Speakers Dr. PEG SPEIRS is a professor of Art Education and has been at Kutztown University since 1998. Speirs has taught in higher education for 27 years at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. She is coordinator of the graduate certification program in art education and developed the intern program to certify practicing art teachers. Speirs also served as interim associate dean in KU's College of Visual and Performing Arts for more than five years. Her research interests include feminist art, theory and pedagogy, issues-based art education and digital storytelling. Speirs co-edited the textbook “Contemporary Issues in Art Education” and authored or co-authored articles and essays on teaching art for social justice, art and ritual, feminist art education and a national study investigating the curricular influences of new art teachers. Speirs later co-authored The Dinner Party Curriculum Project, an online resource for K-12 teachers. Speirs is an artist, exhibition curator and co-developer of Random Oaks Studio, a creative research community and artist residency program in Kensington, Ohio. Currently, she is screenwriting and editing a documentary on women and tattoos. Speirs earned a Bachelor of Arts in studio art at Hiram College, a visual arts teaching certificate at Westminster College, a Master of Arts in art education from Miami University of Ohio, and received her doctorate in art education with a minor in women's studies at The Pennsylvania State University. Before her doctoral study, Speirs taught K-12 art for 10 years in Southern Local School District in Ohio. KEROLOS AKRAZ of Lansdale, Pa., will graduate today with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in marketing. Akraz, born in Egypt, interned with the Brenntag Solution group in the summer of his sophomore year and studied abroad in London during his time at KU. He also interned as a customer service logistics coordinator at Penske Truck Leasing, where he served as the first line of contact for major customer accounts. In 2020, he served as the United Greek Council representative for Kappa Delta Phi Fraternity. Since March 2017, Akraz has volunteered at St. Mary and St. Kryillos Coptic Orthodox Church as the video production director and fundraiser marketing planner. He fills his free time by engaging in his passion for filmmaking, video production and live broadcasting. Akraz plans on pursuing a career in the pharmaceutical industry, where he can put his business degree and work experience to use.
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