Email news of your professional accomplishments to ponder@waldenu.edu.

Dr. Cheryl L. Anderson, faculty member in the College of Health Sciences, was asked by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (the accrediting body for most large health plans in the United States) to write the case study portions for their “Quality Profile” this year on the topic of tobacco cessation.

Sheri Baxter, a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration student, will present research she is conducting within a Knowledge Area Module as part of a panel, “Creating and Teaching Citizenship and Public Literacy Via Active Learning Techniques,” at the 2008 Western Political Science Association meeting being held this year in San Diego. Her article, “A Proposal for a National Service Learning Program,” appears in the February 2008 issue of PA Times, published by the American Society for Public Administration.

Dr. Edward S. Beck, faculty member in the School of Counseling and Social Services, contributed a chapter, “Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME): Fighting Anti-Israelism and Anti-Semitism on University Campuses Worldwide,” to Academics Against Israel and the Jews, a book which discusses instances of academic bias, and which is published by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

Hope Blecher-Sass, an Ed.D. student specializing in Teacher Leadership, will be a featured lecturer in a new online course titled “Project ExC-ELL: Expediting Comprehension for English Language Learners” offered by Knowledge Delivery Systems.

Dr. Richard Bowman, faculty member in The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership, published an article titled “How Can Students be Motivated: A Misplaced Question?” in the November/December issue of The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues, and Ideas. Dr. Bowman’s research focused on how educators can be deterred from diminishing—even destroying—student motivation and morale.

Jody Clements, an Ed.D. student specializing in Administrator Leadership for Teaching and Learning, was named superintendent of the Kilgore Independent School District in Texas.

Dr. Ruth Collins, faculty member in The The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership, was re-elected mid-Atlantic vice president of the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges.

Ayanna Cooper, an Ed.D. student specializing in Teacher Leadership, had a Web site review accepted for publication in Essential Teacher, the magazine of the organization Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages.

Sally Francis and Dr. Eric Riedel, from the Walden University Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, presented a paper titled “Does Revising the Language on a Survey Capture Non-native English Speakers’ Opinions More Accurately?” at the November 2007 American Evaluation Association annual conference in Baltimore.

Rhonda Gainey, an Ed.D. student specializing in Administrator Leadership for Teaching and Learning, was named principal of Kendall Valley Elementary School in Albemarle, N.C.

Dr. Gerald E. Gary, faculty member, The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership, has been selected to present at the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) annual conference on March 17, 2008, in New Orleans. The title of his presentation is “Improving Student Achievement Through Increasing Parent Involvement.”

Amy K. Gearhard, a Ph.D. in Psychology student specializing in Clinical Psychology, was one of six Look At Me Now winners announced for spring 2008 by Moffat County High School in Colorado. Look At Me Now is a program honoring alumni of the school who have entered successful careers or bettered their community.

Brian C. Grizzell, a Ph.D. in Applied Management and Decision Sciences student, had two articles published recently. “Institutional Servant Leadership: A Catalyst for Urban Community Sustainability” and “Competitive Marketing and Planning Strategy in Higher Education” were both published in the winter 2008 issue of The Journal of Academic Leadership. An article based on his KAM II research, “The Carlyle Resilience Method: A Conceptual Framework for Fostering Resilience in Urban Youth,” has been accepted for publication in the April 2008 issue of The Journal of Urban Youth Culture.

Dr. Sherry Harrison, M.S. in Education program director, published “Walden University: Pioneer of the First Completely Online Master's Degree in Education in the United States” in TechTrends Journal.

Mary Hollingsworth, a Ph.D. in Psychology student specializing in Counseling Psychology, was named a recipient of an Emerging Leader Grant from the American College Counseling Association.

Robin Joseph, a Ph.D. in Psychology student specializing in Clinical Psychology, co-authored an article with Helen D. Pratt and Manmohan Kamboj titled “Obesity in African Americans and Latino Americans” published in Obesity in Childhood and Adolescence: Understanding Development and Prevention. Joseph is a limited licensed psychologist and a family therapist intern at Michigan State University/Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies in Kalamazoo.

Dr. Jack Kitaeff, faculty member in the School of Psychology, is editor of Malingering, Lies, and Junk Science in the Courtroom, published in November 2007 with Cambria Press. He is completing a textbook on forensic psychology for Prentice Hall.

Dr. Raymond S. Klein, faculty member in the School of Psychology, has been elected secretary of the South Central Assembly of Pennsylvania, a regional planning body that covers eight counties and works on a broad spectrum of issues including health and human services, business, community development, agriculture, education and historic preservation. Last year he was involved with Rotary International’s focus on the drilling of approximately 150 deep water wells in Ghana. This year he is helping to develop a school for orphaned children and those with AIDS in South Africa.

Barbara Libby, faculty member in the School of Management, will present a paper in June at the Oxford Business & Economics Conference at St. Hugh’s College, Oxford University, about the effects of NAFTA on the financial services industry.

Linda Rozell-Shannon, a Ph.D. in Education student with a self-designed specialization (her dissertation study focuses on vascular birthmarks) and president and founder of the Vascular Birthmarks Foundation, appeared on “The Montel Williams Show” on Friday, Feb. 22, 2008, as one of five finalists of the 2007 Voices campaign that honors women across America for their passion, leadership, and social change achievements.

Dr. Mark Ryan, faculty member in The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership, now has his column, “Ask the Teacher,” appearing in the Arizona Republic newspaper. Ryan is also the author of the book Ask the Teacher: A Practitioner's Guide to Teaching and Learning in the Diverse Classroom, used in more than 250 universities around the world.

Isauro Torres, minister counselor of the Chilean Embassy in the United States, and Paula Singer, chair of the Walden University Board of Directors and president and CEO of the Laureate Higher Education Group were panelists at the Dec. 12, 2007, World Trade Center Institute’s international trade discussion on doing business in Chile. Singer spoke of Laureate’s contribution toward increasing access to and options for higher education for the people of Chile. Laureate has three higher learning institutions in Chile.

Sarah ShaBazz, a Ph.D. in Education student specializing in Special Education, was honored by the Victor Valley College Foundation for her contribution to the community at an alumni awards celebration in February 2008. ShaBazz won the distinguished service award for education.

Dr. Wallace Southerland, faculty member in The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership was appointed to serve as president-elect of The Maryland Executive Council of Educational Opportunities for 2007–2008 and president for 2008–2009.

Marlene M. von Friederichs-Fitzwater, a Master of Public Health student, will present “Comforting Support of Relational Agents to Young Adults with Cancer,” as a podium presentation at the American Psychosocial Oncology Society’s fifth annual conference, Feb. 28–March 2, 2008, in Irvine, CA.

Dr. Daniel Weigand, faculty member in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, co-wrote an article with his doctoral student, David Foster, on the role of cognitive and metacognitive development in mental skills training that was published in the Sport and Exercise Psychology Review.

Dr. Robyn Williams, faculty member in the School of Counseling and Social Service, was appointed to serve on the editorial review board for the Journal of Mental Health Counseling, the flagship journal of the American Mental Health Counselors Association.

Rita Williams-Bogar, faculty member in the School of Management, will present workshops at the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters annual meeting being held Sept. 6–9 in Philadelphia. She will present two workshops for the leadership track: “Emotional Intelligence: Leveraging Social Awareness for Maximum Impact” and “Focus for the Future: Step Up and Take the Lead.”

Email news of your professional accomplishments to ponder@waldenu.edu.

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