2025 John Stoops Lecture
Dr. Brandi Simonsen will serve as the keynote speaker for the 2025 John A. Stoops Lecture on May 6, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m., Iacocca Hall. Established in tribute to Lehigh’s first dean of education and founder of Centennial School, this year’s lecture marks Centennial’s sixtieth anniversary. Simonsen's remarks, titled Celebrating Centennial School and the Promise of Positive Practice, will examine the contributions of Centennial, and the use of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS).
Register for this event.
About the Keynote Speaker
Dr. Brandi Simonsen is a professor of Special Education in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. She is also a co-director of the National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS; www.pbis.org) and co-principal investigator of the National Integrated Multi-Tiered System of Support (I-MTSS) Research Network (mtss.org). Dr. Simonsen's scholarship focuses on supporting educators' implementation of PBIS/MTSS across a continuum of settings.
Before joining the faculty at University of Connecticut in 2005, Dr. Simonsen was the director of a non-public (alternative) school for students with disabilities who presented with challenging educational and behavioral needs. In addition to serving as an administrator and clinician, Dr. Simonsen has previously been certified as a teacher of elementary general education and middle-secondary special education.
About the John Stoops Lecture
The John A. Stoops Lecture Series was established in tribute to Dr. John A. Stoops, Lehigh University’s first dean of education and founder of Centennial School.
Stoops arrived at Lehigh University as the head of the Department of Education in 1962, a time of educational reform. He was a visionary leader with the practical skills to create quality programs for the preparation of new educators and improvement of experienced educators.
The Department of Education was upgraded to the School of Education in 1966, with Stoops serving as the first dean. Under his direction Centennial School was founded. Stoops was also instrumental in the creation of the educational television station, now WLVT, and Northampton Community College.
Stoops was elected as a fellow of the Philosophy of Educations Society. Upon his resignation as dean, he was promoted to distinguished professor of Educational Philosophy. Later Lehigh awarded him an honorary doctorate.
The final chapter in his distinguished career was the creation of an evaluation system for elementary schools that took him to American schools throughout the world.
About Centennial School
Centennial is an approved private school, funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and governed by Lehigh’s College of Education (COE). The school is guided by two interrelated missions: providing a world-class educational experience for students with behavioral challenges, and training aspiring individuals pursuing careers in special education and related fields. Learn more at centennial.lehigh.edu.
