Alumni Award Recipients
2021 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients
Mary Lynn Boscardin
Ph.D. '84 Education Policy, Organization & Leadership
Professor, College of Education
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Mary Lynn Boscardin, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, has served as past Department Chair and as a Coordinator of Special Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Dr. Boscardin received her Ph.D. in Education Policy, Organization & Leadership with a focus on Special Education Leadership and Policy, and today is widely respected for her work in this arena. With regard to professional service, most notably Boscardin is a past president of the International Council of Exceptional Children (CEC) and a past president of the International Council of Administrators for Special Education (CASE). Currently, she serves as editor of the CASE Journal of Special Education Leadership and chair of the CEC/CASE committee developing the national Administrator of Special Education Leadership Professional Standards. Boscardin has co-written three books, the most recent being the second edition of the Handbook of Leadership and Administration for Special Education (2019), and several refereed publications. She has given keynote addresses and presentations, internationally and nationally. Boscardin has been awarded five Leadership Preparation Personnel (325D) grants as project director and four Personnel Preparation (325D and 325K) grants in the area of Communication Disorders as project co-director from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. Her scholarly interests include special education policy, law, and finance; program and systems evaluation; strategic approaches to leadership; and professional network mapping. Boscardin's service to the profession has been dedicated to developing policy and practice that supports the inclusion of all students with exceptionalities in public education. Her commitment to diversity has been demonstrated through a focus on cultural responsiveness, equity, access, and opportunity in her publications.
Edward Buendía
M.A. '96, Ph.D. '97 Education Policy, Organization & Leadership
Dean, School of Educational Studies
University of Washington, Bothell
Dr. Edward Buendía serves as the dean of the School of Educational Studies at the University of Washington, Bothell, where he is also the first Latino dean on the Bothell campus. He received both his M.A. and Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies from the College of Education at the University of Illinois in 1996 and 1997, respectively. His colleagues at the University of Washington praise Buendía for his “strong vision for transforming teacher education through three interconnected pillars: community engagement, mutually reciprocal partnership development, and teacher diversity through pipeline programs.” Buendía recognized the need for a strong network between the University of Washington’s campuses and has shown how to be a leader and mentor. Through an educational sociologist lens, Buendía has researched racial and socioeconomic demographic change in suburban school districts. He is also a nationally recognized expert in many fields, including critical media studies, critical curriculum theory, school desegregation, and the sociocultural contexts of urban education. Buendía's expertise is demonstrated through multiple conference presentations, publications, and grant-funded projects.
Walter Tad Foster
B.S. '77, Ed.M. '79, Ph.D. '89 Vocational Technology Education
Professor Emeritus; Industry Consultant
Indiana State University
Dr. W. Tad Foster is currently a professor emeritus in the Department of Human Resource Development and Performance Technology at Indiana State University. From 1998 to 2009, he served as ISU’s Dean of the College of Technology. He has been an educator for over forty years and has taught at the secondary, technical institute, community college, and university levels. Foster earned his doctorate from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Technology Education with secondary emphasis in Counseling Psychology. His research and writing are in the areas of organizational and personal change; educational technology from a cognitive psychology perspective; instructional design; and total quality management. Foster has numerous publications and is a regular presenter at state, national, and international conferences. In addition, he is a reviewer for the Human Resource Development Review, the Human Resource Development Quarterly, the Journal for Technology Education, and is an assistant editor for the Journal of Industrial Teacher Education. In addition to his academic pursuits, Foster consults regularly for business and industry clients.
Shireen Pavri
Ph.D. '99, Special Education
Dean, College of Education
California State University, Long Beach
Prior to assuming the role of dean at CSULB, from 2008-2015 Dr. Shireen Pavri served as associate dean for graduate studies and research in the College of Education. She has coordinated the Education Specialist Preliminary and Intern Credential programs and the Master of Science program in Special Education at CSULB. As the CSULB lead to the CEEDAR Center at the University of Florida, she guided a faculty team in the development of the Urban Dual Credential Program that prepares teachers to work in a multi-tiered system of support framework with all learners in K-8 schools. She recently led the development of an interdisciplinary graduate certificate program in Applied Disability Studies. Pavri’s expertise and research interests are in the areas of preparing teachers to facilitate the social and emotional functioning of all students including students with disabilities, and the effective assessment of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. She is interested in promoting clinical models for educator preparation and has assisted several local school districts in implementing a response to intervention model. Pavri has published and presented widely on these topics, with over 50 scholarly presentations and 30 scholarly publications. She has also served as Principal Investigator on 10 federal, state, and foundation grants.
2021 Young Alumni Achievement Award Recipients
Natasha Jankowski
Ph.D. '12 Education Policy, Organization & Leadership
Former Executive Director of NILOA
Lecturer, New England College
Dr. Natasha Jankowski is a higher education and assessment expert and the former Executive Director of the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA). Jankowski currently serves as a lecturer with New England College. She previously served as research associate professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is co-author of the book Using Evidence of Student Learning to Improve Higher Education; the book Degrees that Matter: Moving Higher Education to a Learning Systems Paradigm; and the edited volume Student-Focused Learning and Assessment: Involving Students in the Learning Process in Higher Education. A forthcoming book with Stylus focuses on equity and assessment. Her areas of research include assignment design, transparency, evidence-based storytelling, equity, mapping, and alignment of learning. Jankowski is a recipient of Kent State University’s Alumni Award and is also a board member for the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS). Under her leadership, NILOA was the proud recipient of the ACPA Contribution to Higher Education award. She also holds an M.A. in Higher Education Administration from Kent State University and a B.A. in Philosophy from Illinois State University.
Royel Johnson
Ed.M. '11 Education Policy, Organization & Leadership
Assistant Professor of Education and African American Studies,
Pennsylvania State University
Dr. Royel Johnson is assistant professor of Higher Education and African American Studies at The Pennsylvania State University (PSU), where he is also associate director of the Center of the Study of Higher Education. Beginning January 1, 2022, he will join the Rossier School of Education faculty at the University of Southern California as an associate professor of Higher Education and director of Student Engagement in the USC Race and Equity Center. Johnson is a nationally recognized scholar whose interdisciplinary research addresses issues of educational access, racial equity, and student success. His work has an unapologetic focus on Black and multiply marginalized populations like those impacted by the criminal punishment, child welfare, and inequitable educational systems. Johnson is author of more than 40 academic publications. His scholarship appears in the Journal of Higher Education, Journal of College Student Development, Urban Education, Professional School Counseling Journal, and several other respected, peer-reviewed journals. In addition, Johnson has been awarded more than $5.1 million in grants and contracts from the U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences, Spencer Foundation, U.S. Department of Health Resources and Services Administration, Pennsylvania Department of Health, and several other funders. Johnson is deeply committed to translational research that informs policy and practice. For example, in 2020 Pennsylvania legislators sought his consultation on the development of H.B. 2952, which aims to ban the use of criminal record screening on college applications. For his early-career accomplishments, Johnson received the ACPA—College Student Educators International’s Emerging Scholar Award in 2020; and the 2021 Cotterill Leadership Enhancement Award, recognizing “exemplary leadership” in PSU’s College of Education. Johnson holds a B.A. in Political Science and Ed.M. in Educational Policy Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; and a Ph.D. in Higher Education and Student Affairs, with a cognate in Race and Social Policy from The Ohio State University.
2019 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients
Patricia Clark
Ph.D. '93 Curriculum & Instruction
Professor and Chair, Department of Elementary
Education, Ball State University, Muncie, IN
Dr. Patricia Clark is a professor of Early Childhood Education and current Chair of the Department of Elementary Education, at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. She received her doctorate in Early Childhood Education from the College of Education at the University of Illinois in 1993. Dr. Clark has presented at numerous national and international conferences; has published articles related to early childhood education, teacher education, and diversity; and recently received an outstanding award for her book, “Transforming Teacher Education for Social Justice.” She is most proud of her work in co-founding the teacher education program, “Schools Within the Context of Community.” This program has won numerous national awards and addresses issues of diversity and social justice in the preparation of elementary and early childhood teachers.
Jennifer Lewis Dillavou
’B.A. '82 Curriculum & Instruction
President of Alumni Association and Associate Vice Chancellor for
Alumni Relations, University of Illinois
Jennifer Dillavou graduated from the University of Illinois College of Education in 1982. Early in her career, she served in several alumni relations roles at the OHIO University Alumni Association, Indiana University Alumni Association, Georgia State University Alumni Association, and Carnegie Mellon University, where her responsibilities included overseeing a capital campaign, annual strategic planning process, alumni communications, and membership programs. Years later she has returned to her alma mater and now serves in a dual role as President of the University of Illinois Alumni Alliance (UIAA) and Associate Vice Chancellor for alumni relations. In addition to this award, she has also been recognized by her sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta, as one of 42 Impactful Alpha Gams from across the nation.
Margaret Kobia
Ph.D. '03 Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Public Service, Youth
and Gender Affairs
Dr. Margaret Kobia serves as the Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs, Republic of Kenya and as the Advisor to the United Nations Committee of Experts in Public Administration. As the Cabinet Secretary, she provides strategic leadership on policy direction regarding Public service, Youth Development and Gender issues. Prior to her Cabinet position, Professor Kobia served as the Chairperson of the Public Service Commission (PSC). Prior to joining the PSC, she was the founding Director General of the Kenya School of Government. She has also served as the Vice Chair Judicial Service Commission and is a member of United Nations Committee of Expert in Public Administration (CEPA) that advises the UN Economic and Social Council. Dr. Kobia is an Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship. Between 2005 and 2013, Dr. Kobia served as the Director/CEO of the Kenya Institute of Administration and made a profound contribution in transforming the institution into a truly modern Management Development Institute (MDI) leading to the Institute’s elevation to Kenya School of Government.
Ann Larson
Ph.D. '98 Curriculum & Instruction
Dean and Professor, Department of Middle & Secondary Education,
College of Education and Human Development, University of Louisville,
Kentucky
Dr. Ann Larson has served as dean of the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Louisville since 2014, and as a faculty member since 1995. Her areas of research include curriculum studies, teacher education and teacher development, professional development schools, and English education. Dr. Larson has served on numerous boards and committees at the local and national levels and is an advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in educator preparation and human development programs. She is currently an executive board of directors’ member for the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) and previously served as president of the state affiliate organization, Kentucky Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (KATCE). She has published journal articles, book chapters and recently co-edited a theme issue of the Peabody Journal of Education, Vanderbilt University, that focused on clinical models of teacher preparation.
Elegwa Mukula
Ph.D. '04 Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
Professor of Entrepreneurship, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture
and Technology in Nairobi, Kenya
Professor Elegwa Mukulu holds a B.A. (Literature) from University of Nairobi, an M.A. (Communication) from Michigan State University and a Ph.D. (Entrepreneurship) from Illinois. He is Principal and professor of Entrepreneurship at College of Human Resource Development of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya (JKUAT). His experience as a manager at the university level dates back to 1997. He has been teaching at university level since 1991 when he joined JKUAT as a lecturer. Mukulu has been published more than 95 times in esteemed journals including the Journal of Human Resource and Entrepreneurship Development and International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Science. He has been a training consultant and mentor to many entrepreneurs in the micro and small enterprise sector in Kenya. He was Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Human Resource and Entrepreneurship Development from 2006 to 2016.
Travis Wilson
B.A. '97 Secondary Education, M.S. '08 Educational Psychology,
Ph.D. '11 Educational Psychology Associate Professor, Department of
Psychology, Oberlin College, Ohio
Dr. Wilson is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Oberlin College, where he teaches undergraduate courses in child development and guides undergraduate research. Earlier in his career, he taught high school science and middle school mathematics in Houston and as a Peace Corps volunteer in rural Kenya. His scholarship investigates children’s interracial relationships and achievement motivation in urban elementary schools. He has published on these topics in leading journals in the field, including Child Development, Social Development, and Developmental Psychology. His work earned him the 2014 Outstanding Dissertation Award in Human Development from the American Educational Research Association and a position as Associate Editor with the British Journal of Developmental Psychology. In 2011, Travis was the recipient of the College of Education Outstanding Student medal at the doctoral level.
2019 Young Alumni Achievement Award Recipients
Joel R. Malin
Ph.D. '15 Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
Assistant Professor, Department of Education Leadership,
Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
Joel Malin is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Miami University. His research interests include research use and engagement, cross-sector collaboration, and leadership and policy (e.g., surrounding ambitious high school college and career readiness reforms). Joel’s scholarship has appeared in several top journals, including Educational Administration Quarterly, the Journal of Educational Administration, and AERA Open. His primary teaching responsibilities have concerned educational policy/politics, research methods, and introductory statistics. Before becoming a faculty member, Joel served in several roles spanning P-16 education, including as school psychologist and district-level administrator.
Rebecca Woodard
Ph.D. '13 Curriculum & Instruction
Assistant Professor in Curriculum & Instruction, University of Illinois
at Chicago
Dr. Woodard’s recent work centers on the development and enactment of culturally sustaining writing curriculum and instruction, and she is leading an effort at UIC to design and implement a makerspace where teachers, university faculty and staff, youth, and community members can collaborate, create, and compose. She was recently awarded a University of Illinois Presidential Initiative to Celebrate the Impact of the Arts and Humanities grant for a project called Young People’s Science Theater: Chicago Public School and University of Illinois at Chicago Students Creating Performances for Social Change. Woodard has published numerous peer-reviewed articles in both research and practitioner journals, received recognition for her teaching through UIC’s prestigious campus-wide Teaching Recognition Program, and serves as the co-chair of the Language, Literacy, and Culture doctoral program.