A 2026 graduate in the COE's Educational Leadership doctoral program, Radha Ericson was recently appointed Supervisor of Teaching and Learning in the Tulpehocken Area School District. During her time at Lehigh, Ericson was selected for the Professor's Choice Scholarship (2023) and the Graduate Student Champion Award (2024).
A native of the Lehigh Valley, Erica Silver has spent years shaping the region’s cultural landscape through music education. From directing choral programs and middle school musicals at Springhouse Middle School to leading the youngest performing group in the prestigious Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Silver's dedication to her students has always been clear.
When she decided to return to school, she sought an institution that could match her drive while understanding her roots. Silver chose Lehigh because she wanted a university "big enough to challenge me and small enough to support me," featuring a robust in-person format. However, her trajectory changed entirely once she arrived.
After years of work in the field, Kristin Tester returned to Lehigh in 2023 to pursue her doctoral degree in Educational Leadership and Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction Certification. When looking for a doctoral program, she sought an environment that championed multiculturalism and student support. Tester found that community before she even took her first class. This intentional culture of connection reassured her that she was joining a community that truly cared about the success and well-being of its individual students.
In a ceremony celebrating a career defined by bridge-building and educational excellence, Jack Silva, '09G Superintendent of the Bethlehem Area School District (BASD), has been named the recipient of this year’s Cooperative Leadership Award.
For Liz Sims, a doctoral student in the COE's Educational Leadership program, the blank walls of Iacocca Hall provided inspiration. Sims, who teaches art full-time at Valley Forge Elementary, recognized an opportunity to bridge the gap between the COE’s graduate training and the creative energy of local K-12 classrooms.
Traci Schanewolf has been selected to participate in the Teacher Innovator Institute at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Schanewolf is an Educational Leadership doctoral student who is also completing her principal certification with the COE.
Professor and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies Brook Sawyer shares the challenges facing education and outlines a path forward—including two COE-sponsored events scheduled for this week.
As DEI initiatives face increased scrutiny, educators seek a path forward. Nowhere is this path more necessary than in urban schools that face unique challenges to provide a curriculum that addresses the needs of racially and economically diverse student populations. In the latest issue of TEACH magazine, Floyd Beachum, COE professor of Educational Leadership, outlines his thoughts on the challenges educators face and where we can go from here.
A last minute course addition as an undergraduate student led Brittany Reese to her career in education. A graduate of the COE's Educational Leadership doctoral program, Reese also earned her principal certification with the COE.
Brian Osborne has been named Editor for the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) Journal of Scholarship and Practice.