Faculty Bios
- Marsha Carr
- Susan Catapano
- Howard Coleman
- James DeVita
- Elizabeth Foster
- Amy Garrett Dikkers
- Scott Imig
- Martin Kozloff
- Joanne Nottingham
- Kennedy Ongaga
- Michele Parker
- William Sterrett
- Robert Tyndall
- Tamara Walser
- Karen Wetherill
Dr. Marsha Carr
D.M., University of Phoenix
Assistant Professor & MSA Coordinator
Dr. Marsha Carr serves on the faculty of Educational Leadership at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She previously served as a superintendent of schools in West Virginia for the past decade. Her other prior roles include serving as a Pre-K - 12 principal, Director of Curriculum/Instructional Technology, and a reading specialist during her 35 years of service. In 1994, Carr received the Milken National Educator Award as a reading specialist, a Teacher of the Year award for Allegany County, Maryland and was recognized by the Maryland House of Delegates as well as received the Maryland Governor's Citation for her work.
Dr. Carr has been published in educational magazines and journals including The Administrator and Virginia Educational Leadership as well as a 20-book emergent level reading series called StoryMakers. She is also the author of Educational Leadership: From Hostile Takeover to a Sustainable –Successful System and is presently under contract for The School Planning Guide: From Turnaround to Transition.
Carr's areas of research include educational leadership, cultural leadership, and leadership self-mentoring.
Dr. Carr has traveled to and studied educational systems in Australia, New Zealand, and schools on the continent of Africa. She earned a B.A. in Art and M.A. in Reading from West Virginia University (WV), M.A. in Administration from Frostburg State University (MD) and a doctorate in Management from the University of Phoenix. Carr can be reached at carrm@uncw.edu.
Dr. Susan Catapano
Ed.D., NOVA Southeastern University
Department Chair, Educational Leadership
Professor & Ed.D. Coordinator
Dr. Susan Catapano, Ed.D., came to UNCW in 2008 and is Chair of the Educational Leadership Department and a Professor with over 20 years in higher education. Dr. Catapano has a doctorate in higher education with concentrations in adult learning and early childhood education. She teaches courses in graduate and undergraduate teacher education in curriculum, supervision, instruction utilizing both on campus and online formats. Dr. Catapano also works on the development of new courses in curriculum and instructional models, educational psychology, family and community connections, and international study abroad (Belize). As Co-Leader of a 6-week student teaching abroad experience to Belize, she has expanded the work to include a 2-week professional development experience for doctoral students.
Prior to receiving her doctorate in Higher Education, Dr. Catapano earned a Master of Business Administration from Maryville University, St. Louis, Missouri, and completed her B.S. in Business and Economics and Secondary Teacher Licensure in Marketing Education at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, North Carolina.
Dr. Catapano's work in higher education began at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL), in 1997, where she served as Co-Chair and Associate Professor in the Division of Teaching and Learning. She also served as Director of the St. Louis Enhancement Partnership (STEP), a professional development system with St. Louis Public Schools. Dr. Catapano served as program coordinator for both the Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Special Education Programs at UMSL. She also established a non-certification degree for early childhood majors, served as Chair of the Teacher Education Committee and advisor and director of research for the university child development center.
Dr. Catapano's area of research interest is the development of culturally responsive teachers. Her research has been published in journals such as Teaching and Learning, The Journal of Natural Inquiry and Reflective Practice, Teaching and Teaching Practice, Teacher Development, Journal of Language and Literacy Education, The Psychology Installment and Educational Leadership, and Learning Communities: International Journal of Learning in Social Contexts.
In addition to her research experience, Dr. Catapano has administered more than $4 million in federal, state, foundation, and university grants that include a United States Department of Education Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant, Accelerated Reading Certification Project Grant from the Parsons Blewett Foundation, and Energizer Foundation, two grants from the Employees Community Fund of Boeing St. Louis, two United States Department of Education Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS), two Missouri Campus Compact Grants, as well as, many local and private foundation grants.
Dr. Howard V. Coleman
Ed.D. UNC Chapel Hill
Associate Professor
Dr. Coleman is an Associate Professor in the Educational Leadership Department at UNC Wilmington. He received his doctorate in organizational development and institutional studies from UNC Chapel Hill. Dr. Coleman has served as a public school superintendent, a high school principal, a director of research, and a consultant for public schools, state agencies and corporations. Dr. Coleman teaches graduate level courses in leadership, research, program evaluation, curriculum alignment, instructional assessment, school law and educational policy. He has published articles on leadership and technology, co-authored book chapters on professional standards, intervention programs, e-portfolio assessment and organizational health in public schools. Dr. Coleman has served as the Executive Director for the Consortium for Research on Educational Accountability and Teacher Education which sponsors the annual National Evaluation Institute for educators and school leaders.
Dr. James DeVita
Ph.D. University of Tennessee Knoxville
Assistant Professor
Dr. James M. DeVita is an Assistant Professor of Higher Education, a newly developed graduate program in the Department of Educational Leadership in the Watson College of Education. He earned both his doctorate in Higher Education Administration and M.S. in College Student Personnel from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where his dissertation included three research projects on the experiences and development of gay male college students. His research is focused on examining the educational experiences of marginalized and targeted populations in higher education, particularly related to issues of identity development, as well as issues of access and success during college and the transition from secondary to post-secondary institutions. Current research projects include a mixed methods study on the educational experiences of LGBTQ identified youth, and a qualitative project that examines ally identities.
Dr. DeVita currently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Student Affairs and Research and Practice (JSARP). He has presented at numerous national and international conferences, including the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the American College Personnel Association (ACPA). He has also published several book chapters and research articles in journals such as the Journal of African American Studies and NASAP Journal.
Dr. Elizabeth S. Foster
Ed.D., North Carolina State University
Professor
Dr. Elizabeth S. Foster, professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, has extensive experience in professional development as a state and national presenter, keynoter and trainer. With over 80 publications, including seven books, Dr. Foster focuses her research on Educational Mentoring, Administrator Preparation and Peer and Prevention Evaluation, She is licensed as a Superintendent, Principal, School Counselor, Curriculum Specialist, Secondary English Teacher, Reading Specialist, K-12 Mentor for novice teachers and is also licensed as a Certified Peer Program Trainer/Consultant and Certified Peer Program Professional with the National Association of Peer Program Professionals (NAPPP).
She received her Master's and Doctoral degrees from North Carolina State University in Personnel, Guidance and Counseling with a minor in Curriculum and Supervision. Dr. Foster received her Bachelor's degree from Ohio University in English Education. She completed additional graduate work at East Carolina University in Educational Administration. Dr. Foster's dissertation, A Cognitive Developmental Approach to Training Peer Helpers won a state Dissertation Research Award from the North Carolina Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Dr. Foster has served as the department Chairperson in the Department of Educational Leadership at UNCW. During her ten year tenure at Texas A&M University, she served as Coordinator of the Elementary and Middle grades education programs, Coordinator of the Graduate Program in Mentoring and Director of the Mentoring Research Collaborative for Learning and Development.
Dr. Foster has been an educational consultant and trainer to over 60 school districts, professional organizations and communities in the areas of educator mentoring, peer program development, professional development models and program evaluation. She is a published poet, has developed evaluation instruments in mentoring that have been utilized in multiple dissertations, and continues to develop training materials for mentoring teachers and administrators.
Amy Garret Dikkers
Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Assistant Professor
Dr. Amy Garrett Dikkers is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at UNCW and teaches in all graduate programs in the department. She earned a Ph.D. in Comparative and International Development Education at the University of Minnesota in 2006, a M.Ed. in Secondary English Education from Wake Forest University in 1996, and a B.A. in English from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1995. Before her doctoral study, she taught secondary school English domestically and abroad. The focus of her doctoral study was international development education, specifically the education of children in difficult circumstances, such as street children, ethnic minority children, refugee and immigrant children, and other groups often not served effectively in formal school settings around the world.
She has taught face-to-face, hybrid, and online courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels in educational reform, school technology leadership and vision, comparative education, human rights education, research design, and the foundations of education. Her professional interests include the preparation of educational leaders and the use of technology-enhanced and online learning in higher education. Her current research centers on reflective practice, maximizing online learning, incorporating community professionals into courses through technology, and the use of video to provide authentic voice in the classroom.
Dr. Scott Imig
Ph.D., University of Virginia
Associate Professor
Dr. Scott Imig serves as an Associate Professor in the Curriculum, Instruction and Supervision program at the Watson College of Education. He teaches graduate courses in the areas of evaluation, supervision, research and coaching. In addition to his faculty role, Dr. Imig has spent the past three years serving as the Watson College's Interim Associate Dean for Outreach. Prior to coming to UNCW, he was an Assistant Professor and Director of the Teaching Assessment Initiative at the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education. In this role he developed and implemented numerous studies designed to measure the effectiveness of teacher education and teaching methods. He has served as both an elementary and middle school teacher.
Dr. Imig's research on teacher education and teacher effectiveness has been widely published, including articles in the Journal of Teacher Education, Teachers College Record and Change Magazine. He is also the author of numerous chapters on teacher certification, teacher quality, educational standards and teacher dispositions. His current research is focused on identifying the shared characteristics of the state's top performing educator preparation programs. Dr. Imig earned both his Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Evaluation and his Master's degree in teaching from the University of Virginia. He also holds a B.A. in Language and Literature from St. Mary's College of Maryland. He lives in Wilmington with his wife and three young children and he continues to try to learn how to fish.
Dr. Marty Kozloff
Ph.D., Washington University
Watson Distinguished Professor of Education
Dr. Kozloff is a Watson Distinguished Professor of Education Co-Director, Hillcrest Reading Program, an afterschool tutoring program for disadvantaged children, K-2. He graduated from Washington University with a B.A. in Psychology, master's and Ph.D. in Sociology. Dr. Kozloff has formerly been a Professor of Sociology at Boston University and worked for 16 years as Director of federally-funded projects (NIMH, BEH) developing and testing curricula and instructional methods for children with autism and their families. In addition he worked on reform of reading instruction in New Hanover County, for 3 years. Dr. Kozloff' s interest in research and writing are in the areas of reading reform, instructional design and evaluation, teacher assessment, and publishing works such as Kozloff, M.A. (1994). Improving Educational Outcomes for Children With Disabilities: Principles for Assessment, Program Planning, and Evaluation. Paul H. Brookes.
He has ran 20 marathons and his best time was 3:26. His best 10K time was 39 minutes, 36 seconds. Dr. Kozloff's hobbies include making medieval arrowheads (hand forged bodkins, crow feathers, oak shafts) and hand-forged hardened steel weapons from railroad spikes and oak (knives, battle axes, hatchets, short swords). Regrets. I've had a few, but then again, too few to mention.
Joanne E. Nottingham
Ph.D.,University of Connecticut
Lecturer, Coordinator of Leadership Studies
Dr. Joanne E. Nottingham, also known as "DocNott", is a faculty member of the Department of Educational Leadership in the Watson College of Education where she coordinates the Leadership Studies minor and teaches core leadership courses. In addition, she has served as the faculty secretary of the UNCW Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK), the National Leadership Honor Society for many years. DocNott has more than forty years of academic and professional experience in higher education and in private sector employment. Her corporate experience and particular knowledge in public relations, marketing, and advertising contributes to positive results in higher education and corporate environments.
DocNott's personal philosophy is one based on the acceptance and understanding of others so that ethical and respectful interactions are possible. She seeks ways in which enhanced communication can occur so that misunderstandings are reduced. DocNott is a determined, disciplined, and ethical person and views leadership as the ability to inspire and communicate a vision, as well as an ability to motivate others to accomplish a goal.
DocNott earned her B.S. in Elementary and Special Education at Southern Connecticut State College, and her M.Ed. and Ph.D. at the University of Connecticut.
For five years DocNott was the UNCW Director of Campus Diversity, which also included the management of the Upperman African American Cultural Center and she championed the development of the current Office of Institutional Diversity. During her administrative years at UNCW, the University of Miami (FL), and Florida International University, DocNott designed and managed academic, multicultural, and student services programs that contributed to increasing the retention of students in higher education institutions and raised community awareness. DocNott has an illustrative record of commitment to ethics, diversity, and leadership education as crucial components of lifelong learning.
DocNott enjoyed a career with Delta Air Lines, Inc. for more than ten years where she worked in in-flight service, sales, and marketing. In her subsequent position as Midwest regional sales manager with Murdoch Publications she worked on advertising opportunities with Hyatt, Adams Mark, Doubletree, and other major hotels as well as with smaller independent hotels.
DocNott is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and has served on several community boards including the Black Arts Alliance, Inc., Cape Fear Museum, Communities in Schools in Brunswick and New Hanover Counties, Good Friends, Inc., Linda Lavin Arts Foundation, and the YWCA. DocNott is married to artist and Army veteran, Harry L. Davis (UNCW '79) and they enjoy cooking, reading, watching movies, and traveling.
Dr. Kennedy Ongaga
Ph.D., Michigan State University
Assistant Professor
Dr. Kennedy Ongaga is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership in Watson College of Education. He earned his Ph.D. from Michigan State University in K-12 Educational Administration. His research examines experiences of marginalized populations and aims to inform and influence institutional policies that affect these groups within K-12 educational institutions. His scholarship centers on the examination of four interrelated themes: the principalship and organizational change; small learning communities in the context of school reform; social justice issues; and the K-12 connection. Other interests include understanding the Early College High School (ECHS) model, and how education can be used as a social vaccine against HIV/AIDS impact on education. His current research examines successful school principals under the framework of International Successful Principals Project (ISSPP), and pathways to principalship in sub-Saharan Africa. He is also involved in faculty/teacher collaborative research projects around issues of dropout prevention and targeted professional development for teachers.
Dr. Michele Parker 
Ph.D., University of Virginia
Assistant Professor & Higher Education Coordinator
Dr. Michele A. Parker is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Her doctorate is in Research, Statistics, and Evaluation from the University of Virginia. She teaches an instructional technology course for prospective teachers and research courses for graduate students. Her research interests include the use of technology in K-12 and higher education as well as methodological issues in conducting research.
Dr. Parker has experience with several large-scale research projects. Currently, she is the Lead Analyst for two HillRAP evaluation contracts in Carteret County and Brunswick County Schools in North Carolina. Also, she is collaborating with staff from Jefferson County Public Schools in Kentucky to examine how neural network analysis can be applied to educational settings and how sampling stratification can be used to increase parent survey response rates.
Dr. William L. Sterrett
Ph.D., University of Virginia
Assistant Professor & CIS Coordinator
Dr. William L. Sterrett serves as Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator of Curriculum, Instruction, and Supervision in the University of North Carolina Wilmington's Watson College of Education. Sterrett, a former Title I elementary school principal, has also served as an assistant principal, upper elementary teacher, and middle school science teacher. While serving as principal, Sterrett was named a Milken National Educator in 2008. Sterrett is the author of the ASCD book Insights into Action: Successful School Leaders Share What Works. He has also been published in numerous educational journals including the Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, the Kappa Delta Pi Record, and Educational Leadership.
Dr. Sterrett's areas of research include instructional leadership, K-12 administrator preparation, and principal leadership; he actively works with schools, districts, and regions in improving principal best practices and improving instructional leadership. He chairs the Public Policy Committee for Kappa Delta Pi. Sterrett earned a B.S. in Middle Grades Education from Asbury College (KY) and his M.Ed. and Ph.D. in Educational Administration & Supervision from the University of Virginia.
Dr. Robert Edward Tyndall
Ed.D., UNC Chapel Hill
Professor and Executive-in-Residence in the Cameron School of Business
Dr. Tyndall is currently a professor in the Doctoral Educational Leadership Program in the Watson College of Education and an Executive- in- Residence in the Cameron School of Business. Dr. Tyndall has spent forty years serving education. He earned undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and did advanced graduate studies at the University of California at Los Angeles.
He is considered “to be among the most influential professionals involved in shaping education in North Carolina.”(Hunt, James). Statesmen and state leaders including former presidents of the UNC system Bill Friday and Molly Broad, and Governors Perdue, Hunt, Scott, Martin and Senator Sanford have named him to numerous advisory boards and task forces.
In addition to his current roles Dr. Tyndall has served in a wide range of leadership positions in public schools, including principal of three schools and Deputy and Associate Superintendent in Durham City and Durham County and Superintendent of Schools in Moore County. While serving in educational leadership positions in public schools, he also taught at North Carolina Central University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University as a Resident Scholar, Adjunct Professor, and Visiting Executive Scholar, respectively. For three years Dr. Tyndall served as Special Advisor to the President of Duke University and Executive Director of the Research Triangle Education Consortium. Since arriving at UNCW in 1989 he has served as UNCW's Special Advisor to the Provost, Vice Chancellor for Information Technology Systems and Associate Provost, Dean of the Watson College of Education, Associate Dean for Outreach and Partnerships and Chair of the Department of Design and Management.
While serving as Dean of the Watson College of Education, Dr. Tyndall founded and served as the Executive Director of the Consortium for Advancement of Public Education (CAPE), comprising 14 school districts, 7 community colleges and 10 businesses; created the national award winning Professional Development System (PDS); and founded the Razor Walker Awards. He is credited, along with Chancellor Leutze, with leading the effort that resulted in the construction of the new Watson College of Education which he refers to as “a powerful tribute to the profession of teaching.”
Dr. Tyndall has received numerous state and national awards including the state’s most distinguished service award, The Order of the Long Leaf Pine; the UNC President’s Award for Innovation; The American Association of School Administrators’ Award for Distinguished Service; the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education Distinguished Program Award; seven corporate leadership awards including Innovator of the Year from Bell South Corporation, the Northern Telecom Distinguished Leadership Award and many others. Most recently he was named the Chancellor’s Installation Committee Chair;member of the State Standards Board for School Executives; selected as a North Carolina Delegate to the World Health Congress and was named a Kenan Institute of Asia Fellow.
Dr. Tyndall is a prolific grant writer who has authored or co-authored more thirty million dollars in funded grants as well as numerous special appropriations. His research interests are in organizational leadership and transformation; the impact of group and societal norms on education; and the dynamics, dispositions and effectiveness of senior leadership teams in business and education. Dr. Tyndall has spent his life passionately and tirelessly working for the betterment of education and the quality of life in North Carolina.
Dr. Tamara Walser
Ph.D. Utah State University
Associate Professor
Director of Assessment and Evaluation for the Watson College of Education
Dr. Tamara Walser has been conducting educational research and evaluation for more than 18 years and has worked in education for more than 23 years. Currently an Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Dr. Walser is Director of Assessment and Evaluation for the Watson College of Education and teaches graduate courses in research and evaluation. She has also served as Co-Principal Investigator on two grants to evaluate a reading intervention and as an evaluator for a North Carolina Quality Educators through Staff Development and Training grant at UNCW.
Before coming to UNCW she served as Project Manager for the U.S. Department of Education Magnet Schools Assistance Program Technical Assistance in Data Collection, Analysis, and Report Preparation contract, which included quantitative analysis of magnet schools data and technical assistance to grantees on performance measurement and experimental/quasi-experimental evaluation. She also served as Project Manager for the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) State Service Center Evaluation and NAEP State Coordinator Program Review subcontracts with Westat for the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. In addition, she has evaluated programs funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology, and Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities; as well as the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Casey Family Programs. Dr. Walser received her Ph.D. in Research and Evaluation Methodology from Utah State University.
Dr. Karen S. Wetherill
Ed.D., NC State University
Professor
Dr. Karen S. Wetherill is a full Professor of Educational Leadership. She served as the Associate Dean for Outreach Alliances for 11 years prior to assuming a two-year administrative role as Interim Dean of the Watson College of Education. In that capacity, Dr. Wetherill was a co-founding leader for the development of the University-School Professional Development System Partnership. She has worked extensively with university-school partnerships since 1992 both at the university and the state level, providing leadership to move partnerships to higher, more meaningful standards and to address student- learning outcomes. She created the Learning-Centered Supervision model used across the partnership for intern supervision, designed the two foundational Supervision courses for graduate programs, and developed mentoring / coaching modules for use with other audiences.
Her work in the area of organizational change and the development of an organizational analysis model has been utilized to study comprehensive school reform efforts, to provide information for emerging and practicing school administrators, and to examine schools in other cultures. Areas of teaching at the university are predominately in school administration, teacher evaluation and supervision, and leadership development. She has been actively involved in writing and directing state, federal and private grants totaling over seven million dollars. Many of these grants have provided significant research and development initiatives that have and are informing regional, state and national collaborative efforts to improve educational practice, to develop partnership efforts to improve teacher education, to provide professional development for practicing teacher and leaders, to enrich teaching and learning through technology, and to create innovative teacher evaluation and assessment systems. She is an invited presenter and co-author for a national teacher education organization's Evidence-Based Teacher Education initiative due to the long-term commitment and leadership in gathering, analyzing and managing outcome data for teacher education. Dr. Wetherill co-authored an Assessment Model and Data Management System showcased for a number of years at the national teacher education conference.
Most recently, she has extended her interest and skills in partnerships and system building, to address the critical need for expanding networks and out of school time resources to the broader community and utilize technology-enriched capabilities for sustained and sustainable 24/7 learning opportunities for the new generation of learners.
She has served as President and in other leadership positions for two national organizations, an invited book reviewer for numerous publications on evaluation standards and supervision, and currently as an editorial board member for an international journal on educational assessment, evaluation and accountability.
She earned her undergraduate degree in Special Education at Glassboro State College (now Rowan College), her Master of Education at University of North Carolina Wilmington, and her doctoral degree in Educational Leadership with a minor in Public Administration from North Carolina State University. Her 30+ years in education began with teaching special education students and then working as a teacher evaluator and staff developer. She has worked in higher education at University of North Carolina Wilmington for 21 years.