“In this time of decreasing budgets for K-12 and higher education institutions, I am happy that Provost Short and Dean McPherson are investing in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies.  This investment in new research and clinical faculty will have large and positive effects for our students, staff, faculty, and programs.” – Dr. R. Anthony Rolle

The Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies (DELPS) proudly welcomes our three nationally respected, tenure tracked faculty. As well as, our new clinical faculty who are brining practical knowledge, skills, and experiences to support academic experience in our department.

Tenure Track Faculty

Dr. Bradley Carpenter, Associate Professor – Professional Leadership - K-12

Having served as a principal, assistant principal, and public school teacher, Dr. Carpenter’s research focuses on preparing highly effective leaders for large urban school districts, paying particular attention to how issues of social justice, equity, race, and diversity intersect with school-level leadership.  He currently serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of School Leadership and an Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership.

Dr. Ruth M. López, Assistant Professor – Professional Leadership - K-12

For her dissertation research, Dr. López was awarded the Ofelia Miramontes Doctoral Fellowship (2009-2014) and the 2014 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Minority Dissertation Fellowship.  Her research interests include examining policies that impact the educational experiences of students of color; the education of immigrant and undocumented students; and issues of equity and access at all levels of education. Dr. López’s research aims to understand how education policy information gets disseminated, how policies are implemented, and how they impact the communities they are designed to help.  Until recently, she was a Senior Research Associate at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University.

Dr. April Peters-Hawkins, Associate Professor – Professional Leadership - K-12

Dr. Peters-Hawkins is passionate about equity and social justice for the most vulnerable populations of students. Her research interests include: (a) women in school leadership; (b) mentoring and support for early career administrators; (c) urban schooling; and (d) leadership and small school reform. She has published in several top tier academic journals.  Further, Dr. Peters-Hawkins has leadership roles in several professional organizations. She serves as President-Elect of the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA), and as the 2016 Division A (Administration) Program Chair for the American Educational Research Association (AERA).

Clinical Faculty

Dr. An Tuan Nguyen, Clinical Assistant Professor – Asian American Studies

Dr. Nguyen is an interdisciplinary scholar trained in the fields of Ethnic Studies and Cultural Studies. His teaching and research interests focus on the Asian American experience in the United States and in a global spectrum. Specifically, investigating how histories of Asian immigration forged the making of Asian American ethnic enclaves and identities and how globalization constantly reshapes the conceptualization of such communities and identities. Dr. Nguyen’s past and current research are community-based projects that explore the lived experience of contemporary Indochinese immigrants living across the country in their socioeconomic struggle, political empowerment, cultural identity negotiation, and globalized transnationalism. 

Dr. Keith Butcher, Clinical Assistant Professor – Professional Leadership - K-12

As an educational leader from West Virginia, Dr. Butcher has served at the school, district, state, and national levels. In addition to working as an elementary school principal and district superintendent, he served as Executive Director for a regional education service agency (RESA 1), serving the school districts of southern West Virginia, and was employed as Executive Director for the Office of Instruction at the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE).  His primary area of research has been the preferred leadership behaviors of superintendents as viewed by local board of education members and superintendents.

Dr. Lynn Gillman-Rich, Clinical Assistant Professor – Professional Leadership - K-12

Dr. Gillman-Rich has served as Director of Professional Development in three school districts and as an adjunct faculty member in the graduate College of Education at Northern Arizona University and University of South Florida.  In previous years, she received an “Excelling” state rating , recognition as National Blue Ribbon status, and Governor’s Award for High Performance Title I schools during her service as Superintendent on the border of Arizona. Lynn’s research and career focus has centered on low-income rural and urban populations. Consulting on diverse populations, gifted programs, change management, and facilitating curriculum designs, have provided Lynn with challenging work in the field of education.