership, Duke University

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Kristen Stephens, Director, Academically/Intellectually Gifted Licensure Program, Duke University

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Katherine Worley, 5th Grade LEAP Teacher, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools