Bridina Lemmer, PhD., is a Technical Assistance Consultant at American Institutes for Research (AIR) and serves as a Technical Assistant Consultant with the Region 9 Comprehensive Center (R9CC), supporting the Illinois EMPOWER Project. Dina has served as a project lead, coach, and trainer for several successful leadership coaching and instructional improvement projects in school divisions across the country that leverage data-driven instructional coaching, utilizing data to close achievement gaps, and innovative approaches to professional learning and growth to support diverse learning needs. She has more than 15 years of experience in science and STEM education, project-based learning and assessment.
Dr. Lemmer also serves as the Executive Director for the Illinois Science Teachers Association (ISTA). In this role, she works with ISTA members to plan, design, develop and deliver high quality professional development that embody the vision of the K-12 Framework for Science Education, the K-12 Computer Science Framework, and the Next Generation Science Standards. She has extensive experience in implementing 3-dimensional learning and the Next Generation Science Standards at the state, district, and classroom level, and with the development of 3-dimensional science assessments for both local and large-scale assessments. Previously, Dr. Lemmer was a principal consultant for the Illinois State Board of Education in charge of developing and administering the science portion of the large-scale state assessment system for Illinois, where she oversaw the review, adoption, and subsequent implementation efforts for the state and served as state level expertise in the development of balanced assessment systems and a new state science assessment blueprint to accompany the new standards. Dr. Lemmer holds a PhD in Professional Studies in Education with a focus in science education from Capella University.