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Exceptional Education Directory
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| Name | Position | Location | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Maggie Kyger | Department Head | Memorial 3126 | 568-6317 | kygermm@jmu.edu |
| Dr. Cheryl Beverly | Faculty | Memorial 3225D | 568-6262 | beverlcl@jmu.edu |
| Dr. Sharon Blatz | Faculty | Memorial 3125B | 568-6784 | blatzsl@jmu.edu |
| Dr. Laura Desportes | Faculty | Memorial 3130D | 568-4527 | desporlx@jmu.edu |
| Dr. Richard Evans | Faculty and Undergraduate Coordinator | Memorial 3125A | 568-6787 | evansra@jmu.edu |
| Brenda Fogus | Faculty | Memorial 3225C | 568-2877 | fogusbe@jmu.edu |
| Dr. David Herr | Faculty and Graduate Coordinator | Memorial 3126C | 568-6780 | herrde@jmu.edu |
| Dr. Solange Lopes-Murphy | Faculty | Memorial 3130C | 568-2936 | lopesmsa@jmu.edu |
| Dr. Marie Manning | Faculty | Memorial 3130E | 568-4526 | manni2ml@jmu.edu |
| Christy McKee | Teacher-in-Residence | Memorial 3125D | 568-6760 | mckeecm@jmu.edu |
| Julie Moats | Administrative Assistant | Memorial 3125 | 568-5208 | moatsjs@jmu.edu |
| Margaret Parker | Administrative Assistant | Memorial 3126B | 568-6193 | parkermw@jmu.edu |
| Dr. Brianna Quinn | Faculty | Memorial 3225B | 568-2276 | quinnbs@jmu.edu |
| Dr. Karen Santos | Faculty | Roop 115 | 568-3316 | santoske@jmu.edu |
| Dr. Mary Slade | Faculty | Memorial 3125C | 568-2886 | slademl@jmu.edu |
| Mail Room/Fax | Memorial 3135 | 568-2829 |
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Margaret Kyger -- Head, Department of Exceptional Education
Maggie received her bachelor's degree in Psychology from Bridgewater College, a M.Ed. with a concentration in Learning Disabilities from James Madison University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. She worked in public school systems as a high school and elementary special education teacher and administrator. Prior to coming to JMU on a full-time basis, she worked as a teacher-in-residence and then at the Virginia Department of Education Region 5 Training and Technical Assistance Center as a High Incidence Disability Coordinator. She was co-director of MathVids, a project that produced an interactive web site (http://coe.jmu.edu/mathvidsr/ )designed to assist teachers in effectively teaching students who have difficulty learning math. Maggie continues to be involved in the field of effective mathematics instruction, and has recently co-authored a book, Teaching Mathematics Meaningfully: Solutions for Reaching Struggling Learners to be published by Brookes in 2006.
Maggie has taught a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses in special education and supervised both practicum and student teachers. She received the 2004 All Together One award for her commitment to JMU. In 2005 she received the Elsie Glass Award from the College of Education. Currently Maggie teaches courses on special education methods. Her areas of professional interest include special education teacher preparation and development, differentiation of instruction, effective curriculum development and implementation, and mathematics instruction for at-risk students. She is a pre-service trainer for the University of Kansas Content Enhancement Routines.
Cheryl Beverly
Cheryl L. Beverly received her Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of Florida. She majored in Early Childhood Special Education with a minor in Family Sociology. Dr. Beverly taught special education in public schools in both Florida and Georgia. She has taught at all grade levels in self-contained and resource classrooms for students with Learning Disabilities and Emotional Disabilities. Dr. Beverly is certified in Learning Disabilities, Behavior Disorders, Varying Exceptionalities and ECSE.
Prior to coming to JMU, Dr. Beverly was program coordinator for the special education program at Penn State University - Great Valley Graduate Center in Malvern, PA. She worked with pre- and in-service teachers registered in graduate level initial licensure certificate and Masters degree in Special Education and ECSE. Dr. Beverly also worked with local education agencies to design program curriculum, provide exemplary field experiences, and support school personnel in delivering an appropriate education to all learners.
At JMU, Dr. Beverly teaches at the undergraduate and graduate level. Her teaching responsibilities are divided between the general special education courses and the ECSE courses. She also works with students in the Middle Education and Secondary Education program, providing introductory skill and knowledge on working with diverse learners in the regular classroom.
Dr. Beverly approaches education through a systems perspective with a family centered approach to special education. She is interested in family - school relationships as well as developing knowledge and skills to work with the variety of families and children in today's schools. Dr. Beverly also works with international learners both on the JMU campus and abroad. She is interested in developing global competency in teacher preparation. Dr. Beverly is actively involved in service to the community, the university and the special education profession through her participation in committees, conferences and consultation with individuals and organizations.
Richard Evans
Richard recently joined the JMU faculty in the Fall, 2005. He received his B.S. in Elementary Math/Science and Special Education from Angelo State University, his M.Ed. in School Administration with a minor in Special Education & Reading from Angelo State University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology (Special Education Leadership) from Texas A&M University. Richard has taught in a variety of settings, including a self-contained class, general education classes, resource room, early childhood class, an alternative school for students with behavioral challenges and as a college and university instructor. He has worked with students of all ages who have learning difficulties.
Richard has taught a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses in special education and supervised both practicum and student teachers. Currently he teaches courses on reading instruction for special needs students, characteristics of learning disabilities and supervised both practicum and student teachers. Dr. Evans also speaks and consults nationally on the characteristic and needs of special needs students.
Dr. Evans research interest includes: Best practices in reading, Teacher quality and training, and online learning and technology.
David Herr
Dr. Dave Herr is the graduate coordinator for the Department of Exceptional Education. Both of his doctorate and masters degrees are in special education while his bachelors was in business education. He has a wide array of teaching and related experiences; including several years as a high school teacher and coach, serving as a special education teacher with emotionally disturbed children and youth and for juvenile delinquents, and other capacities (camp counselor, camp director.) He remains active in the field by consulting with a variety of organizations (e.g, schools, institutions, Job Corps Centers), conducting workshops, and serving as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for several emotionally disturbed youth -- as well as participating in as a variety of other service activities (e.g., JMU Alternative Spring Break trips, Young Life.) At JMU, he teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses. His courses in behavior and classroom management are required of special and regular education students as well as for minors in special education.
Dr. Herr has received many awards for his teaching. In addition, he received the 2001 All Together One award for his dedication and service to JMU. More recently, he was awarded the 2005-2006 Faculty Service Award by the James Madison University Student Organization Services (SOS.)
Areas of Expertise: behavior disorders, behavior management, managing violent & aggressive behavior.
Brianna Stegall Quinn
Brianna Stegall Quinn earned her M.A.T. and B.S. degrees at James Madison University. She is currently completing her Ph.D. at George Mason University with a major in Assistive Technology and a minor in Early Childhood Special Education. Prior to coming to JMU, Brianna taught kindergarten in the public schools where she worked in an inclusion setting with culturally, linguistically, and ability diverse students. At George Mason, she worked as a research assistant with the Kellar Institute for Human disAbilities and the National Assistive Technology Research Institute. She taught and supervised graduate students in the Special Education Master’s and Licensure Program. She also served as CompuWrite Camp Director, a camp whose mission is to support students having difficulty with the writing process through the use of computers. At JMU, Brianna teaches courses in early childhood special education.
Brianna’s professional interests include family involvement and instructional practices in early childhood special education, assistive technology implementation, education policy, and distance education.
Karen Santos
Karen Eliasson Santos received a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia in Special Education. Her M.Ed. in Learning Disabilities is also from UVA and she has a B.S in Hearing Impairment/Communication Disorders from Northwestern University. Karen is currently a Professor of Special Education in the College of Education at James Madison University. Her previous public school and institutional experiences include classroom teacher, educational diagnostician, curriculum specialist, and district coordinator of special education.
Dr. Santos has served as the Coordinator of the Special Education Program and the Special Education Graduate Program Coordinator at James Madison University. She has taught a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses in special education and supervised both practicum and student teaching experiences. Karen has been a JMU faculty liaison to the Augusta County Public Schools partnership site and was an initial member of the local steering committee. She chaired the School-University Partnership Committee and is committed to university courses having a direct link with the work in classrooms and in schools. She initiated undergraduate students providing remediation services in a partnership school on a weekly basis.
In addition to special education, Dr. Santos provided courses for students in Middle and Secondary Education. During two May term sessions, Karen supervised an intercultural experience for JMU practicum students and student teachers at Marymount International School in Rome, Italy.
In 1998, Dr. Santos was chosen as the JMU Distinguished Teacher of the Year and received the Carl H. Harter award. She received the Madison Scholar Award and Provost Award for Excellence in 2002. In 2003 she was awarded the Distinguished Teaching Award for the College of Education and Elsie Glass Award. In 2004 she received the Phi Delta Kappa Distinguished Service Award and Professional and Organizational Development Bright Idea recognition. Her continued interest in excellence in university teaching is seen in the development of the JMU Center for Faculty Innovation. She is co-author of Think Like a Teacher: Cases for Intern and Novice Teachers in Special Education published by Allyn & Bacon 2002. She is also co-author of From Rigorous Standards to Student Achievement: A Practical Purpose.
Areas of professional interest include: school-university partnerships, teaching and learning in higher education, differentiation of instruction, general and special education collaboration, children's literature involving disabilities, case-based teaching, and qualitative research.
Mary Slade
Dr. Mary Slade is an Associate Professor in the Department of Exceptional Education. Mary received her B.S. in Elementary Education with an emphasis in secondary English from Longwood College, and her Masters and Doctorate from the University of Virginia.
Mary teaches in the department of middle and secondary education, special education, and primarily in gifted education. In particular, Mary directs the gifted education coursework and the Pre-K-12 Add-On Gifted Education Endorsement Program at JMU, including the online coursework in this area. Mary’s primary teaching interests are in curriculum, differentiation, and gifted education. Dr. Slade is a member of the JMU chapter of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.
Mary has taught in higher education since 1990; teaching in teacher education, special education, and gifted education. Previously she taught in elementary, middle, and high schools as a fourth-grade, gifted education, and English teacher. Dr. Slade is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association for Gifted Children, and won the Early Leader Award from that organization in 1997. Over the past 15 years Mary has presented over 200 inservice sessions to educators in pre-K-12 education, as well as more than 175 professional papers. Mary has published widely including more than 40 articles, book chapters, and reports as well as three books. Mary is co-author of a staff development book in gifted education and co-editor of Aiming for Excellence: The NAGC Pre-K-12 Gifted Program Standards both published collaboratively by Prufrock Press and NAGC. Mary is author of a book on consultation and gifted education published by Creative Learning Press.
Dr. Slade’s current scholarship includes professional development, differentiation, consultation and collaboration, and web-based distribution of personnel preparation. Mary consults with individual schools and districts in the areas of consultation and collaboration in gifted education, differentiation, and online learning.
Solange Lopes-Murphy
Dr. Solange A. Lopes-Murphy is an Associate Professor of Education in the Department of Exceptional Education at JMU. She serves as the faculty advisor for the TESL Program and teaches a number of courses in the program. Her areas of expertise are Second Language Acquisition, Assessment, Multicultural Education, and Language Teaching Methodology.
Margaret Parker
Margaret Parker serves as the program support person for the Exceptional Education Department at James Madison University. Margaret received her Associate in Applied Science degree from Blue Ridge Community College in Secretarial Science. She worked 11 years for a Certified Public Accountant's office in Harrisonburg before come to JMU in 1980. Margaret was hired by the Special Education Department and has continued her role in with this program for 25 years. The Special Education program is very fortunate to have Margaret in this key position.