Office of Educational Leadership Learning

Daniel Reyes-Guerra, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology (ELRM) at Florida Atlantic University. He has dedicated himself to research, learning, and support for school leaders, addressing complex socioeconomic and cultural inequities both locally and globally. Notably, his efforts as Principal Investigator on the University Principal Preparation Initiative (UPPI) grant from The Wallace Foundation have transformed the School Leaders Program in six partnering school districts, earning him the recognition as the 2023 FAU College of Education Researcher of the Year and recently earned the distinction of 2023 Champion of Education from the Florida Association of School Administrators this past June at their annual event (FASA).

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John E. Critelli Jr., Ph.D., is a distinguished educator with a Doctorate in K-12 Educational Leadership, currently serving as the Director of Grants Development and Administration and Program Coordinator for the FAU-Broward County Public Schools EQUIP School Leaders Master’s Degree Partnership Program at FAU. With a career spanning seven years in public education, he transitioned to higher education in January 2017, where his expertise flourished as a Graduate Research Assistant on the University Principal Preparation Initiative (UPPI) sponsored by the Wallace Foundation. Currently, he serves as the Leadership Tracking System consultant for the ECPI Wallace Principal Pipeline Initiative. He has been a collaborative author on several grant initiatives including his most recent success with a $1.8 Million National Professional Development Grant awarded in January of 2023. His research is focused on leading social and affective learning programing in public schools.

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Ms. Kimberley McKeag, serves as the School Leaders Operations Manager in the Office of Educational Leadership Learning within the Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology at Florida Atlantic University. Her role encompasses the development and organization of resources and materials, coordinating logistics, including transportation and meetings, and the managing the ongoing budget responsibilities. Her comprehensive skills in project management are crucial for streamlining processes and ensuring that OELL’s multiple projects achieve milestones seamlessly. Specifically, Ms. McKeag is pivotal in supporting the scheduling of research activities, finalizing intervention materials, and supporting the paperwork needs for onboarding the project participants and needs of key personnel.

kmckeag@fau.edu

Cynthia B. Bauman, Ph.D., currently serves as Associate Director, Learning Programs for OELL and an instructor at Florida Atlantic University's IDEAL School Leaders Master’s Degree Program, teaching courses in education policy and instructional leadership. Her responsibilities in OELL include program outreach and grant development. She is significantly involved in research and evaluation for OELL’s $1.8 Million National Professional Development Grant (PRAISE) in partnership with the School District of Osceola County. Her research agenda focuses on organizational change for sustained student achievement through collaborative evaluation and shared leadership, including building collective efficacy within educator professional networks. Dr. Bauman is passionate about leadership coaching and developing shared leadership networks, recognizing the unique contributions all educators can make to increase collective efficacy and support students' academic growth and well-being.

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Ms. Christina Bulter serves as the Professional Development Administrator for OELL’s $1.8 Million National Professional Development Grant (PRAISE) in partnership with the School District of Osceola County. She also supports various programs with our central Florida partners. Her role encompasses the development and organization of resources and materials, coordinating logistics, and managing ongoing budget activities. Her comprehensive skills in project management are crucial for streamlining processes and ensuring that PRAISE and OELL’s other multiple projects achieve success. Ms. Bulter is pivotal in supporting the scheduling of research activities, finalizing intervention materials, and facilitating the paperwork requirements for onboarding the project participants and assisting in the meeting the professional needs of key personnel.

butlerc@fau.edu

Mr. Matthew Fritzius serves as the Director of Research, Development, and Special Projects for OELL. His role includes establishing the OELL Leadership Micro-credential/Certificate Program and launching professional learning for school leaders in Career and Technical Education (CTE). Matthew supports the development of current and future professional learning as well as grant proposal development. After a 17-year career in public education (eight years as a teacher, five years as a school-based administrator, and four years as a district-based administrator) he joined the OELL team. Matthew is a passionate educator who champions CTE as an avenue towards community revitalization. He holds a Master of Educational Leadership from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and is a PhD student in FAU’s School Leaders Program. His research interests include school leaders’ perspectives on CTE and their approaches to positioning and leading CTE.

Shihab Siddique, M.S. , is an experienced educator with a passion for technology and leadership pursuing a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Florida Atlantic University (FAU). Currently a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology at FAU, he supports faculty in preparing graduate courses, teaches undergraduate courses and engages in research activities. His research interest lies in the infusion of generative artificial intelligence in educational leadership decision-making. He holds a Master of Science in Technology Management from Florida International University. With extensive experience teaching Computer Science and Technology courses at Miami Dade College, he integrates advanced digital tools and platforms to enrich students' learning experiences. Committed to student development and academic excellence, he actively seeks to create dynamic and effective learning environments. He is dedicated to advancing higher education and supporting student success, always exploring innovative approaches to enhance academic journeys.

Angela Fulton, Ph.D. began her 29-year career in education as an elementary and middle school educator. She was inspired to become an educational leader because she wanted the opportunity to serve and make an impact in the lives of children, particularly children impacted by poverty. After leaving the classroom, she served as assistant principal, principal, and now district administrator with Broward County Public Schools in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Inspired by Marva Collins, Dr. Fulton is passionate and unrelenting in her pursuit of academic excellence for all children. In her current role as Regional Superintendent, Dr. Fulton leads a team of principal supervisors who coach and mentor principals of turnaround schools. Through research-based and innovative approaches, her work is driven by the importance of always providing a high-quality and equitable education for all children within an atmosphere of high expectations. Several of her accomplishments include transforming failing schools into high performing learning organizations and helping principals become better instructional leaders. She facilitates training for school leaders and serves as an adjunct professor at Florida Atlantic University imparting knowledge on turnaround leadership. Dr. Fulton earned a specialist and doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from Florida Atlantic University, and a bachelor and master’s degree in Elementary Education from Florida A&M University.

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Rebecca Savage, Ph.D. began her career in public education teaching ELA, Reading, AP coursework, and the AVID program for five years at a Title I high school and was named Lee County’s District Teacher of the Year for Language Arts in 2011. She composed 6-12 ELA curriculum and assessments, coached, and facilitated districtwide ELA professional development as a Content Specialist while earning her master's degree in educational leadership from Florida Gulf Coast University in 2012. In 2012, Rebecca assisted in coordinating the implementation of the TIF (Teacher Incentive Fund) grant at the secondary level. She then served as an Assistant Principal at Title I elementary and high schools for five years and earned her Level II Principal Certification in Florida. She has served at the state level as the Teacher Liaison for the Florida Department of Education (2018) and has served as the Coordinator for 6-12 English Language Arts at the School District of Lee County since 2019. She recently earned her doctorate in Educational Administration at the University of Florida (2022), researching sustained school turnaround.

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Sabrina F. Sembiante, Ph.D., is an associate professor of TESOL and Bilingual Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and doctoral coordinator of the Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction program. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Miami in Teaching and Learning with an area of specialization in Language and Literacy Learning in Multilingual Settings. She also served as a postdoctoral researcher at The Ohio State University’s Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy before coming to FAU. Her research agenda looks to document the varied and complex ways teachers and children use their multiple languages and semiotic resources in pre-K12 contexts and to explore how functional language instruction can provide emergent-to-advanced bi/multilingual students with meaningful access to content area knowledge and discourse. She employs ethnographic, discourse-analytic, and statistical approaches to analyze textual and video data documenting sociocultural influences on participants’ language and literacy development.

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Christopher L. Small, Ph.D., is an Assistant Teaching Professor at Florida State University in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. Dr. Small currently serves as the Director of the Online Educational Leadership/Administration Masters & Specialist Program and teaches multiple core courses as part of the State Approved Program for Level 1 School Leadership Certification. With a passion for educational administration and the academic success of at-risk youth, Dr. Small has made it his personal goal to build self-esteem, character, leadership, and integrity in all students he encounters. His previous work experience includes time as a dean of discipline, assistant principal for curriculum and instruction, and school principal at both the elementary and middle school levels. His research foci include exploring the intersections of leadership, gender, and race in K-12 schools and implications for literacy outcomes and student success.

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As the Director of School Improvement, Professional Learning, and Assessment for Clay County District Schools, Jennifer Shepard, Ed.D. supports educators in working together to foster collective efficacy throughout the district in support of school improvement and student achievement for teachers and leaders. Using her experience as a general education teacher, exceptional education teacher, instructional coach, reading development facilitator, and school administrator at both the elementary and secondary levels, she leads her team in designing and facilitating coherent and differentiated professional learning for teachers and leaders through a variety of formats and job-embedded learning opportunities.

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Michelle Vaughan, Ed.D. is an associate professor at Florida Atlantic University in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. She teaches courses in curriculum design, action research, and school reform. Her scholarship explores teacher growth and change through action research, living theory methodology, and the integration of technology into practice. She serves as the graduate program coordinator and oversees top-ranked online graduate programs in the field of curriculum and instruction. Additionally, she serves as the chair of the Teacher Inquiry strand of the Florida Educational Research Association annual conference as well as the Associate Editor of the Teacher Inquiry section of the Florida Journal for Educational Research. Her most recent scholarship explores the outcomes of the Comprehensive Educator Research Program, a collaboration with AD Henderson University School/FAU High where she serves as the Principal Investigator and Supervisor of K-12 Educator Research Practices.

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Justin Faulkner, Ed.D., has nearly 20 years of experience in public education, including 11 years in leadership roles. Starting as a high school English teacher, Dr. Faulkner advanced to serve as an assistant principal and then principal, where he most recently successfully transformed an underperforming school into a School of Excellence. Currently, he is the program coordinator for FAU’s flagship School Leaders Master’s Program, PROPEL, a partnership with Broward County Public Schools. Additionally, Dr. Faulkner serves on the executive board of the Florida Association of School Administrators (FASA). A recognized expert in leadership preparation and development, Dr. Faulkner has significantly contributed to the field by helping to author the new Florida Educational Leadership Standards (FELS) and the new evaluation system as a member of the FLDOE S.E.L.E.C.T group. His work focuses on leader efficacy, leadership standards, evaluation, and systems improvement, making him an invaluable resource for educational leaders. Driven by the belief that stronger leadership is essential for better student outcomes, Dr. Faulkner bridges the gap between theory and practice. He provides leaders and school districts with research-backed insights and actionable strategies, ensuring every leader he supports can make a profound impact in their schools and communities.

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Ducarmel S. Augustin, Ph.D., is a Director under the Teaching and Learning Division of Broward County Public Schools (BCPS). He holds a Ph.D. from Florida Atlantic University (FAU). An educator the past 23 years, Dr. Augustin began his career in inner-city Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A few years later he moved back to his hometown of South Florida where he continued teaching mathematics for BCPS.
In addition to his current role, he is an Adjunct Professor at FAU in the Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology. He enjoys coaching and leading aspiring school leaders to assist them in their growth and development.
Dr. Augustin was born in Montreal, Canada to Haitian parents and was raised in South Florida. He is a fluent speaker in Haitian-Creole and French. He and his wife Channale enjoy spending time as a family with their four boys. He also enjoys watching his boys who have actively participated in various competitive sports.

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