Our Team
Jenn Peña, Ph.D., Founder
Jenn founded JMP Academy of Professional Development in the summer of 2020 to provide meaningful support to charter schools and districts throughout New Mexico. She repeatedly found that people running special education in schools were poorly prepared for such a task, despite the best intentions. The knowledge and skills needed were beyond the scope of what is taught in academic programs, but training options were insufficient.
Jenn loves working directly with schools and administrators to develop effective systems, improve quality of services, and support those working with students.
Angela Murray, M.A.
Expertise: SAT/MLSS, Interventions, Data Collection, Data Analysis
Angela Murray is a Level 2 Professional, K-8 elementary teacher with an endorsement in gifted education. Mrs. Murray has 16 years of educational experience with 10 years as a 6th and 7th grade teacher in Albuquerque charter schools and Student Assistance Team Coordinator. She has spent the last six years as a math instructional coach, a middle school assistant principal, and a student support coordinator.
Mrs. Murray has attended professional development seminars through both the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and Relay Graduate School of Education, and also obtained a certificate from the Center for Adaptive Schools Leadership Institute. In May 2022, she received her master’s degree in Educational Leadership from New Mexico Highlands University. Currently she is working to obtain an administration licensure.
Mrs. Murray is dedicated to ensuring the success of each individual student through holding high expectations for all students, data analysis, and differentiated instruction. Her approach with teachers and students empowers individuals to fulfill their potential and achieve greatness.
Mrs. Murray is excited to fulfill JMP Academy’s mission to provide an excellent education to every child and she looks forward to working with you!
Shannon Richardson
Expertise: Special Ed Compliance, IEPs, Electronic Tools, Program Organization
Shannon Richardson is a Level 2 educator who has taught in Louisiana, Texas, and New Mexico, spending half her career working in charter schools in the Albuquerque area. She has 13 years’ experience in education, primarily in ELA and Special Education, and has served as both an IEP Specialist and Special Education Director. Currently she is a full-time graduate student in Instructional Design at Western New Mexico University. Shannon is also the proud parent of a young man with Autism and Dyslexia who is attending college himself, and believes every student needs and deserves what she wants for her own child: to be educated to successfully navigate adult life and meet their individual potential.
Robert J. Burnett, M.A.
Expertise: Building learning programs for behaviorally challenged students, Special ED Staff development around addressing behaviors, as well as developing IEPs/ FBAs / BIPs, Community Partnerships and resource knowledge.
A special educator with over 20 years of experience working in some extremely challenging classrooms. He received an MA in Behavior disorders from UNM and has 2 years of Head Teacher experience with a specialized Behavior Intervention Program, that worked closely with UNM Child Psychiatric Hospital. He then developed a Transition program for students moving from school to the adult world, where he established multiple community based partnerships to help students with serious mental health needs succeed in the ‘adult world’. As a result, Mr. Burnett was awarded the NM Autism Society’s “Kheaven Sent” Award for excellence in Transition work with students on the Autism Spectrum. Secondarily, Mr. Burnett works as a Curriculum Trainer / youth Soccer Coach for a nationally recognized child development program that teaches kids (18 months – 12 years old) life skills though soccer and creative play.
Shana Anaya, M.A.
Expertise: Differentiated Instruction, Math Instruction, IEPs
Ms. Anaya is a Level 3 Teacher and has taught for 7 years in New Mexico charter schools, plus 10 years in Early Childhood Education. She has taught 3rd-7th grades, all in schools with a highly successful inclusion model. She is dual licensed, holding licensure in Elementary Education (K-8, with Math teaching focus) and Special Education (Pre-K- 12). She has prepared and implemented intervention lessons that incorporate appropriate scaffolding, using district-wide curriculum, while using Teach Like a Champion techniques, and Common Core Standards.
Shana Anaya attended California State University, Dominguez Hills, for her bachelor's degree, Liberal Arts with Math teaching focus. She later obtained her Master's degree in Elementary Education from the Grand Canyon University.
Rebecca Raymer, M.A.
Expertise: IEPs, FBAs, BIPs, Academic and Behavioral Interventions
Rebecca Raymer is a Level 2 Pre-K-12 Special Education teacher. Mrs. Raymer has a Master’s in Special Education and with a certification in Applied Behavioral Analysis through the University of New Mexico. Mrs. Raymer has 6 years teaching experience in an Albuquerque charter school. She provides individualized math instruction to elementary students in an inclusive setting, serves as a case manager for students who receive special education services, has experience working with elementary school staff to develop and implement school-wide behavior plans, and serves as a mentor teacher for new staff.
Lisa Blue, M.A.
Expertise: Inclusive classroom strategies, parent advocacy and engagement, teacher coaching
Lisa taught general education for seven years, hoping to catch all of the kids who didn't receive special education but needed more support. Many students from self-contained and twice exceptional classes were also included in her class, sometimes as the first general education placement they experienced. After earning her M.A. in Special Education, Lisa’s class was a fully inclusive, multi-grade classroom in which all students received needed supports.
As part of her coursework for her Ph.D., Lisa completed the Educational Diagnostician program and most of the ABA program at UNM, which provided her with a well rounded special education training. Truly, however, her most important training has been from Lisa’s son with severe autism, who is non-verbal, and requires a wheelchair to go any distance. He is a young man of 29 now, and has been the driving force behind all that she does.
Lisa has been on the NM State IDEA advisory panel for seven years and she is the co-chair of the Advisory Council on Quality Supports for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, which works with the DDSD on the Waivers.
Emily Flores
Expertise: Math coaching, inclusion teaching, and differentiated instruction
Emily Flores has her degree in Elementary Education with an endorsement in K-8 math. She has been in education since 2015 and has taught 6th and 7th grade math. Emily trained many teachers during her 4 years in the classroom. Emily then ran a 5-12 math department for two years. She saw success in the structure of the classrooms she oversaw as well as growth and retention in the teachers she worked with.
Emily is excited to expand her knowledge to working with teachers and schools around New Mexico. Helping students and teachers grow is her passion.
Essence Johnson
Expertise: PowerSchool Management
Essence is an avid supporter of Public Education and access to the Arts. She has worked professionally in Education for the last 4 years but has volunteered time to better our schools for much of her life. Before specializing in PK-12 PowerSchool Management she worked in Election Data Management with Bernalillo and Sandoval Counties while she attended the University of New Mexico Anderson School. She cultivated a love for Business Ethics and Operational Change while completing her BBA in Organizational Leadership and Entrepreneurship in 2018. In her free time she enjoys a myriad of outdoor activities including white water rafting, snowboarding, and hiking with her blue heeler, Brighid. She also loves to travel with her husband, play her instruments, read, and quilt.
Richard DeMello
Expertise: Data Management and IEPs
Richard started his educational career as an educational assistant in an extensive supports program at an elementary school. There, he met his wife and worked side-by-side with Jenn. He earned his BA in English and Philosophy from UNM and is completing his MA in Special Education through Highlands University. He currently teaches 6th grade special education language arts in a local middle school.
Richard enjoys working in the classroom and has developed highly effective systems for gathering student data. He is able to bring this expertise to the table and develop templates and tools to make writing IEPs more consistent and highly relevant.
Richard is also the proud father of two amazing kids and Jenn's younger brother. He deeply admires his sister's work and is excited to support more teachers and students through her contracts.
Belinda East
Expertise: Special Education Management
Belinda East holds a Bachelor in Fine Arts, and a master's in Special Education and has been teaching in New Mexico for the last 15 years. Additionally, Belinda has her level 3 Special Education K-12 licensure and a level 3 Admin Licensure. Belinda has been a teacher in K-12th grade classrooms, having started as a D Level Cross Category teacher working with elementary students. Over the last 15 years, she has taught special education math with middle school students, inclusive intervention classes for students in K-12, and has worked with teachers and leadership as an instructional coach, a retention expert, and then as a Director of Special Education.
Belinda's purpose in life is to be an honest and kind Educator who creates environments where students, colleagues, friends, and family feel safe to learn and share, to ensure respect as unique individuals who are part of a broader productive community. Belinda is motivated by tight organizations skills, data, and social justice. She further believes that students who are successful are so because of their own hard work, but for some unique children, a team of people is needed to back them up and make sure that the playing field is as assessible for them as for anyone else.
Amanda McTaggart, Unicorn
Expertise: Business administration and support
Amanda is JMP Academy’s administrative unicorn. From calendars to invoices to email management, she’s everywhere. If you need assistance with something business-related for JMP Academy, contact her!
Hugh Peña, Mobile Secretary
Expertise: Business administrative and communications support
Hugh is a young entrepreneur, starting his first job in a small business. He enjoys learning about fitness, investing, and entrepreneurship in his spare time and plans to play football in college. He is interested in studying sports science to support a career in professional football.
Hugh’s greatest strengths are solving complex problems that are presented to him, as well as being determined and being the hardest worker in the room at all times. His mom says he’s determined, kind, and intelligent and she is thrilled to have him on the team.
Hugh is a critical team member, often performing urgent tasks while traveling with his parents, such as email, texts, and phone calls, as well as filing and technology support. Hugh is excited to grow in his role as he builds critical skills for the workplace.