WEB NEWS RELEASE
COLLEGE PARK, MD (October 2009) - The College of Education is pleased to announce its 2009 Alumni Award winners, who will be recognized for their outstanding achievements at a special ceremony scheduled for Thursday, November 19, at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center. A collective wealth of educational experience, this year's 12 honorees include principals and teachers from across Maryland as well as authors, motivational speakers and academic scholars.
Co-sponsored by the College of Education, its Alumni Chapter and Phi Delta Kappa (PDK) -- an international association of professional educators -- the award ceremony will be hosted by Dean Donna Wiseman, Alumni Chapter President James DeGeorge ('71, '68), and PDK President Christopher Mills. For those interested in attending, tickets are $50 per person (RSVP by Nov. 12, 2009). To learn more, please email Pat Costantino, Director for Alumni Relations, at pmc4@umd.edu. The 2009 honorees are:
Outstanding Leader
Nelson McLeod, II is principal of Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, Md. -- a blue ribbon school serving over 2,000 students. Last year, it ranked 38th in Newsweek's top high schools in the United States.
Previously McLeod served as the first principal of Newport Mill Middle School in Kensington, Md., was assistant principal at Takoma Park Middle School, a personnel specialist at the Office of Human Resources (MCPS), and a personnel officer with Frederick County Public Schools. He has received numerous recognitions for his work, including The Washington Post Distinguished Education Leadership Award for Montgomery County. In 2007, he was named the Maryland State Principal of the Year (Maryland Association of Secondary School Principals) and received the Educator of Excellence for Minority Achievement Award (Maryland State Department of Education).
To support the community, McLeod volunteers his time to civic and educational organizations. He sits on the Advisory Board of the Washington Post Vincent E. Reed Principals Leadership Institute, the Hampton University Honors College Advisory Board, and serves as a peer reviewer of Principal Leadership.
After earning an undergraduate degree in Special Education and a master's in Secondary Learning Disabilities, McLeod completed post graduate work in School Administration at Johns Hopkins University and received his Ph.D. in Education Leadership, Higher Education, and International Education ('08) from the University of Maryland.
Outstanding Leader
Linda J. Jacobs is executive director and founder of The Harbour Schoola school for children with high functioning autism and learning disabilities with campuses in Annapolis and Baltimore County. Prior to founding The Harbour School, Jacobs was assistant state superintendent for the Maryland State Department of Education. She also served as director of special education for Anne Arundel County Public Schools and was an assistant professor of special education at the University of Maryland. In addition, she served as an adjunct professor at the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, Towson University, and Johns Hopkins University.
Jacobs has received six citations from governors of Maryland for her work in Special Education. Author of the book, Harbour Magic, she has presented at over 100 conferences in the United States as well as international conferences in Australia, China, and most recently Spain.
A three-time Terp, Jacobs says she is grateful for the wonderful education she received at the University of Maryland, where she earned her Ed.D ('71) in Special Education and Human Development and master's ('65) and bachelor's ('62) degrees in Special Education.
Outstanding Professional
Dorry M. Kenyon is director of the Language Testing Division at the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) in Washington, D.C. His work in language testing focuses on bridging Applied Linguistics and Psychometrics. At CAL, Kenyon has directed a wide variety of language testing projects, including development of a nationally used computer-assisted oral assessment for adult English language learners (BEST Plus) and ACCESS for ELLs®, a K-12 English Language Proficiency Test for the 20-state WIDA Consortium. He also led development of the framework for the Foreign Language National Assessment of Educational Progress. Kenyon has established an internship program at CAL to provide students majoring in Measurement and Statistics at the UM College of Education with practical experience in language testing.
Prior to joining CAL, Kenyon taught German and English as a Foreign/Second Language for seven years in the United States and abroad. His dissertation won the ETS award for Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Research on Second/Foreign Language Testing.
Kenyon is a frequent presenter at conferences in applied linguistics, language testing, educational measurement and educational research. An active member in the International Organization of Language Testers, he served as book review editor for Language Testing and was a founding member of the East Coast Organization of Language Testers. In addition, he served on several national boards and is currently a member of the Defense Language Testing Advisory Board (DELTAB).
Kenyon received his Ph.D. in Measurement and Statistics from the University of Maryland in 1995. He also holds a master's degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language from the American University in Cairo, a master's in Theological Studies from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and a bachelor's in German and Economics from Bowdoin College.
Outstanding New Professional
Christopher S. Garran is principal of Walter Johnson High School in Montgomery County, Md., where he leads a community of over 2,000 students and 250 staff. Since becoming principal, Garran has helped implement a number of new initiatives including the Minority Scholars Program (increasing access for all students to the academic culture of the school); the Access2College Program (providing one-on-one mentoring support to first generation college applicants); and a unique partnership with the University of Maryland in which seniors enroll in credited college courses taught by UM faculty on the Walter Johnson campus.
Garran is currently overseeing a project to completely modernize the Walter Johnson campus and has collaborated with parent leadership to form the Walter Johnson Education Foundation. In addition, he team teaches a course each year at his school, and has visited and consulted with school leaders in China and Northern Ireland. In 2009, he was selected to join the Montgomery County Public Schools' leadership team at Harvard Business School's Public Education Leadership Program. Garran has served for several years as an adjunct instructor in the College of Education's Master's Certification (MCERT) program. Prior to this, he was an adjunct instructor at Johns Hopkins University.
Garran earned his Ph.D. in Education Policy ('04) from the University of Maryland.
Outstanding Professional for Global Leadership
Dennis C. Roberts is assistant vice president for Education (Faculty and Student Services) at the Qatar Foundation. He coordinates a variety of student affairs programs and services for the Foundation's higher education partners based in Doha, Qatar, which include Cornell University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Texas A&M, Carnegie Mellon University, Georgetown University, and Northwestern University. Partnering with these institutions in the historic and geographic setting of the Arabian Gulf provides a unique opportunity to launch capacity building programs that benefit Arab, Asian, African, and other students throughout the world in ways reflecting the best higher education has to offer. Roberts and his colleagues are presently guiding the construction and development of programs for a 350,000 square foot student center and the world's first LEED certified sustainable residences for 1,200 students.
A former president of the American College Personnel Association (ACPA), Roberts has authored three books, over 40 book chapters and several articles. He presently serves as a senior scholar of the ACPA, is a member of the International Leadership Association, and serves on the Board of Trustees of the LeaderShape Institute.
Roberts's scholarship interests include the origins of student affairs work, its philosophy, and current innovative practice. Leadership and community building have also been a career-long focus. His book, Deeper Learning in Leadership (2007), combines student affairs practice as a critical element that enhances student learning with leadership learning as a core responsibility of higher education.
Roberts received his Ph.D. in Counseling and Personnel Services in 1979 from the University of Maryland.
Outstanding Scholar
Anastasia P. Samaras is an international scholar with an extensive repertoire of teaching and research activity that relate to her passion and contributions in self-study scholarship. Currently an associate professor in the College of Education and Human Development at George Mason University (GMU), has also served as GMU's director of the Initiatives in Educational Transformation Program and as coordinator of the Career Switchers Program.
Prior to joining GMU, Samaras was an associate professor and director of Teacher Education at The Catholic University of America. In addition to a decade of teaching in Anne Arundel County Public Schools, she was also a pre-school teacher at the University of Maryland Center for Young Children (CYC) and with her doctoral advisor, Greta G. Fein, conducted research on one of the first studies to explore the impact of computers on young children's learning.
Samaras' decades of teaching and research experiences have centered on designing and implementing Neo-Vygotskian-based pedagogies, developing and assessing teacher education programs, and studying teachers' professional development, including her own. She is the author/editor of numerous publications, including five books: Self-Study for Teacher Educators (2002), Self-Study of Teaching Practices (2006), Making a Difference in Teacher Education through Self-Study (2006.), Learning Communities In Practice (2008), and Self-Study Teacher Research (forthcoming). She has also presented nationally and internationally as a Visiting Self-Study Scholar.
Samaras earned all three of her degrees from the University of Maryland: Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction ('90), M.Ed. in Human Growth and Development ('76), and B.A. in Secondary Education ('72).
Outstanding New Scholar
Peter L. Rennert-Ariev is chair of the Education Specialties Department and an associate professor of Curriculum and Instruction at Loyola University Maryland. His scholarship addresses characteristics of teacher education programs, the role of "performance-based" assessment in teacher development, and the use of teaching portfolios to promote professional development for higher education faculty. His work also highlights the role of assessment in promoting student learning, the political context of teacher education reform, and the complex challenges underlying institutional change.
Rennert-Ariev's research has appeared in such publications as Teachers College Record, The Journal of Teacher Education, Teacher Education and Practice, and The Journal of Curriculum Studies. He has presented at several educational conferences, including the American Educational Research Association, the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, the National Media Education Conference, and the International Conference on College Teaching and Learning. Rennert-Ariev has mentored college faculty in developing teaching portfolios. His analysis of the role of teaching portfolios in higher education will appear in the book, The Teaching Portfolio (forthcoming 2010), published by Jossey-Bass.
Rennert-Ariev earned his Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Maryland College of Education in 2002.
Alumni Teacher of the Year
Bryan S. Goehring has served as a public school teacher for the state of Maryland for the past 19 years. Currently a seventh-grade science teacher at Takoma Park Middle School in Montgomery County, he also serves as chair of the Science Department and the Grade 7 Team Leader, positions he has held for the last 14 years. Goehring was involved in writing curriculum for Montgomery County Public Schools, Prince George's County Public Schools and Discovery School. Throughout his career he has been nominated for numerous awards, recently receiving the Washington Wizards Teacher of the Year award (2008) and the Dr. Marian Greenblatt Award (2009). He was also named the Montgomery County Public School Teacher of the Year in 2009.
Goehring extends his classroom outside the typical school day by sponsoring the following clubs: newspaper, yearbook, Destination Imagination, Junior Civitan, Ski Club, and Robotics. He takes students to a monthly soup kitchen, involves students in weekly service opportunities, supervises student participation in several leadership conferences, and encourages students to give back to their community. He tries to live by the motto, "no one left behind, no one forgotten."
Goehring earned degrees from the University of Maryland (B.S., Curriculum and Instruction, '90), Strayer University, Bowie State University. He is currently working on a third master's degree in Educational Technology from the University of Maryland University College.
Alumni Teacher of the Year
After Janet S. Jones earned her masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Maryland, she continued her employment with Charles County Public Schools as a middle school reading resource teacher. She currently works with both students and teachers in and out of the classroom setting. To support new teachers, Jones created a curriculum map for grades six, seven, and eight that included teaching points, possible discussion and response questions, and resources. The instructional map was so well received that a revised version now serves as a county document for all teachers.
Before she moved to Maryland, Jones taught in Tennessee and for the Department of Defense Dependent Schools in England. She is a National Writing Project Teacher Consultant and continues to participate with the Maryland Writing Project both locally and at the state level. She is also a past president of the Southern Maryland Reading Council and served on state reading committees while maintaining state and International Reading Association memberships. Jones continues to serve on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Reading Assessment Committee. In 2002, she was invited to participate in a U.S. Department of Education NCES study comparison of NAEP and the international reading assessments PIRLS and PISA.
Jones received her undergraduate degree in special and elementary education from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University.
Phi Delta Kappa Outstanding Mentor Teacher
Joyce C. Erb-Appleman found her niche in teaching after a 10-year career working with children as a social worker. She credits her 13 years of teaching for preparing her for the drastic change from Appala chian Ohio to Metro DC. Currently she teaches fifth grade at Berwyn Heights Elementary School.
Her commitment to succeed was evidenced in 2006 when she became a National Board Certified Teacher. Her certification, Middle Childhood Generalist, recognizes experienced teachers for the quality of their practice. Erb-Appleman was also named the Agnes Myers Outstanding Teacher of the Year by the Washington Post and was runner-up for Prince George's County Public School's Outstanding Teacher of the Year in 2006. She received a Washington Post Arts in Education Grant in 2005.
Erb-Appleman says she enjoys providing a quality education to her students, as well as preparing young teachers for the challenges of the profession. Named Site Liaison for the Prince George's County Public Schools/University of Maryland PDS partnership, she proudly supports this program by inspiring student interns to become confident, competent teachers entering the profession. She holds several leadership roles including mentor coordinator, offering guidance to new teachers in their first year of service. She also serves as a member of the leadership team, and a committee head of the school-based management team.
Erb-Appleman holds a M.S. in reading from Coppin State University, teacher certification from Walsh University, and a B.S. in Family and Child Development from the Ohio State University.
Distinguished Service to the College of Education
Antoinette (Toni) S. Ungaretti served six years on the College of Education Alumni Board with three years as its president. In her role as president she worked on making the Alumni Board a true partner of the dean in advancing the visibility of the College and the accomplishments of the alumni. She helped the Alumni Board focus on developing an agenda to support the dean's vision and leadership while creating opportunities for alumni to connect to each other and the College on both a personal and professional level. As host of numerous events for the College, including chairing its first Return to Learn Alumni Event, Ungaretti worked tirelessly to both deepen and re-establish alumni's connections with the College.
The results of some of the Board's initiatives led by Ungaretti include the Alumni Mentor Study Abroad Program funded by the Board, the Annual Graduation Reception, equipment support for faculty research serving children in third world nations, and contributions to the plans for remodeling of the Benjamin Building, home of the College of Education. In addition, as Alumni Chapter President she sat on University of Maryland Board Of Governors and used this opportunity to increase the College's visibility at the University level.
Currently assistant dean as well as an assistant professor of Management, and director of the Office of Learning in the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, Ungaretti received her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in Human Development ('92). She also holds a Master of Science degree from the University of Delaware and a Bachelor of Science degree from Carnegie Mellon University.
Dean's Award
Jennifer Smith Stepanek is an award-winning advocate for children's and families' needs in health and education. A published author and motivational speaker, she writes and lectures on such topics as psychosocial care, family support, bereavement, collaboration, spirituality, and the gift of hope. Stepanek parented four children who died from a rare neuromuscular disease, including bestselling author and peace advocate Mattie Stepanek. After her children were born, she was diagnosed with the adult-onset form of the same condition, and now uses a ventilator to support her breathing and a power wheelchair for mobility.
Stepanek worked as a consultant for Connections Beyond Sight and Sound, a UM College of Education-based disability project supporting children with deaf-blindness. She is also a national vice president for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, a governor for the We Are Family Foundation, and chairperson of the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Foundation. Stepanek mentors teenagers worldwide through the annual Three Dot Dash Just Peace Summit. In 2008, she played a key role in the final design and dedication ceremony of the 26-acre Mattie J.T. Stepanek Park and Peace Garden located in Rockville, Md. Stepanek recently penned an inspirational memoir of her son's life, Messenger: The Legacy of Mattie J.T. Stepanek and Heartsongs, which was featured on Good Morning America in November 2009.
Stepanek earned her M.Ed. ('99) and Ph.D. ('08) in Early Childhood Special Education from the University of Maryland College of Education. She was also the recipient of the College's Outstanding Doctoral Student Award in 2008.
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