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2017 WW MBA in Education Leadership Fellows Announced in Indiana

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FOR RELEASE: Wednesday, August 2, 2017

CONTACT: Patrick Riccards | [email protected]  |  (703) 298-8283

Indiana Continues to Grow Pipeline of Excellent School Leaders for State’s High-Need Schools

Indiana University, Indiana State University, University of Indianapolis Welcome 2017-18 Woodrow Wilson MBA Fellowships in Education Leadership for Aspiring Leaders

PRINCETON, NJ (August 2, 2017)—Building on a statewide commitment to help successful educators become strong school and school district leaders, the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation today announced the incoming class of 2017-18 WW MBA Fellowship in Education Leadership program, 51 current educators seeking careers as school leaders in Indiana.

Developed by the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, the WW Indiana MBA Fellowship program was created to develop a new model in education leader preparation, equipping graduates to head changing 21st-century schools across the state. The WW Indiana MBA blends clinical practice in schools with innovative business school coursework. It ensures graduates have the knowledge and skills not only to guide schools and districts in a changing education environment, but also close achievement gaps between America’s lowest- and highest-performing schools and between the country’s top-performing schools and those around the world.

In 2014, the first cohort of the Woodrow Wilson Indiana MBA Fellowship in Education Leadership began their work at the University of Indianapolis. This year, the second cohorts of MBA Fellows at Indiana State University and Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business will join a fourth UIndy cohort. The WW Indiana MBA Fellowship program charts a new course in education leader preparation.

Indiana is one of three states, with New Mexico and Wisconsin, that currently offer the WW MBA Fellowships, which integrates graduate education coursework with an MBA curriculum tailored to school leaders’ needs. The Woodrow Wilson Foundation administers the programs in Indiana through the generous financial support of Lilly Endowment Inc.

“For teachers, children, and communities to be successful, they need effective educators leading their local schools,” Woodrow Wilson Foundation President Arthur Levine said. “Through the Indiana MBA in Education Leadership, Indiana University, Indiana State, and UIndy are ensuring a strong pipeline of exemplary, inspirational school and district leaders to lead our schools while ultimately boosting student success for all. This year’s 51 Indiana MBA Fellows are part of a strong commitment to school improvement across the state.”

Under the Woodrow Wilson model, Fellows take MBA courses with a specific focus on the education context. Offered through business schools in collaboration with education schools, the program is designed to prepare leaders who will drive innovation, expand the use of analytics and evidence-based practices, raise student performance to international standards, and improve the quality of school systems and teaching over time.

“School corporations across Indiana have a tremendous opportunity to grow their own leaders through the support of the Woodrow Wilson MBA for Educators program,” said Katherine Ryan, director of the MBA for Educators at Kelley. “After earning an MBA from Kelley, our graduates introduce world-class business knowledge to their organizations, and alumni of the MBA for Educators program are no different. They leave here with the business acumen, tools, and experiences that are essential for tackling complex challenges faced by educational leaders in our state.”

“This unique and successful collaboration of the faculty in business and education welcomes its second cohort of Woodrow Wilson Fellows.  We continue to be excited that this program will provide quality leaders for Indiana’s K-12 schools.  Preparing educational leaders has been a primary mission of Indiana State University from its inception and this collaboration brings together the talent of our faculty from two colleges to prepare a new generation of leaders,” said Brien Smith, Dean of the Scott College of Business at ISU.

“The UIndy MBA in Education Leadership presents an innovative interdisciplinary model of principal preparation that integrates best practices in both education and business within an educational context,” said Dr. John Somers, associate professor at the UIndy School of Education. “The program instills key business skills and competencies that will equip principals to serve as exemplary school leaders and enable them to advance to higher levels of administration within an evolving entrepreneurial education landscape.  To date, this model has produced nearly one hundred new leaders who are transforming Indiana schools through a more robust knowledge base and skill set. We applaud the Woodrow Wilson Foundation for their vision and ongoing support to enact a truly revolutionary education enterprise.”

Unlike programs that recruit career changers from other fields to work in schools, the Woodrow Wilson MBA Fellowship is intended for education professionals nominated by their school districts or charter school leaders. Those school systems partner with participating universities to establish internal leadership talent pipelines and cultivate new leaders. Fellows selected have demonstrated effective leadership and will use their knowledge of the education context to help transform schools from within. Each Fellow receives a stipend, which covers full tuition, materials, and associated program expenses. In exchange, each Fellow agrees to serve in an approved school or district leadership role within the state for at least three years, with Foundation-supported mentoring.

All three universities are partnering with a variety of area school districts and charter schools to develop partnerships that will sustain clinical placements, or in-school learning arrangements, and mentoring opportunities for WW MBA Fellows.

Applications to the WW MBA Fellowship in Education Leadership are available by nomination only. To learn more about the WW MBA in Education Leadership, visit http://woodrow.org/fellowships/ww-ed-mba/indiana.  A full list of WW Indiana MBA Fellows follows at the end of this release.

 

About the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation: Founded in 1945, the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation (www.woodrow.org) identifies and develops the nation’s best minds to meet its most critical challenges. The Foundation supports its Fellows as the next generation of leaders shaping American society.

About Indiana State University: Indiana State University (http://www.indstate.edu) is a Public, Doctoral/Research University located in Terre Haute, IN, approximately one hour west of Indianapolis.  The University enrolls over 13,000 students in over 100 majors.  The University has consistently been ranked by Princeton Review as one of the “Best in the Midwest.” ISU is a consistent member of the U.S. President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll and has been named the national’s Non-Profit Leadership Campus of the Year.  Washington Monthly ranks ISU #1 in community service and #3 in service learning.  Forbes Magazine has identified Indiana State University as the most affordable University in the state and ranks ISU as one of the nation’s best colleges that emphasizes quality as well as value.

The MBA and Education Leadership Preparation at Indiana State University

Both the Princeton Review and US News recognize the Scott College of Business as one of the top business schools in the nation.  The MBA degree was praised by the Princeton Review for small classes, great teachers, and an affordable tuition. The Scott College of Business is accredited by AACSB, the highest achievement for business schools and the hallmark of excellence in management education.  Educator Preparation has been at the core of ISU’s mission for 150 years.  Today, the Bayh College of Education continues that great tradition.  The College is accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education and the Indiana Department of Education.  The College’s educational administration program has been recognized for its scholar/practitioner approach to preparing building level and district level educational leaders.

About Indiana University: Indiana University Bloomington is the flagship residential, doctoral-extensive campus of Indiana University. Its mission is to create, disseminate, preserve, and apply knowledge. It does so through its commitments to cutting-edge research, scholarship, arts, and creative activity; to challenging and inspired undergraduate, graduate, professional, and lifelong education; to culturally diverse and international educational programs and communities; to first-rate library and museum collections; to economic development in the state and region; and to meaningful experiences outside the classroom. The Bloomington campus is committed to full diversity, academic freedom, and meeting the changing educational and research needs of the state, the nation, and the world.

The Indiana University Kelley School of Business

For nearly 100 years — first in Bloomington and later in Indianapolis, online and for top companies – Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business has prepared students to lead organizations, start companies, develop new products and services, and shape business knowledge and policy. Its programs are consistently ranked among the best in the nation, its faculty members are internationally recognized for their teaching and thought leadership, and businesses worldwide hire its highly qualified graduates. Kelley has an extensive track record of creating customized programs for Fortune 500 firms such as Microsoft, General Electric and General Motors, as well as for physicians enrolled in its Business of Medicine MBA Program. More information is available about Kelley at https://kelley.iu.edu/

About the University of Indianapolis: Since 1902, the University of Indianapolis has been committed to education for service. Today, 5,400 students are enrolled in respected undergraduate, masters and doctoral programs in the health sciences, arts, sciences, business, education and engineering, with an average class size of 17 providing a student-centric interdisciplinary and experiential learning environment. Located minutes from downtown, UIndy is a community anchor, elevating quality of life for all while connecting students with the internships, culture, recreation and community service opportunities available in a vibrant metropolitan atmosphere. The recently launched Campaign for UIndy is advancing education as well as social mobility and the health of communities. More information is available at campaign.uindy.edu.

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The 2017-18 Class of Indiana MBA Fellows in Education Leadership:

Indiana State University

  • Johnathan Bolek, Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township
  • Troy Cloum, Tri-Central Consolidated School Corporation
  • Jeanine Corson, Warsaw Community Schools
  • Criselda Harlow, Tri-Central Consolidated School Corporation
  • Amy Hueftle, Metropolitan School District of Mount Vernon (Posey)
  • Katrina Kelly, Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township
  • Dawn Merrill, Metropolitan School District of Washington Township
  • Andrew Mitchell, Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township
  • Amber Paz, Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township
  • Daniel Peo, Tippecanoe School Corporation
  • John Pinson, Kokomo School Corporation
  • Brady Scott, Vigo County School Corporation
  • Jeffrey Steve Spradlin, Northside Middle School Muncie Community Schools
  • Atticus Westerfeld, Herron Charter School District
  • Donavan White, Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township

 

Indiana University

  • Madelyn Albright, Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation
  • Elizabeth Camacho, Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township
  • Nicole Caulfield, Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township
  • Michelle Crawford, Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation
  • Terra Houlihan, Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township
  • Jon Johnson, Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township
  • Laura Lee, Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township
  • Shonda Masterson, Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation
  • Cassandra Mills, Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation
  • Daniel Schifano, Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township
  • Josh Simpson, Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation
  • Jen Sinclair, Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation
  • Casie States, Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township
  • Kristina Turpin, Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation
  • Kelly Waller, Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township

 

The University of Indianapolis

  • Brad Bates, Avon Community School Corporation
  • Tim Blom, Metropolitan School District of Washington Township
  • Weston Bonczek, Indianapolis Public Schools
  • Amy Conrad, Zionsville Community Schools
  • Melissa DeWeese, Western School Corporation
  • Mark DuBois, Huntington County Community School Corporation
  • Jeannie Hawkins, Elkhart Community Schools
  • Melissa Illuzzi, Anderson Community Schools
  • Alan Landes, Anderson Community Schools
  • Keith Manring, Metropolitan School District of Decatur Township
  • Seianna McCray, Concord Community Schools
  • Kellie McIntyre, Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation
  • Frank Meyer, Avon Community School Corporation
  • Nasreen McDowell, Center Grove Community School Corporation
  • Rebecca Pennington, Center Grove Community School Corporation
  • Matt Swaim, Hamilton Southeastern Schools
  • Tyler Thiems, Washington Township Schools
  • Miranda (Randi) Tolentino, Metropolitan School District of Decatur Township
  • Meranda VanderVeen, Center Grove Community School Corporation
  • Chris Wey, Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township
  • Brice Willey, Hamilton Southeastern Schools

 


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