Department of Educational Leadership News

A&M-Commerce Doctoral Student Named Principal at Allen ISD
Allen ISD recently named Aimee Cherry as the new principal at Norton Elementary School. Cherry is currently working toward a Doctor of Education in educational leadership at A&M-Commerce.
An Allen ISD alum, Cherry earned her undergraduate degree from Oklahoma Christian…

Endowment Honors Turners’ Impact on TAMUC and Texas Education
Professor Emeritus Lynn Turner holds an important place in Texas A&M University-Commerce history. As one of the original faculty members in the Department of Educational Leadership, his contributions helped build the department into a leading producer of principals and superintendents…

Templeton Assumes Head of Educational Leadership at A&M-Commerce
The College of Education and Human Services at A&M-Commerce recently named Dr. Nate Templeton as interim head of the Department of Educational Leadership.
Templeton is an associate professor and director of the Meadows Principal Leadership Institute in the department. Prior…

A&M-Commerce Alum Wins 2021 Morphet Dissertation of the Year
The International Council of Professors of Educational Leadership named Dr. Jericah Jackson, a graduate of A&M-Commerce, winner of the 2021 Edgar L. Morphet Dissertation of the Year Award. The award recognizes scholarship in the dissertation stage of advanced academic work…

Retired TAMUC Faculty Holt Honored with Emeritus Distinction
Following his retirement after 10 years of service at Texas A&M University-Commerce, Chuck Holt, Ed.D., earned a new title when the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents designated him as Associate Professor Emeritus of Educational Leadership.
“I am honored…

TAMUC’s Ballenger Awarded Prestigious Willystine Goodsell Award
Julia Ballenger, a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at A&M-Commerce, is the recipient of the 2022 Willystine Goodsell Award, presented by the American Education Research Association's (AERA) Research on Women and Education special interest group. The highly coveted…

TAMUC’s Ballenger Named Texas A&M System Regents Professor
Dr. Julia Ballenger, professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at Texas A&M University-Commerce, has been selected by The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents as a 2019-2020 recipient of the Regents Professor Award. Ballenger is among a select…

A&M-Commerce Partners with IDRA for Groundbreaking Collaboration
Texas A&M University-Commerce and the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) are partnering to create a trailblazing collaboration to increase access to higher education and provide students with insight into influencing educational policy and legislation.
Based in San Antonio, Texas, IDRA…

Meadows Law Conference Addresses Special Education Issues
The Meadows Principal Leadership Institute presented the Meadows Law Conference on October 28 at the McKinney ISD Community Event Center. Dr. Nathan Templeton, associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at A&M-Commerce, serves as director of the institute. The…

A&M-Commerce Educational Leadership Professor to be Honored by ICPEL
Dr. Julia Ballenger, professor of educational leadership at Texas A&M University-Commerce.
The International Council of Professors of Educational Leadership (ICPEL) recently named Dr. Julia Ballenger, professor of educational leadership at Texas A&M University-Commerce, as recipient of the ICPEL 2021 Living…

Poverty Simulation Provides Insight for A&M-Commerce Students and Educators
In fall 2018, the Department of Nursing at Texas A&M University-Commerce purchased a poverty simulation developed by the Missouri Association for Community Action, Inc. The simulation is a three to four-hour activity designed to help participants understand daily challenges faced…

A&M-Commerce Educational Leadership Professor Named Researcher of the Year
Dr. Nate Templeton, associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at A&M-Commerce, has been selected as the 2020 Texas Council of Professors of Educational Administration (TCPEA) Researcher of the Year based on his contributions to the field of educational…

A&M-Commerce Department of Educational Leadership Gains Funding for Region 10 Partnership
Dr. Teresa Farler, assistant professor of educational leadership at A&M-Commerce, recently secured additional funding for the university's partnership with Region 10 Educational Service Center.
Dr. Pam Winn, head of the Department of Educational Leadership at A&M-Commerce, reports corporate sponsorships for…

A&M-Commerce Alumna Accepts Newly-Created Position at Cedar Hill ISD
Dr. Kisha McDonald, a graduate of Texas A&M University-Commerce, took over a newly-created role with Cedar Hill Independent School District in June. As executive director of school leadership for grades six through twelve, McDonald oversees secondary education at five schools…

A&M-Commerce Professor Helms International Leadership Journal
Dr. Nathan R. Templeton, associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, will serve as editor of the journal Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, published by Taylor & Francis Group in cooperation with the International Council of Professors of…
A&M-Commerce Alum Named Lone Finalist for North Texas Superintendent Position
A&M-Commerce alum Holly Ferguson has been named the lone finalist for the position of superintendent of Prosper ISD. Ferguson is slated to replace Superintendent Drew Watkins, who is stepping down after 18 years with the district. Ferguson has worked at…
A&M-Commerce Graduate Wins Distinguished Morphet Award
Dr. Molly J. Fuller, a graduate of Texas A&M University-Commerce has been named winner of the 2020 Morphet Dissertation of the Year Award for her dissertation titled, “Principal as Servant-Leader: An Embedded-Descriptive Case Study of One Prekindergarten School's Efforts to…
A&M-Commerce Alum Named Dean at Chadron State College
Dr. Alaric Williams, former student and staff member at Texas A&M University-Commerce, has been named dean of professional studies and applied sciences at Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska. He will begin his duties on July 15.
Williams began his…
A&M-Commerce Alumnus, Professor Given Outstanding Dissertation Award from TCPEA
Josh Tremont, an alumnus of Texas A&M University-Commerce, will receive the Outstanding Dissertation of the Year Award from the Texas Council of Professors of Educational Administration. He will be honored at a conference that will be held in conjunction with…