Dr. Nina Leacock received her Ph.D. in English from the University of California, Irvine, under the direction of Homer Brown, Alexander Gelley, and J. Hillis Miller, and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the Honors Program of the University of Michigan. Additionally, she was a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Regensburg, Germany.
Dr. Leacock brings a wealth of experience with diverse schools to her work building the unique program at NMMI-IPA. She has a twenty-year record of leading educational workshops and publishing on pedagogy and curriculum. As an independent-school academic leader, she has visited and interacted with the staff and faculties of over twenty schools for research or consultation. As an academic administrator at middle/high school and university levels, Dr. Leacock has supported faculty growth and academic excellence, including designing and implementing a new evaluation system for a faculty of over sixty teachers. As a school leader, Dr. Leacock also planned and implemented processes for schedule and curriculum redesign, including staffing and workload analysis. Dr. Leacock’s experience includes providing program support for a non-profit serving over two hundred Southwest schools and organizations, including conference planning and facilitation. She has presented to audiences of more than five hundred. As co-founder of the National Capstone Consortium and co-author of Capstone: Inquiry & Action at School, Dr. Leacock supported the design, development, and implementation of educational programs at more than sixty independent and public schools.
Dr. Leacock serves on the Board of Trustees for the Roswell Museum and Art Center and on the Advisory Council of the Sofia Center for Professional Development in Albuquerque. She is a co-founder and serves on the Leadership Team of the National Capstone Consortium. Her past service includes the Advisory Committee for the International Center for Writing and Translation at the University of California, Irvine, as well as accreditation work for the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest.
Ms. Alicia Lopez is the first IPA employee. Ms. Lopez was most recently employed as the NMMI Administrative Assistant for the Admissions Department. She brings with her significant experience working with young adolescents, the general public, as well as many years with NMMI. Those years have provided experience using NMMI systems which will lend well to aiding the staff at the IPA. Ms. Lopez is a native of Roswell, graduating from Roswell High School in 2010. She is currently pursuing a degree in business administration from ENMU.
Ms. Lopez will be responsible for organizing, coordinating, scheduling, and performing a wide variety of clerical activities related to the administration of the diverse programs and operations at the IPA. She will be responsible for prioritizing and scheduling duties and assignments to assure efficiency and effectiveness to meet established timelines. Additionally, Ms. Lopez will provide administrative assistance to the Head of School and other staff to create, schedule and arrange appointments, meetings, and conferences.
When you arrive at the IPA, it is likely that Ms. Lopez is the first smile you will meet! Welcome to the IPA, Ms. Lopez!
“Hi there, I’m Meagan MacCornack and I’m thrilled to be joining the IPA team. As an experienced middle school Math and Science teacher, I’m excited to teach 6th grade math this year. What I love most about IPA is the opportunity to work with other faculty and parents to help shape the leaders of tomorrow. I find working with middle schoolers to be a rewarding experience and I’m excited to share my passion for teaching with them. I grew up in Roswell and have always been passionate about serving the youth in our community. In my free time, I enjoy coaching and playing sports, spending time with my family and friends, and traveling to new places during the summer. I can’t wait to meet all of the new students and their families and look forward to a great school year at IPA!”
Linn Atkinson-Loveless began studying Latin as a 6th-grader at the Brearley School in New York. Initially, not an enthusiastic student, but Ms. Atkinson-Loveless would later discover a passion that led her to a Master’s degree in Classics from New York University and a teaching position at the prestigious Latin/Greek Institute of the City University Graduate Center in New York. In her spare time, she translates Virgil and expands her knowledge of the fascinating and ambitious Julius Caesar. Ms. Atkinson-Loveless has taught Latin and other subjects to students of all ages, 1st-grade – college, and she practiced law for more than a decade. Ms. Atkinson is the mother of three grown children, and now lives in Roswell with her two dogs and a cat. She is a diehard Yankees fan, and she is not yet convinced that all the recent changes to speed up baseball games are a good thing.
Krishna Wright completed her MA in English Literature, with a specialized focus on British Renaissance sonnet sequences, she gained over 15 years of education experience in the university classrooms of America and Asia, teaching creative writing, analytic writing, research techniques, linguistics, as well as English and British literature. Outside of the classroom, she put her efforts into critical analysis, engineering student-focused pedagogical techniques, as well as publishing and editing creative, analytical, and social writings.
Upon moving to Colorado in 2020, she began reshaping the concept of classroom and currently uses the Rocky Mountains to teach natural science and conservation to children of all ages. She also liaised with state, federal, and international agencies to protect rare plant species and mountains, as well as monitoring climate change through phenology studies.
Krishna will bring her formal classroom and outdoor teaching experience to NMMI’s IPA to teach 6th grade science, where she hopes to foster a love for learning, the scientific process, and critical thinking among her students.
“Ms. King comes to IPA after teaching at the middle school, high school, and collegiate level in a variety of places from Cameroon in Central Africa to Roswell, NM. She has a master’s degree in history from the University of Colorado and a Bachelor’s Degree from Agnes Scott College in Atlanta. She loves all things history, but especially African History.
Ms. King’s favorite part of teaching history is helping students find connections to their lives and interests and helping them uncover parts of history that they might not have known about before. But also, looking for what led us to today, how did the past shape our present and how are we shaping the future.
A Colorado native, Ms. King has spent the last couple of decades fleeing cold weather. When she isn’t teaching you can find her exploring the world with her family and camera, supporting her kids in their endeavors, cheering for her favorite teams (Denver Nuggets, the USWNT, and Cameroon’s national soccer team), or sitting with a good book. She also has a grumpy middle-aged cat named Minou.”
“Justice Graham is thrilled to be joining the ranks of wonderful educators and staff at the Intermediate Preparatory Academy. With a wide skillset in academia, administration, fine arts, and work in socio-emotional health, he is able to support the school in any aspect needed by staff, faculty, and students. Graduating with a couple Bachelors of Arts from Southeastern Oklahoma State University, working with the Walt Disney Company, Universal Studios, The Oklahoma Shakespearean Festival, among others, he has cultivated a decade’s worth of experience working with children of all ages and finding the magic that makes learning fun.”
E-mail: personnel@nmmi.edu
Departmental Phone: (575) 624-8080
Location: Lusk Hall – Basement
Office Hours: Monday – Friday 7:30 a.m. to Noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Limited Hours: Monday – Friday 7:30 a.m. to Noon and 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
