Stacy Reeder, interim dean of the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education at the University of Oklahoma, announced three faculty members have assumed new roles as department chairs. Associate Professor Kristy Brugar (Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum) and Associate Professor Maeghan Hennessey (Educational Psychology) began their new roles on July 1. Associate Professor Heather Shotton begins her role as Educational Leadership and Policy Studies department chair on Aug. 1.
“As we welcome new leadership across all three departments in the college, I look forward to working alongside these incredible women as we collectively shape the future of the college and strive to transform education in Oklahoma for all children,” Reeder said. “All three are accomplished educators and scholars with records of significant leadership service to OU and to their professional organizations. I am grateful for their willingness to serve.”
Brugar joined the College of Education faculty in 2014 as an assistant professor of social studies education, earning promotion to associate professor in 2018. Prior to that, she spent two years as an assistant professor in the College of Education at Wayne State University. Brugar’s teaching career began as a social studies teacher in Howard County Public Schools (Maryland) and Cranbrook Schools (Michigan).
“As I step into the role of ILAC chair this year, I feel privileged to be working with the truly dedicated group of scholars and teachers that make up the department and college faculty,” Brugar said. “I am looking forward to our continued work together as we navigate new challenges in education for and with our students and community.”
Brugar received the 2017 Early Career Award from the College and University Faculty Assembly, National Council for the Social Studies and has received numerous research grants for her interests in elementary social studies education, interdisciplinary instruction (history, literacy and visual arts) and teacher development. She served as a member of the drafting committee for U.S. history standards for the state of Oklahoma and has held various committee positions with the National Council for the Social Studies and the National Council for History Education.
Hennessey joined the OU faculty in 2007 as an assistant professor in learning sciences (formerly instructional psychology and technology) and was promoted to associate professor in 2013. Her research interests include teacher and student epistemic practices, components of effective teaching and transition education, argumentation and persuasion, educational measurement and evaluation, and the use of high-stakes assessments and related educational policy.
“I feel so blessed to be able to serve such an amazing group of faculty working in the Department of Educational Psychology as chair,” Hennessey said. “There are a number of challenges that come with working in a department encompassing as many different fields as ours does, but with those challenges also comes an amazing opportunity for growth, learning and collaboration. I am looking forward to growing and learning with each one of our faculty so we can together best serve the students of the JRCoE and the larger OU community.”
Hennessey serves on the editorial boards of Contemporary Educational Psychology and Journal of Educational and Developmental Psychology and is a member of the Life Sciences and the Future of Health Working Group with the Office of the Vice President for Research and Partnerships. She received the Henry Daniel Rinsland Memorial Award for Excellence in Educational Research in 2017 and the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education Research/Scholarship Award in 2014.
Shotton joined the JRCoE faculty in 2019-20 as director of Indigenous Education Initiatives. OU and the college have an extensive history with Tribal Nations, Indigenous communities and Indigenous students. Building on this history and recognizing the unique positioning and responsibility of the JRCoE in preparing future educators, higher education practitioners, scholars and educational leaders, the Indigenous Education Initiative focuses on deepening and enhancing the college’s work with Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities.
“I am grateful to the ELPS faculty for their continued commitment to collective leadership,” Shotton said. “I look forward to being in community with our ELPS faculty and leadership across the college as we continue to engage in the collective work of justice centered education.”
Shotton is a citizen of the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes and served as faculty in Native American Studies at OU for 11 years before coming to the college. She has spent her career advocating for Indigenous students and communities in educational systems. Shotton is a past president for the National Indian Education Association, a former NIEA Educator of the Year and a strong advocate for Indigenous education, where she has emerged as a leading scholar in the field. She is a graduate of the college, receiving her doctoral degree in adult and higher education in 2008.
