Congratulations to the eight doctoral candidates in the Reich College of Education’s (RCOE) Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership who graduate at the end of the 2021 spring semester:
- Heather Freeman
- Carrie Hodge
- Natalia Martin
- Heather Jo Mashburn
- Alex McAllister
- Ashley Pennell
- Heath Robertson
- Matt Zalman
Heather Freeman
Dissertation Title: An Autoethnographic Approach To Fostering Equity And Empowerment For Students, Teachers, And Families Through Transformative Leadership And Reflective Practice
Dissertation Committee: Dr. Krista Terry (chair), Department of Leadership and Educational Studies; Dr. Vachel Miller, Department of Leadership and Educational Studies; and Dr. Julie Hasson, Department of Leadership and Educational Studies.
“The doctoral program has allowed me an opportunity to connect theoretical knowledge with essential practices in the principalship. First, I was able to forge amazing friendships and collegial connections with those in my cohort as we completed classes together. As I've navigated the dissertation process, I can't say enough about the support I've had from my committee in encouraging me not only to finish the dissertation process but also in synergizing with me about my work and continuous growth as a school leader.”
Awards and Honors:
Wilkes County Schools Principal of the Year 2021-22
Conferences and Campus Presentations:
- Presented at Leader In Me Symposium, Columbia, South Carolina, March 2019
- Co-organized the LEAD Summit for Middle Schools held at Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, October 2019
- Presented a session called "The Road to Lighthouse Status" at the Leader in Me Symposium, Asheville, North Carolina, February 2020
Grants:
- Appalachian State University Public School Partnership Mini-Grant
- Wilkes Wishing Well Grant
Carrie Hodge
Dissertation Title: Investigating A College-going Culture During Covid-19 In North Carolina High Schools
Dissertation Committee: Dr. Jennifer McGee (Chair), Department of Curriculum and Instruction; Dr. Shawn Bergman, Department of Psychology; and Dr. Andrew Koricich, Department of Leadership and Educational Studies
“The doctoral program has taught me outlook is key. How you view research, learning, and criticism is what makes you a true scholar. By maintaining an open and receptive outlook, you will find ways to grow and learn as a scholar.”
Publications:
Gross, L., McGee, J. R., James, J., & Hodge, C. (accepted 2019). Play to Pedagogy: Formative Childhood Experiences and the Development of Preservice Elementary Science Educators. Journal of Science Teacher Education. doi: 10.1080/1046560X. 2019.1616516
Conferences and Campus Presentations:
- Hodge, C.R. (2019). Examining the Creation of College-Going Cultures in High Schools. Round table discussion at the 2019 NCARE Conference, Charlotte, NC, 2019.
- Hodge, C.R. & McGee, J. (2018). From Play to Pedagogy: Formative Childhood Experiences and the Development of Preservice Elementary Science Educators. Paper presentation at the 2018 CREATE Conference, Williamsburg, VA, 2018.
- (Upcoming) Hodge, C.R. (2021). Examining How to Proactively Implement a College-Going Culture. Paper presentation at the 2021 NCCEP/ GEAR UP Annual Conference, San Francisco, 2021.
Natalie Martin
Dissertation Title: Are Socially Constructed Biases In The Workplace Keeping The Glass Ceiling Alive?
Dissertation Committee: Dr. Precious Mudiwa (chair), Department of Leadership and Educational Studies; Dr. Jim Westerman, Department of Management; Dr. Les Bolt, Department of Leadership and Educational Studies; and Dr. Stella Anderson, Department of Management
“I am learning each and every day what it means to have the opportunity to pursue higher education. Without going through this program the level of thinking, empathy, and understanding that I have about critically important topics would be severely limited. I consider myself fortunate on all accounts and hope to be a greater part of offering that opportunity to others.”
Heather Jo Mashburn
Dissertation Title: Shipwreck And Spirituality: College Women's Experiences Of Encountering Deep Challenge And Surfacing With Renewed Purpose
Dissertation Committee: Dr. Roma Angel (chair), Department of Leadership and Educational Studies; Dr. Vachel Miller, Department of Leadership and Educational Studies; and Dr. Greg McClure, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
“When I began this doctoral journey, I had no idea that it would leave me changed on the other side; my life and my work are forever changed because of my experience and journey to becoming Dr. Mashburn. I am more confident in myself as a leader and as a scholar, and more cognizant of the role that I play in the world. I am grateful for the opportunity to have learned alongside some amazing professionals, colleagues, and students. May we all continue on a path towards the full manifestation of the true self, seeking peace and contentment in all that life brings our way.”
Awards and Honors:
Doctoral Program Scholarship (Spring 2021)
Alex McAllister
Dissertation Title: Space Invasion In The Academic Library: A Poststructural Analysis Using Discourse, Power/Knowledge, And Biopower
Dissertation Committee: Dr. Alecia Jackson (chair), Department of Leadership and Educational Studies; Dr. Kim Becnel, Department of Leadership and Educational Studies; and Dr. Mira Waits, Department of Art.
“Being a part of the Ed.D. program at Appalachian State University has made a difference in both my professional and personal life. I entered the program with the simple goal to learn how educational leadership could improve my knowledge of teaching and research skills, and I obtained so much more throughout the course of my studies. Having the opportunity to explore theory and its connections to my field provided me with an important research agenda. This work will allow me to challenge the dominant voices that often ignore and suppress oppositional opinions. By studying various styles of leadership I also learned many skills that will have a positive impact on others. I plan to use these leadership skills to build and bring together a multiplicity of voices during times of uncertainty. I thank my family, friends, cohort, and the faculty who provided instruction and guidance throughout my leadership studies.”
Awards and Honors:
- Emerging Scholar Award for the Seventeenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities (Selected). Summer 2019, Granada, Spain.
- A small number of awards are given out to emerging scholars who have an active research interest in conference themes.
- Up & Comer. Fall 2018.
- Selected by organizers of the Charleston Conference and presented to a rising star in the library and information profession.
- Best of Show.
- Spring 2016- ARLIS/NA + VRA Joint Conference for poster titled Outreach Through Collections: A Collaborative Design Project. (2016)
- Association of College & Research Libraries Early-Career Librarian Scholarship. Spring 2015.
- This scholarship provided an opportunity to attend the 2015 ACRL Conference in Portland to work on professional development.
Conferences and Campus Presentations:
- Seventeenth International Conference on Books, Publishing, and Libraries– University of Granada, Spain. Library Service Learning and Border Pedagogy. McAllister, Alex. (Forthcoming, July 2019).
- Charleston Conference – Charleston, South Carolina. The Print Book Purging Predicament: Qualitative Techniques for a Balanced Collection – Allan Scherlen and Alex McAllister, Appalachian State University (November 2017).
- Fifteenth International Conference on Books, Publishing, and Libraries – Imperial College of London. Mass Weeding in University Libraries and Its Effects on Humanities Research. McAllister, Alex (July 2017).
- Warm Up with the Humanities – Appalachian State University Humanities Council. The Place of Foundational Library Resources in a Digital Humanities World. McAllister, Alex. (February, 2017).
- ARLIS/NA + VRA Joint Conference – Seattle, Washington. Outreach Through Collections: A Collaborative Design Project. McAllister, Alex, & Browning, G. (2016, March). Poster session presented at the Art Libraries Society of North America and Visual Resources Association Joint Conference, Seattle. Voted “Best of Show” out of 40 poster presentations.
- Charleston Conference – Charleston, South Carolina. Libraries in a Bind: Practical Solutions and Human Responses to a Weeding Mandate – Alex McAllister, Appalachian State University, Allan Scherlen, Appalachian State University, Christina Mayberry, California State University-Northridge, Kathy Marks, Better World Books (November 2015).
- North Carolina Library Association – Appalachian State University (Poster Presentation). Different Pathways to Academic Library Careers – Alex McAllister and Mary Jordan (December, 2014).
- Southeastern Library Association/Council of Media Organizers – Appalachian State University. Building Bridges: Finding Ways to Collaborate with Faculty – Alex McAllister, Matthew Herrman, Andrea Robertson, and Garrison Libby (October, 2014).
- NCCCLRA – Coastal Carolina Community College. Reaffirming the Research Consultation – Alex McAllister and Garrison Libby (April, 2014).
- Spring 2013 Faculty Workshops – Coastal Carolina Community College. LRC: One-stop Shopping for Information and Resources – Sally Goodman, Alex McAllister.
- Fall 2013 Professional Development Day – Coastal Carolina Community College. Prezi: An Endless Canvas Awaiting Your Ideas – Alex McAllister.
Grants:
- McAllister, A.D., “Fifteenth International Conference on Books, Publishing and Libraries Presentation for Professional Development.” Martha and Nancy Lee Bivens University Library Fund for Excellence. Appalachian State University, 80 percent awarded at $3,460. Accepted December 15, 2016
- McAllister, A.D. (Co-Principal), Stilling, G.E., “The First Bivens Occasional Lecture on the Scholarship of Books and Reading.” Martha and Nancy Lee Bivens University Library Fund for Excellence. Appalachian State University, $900.00. Accepted: January 8, 2016
Ashley Pennell
Dissertation Title: The Development Of First Graders' Word Knowledge And The Influence Of Phonics Instruction
Dissertation Committee: Dr. Devery Ward (chair), Department of Reading Education and Special Education; Dr. Woody Trathen, Department of Reading Education and Special Education; Dr. Rebecca Payne Jordan, Department of Reading Education and Special Education; and Dr. Shaun Zhang Department of Reading Education and Special Education.
“The doctoral program has given me the opportunity to learn and grow as an educator, scholar, and researcher and to contribute in meaningful ways to the reading and literacy field.”
Publications:
- Pennell, A. E. & Green, C. (2021). Beyond the binary: Exploring gender diversity in books for adolescents. Building Bridges With and Through Literacy: Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers Yearbook, 42, 265-282.
- Pennell, A. E. & Green, C. (March/April 2019). Plaid shirts and pink dress: Gender nonconformity in young children. Child Care Exchange.
- Morris, D., Pennell, A., Perney, J., & Trathen, W. (2018). Assessing reading fluency at the end of first grade: Subjective vs. objective measures. Reading Psychology, 39(4), 253-270.
- Pennell, A. E., Wollak, B., Koppenhaver, D. A. (2018). Respectful representations of disability in children’s literature. The Reading Teacher, 71(4), 411-419.
- Moorman, G. & Pennell, A. E. (November/December 2017) Plagiarism in the digital age: Using a process writing model to enhance academic integrity. Literacy Today.
Awards and Honors:
Top 20 most read article 2017-2018 in The Reading Teacher for manuscript “Respectful Representations of Disability in Picture Books"
Conferences and Campus Presentations:
- Profiles of First Graders’ Word Knowledge: Learning to Read and Spell in the Age of Phonics Instruction. Paper presented at the virtual annual meeting of the Literacy Research Association, December 2020.
- Pennell, A. E. I Can Spell Words That I Can’t Read: Profiles of Low-Performing First-Grade Readers. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers, Corpus Christi, TX, November 2019.
- Pennell, A. E. #WeReadGenderDiverseBooks: Representations of Transgender Characters in Literature. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers, Corpus Christi, TX, November 2019.
- Pennell, A. E. Case Studies on Learning to Read: First Graders’ Development of Word Knowledge and the Influence of Phonics Instruction. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the International Literacy Association Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA, October 2019.
- Pennell, A. E. & Harris, B. Every Child in a Book: Using Picture Books to Explore Characters with a Disability. Workshop presented at the annual meeting of the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers, Louisville, KY, November 2018.
- Pennell, A. E. Development of Spelling and Word Recognition Skill in the Early Grades and the Influence of Phonics Instruction. Roundtable presented at the annual meeting of the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers, Louisville, KY, November 2018.
- Pennell, A. E. When Phonics Isn’t Enough: Building Sight Vocabularies in Beginning Readers. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the International Dyslexia Association, Atlanta, GA, November 2017.
- Hardin, B. & Pennell, A. E. Reader Response and Digital Tools. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Reading Forum, Sanibel Island, FL, December 2016.
- Hardin, B. & Pennell, A. E. (2015, December). Planning Literacy Professional Development: Models that Work. Problems Court presented at the annual meeting of the American Reading Forum, Sanibel Island, FL, December 2015.
- Pennell, A. E. & Green, C. Out of the Book: Exploring Gender Diversity in Literature. Session presented at the North Carolina Reading Association Conference, Raleigh, NC, April 2019.
- Green, C. & Pennell, A. E. Beyond the Binary: Books about the Transgender Experience. Paper presented at the North Carolina Association for Research in Education Conference, Charlotte, NC, March 2019.
- Pennell, A. E., Goodson, M. L., & Rice, A. Assessment of Reading Fluency in Elementary School Readers: The Relationship Between Subjective vs. Objective Measures. Poster presented at the North Carolina Association of Research in Education Annual Conference, Chapel Hill, NC, February 2017.
- Pennell, A. E. A Book for Every Child: Finding Windows, Mirrors, and Doors in Diverse Children’s Literature. Professional Development Workshop for the James Center for Appalachian Educators, Boone, NC, September 2018.
- Hardin, B. Pennell, A. E., & Wilson, A. Literacy Professional Development for the Digital Age. Presentation for the Department of Leadership & Educational Studies Public School Partnership Leadership Conference, Boone, NC, July 2015.
Grants:
- Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies Travel Grant, 2018
- Department of Educational and Leadership Studies Doctoral Enrichment Funds, 2017
Heath Robertson
Dissertation Title: The Effect Of Decolonization Of The North Carolina American History I Curriculum From The Indigenous Perspective
Dissertation Committee: Dr. Barbara Howard (chair), Department of Leadership and Educational Studies; Dr. William Gummerson, Department of Leadership and Educational Studies; Dr. Kimberly Money, Department of Leadership and Educational Studies; and Mr. Freeman Owl, Cherokee elder.
“The Doctoral Program has been a very interesting journey for me. I have learned more than I ever imagined, not just about theory and research, but about people and how extremely complex education can be. This experience has been one that I will cherish and will look back on fondly. I will also remember, it is because of this program and the lessons learned in and out of the classroom, that I have found my motivation and a renewed passion for my tribe (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), culture, and the goal of making our education system the best it can be.
The friendships made through this journey will never be forgotten and the bond we share as a cohort will provide us with the support we will need in the most difficult of times. This program can offer those within it the tools and opportunity to not only find their voice but also use it in an effective manner. It is one of the many reasons I’m proud to have been a part of this university on so many levels.”
Awards and Honors:
- Rhododendron Society Scholarship for the Reich College of Education (Appalachian State University), 2020-2021
- Mabel Augusta Morgan Scholarship for Education (Appalachian State University), 2020-2021
Matt Zalman
Dissertation Title: Student Affairs Professionals Teaching In Higher Education: A Deconstruction Of A Men And Masculinities Course
Dissertation Committee: Dr. Alecia Jackson (chair), Department of Leadership and Educational Studies; Dr. Martha McCaughey, Department of Sociology; and Dr. Aaron Voyles, the University of Texas at Austin.
“The doctoral program has provided me the opportunity to look at organizations and institutions in new and enlightening ways. I have gained the skills to question and jostle long-held ideas, while simultaneously looking to the future in order to create a space that is more inclusive for those that want to take part.”
Conferences and Campus Presentations:
14th International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry - 2018 - Poststructural Perspectives on Student Affairs
Doctoral students graduating spring 2021
