College of Education
2007-08 Alumni Award Honorees

COLLEGE PARK, MD (November 2007) – In a "Celebration of Achievement," family, friends and colleagues will gather on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2007, at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center to pay homage to 14 distinguished individuals at the College of Education's Annual Alumni Awards Ceremony. Co-sponsored by the College Alumni Chapter and Phi Delta Kappa, the festivities begin at 5:30 p.m. with a reception, followed by dinner and of course the highlight of the evening—the awards ceremony.

The 2007 honorees being recognized for outstanding contributions to and beyond the field of education:

Outstanding Leader

Pamela Cranston

Pamela Cranston epitomizes the words scholar, practitioner, and leader. Her successful career in higher education has taken her from Roanoke College to Johns Hopkins University, and then to the Association of American Medical Colleges. She was recruited back to Johns Hopkins and has served as an Assistant Vice Provost, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and International Programs, and is currently Interim Dean of the new Carey Business School.

Cranston's many leadership successes include providing direction to faculty and staff of the Graduate Division of Business and the Division of Undergraduate Studies in Johns Hopkins' School of Professional Studies in Business. She also coordinated Johns Hopkins' decennial accreditation by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Cranston is a sought-after presenter, consultant, and educator. In addition, she plays an active role in her community, serving as founder of the Johns Hopkins Campus Girl Scouts and donating to the American Red Cross. Her colleagues describe her as "one of the smartest and hardest working people one could hope to meet" and "a quality person who demonstrates integrity, honor for the dignity of others, value for service, and commitment to excellence in education."

Cranston earned her Ph.D. in counseling and personnel services from the University of Maryland in 1987. She received a M.S. from The Ohio State University and a B.S. from Denison University in Granville, OH.

Outstanding Leader

Michael J. Martirano

Michael J. Martirano is the superintendent of St. Mary's County Public Schools system where he oversees the operation of 26 schools, including the county's first public charter school. Since being appointed in June 2005, he has reorganized the school system with an emphasis on service to schools. His vision plan, "Charting a Course to Excellence," has also led to the implementation of the STEM Academies which provide a rigorous curriculum focused on mathematics and science with an infusion of technology and engineering.

An educator for 25 years, Martirano has amassed a wide range of educational and administrative experiences including as director of school administration with the Howard County Public Schools system. He has served on the faculty of Johns Hopkins University as an instructor in their education department and is certified as a secondary principal, a supervisor, and superintendent in the State of Maryland. He also worked previously at the University of Maryland in the Division of Student Affairs with the Department of Resident Life.

Martirano has had several articles published in national educational journals and is a noted presenter on various educational topics. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including being named 2007 Superintendent of the Year by the American Cancer Society Maryland Region and the Educational Administrator of the Year by the Maryland Association of Educational Office Professionals in 2006. In addition, he is a member of the Leadership Maryland Class of 2007, the Phi Delta Kappa Educational Society, the University of Maryland Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Honor Society, and a number of community and civic organizations

Martirano received a bachelor's degree (science education – '81) and two master's degrees (counseling and personnel services – '85; education, policy, planning and administration – '92) from the University of Maryland. He earned his doctorate in school management and instructional leadership from Nova Southeastern University.

Outstanding Professional Educator

Judith J. White

A graduate of the Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) system, Judith J. White has committed the past 14 years to cultivating excellence in student achievement. She has worked at every academic level in the PGCPS, including as a high school special education teacher, a middle school academic/testing coordinator, and an elementary school assistant principal. Currently she is principal of Dodge Park Elementary School in Landover, Md.

When she was first appointed principal, Dodge Park had just entered school improvement. By the end of her first year, it had the highest increase in Maryland School Assessment scores of all elementary schools in the system. Under her continued leadership Dodge Park exited school improvement within her second year and continues to show gains in state academic scores as she enters her fourth year as principal. The students' and faculty's belief regarding the capacity to build and commitment to learning has also deepened thanks to White's ability to empower all stakeholders to buy into her unyielding vision of student success.

She believes in and promotes learning communities within her staff and pushes them to continually change and grow professionally in order to further their impact on student achievement. Also, in her desire to be exposed to theories and experiences that enable her to lead her colleagues and charges to greater success, she has participated in the Prince George's County Schools Pre-Leadership Program, the Aspiring Principals Academy, and the Superintendents Roundtable. Currently White is one of five PGCPS principals acting as mentors to resident principals enrolled in the New Leaders for New Schools program. She has also been a featured colloquium speaker for the College's Maryland Institute for Minority Achievement and Urban Education in a session that focused on school reform and improving student achievement.

White graduated from the University of Maryland in 1994 with a master's degree in counseling and personnel services. She also holds bachelor's degree from Salisbury State University, and is currently working on her doctorate in educational leadership at Bowie State University.

Outstanding Scholar

Deborah Bandalos

Deborah Bandalos is a professor in the Department of Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology at the University of Georgia, where she is also director of the Program in Research, Evaluation, Measurement, and Statistics. Her research interests focus on measurement, particularly scale development and construct validation, structural equation modeling, and educational assessment.

Bandalos has presented her work at numerous conferences both nationally and internationally. In addition, she has been published in the Journal of Educational Psych ology, Applied Measurement in Education, and Educational and Psychological Measurement to name a few. She is a member of the National Council on Measurement in Education and the American Psychological Association, associate editor of Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, and a former president of the Structural Equation Modeling Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association. She also works with the Nebraska State Department of Education as an evaluator of the Nebraska Student-based Teacher-led Assessment and Reporting System (STARS) and District Language Arts Assessment Portfolios.

Bandalos earned her Ph.D. in measurement and statistics ('91) and her M.Ed. in school counseling/statistics ('84) from the University of Maryland. She was awarded a B.A. in international affairs by The American University.

Outstanding New Scholar

Kristen D. Ritchey

An assistant professor a t the University of Delaware's School of Education, Kristen D. Ritchey focuses her research on understanding and preventing reading and writing disabilities in elementary-aged children. She has conducted extensive studies on early identification of reading disabilities for children in kindergarten. Currently, she is a co-investigator for a five-year research project examining reading disabilities in fourth grade that is funded by the National Institute of Child and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health.

Ritchey has presented her work at several conferences across the nation and has authored/co-authored articles appearing in such leading publications as the Journal of Special Education, Reading Research Quarterly, and Contemporary Educational Psychology. In 2004 the International Reading Association honored her for Outstanding Dissertation of the Year. Among her many activities, she is a member of the editorial boards for Learning D isability Quarterly and the Journal of Special Education. She is also a consultant for the Heldrich Memorial Reading Center at Our Lady of Grace Church in Parkton, Md. and an active member of such organizations as the International Dyslexia Association, the American Educational Research Association, and the Council for Exceptional Children (Division of Learning Disabilities, Division of Research).

Ritchey earned her Ph.D. in special education with a concentration in learning disabilities from the University of Maryland in 2002. She received her M.S. in special education from Johns Hopkins University and her B.A. in elementary education/special education and liberal arts from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland.

Outstanding New Scholar

Elizabeth K. Eder

Elizabeth K. Eder is an enormously productive, creative educator. Since 2004 she has taught undergraduate and graduate courses as an Assistant Professor of Educational Foundations at Millersville University in Pennsylvania and has been an adjunct lecturer for the recently reorganized Department of Education Policy and Leadership at the University of Maryland since 2001.

In her current position as historian and National Education Program manager at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM), Eder works with classroom teachers, policy makers, and administrators in a wide array of settings across the United States. Her responsibilities include developing strategic partnerships and educational products and services to meet SAAM's mission to improve visual arts integrated teaching and learning in pre-collegiate classrooms nationwide.

Also an active scholar, her recent articles have appeared in Social Education and Tennessee Historical Quarterly. Last year she delivered juried papers at the History of Education Society annual meeting, the National Council for the So cial Studies annual meeting, and the University of Virginia Digital History Seminar. Eder serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Museum Education and is an educational consultant to museums and non-profit organizations. In 2003 she published Constructing Opportunity: American Women Educators in Meiji, Japan. In 2002 she won the Outstanding Dissertation Award from the College of Education's Department of Education Policy and Leadership and was runner-up for the Claude A. Eggertsen Dissertation Prize from the History of Education Society.

Eder earned her Ph.D. in social foundations of education from the University of Maryland in 2001.

Outstanding Professional

Christine A. Courtois

Christine A. Courtois is a psychologist in independent practice in Washington, D.C. She is co-founder and past Clinical and Training director of The CENTER: Posttraumatic Disorders Program at the Psychiatric Institute of Washington. In addition, she serves as co-Director of the Maryland Psychological Association's Post-Doctoral Institute on Psychological Trauma.

Courtois has authored three books—Recollections of Sexual Abuse: Treatment Principles and Guidelines (1999), Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse: A Workshop Model (1993), and Healing the Incest Wound: Adult Survivors in Therapy (1988). She is currently co-editing a book on complex trauma treatment and has published numerous articles and chapters on related topics. She has been honored with several awards for her work, including the 2007 Outstanding Contributions to Professional Practice Award from Division 56 (Psychological Trauma) of the American Psychological Association (APA), the 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation, the 2005 Distinguished Contribution to the Psychology of Women Award from the APA Committee on the Psychology of Women and the 2003 Sarah Haley Award for Clinical Excellence by the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. She also finds time in her busy schedule to routinely conduct professional training locally, nationally, and internationally on topics related to traumatic stress.

Courtois received her Ph.D. ('79) and M.A. ('73) in counseling and personnel services from the University of Maryland.

Outstanding Professional

June E. Streckfus

June E. Streckfus is executive director of the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education (MBRT). Since 1992 she has headed this coalition of over 100 Maryland companies that have made a long-term commitment to support education reform and improve student achievement in the state. MBRT has been recognized nationally for its successful efforts to involve business as a full partner in comprehensive education reform, setting high standards, demanding accountability, and building a strong, collaborative base of support. It has also won the respect and confidence of the education community as evidenced by recent awards from the National Association of State Directors of Vocational Technical Education, Maryland's elementary and secondary principals associations, and the Maryland State Teachers Association. In 2005 MBRT was honored with the Silver Anvil Award from the Public Relations Society of America.

A strong proponent of education, Streckfus began her career as a classroom teacher. From 1968-79, she also developed curriculum and taught in-service courses to teachers. She has extensive experience in government, having served as an assistant to the County Executive, as intergovernmental coordinator and assistant to the administrative officer of Baltimore County government, and as state administrator for U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski. She was also director of government and education affairs for Maryland Economic Growth Associates, a business-led, statewide economic development organization. In 2006 she was appointed co-chair of Governor O'Malley's Education Transition Team and served on the U.S. Department of Education's Negotiated Rulemaking Committee for Academic Competitiveness Grants in 2007.

Streckfus is very active in the education community, lending her expertise to such bodies as the Maryland's K-16 Leadership Council, Johns Hopkins School of Education National Advisory Council, University of Maryland President's Advisory Council, Baltimore County Executive's Advisory Board on Higher Education, College of Notre Dame Teacher Education Advisory Board, and numerous advisory committees of the Maryland State Department of Education. She was named one of Maryland's Top 100 Women and then Innovator of the Year (2002) by The Daily Record. In 2000, the National Alliance of Business selected her as the Education/Workforce Development Professional of the Year and in 2001 she received the Nancy S. Grasmick Excellence for Minority Achievement Award from the statewide Achievement Initiative for Maryland's Minority Students (AIMMS).

Streckfus has a bachelor of science degree in elementary education from the University of Maryland ('68). She holds a master's degree and a certificate of advanced study in liberal arts from Johns Hopkins University.

Outstanding Teacher

Douglas R. Oxford

Douglas R. Oxford is a dynamic and innovative social studies educator who is a state and national leader in school and community technology reform. He was a staff member of MSDE's Maryland Technology Academy's Leadership Program, a member of the Voluntary State Curriculum Write/Review Committee in American History, and currently participates in the Maryland Governor's Academy for Government. In 2006 and 2007, 100 percent of his students passed the AP Psychology Exam, with half of them receiving the highest possible score. For the past 22 consecutive years the students of Southern Garrett High School have voted him as their "Favorite/Best All-Around Teacher."

Oxford has been recognized with several prestigious honors, including the National Educator of Distinction Award from Coca-Cola's Joseph P. Whitehead Foundation and a Maryland Governor's Citation. He was named a National Educator of Distinction by the National Society of High School Scholars, Garrett County's Computer Educator of the Year, and is a three time McDonalds Ray Kroc Award winner. This year he was selected as the 2007-2008 Garrett County Teacher of the Year and was a 2007-2008 Maryland Teacher of the Year state finalist.

Oxford received his M.Ed. in human development from the University of Maryland in 1991. He was awarded his undergraduate degree by Frostburg State University.

Outstanding Teacher

Leah Rempert

Leah Rempert's teaching career began in 1967 at the Harpers Ferry Job Corp. Center. She has now been teaching in Prince George's County almost 40 years and has worked in five Title I schools.

Currently, Rempert is also the coordinator of her school's Extended Learning Opportunity Program for targeted students to increase their success on the Maryland School Assessment test. She enjoys writing books for her students to use while learning to read and has been a member of the Prince George's County Public Schools' Curriculum Writing Team for several years, participating in writing the Curriculum Frameworks Progress Guides. In addition, she is a member of the Prince George's County Stakeholders Committee for the Master Plan. Rempert's significant contributions were duly recognized this year when she was named the 2007-2008 Prince George's County Teacher of the Year.

She is a 1974 graduate of the University of Maryland where she was awarded a M.Ed. in early childhood/elementary education. She also holds a B.A. in elementary education from Shepherd University and studied reading recovery, administration, and technology at McDaniel College, Loyola College and Goucher College.

Outstanding Teacher

Patricia Windle Weise

Patricia Windle Weise is a third-grade teacher at White Marsh Elementary in Trappe, Md. She has 18 years of experience teaching in Talbot County and five years in Prince George's County. Her passion for teaching is evident in her classroom and she focuses on ensuring that all her students read and love reading.

An active member of the Mid-Shore Reading Council and the International Reading Association, she has presented at their state conferences several times. She has also served as the Newspapers in Education state chairperson and is the MESA (Math, Engineering, Science, and Achievement) coordinator and School Improvement chairperson at her school. Her dedication and commitment to the field of teaching was honored this year when she was named the 2007-2008 Talbot County Teacher of the Year.

Weise was awarded a master's degree in elementary education from the University of Maryland in 1989. She received her B.S. degree in elementary education/English from the University of Rhode Island.

Phi Delta Kappa Outstanding Mentor Teacher

Deborah Lynn Davis

Deborah Lynn Davis has been involved in education for 30 years. During the course of her career she has been a foreign language/English teacher, an instructional assistant to the supervisor of foreign languages, and a technology coordinator. Currently, she is an AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination)/ Professional Development School coordinator at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School in Prince George's County where she teaches technology to the staff and students, maintains the school's website, and coordinates the teacher intern program. To add to her already busy schedule, she also co-teaches curriculum and instruction methods courses at the University of Maryland College of Education.

Davis is the executive secretary of the National Association of District Supervisors of Foreign Languages (NADSFL) and a former board member of the Maryland Foreign Language Association (MFLA). She is also active in the American Counsel of Teachers of Foreign Languages and the Prince George's County PTA. She has been a presenter at a number of conferences across the region, speaking on such topics as "Moving Toward the Paperless Classroom." In 2006, hers was voted the Best Presentation of the MFLA Conference."

Davis' exceptional work in the field of education has garnered due recognition from the community. Among her honors she was named Prince George's County Foreign Language Educator of the Year (2003) and was NADSFL'S nominee for the Nelson Brooks Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Culture (2004). In 2007 the American Legion awarded her Teacher of the Year for the second consecutive year.

Dean's Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement

Hope E. Kramer

Hope E. Kramer is president and CEO of the BETA Center—a social agency that promotes positive parent/child interaction with a focus on teen moms and at-risk families. When she joined BETA as its executive director in 1998, she brought with her extensive experience in program administration, strategic planning, fund-raising and communications. Her title was changed in 2000 due to the growth of the agency and her increasing responsibilities. Kramer's leadership has guided BETA through a key growth period that has included a $3.5 million expansion project, securing its first federal funding, and absorbing the programs of another local agency, the Parent Resource Center.

Prior to BETA, Kramer was executive director for The Foundation for Orange County Public Schools. She was also division director for the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, Central Florida Division where she organized and managed such community service projects as a multi-faceted Hispanic Outreach effort aimed at preventing birth defects and low birth weight. Kramer was the first women to serve as president of The Jewish Community Center (JCC), Maitland, Florida, in its 25-year history. While with the JCC, she coordinated a successful capital campaign to fund construction of the new infant-toddler center. A former president of the Heart of Florida United Way's Council of Agency Executives, her past experience has also included owning and operating two businesses.

Kramer has been involved in numerous community committees, task forces, and organizations that deal with issues that affect families and their children. She has been interviewed by various media outlets on the subject of teen pregnancy, child abuse and other issues, and has presented at the annual conference of the Healthy Teen Network (formerly NOAPPP—National Organization for Adolescent Pregnancy, Parenting and Prevention).

Kramer graduated from the University of Maryland in 1977 with a bachelor's degree in special education. She also holds a master's degree in business administration from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, where she was a recipient of the prestigious Martin Bell Scholarship which is awarded every two years to a local, non-profit manager.

Outstanding Service to the College of Education

Dora F. Kennedy

In 1942, Dora F. Kennedy graduated with a B.A. in romance languages (French, Italian, Spanish) from Ohio University, where she also studied Portuguese, Russian and German. She put her language skills to use during World War II, serving as a Portuguese translator for Army Intelligence. She also taught languages at the elementary and secondary level in Ohio, New York and Maryland, then went on to earn her M.Ed. in elementary education from the University of Maryland in 1957.

In 1959 Kennedy was asked to serve as the first Supervisor of Foreign Languages in the Prince George's County Public Schools system, where she built and gained national recognition for this extremely positive program. Almost all of the foreign language teachers in Prince George's and Montgomery County today were trained by her. In 1991 she retired from Prince George's County. Since then has consistently volunteered her prodigious talents as an adjunct lecturer in the College of Education's Department of Curriculum and Instruction and has never missed any of her classes.

A role model for her students and colleagues, Kennedy has provided an immense amount of teaching and service to her department, the college and the university. She is a vital liaison with the School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures in interdisciplinary meetings and has been instrumental in significantly increasing enrollments in the foreign language education certification program. In addition, because of her connections with several area schools she is able to place many of the college's foreign language student teachers. Kennedy provided key ideas for the successful redesign of the foreign language education undergraduate sequence and developed courses that came from the restructuring. After earning her Ph.D. in foreign language education from Maryland ('79), her dissertation on Exploratory Foreign Language Programs was rewritten into a Teacher Training Text format and she has also published a student text for Exploratory Programs in the Middle and High School curriculum.

Dora continues to serve as a well-known and effective advocate for foreign language education at national, state, and local levels and the college is very fortunate and grateful to be a beneficiary of her valuable services.