Alumni & Giving

EdTerps Alumni Class Notes

Our alumni live in all corners of the world and do many great things! We invite you to meet some of your stellar fellow EdTerps alumni. And if you have news to share, please let us know by submitting to our Class Notes. We love to share stories about your impact!

Betty Ann Ernst Bauer (BS '65) has written a book of historical fiction for upper elementary-grade children about Ancestral Puebloan life in the American Southwest. Published by Portamento, Tamika and Friends is a story of three children whose families migrated from Mesa Verde in the late 1200s. [July 2014]

Judith Lese ('69, M.Ed. '74) retired after 53 years of teaching. She was a classroom teacher for five different schools in Montgomery County Public Schools, MD. [July 2022]

Dr. Bernice R. Sandler (Ph.D. '69) has become known as the Godmother of Title IX

Dr. Darla Fishbein Strouse (BA '67, Ed.D. '04) wrote and won a grant from Sinai and Synapsis and the Sir John Templeton Fund to have research scientists from Howard County, MD, present five science presentations with religious interpretations and relationships discussed using the Old Testament and other Jewish texts that connect ancient ideas to modern scientific discovery. [July 2023]

Dennis D. Urban ('69) wrote the book The Making of a Civilian Solider in the Civil War: the First Diary of Private William J. McLean Along the C & O Canal and the Affair at Edwards Ferry, published by New Academia Publishing.  [July 2022]

William D. Wargo Ed.D. ('68) served as a professor of industrial education for 35 years before retiring. He then earned a Marine Sea Turtle permit from the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission, serving as the director of the Alligator Point Sea Patrol from 2004 to 2021. [July 2022]

Dr. Maurice Dorsey (BS '70, Ph.D. '83) was inducted into the Sigma Chapter, Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Society at the University of Maryland in 2022. [July 2023]

Dr. Jacqueline Brown-Frierson (BA '71) was the first Black female Resident Assistant (R.A.) serving in Denton Hall. [May 2023]

James Fielder (M.Ed. '72) served as the Secretary of Higher Education for the State of Maryland from 2015 to 2023. 

Judith Freeman Garey (BS '70) had her book Theater, Drama, and Reading: Transforming the Rehearsal Process into A Reading Process, published by National Council of Teachers of English [July 2023]

Thomas Grites (Ph.D. '74) received a 2024 ACPA Award. [March 2024]

Shetland Mist book cover
Heather Hammer (M.A. '73) published her first historical fiction book: Sheltland Mist, the story of her great-great-grandmother who lived in the 1800s in the remote Shetland Islands and raised nine children with many hardships but much resilience. [January 2024] 

Lee Havis (M.Ed. '74) published the book The Technology of Scientific Education: Practical Guidance for creating a true natural reality, based on his decades of work with the International Montessori Society, which he established in 1979. 

Valerie Stasik (BS '70) published her first novel, Incidental Daughter [July 2014]

Jim Wharton (BS '73) retired after forty years of service as a music teacher in schools around Baltimore, most recently Catonsville High, where he has taught since 1988. [July 2014]

Barbara Friedlander ('85, M.A. '90) was named the Learning Disabilities Associations Sam Kirk Educator of the Year. [February 2024]

Rocky Lopes and Testudo
Rocky Lopes (BS '80), was elected to the University of Maryland Alumni Association Board of Governors.  [July 2023]

Mary (Conrad) Skowronski (BA '85, '87) retired after 36 years of teaching English in Maryland serving Anne Arundel, Charles, and Frederick Counties. [May 2023]

 

Dr. Gena Glickman (Ph.D. '92) was re-elected as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Commission on Higher Education Accreditation in 2023. She was also named president emerita in 2018, of Manchester Community College. [July 2023]

Dr. Marsha Guenzler-Stevens (Ph.D. '93) has been honored by the NASPA Women's Center with the Zenobia Hikes Award in recognition of her commitment to the advancement of women in higher education and student affairs. [July 2014]

JH

 

John Heneghan ('97) has been recognized as the 2024 Wash100 Award winner by Executive Mosaic, an international leadership organization and media company. [2024]

Jason Jaffe ('94) is in his 29th year at Central Bucks School District in Bucks County, PA, where he serves as the Director of Technology and Innovation. [2023]

Steven E. Jones (Ph.D. '96) is co-author of a recently released bestselling Amazon book on how to build and sustain highly effective teams that get results, Growing Groups into Teams. [March 2024].

Steve Koppi (M.Ed. '92) serves as the Executive Director of Boston University's outstanding Center for Career Development. [March 2024]

the fragile

 

Mitra Mahmoudi De Souza (M.Ed. '98) has published her book, The Fragile, which will be coming out in July 2024. 

Dr. Alice Mitchell (Ph.D.'97) published the book New Directions for Student Services: No 178-179. Student affairs assessment: Nuanced practice to leverage equity. [November 2022]

William "Bill" Phalen Jr. ('94) is in his 30th year in education and first year as Principal of Woodland Park Middle School in Woodland Park, Colorado. Prior to this roll, Bill served as a band and orchestra director for 25 years in Maryland, Texas, and Colorado. [November 2023]

MollyBeth Jacobs Rushfield (BS '91) was named inaugural recipient of the Avi West Jewish Education Award [February 2023]

Lisa Stuart Whitehead (BS '98) received the Gilbert A. Clark & Enid Zimmerman Leadership and Advocacy Award during the 2023 National Art Education Association (NAEA) National Convention [April 2023]

Christy Tirrell-Corbin (Ph.D. '96) was selected as a Dean Impact Professor at the UMD College of Education. [2023]

Carey Wright ('72, M.S. '76, Ed.D. '94) was appointed Interim State Superintendent of Education by Maryland Board of Education [2023]

Tiki Ayiku (M.Ed. '05) is the Vice President for Education and Events at U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). [March 2024]

Tess Barker ('03) serves as the Executive Director at the Association for Student Conduct Administration (ASCA). [2023]

Dr. Darnell Barnett (BS '04) completed his Doctoral degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Liberty University in 2022. He currently teaches virtually with Proximity Learning and has worked for both Prince George's County Public Schools and Montgomery County Public Schools. [August 2023]

Dr. Carolyn McNamra Barry (Ph.D. '01) received the Professional Achievement Alumni Award from her undergraduate alma mater, Ursinus College. Thus award recognizes an individual who has reached significant professional achievements through exemplary leadership.[July 2023]

James "Jim" Berry (Ph.D. '01) serves as a member of the initial cohort of MSDE's Expert Review Team, supporting implementation of the Blueprint for Maryland's Future. [2023]

Eve Case with award
Eve Case ('03) was named the 2023 winner of the Mel Miller Social Studies Leader Award by the National Social Studies Supervisors Association, a part of the National Council for the Social Studies. 
Dr. Truphena Choti
Dr. Truphena Choti (Ph.D. '09) founded AfriThrive in 2019 and began broader efforts to support a growing refugee community in nearby Riverdale Park (Prince George’s County) – all this, while still working a fulltime job in International Development. During the pandemic, they partnered with DC Central Kitchen to organize weekly food distributions at a local church in Aspen Hill. Distributions expanded to locations in Gaithersburg and Baltimore, with additional partnerships with 4P Foods and Manna Food Center. By 2022, the organization had distributed more than 1 million pounds of food. AfriThrive recently launched an initiative called the Balozi Advocacy Program. 

Dr. Chris Conzen (M.Ed. '01) is Executive Director of the College's new Secaucus Center at the Frank J. Gargiulo Campus of Hudson County Schools of Technology. [2024]

Cara Grant (B.S. '01) co-authored the book Intersectionality in Health Education with Troy Boddy. [January 2024]

Dr. Heather Ruetschlin Schugar ('01, M.S. '05, Ph.D. '08) was named one of the 150 Most Influential Women at West Chester University of Pennsylvania where she is a professor of Educational Leadership and Literacy and is the director of the doctoral programs in Educational Leadership and Higher Education Administration. [August 2023]

Book cover "The color of a lie"
Kim Johnson (M.Ed. '03) is an award-winning author who published her newest book The Color of a Lie. [February 2024]
Josh Schneider
Josh Schneider ('04) founded The HockEYE Guy Foundation to provide transportation and lodging for blind hockey players. Learn more about Josh's story here

Dr. Sean Simone (Ph.D. '09) left his full time position at Rutgers University to become Branch Chief of the Longitudinal Surveys Branch at the National Center for Education Statistics in the U.S. Department of Education. The Branch houses the Early childhood Longitudinal Studies Program, the Secondary Longitudinal Studies Program, and the Postsecondary Longitudinal Survey Studies Program. [July 2023]

Daniel Singley (M.A. '03, Ph.D. '05) serves as the president of the American Psychological Association's Division of Men & Masculinities. [2024]

group photo of PGCPS 2024 teacher of the year
Mary Truman (M.Ed.'04) was named 2023 Teacher of the Year by Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS). Mary teaches preschoolers with autism at Kenmoor Early Childhood Center and is a 22-year veteran PGCPS educator.  [May 2023]

 

Jamie Adasi (M.Ed.'13) lead a global DEI team that has won numerous awards for culture and impact. [May 2023]

Dr. Jorge Baxter (Ph.D. '16) was named Dean of the College of Education (Facultad e Education) of the Universidad de los Andres in Bogota, Columbia. [January 2024]

Dr. Jorge Baxter
Dr. Carlos Beato (Ed.D. '19) started Soy La Esperanza LCC, an educational consulting organization to support school teams in providing excellent services for multilingual learners. [May 2023]

Dr. Rotunda Floyd-Cooper (Ed.D. '17) was named as the new director of education leadership for the Wallace Foundation. [March 2023]

Elias Gonzalez (B.S. '17, M.Ed. '18) serves as curriculum innovation lead for Break Through Tech DC where is work is leading inclusive teaching efforts within the Department of Computer Science at the University of Maryland, College Park. [2023]

Dr. Courtney Hattan (Ph.D. '18) Accepted the position of Assistant Professor in the Science of Reading at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. [July 2023]

Elias Gonzalez
Dr. Daman Harris (Ph.D. '14) has a new book being published in November 2023 called, The Antiracist School Leader: What to Know, Say, and Do. [August 2023]

Dr. Hayley Haywood (M.Ed. '11) was promoted to assistant provost for organizational learning at Clark University. She also launched Elevating Access, an organizational capacity-building firm supporting universities & employers in building equitable pathways to soulfilling work through identity-conscious coaching & consulting. [August 2023]

Dr. Amanda Knapp (Ph.D. '13) has accepted a three year term as the incoming vice president/president/past president on the Executive Board for the National College Learning Center Association. [October 2023]

Juliet Morris (B.A. '15, M.Ed. '16) serves as Educational Specialist at the Supreme Court Historical Society, where she will be researching and creating civics curriculum for students and teachers across the country. [February 2024]

Dr. Alana Murray ('98, Ph.D. '12) received the Harry J. Carman Award from the Middle States Council for Social Studies. [February 2023]

Justin K. Robinson (M.Ed. '13) was appointed by Governor Wes Moore to serve on the Blueprint for Maryland's Future Accountability and Implementation Board. [May 2023]

Ellen Slobodnik (B.A. '11, M.Ed. '12) is serving as an Assistant Principal in Prince William County, VA. [ August 2023]

Dr. Ebony Terrell Shockley (Ph.D. '12) was named the Editor of the Chronicle of Middle-Level Education Research Special Interest Group and Awards Chair for the Research for Black Education Special Interest Group. [April 2024]

Michelle Udeli (M.A. '14) founded and launched the College Auntie social media platform to provide College Students with tips and tricks to help them navigate college successfully. [May 2023]

Dr. Arthur Williams (Ed.D.'13) serves as the Coordinator of Career Advising at Montgomery County Public Schools. [August 2023]

Dr. Darryl Williams (Ed.D. '11) was hired by Morgan State University as a Professor of Practice for the School of Education and Urban Studies program. [August 2023]

Dr. Myriam Yarbrough (Ed.D.'13) was selected to be the superintendent of Baltimore County Public School Systems. [May 2023]

Allison Curtin (M.Ed. '21) received the Promising New Social Studies Teacher of the Year award from the Maryland Council for Social Studies. [March 2023]

Maria McGee (M.Ed. '23) received the extremely competitive and prestigious, Knowles Teaching Fellowship award. Maria teaches at Quince Orchard High School in Montgomery County Public Schools. [August 2023]

Candace Quander (M.Ed. '22) received a Fulbright Educational Teaching Assistant scholarship to Colombia. [July 2023]

Alice Swift (B.A. '90, Ed.D. '22) started her role as principal of Abington Senior High School. [January 2024]

Lekha Tantry (B.S. '20, M.Ed. '21) was selected as a Desmos Fellows 2023 Cohort, a highly selective opportunity with only 30 teachers selected from across the country. Lekha teaches at Capital City Public Charter School for the District of Columbia Public School System. [August 2023]