Speakers Dr. CATHERINE M. McGEEHAN is a professor in the College of Education and coordinator of the graduate Reading and Instructional Coach Endorsement program. She holds a B.S. in elementary education from The Pennsylvania State University, a Master of Education degree with reading specialist certification from Cabrini College, and a Doctor of Education in reading education from Widener University. Before making the transition to higher education, McGeehan held many K-12 positions in both the Radnor Township School District and the School District of Philadelphia. Her last K-12 position was literacy coordinator for Radnor Township. McGeehan has also served as a building and district-wide instructional coach, as well as teaching first, third, fourth and eighth grades, in both Radnor and the School District of Philadelphia. McGeehan is a board of director and executive secretary for the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers, a national literacy organization. She is also the past president of the Pennsylvania Literacy Teacher Educators and the Delaware Valley Reading Association. Additionally, she is a long-standing member of several other literacy organizations. McGeehan's research has been published in several national and state journals: The Reading Teacher, Literacy Research and Instruction and the Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education. She has presented at dozens of international, national and state conferences. McGeehan conducts numerous professional development sessions and facilitates curriculum development for local school districts. PAUL WALSH of Bethlehem, Pa., will graduate today with an Ed.D. in Transformational Teaching and Learning. Walsh received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from KU. In 2011, he received a bachelor’s degree in secondary education with a concentration in English. In 2018, he obtained his master’s degree in English. During his time as an undergraduate student, Walsh served as vice president of the Presidential Ambassadors as well as president of Bonner Hall Council. He worked in Housing and Residence Life as a freshman mentor. In his senior year, Walsh was awarded the Outstanding Student Teacher Award in English Education from the university. His master’s thesis focused on a four-year intensive creative writing program for high school students which he developed as artistic director of the Literary Arts at his former place of employment. His doctorate work focused on strengthening the racial competency of white teachers to create more antiracist and equitable spaces in educational settings. Currently, Walsh is an English and creative writing instructor at Liberty High School. He serves as a co-chair of the district-wide equity audit task force, where he focuses specifically on student achievement across the district. After graduation, Walsh plans on spending time with his wife, Ashley, his son, Paul, and his newborn baby girl, Emerald. He aims to continue to strengthen his passion for equity in education through research and creating professional development opportunities for educators. Walsh is excited to have more time to engage in two other passions of his: coaching baseball and writing children’s books.
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