New Educator

CASSIE J. BROWNELL, Ph.D. ’18 (Curriculum, Instruction and Teacher Education), was named a 2020 National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Research Development Awardee. The award provides research and professional development funding. Brownell is an assistant professor of curriculum, teaching and learning at the University of Toronto.

MARYLEE DAVIS, Ph.D. ’74 (Higher Education), was one of two recipients of the 2020 Public Policy Pioneer award. Given by the Michigan American Council on Education (MI-ACE) Women’s Network, the award recognizes women who have made a lasting impact on public policy, or who have taken “precedent-breaking action” on behalf of women and higher education. Davis is a former College of Education professor and MSU administrator; she was the first in the state and Big Ten to serve as a governmental affairs officer, and was the first woman to serve as corporate secretary of the MSU Board of Trustees. She has held numerous positions locally and nationally, was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame and, in 2008, received MSU’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Diversity. Davis currently serves as president of the Leadership Solutions Group in Kingsport, Tenn.

LISA DOMKE was one of two individuals chosen for the 2020 Emerging Scholars Fellowship Program through the Literacy Research Association’s Reading Hall of Fame. Domke, Ph.D. ’19 (Curriculum, Instruction and Teacher Education), is an assistant professor at Georgia State University whose research interests include biliteracy, children’s literature and disciplinary literacy, with a focus on language learners. The fellowship pairs researchers with a mentor during the initial years of their career to provide guidance on research, publication and other areas. 

PAMELA EDDY received a 2021 Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. It is the state’s highest honor that can be given to faculty at a higher education institution. Eddy, Ph.D. ’02 (Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education), was among the 12 honorees named in December. She is professor of higher education at the William & Mary School of Education and editor-in-chief for the journal New Directions for Community Colleges.

ANDREW FLAGEL was named president and CEO of the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area in July 2020. Flagel, Ph.D. ’08 (Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education), will oversee 17 colleges and universities in the consortium, a nonprofit aimed at “advancing innovation and collaboration.” Previously, Flagel was vice president for advancement and member engagement at the Association of American Colleges and Universities.

MO GERHARDT, M.S. ’02 (Kinesiology), was named an honorary member of MSU’s Varsity “S” Club in January 2020. The club’s goal is to unify past, present and future Spartan athletes. Gerhardt, an advisor in the MSU College of Natural Science and a Spartan women’s basketball analyst with the Spartan Sports Network, was recognized for his extraordinary service in supporting MSU Intercollegiate Athletics and the university. 

BILLY C. HAWKINS was named one of the 2020 top 10 most dominant Historically Black college and university (HBCU) leaders by the HBCU Campaign Fund. Hawkins, Ph.D. ’85 (K-12 Educational Administration), is president of Talladega College, a role he’s held since 2008. As president, Hawkins has guided the college in many areas, including expanded academic offerings and record-breaking enrollment increases.

FLORENSIO HERNANDEZ was appointed to the Hispanic/Latino Commission of Michigan by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in December 2019. Hernandez, M.A. ’16 (Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education), joined the 15-member Commission, which is dedicated to advising the state’s governmental leadership in the coordination and administration of programs to serve the Hispanic and Latino population. Hernandez is a senior admissions counselor at MSU. His appointment continues until early December 2022.

VENESSA KEESLER started a new position with AEM Corporation in November 2020. As a senior project director and subject matter expert, Keesler, Ph.D. ’10 (Measurement and Quantitative Methods), helps support states, districts and researchers on capacity building efforts, research practice partnerships and more. Previously, Keesler worked for the Michigan Department of Education as deputy superintendent.

From July through December 2020, BOMJIN LEE was appointed as Vice President of Planning at Silla University in South Korea. Lee, Ph.D. ’04 (Kinesiology), currently serves as director of Leaders in INdustrial-university Cooperation Plus (LINC+), a project aiming to build collaboration between universities and industries. Lee has held the role since 2017, in which he directs and manages national projects.

ELIZABETH GUERRERO LYONS, M.A. ’08 (Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education) and Ph.D. ’20 (Educational Administration), was sworn in as a member of the East Lansing Public Schools Board in January 2021. She joins Associate Dean Terah Venzant Chambers on the board. Guerrero Lyons is also the director of minority student recruitment and an admissions counselor in the MSU College of Human Medicine. 

CHRYSOULA MALOGIANNI, M.A. ’11 (Educational Technology), became the assistant director of the Center for Learning and Teaching at Old Dominion University in November 2019. In the role, she assists in all operations, including workshops, consultations and more to help faculty integrate technology into their courses. Malogianni, who earned her doctorate from ODU in 2019, previously worked as a lead instructional designer at The Citadel, a military college in South Carolina.

MELISSA MCDANIELS became the associate executive director and associate scientist at the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. McDaniels, Ph.D. ’08 (Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education), previously held leadership roles in MSU’s Graduate School, including as assistant dean and senior advisor to the dean for research mentoring. 

SUE POPPINK, Ph.D. ’00 (Curriculum, Teaching and Educational Policy), became a full professor of educational leadership, research and technology at Western Michigan University in June 2020. In September of the same year, she retired as a professor emerita of the university. 

JULIE ROJEWSKI was named the director of Ph.D. Career Development at MSU’s Graduate School in February 2020. Rojewski, M.A. ’09 and Ph.D. ’18  (Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education), also serves as program manager for the MSU BEST (Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training) program. Previously, she served as director of MSU’s ADVANCE project with the National Science Foundation from 2013-15.

SABRINA SMITH-CAMPBELL was appointed to the Detroit Country Day School Board of Trustees in May 2020. Smith-Campbell, B.A. ’93, M.A. ’95 and Ph.D. ’02 (K-12 Educational Administration), is a clinical instructional coach and adjunct faculty member at Wayne State University, helping teaching interns develop their skills in the classroom. Smith-Campbell has previously held teaching and leadership roles through the Detroit Public Schools system. 

ERIC STEMLE, M.A. ’81 (English-Secondary Education), published a book examining his final year of teaching in the classroom and providing guidance for new and soon-to-be educators. “I Was Not the Blossom: Growing with Your Students in a Nurturing Classroom” (independently published, 2020) includes blog posts and reflections on Stemle’s more than 40 years of teaching to provide perspectives on the teaching practice and profession. Stemle was the 2003 Wyoming Teacher of the Year, and was named an Outstanding K-12 Teacher of the Year in 2004 by the MSU College of Education.

AMY STRINGER was named North Carolina College/University Physical Education Teacher of the Year by NC SHAPE in November 2020. Stringer, M.S. ’95 (Physical Education and Exercise Science), was given the honor by the state’s professional organization for health and physical educators. Stringer is an assistant professor at Western Carolina University’s College of Education and Allied Professions.

JOHN VANWAGONER became superintendent of Traverse City Area Public Schools in Michigan in July 2020. VanWagoner, M.S. ’03 (Kinesiology) and TCRT ’04, was previously superintendent of Alpena Public Schools, and has served on the MSU College of Education Alumni Board since 2014. He will complete his service with the board in spring 2021. 

DANIELLE WALLACE published “My Big Brother Troy” (R. R. Bowker, 2019), a children’s book covering the story of an African American family and their journey of life with a developmentally delayed son. Wallace, B.A. ’13 (Education), wrote the book to help teach children lessons on integrity, acceptance, love and understanding, especially with children with developmental delays. 

JON M. WARGO, Ph.D. ’16 (Curriculum, Instruction and Teacher Education), was named a 2020 National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow. The award, which Assistant Professor Vaughn W. M. Watson also received, provides research and professional development funding for early career researchers studying critical areas in education. Only 30 scholars nationwide were selected for the 2020 cohort. Wargo is an assistant professor of teaching, curriculum and society at Boston College.  

BOYCE C. WILLIAMS, M.A. ’75 and Ph.D. ’82 (Counseling), was named dean of the College of Education at Frostburg State University starting in January 2020. Previously Williams, a notable teacher education leader, had served as the college’s interim dean since 2017. As dean, Williams will oversee departments and programs related to education, recreation, sports management, exercise science and more. 

CHELSEE SCHRAM, B.A. ’13 (Elementary Education), is a second grade teacher at Laingsburg Elementary. In her sixth year of teaching, Schram also serves as a pedagogical expert with the Michigan Forest Association, with the goal of creating experiences for educators and students to learn about forestry and natural resources. 

SHANTEL VANDERGALIEN, M.A. ’07 (K-12 Educational Administration), is an eighth grade English teacher and instructional coach in Wyoming Public Schools, where she has spent her 16-year teaching career. She has also served with the Michigan Network of National Board Certified Teachers, currently in her second year as president. 

MARNIE HADE, TCRT ’05 (Secondary Education), was named Teacher of the Year. Hade is a teacher and advisor for the communication arts program at Northwest High School. Hade has also coordinated opportunities to job shadow, receive college credit and publish content with several Michigan-based organizations, including MLive, Jackson College and WILX. 

Vice President: KARIN PFEIFFER, M.S. ’97 and Ph.D. ’01 (Kinesiology). Pfeiffer is a professor in MSU’s Department of Kinesiology.