Dr. Caroline McKaughan, from Kernersville, North Carolina, graduated from Appalachian State University with an Ed. D. in educational leadership with a concentration in higher education in 2023. As a student, she was inducted into the Cratis D. Williams Society of Outstanding Graduates.
She received a Bachelor of Science in education from The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, and a Master of Arts in liberal studies from Duke University.
McKaughan currently serves as the academic dean at Oak Ridge Military Academy (ORMA) in Oak Ridge, North Carolina. ORMA is a co-educational military boarding school for grades 7-12.
Impacting Education in Her Communities
McKaughan is impacting education in multiple communities.
As a 2009 graduate of The Citadel, McKaughan returned to her alma mater for a couple of projects. The first was to celebrate "25 Years of Female Graduates." She participated in a discussion panel entitled, "Looking Back to Look Forward: A Brief Retrospective on Women at The Citadel" as a representative for The Citadel's Zucker Family School of Education.
The second project was based on her dissertation work, which led to an invitation to be a Scholar in Residence for Leadership Studies at The Citadel. In this role, she will continue to research outcomes for women in military schools by extending her dissertation research, as well as collaborating with The Citadel's Leadership Studies Department on other research projects. This work will allow her to give back to and enhance both her current position at ORMA and her alma mater, The Citadel.
McKaughan is proud to represent App State in the fields of education and leadership research.
“I credit the outstanding graduate program with preparing me for these next steps in research and writing,” she noted.