No matter where you come from or which language you speak, there is a place for you in Harrisonburg and at 91����Ƶ, and Nasser Alsaadun MA ’17 (education) is living proof of that.

The Iraqi-born educator, who came to the United States in 2008, became the first refugee councilmember in the city’s history when he was elected last fall and began his in January. He says his presence on council sends a clear message that Harrisonburg is diverse and accepting and that local immigrants can feel welcome as a part of the community.

“People can all live in peace and learn from one another—your culture, my culture. We’re all in the same pot,” Alsaadun said. “I think that’s actually a unique thing about this area.”

Through his advocacy work, Alsaadun ensures that the Friendly City lives up to its name as a welcoming place for people of all backgrounds. He volunteers with , a local office of Church World Service that serves and advocates for refugees, asylum seekers, unaccompanied children, and immigrants in the Shenandoah Valley.

He is also a founder and board member of the , a community group that works to make the city more inclusive and supportive for immigrants and newcomers, addressing challenges they face, building relationships with them, and connecting them with resources.

One of those resources is 91����Ƶ’s renowned Intensive English Program (IEP). Alsaadun, who teaches Arabic courses as an at James Madison University and English Language Learner (ELL) classes for Rockingham County Public Schools, often motivates residents to enroll in IEP classes. The program, hosted in 91����Ƶ’s Roselawn Building, helps English language learners from all around the world find their voice and build a better life for themselves. In a typical semester, IEP has 60 to 80 students of varying ages and language skill levels representing 15 to 20 countries.

“91����Ƶ has one of the best English programs in the area,” Alsaadun said. “It has a great reputation with the immigrant community.”

He added that graduates of IEP are highly proficient, professional, and well-prepared to continue their education, not just at 91����Ƶ, but at any university. “From Winchester to Charlottesville, (that program) is the best there is.”

Did you know?
In Harrisonburg City Public Schools, more than 70 languages are spoken by the student population. The No. 1 spoken language isn’t English—it’s Spanish! Source: in the Daily News-Record. Learn more about IEP at .

Escaping danger

Alsaadun grew up in Iraq and graduated from the University of Basrah in 1997 with a bachelor of arts in English. When the Iraq War broke out, he served as an interpreter for the U.S. Army in 2003. Because of his help, he became a target of militia insurgents, who came looking for him. When they couldn’t find him, they kidnapped his father for two days, then tortured and killed him.

Alsaadun and his family fled to Syria and later relocated to Lebanon, where they received refugee status from the United Nations. They arrived in the United States in July 2008 and were resettled by CWS Harrisonburg.

While serving as a temporary instructor for JMU’s foreign language department, Alsaadun started working with the refugee resettlement office and other organizations to welcome newcomers and help refugees adjust to their new life. As he helped connect immigrants to 91����Ƶ’s Intensive English Program, he learned more about the university. He had heard so many success stories about its graduates and decided to enroll. And in 2017, he graduated from 91����Ƶ with a master of arts in education.

It had always been his father’s dream to see him earn a master’s degree, shared Alsaadun, and so it was especially meaningful to him. “I cried,” he said, “because I couldn’t have him there with me seeing that moment.”

‘A different touch’

Since graduating from 91����Ƶ, Alsaadun has continued his studies through courses at JMU and the University of Virginia. He said 91����Ƶ professors are unlike any others he has encountered in his education.

“I was blessed to have professors who recognized and appreciated the gifts I had,” Alsaadun said. “They knew I wasn’t a native English speaker and that I came from a different culture. Some teachers expect you to know everything, but my teachers at 91����Ƶ understood that sometimes you struggle. That kind of understanding is unique to 91����Ƶ.”

In August, while attending a city/91����Ƶ liaison committee meeting as a council representative, he received an email confirming his acceptance into the doctoral program at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. He is now in his first semester, pursuing a PhD of education in curriculum and instruction, and credited 91����Ƶ and its professors for providing the tools and skills that have helped him succeed.

“It’s absolutely a different taste of education,” he said. “The courses at 91����Ƶ have a different touch.”

Alsaadun, now a U.S. citizen with a wife and four children, opened Babylon, a Middle Eastern restaurant and market in Harrisonburg, in 2016. He’s been invited to the White House on two occasions. He met former President Barack Obama in July 2016, in appreciation for “serving the community and being a good role model for refugees” and attended a leadership summit on refugees at the White House that September. He received the Leader of the Year award from Church World Service in 2022.

Restorative Justice in Education Conference
Date: Tuesday-Wednesday, June 24-25, 2025
Location: Campus Center at 91����Ƶ, 1200 Park Rd, Harrisonburg, Virginia
Cost: $350 for full-program registration. $100 for virtual access.
Online:

For the past decade, the annual Restorative Justice in Education (RJE) Conference at 91����Ƶ has drawn participants from across Virginia, the U.S., and as far away as Canada and South America to learn how to apply the values and concepts of restorative justice in their classrooms and school divisions.  

The gathering has grown in size over those years and expanded in its offerings, but its purpose remains the same: to provide a space where RJE scholars and practitioners, teachers, educators, and 91����Ƶ faculty and staff can connect, learn together, and encourage one another in the work they’re doing.

“It’s all about fostering conversations among practitioners,” said 91����Ƶ Professor Kathy Evans, a member of the conference planning team. “We’ll have classroom teachers who are completely new to restorative justice sitting alongside folks who’ve written books and conducted scholarly research on RJ. Together, we’ll share ideas and explore how we can collaborate to bring about the kind of world we all want to see.”

The 10th annual RJE Conference, held Tuesday and Wednesday, June 24-25, is available to attend in-person and online. All events will be held at 91����Ƶ’s Campus Center. Visit for more information and a conference schedule.

The conference includes a keynote address, breakout sessions, and a welcome reception held at a local vineyard. The event will conclude on June 25 with a closing reflection circle at 3:45 p.m.

Keynote speakers

The theme for this year’s conference is “Language Matters: Exploring the Role of Discourse and Communication in Restorative Justice in Education,” which is drawn from the scholarship of . Her work has been integrated into 91����Ƶ’s Graduate Teacher Education program in RJE.

Keynote speakers Bella Finau-Faumuina and Dwanna Nicole will open the conference with their address, “Stolen Language: Restoring Indigeneity in Restorative Justice Practices” on June 24 at 10 a.m. Finau-Faumuina is an advocate and educator dedicated to implementing Hawaiian culture, history, and practices into public schools across Hawaii. She is part of the Office of Hawaiian Education, and promotes traditional Hawaiian knowledge as context and content throughout the state’s Department of Education. Nicole is executive director of the Restorative Justice Partnership, where she works within school communities throughout the country to assist in developing strategies to create more positive school climates for students, educators, and families. She also provides training and support in the implementation of restorative justice in schools. 

Their address will touch on the resurgence of cultural practices, including language, land, and restorative justice, within Hawaiian communities, and will highlight how one educator is using restorative justice to heal the cultural trauma that students experience and bring into the classroom.

Noting that restorative justice practices are rooted in Indigenous traditions, Evans said that this year’s theme feels especially timely. “I’m excited to have them here to set the tone for the conference,” she said. “It’s a powerful opportunity to reflect on how language shapes our efforts to build a more just and equitable world.”

Breakout sessions

Conference sessions will include offerings for newcomers of RJ as well as veterans of the field. Participants can choose between four sessions for each 90-minute block of time. 

One session, led by Tonya Walls, the executive director for Code Switch: Restorative Justice for Girls of Color, will explore the transformative power of language and communication in fostering healing and empowerment for girls of color in educational settings. Another session, titled “Using Language of Competence within Restorative Special Education,” will consider the ways in which ableism gets perpetuated through language.

The language we use to describe our students truly matters, Evans said. “It shows up in the way we refer to our students with special needs,” she explained. “Do we call them students with disabilities? Students with different learning styles? Or students who are neurodivergent? The words we choose shape how we see them and how they see themselves.”

Welcome reception

To kick off the conference, a special gathering at Bluestone Vineyard in Bridgewater, Virginia, on Monday, June 23, at 6 p.m. will offer conference participants, RJE graduates and practitioners, and 91����Ƶ faculty and staff a chance to connect with one another and build relationships. The evening reception promises to include light appetizers, delicious cake and wine, and great company. Participation at the welcome reception is also open to those who aren’t attending the RJE Conference.

Evans said one of the most meaningful compliments she received came from a participant last year who told her the event felt more like a community gathering than a typical conference.

“I love that,” she said. “I love how casual and comfortable it feels. It doesn’t feel formal like a conference. It feels like a bunch of good friends coming together to support and cheer one another on in the work we’re all doing.”

For questions about the RJE Conference, contact cape@emu.edu.

Ask educators and filmmakers Kendal Swartzentruber ‘07, MA ‘12 and Jesse Rodriguez ‘05 to tell you the story of their current professional collaboration and they’ll quickly point to their time at Spotswood High School in Rockingham County.

There the two friends took a broadcasting class and were involved in a peer mentoring program that introduced them to the rewards of working alongside people with disabilities.

Fast forward several years. After graduating from 91����Ƶ’s teacher preparation program, both started their careers in separate special education classrooms in the Shenandoah Valley.

“We used to joke that we should teach together, but eventually we were able to make that happen at Montevideo, which ironically is where we both went to middle school,” Rodriguez said. They co-taught special education, created a new peer mentorship program that promoted inclusivity, and began incorporating their journalism and media skills into a classroom blog that included videos, photos and text created and published by their students.

The duo now serve as co-state coordinators of the award-winning Virginia Department of Education’s I’m Determined project. The program, headquartered at James Madison University, includes 25 youth leaders, and 13 regional “Determinators” — special education professionals who consult with and facilitate programming for youth, educators, and families to practice self-determined behavior. 

In 2022, the National Disability Mentoring Coalition named the program as one of the five U.S. honorees in the Susan M. Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame. Rodriguez was also honored as 2022 Practitioner of the Year by Virginia’s Division on Career Development and Transition. (Swartzentruber was recognized similarly in 2019.)

Those media skills came in handy during the COVID pandemic, when programming went virtual. But Swartzentruber and Rodriguez also recognized that powerful storytelling could start conversations about important issues.

“We serve a population of individuals who are often not seen and heard and we use the skills we developed in journalism and marketing to raise them up and to allow them to be seen and heard,” Rodriguez said.

Their new nine-part short film series titled “Elemental” does just that — telling the stories of three teenagers within the disability community: a student-athlete learning how to advocate for his undiagnosed dyslexia; a student with cerebral palsy trying to be heard; and a young woman who is a caregiver for her autistic brother. 

The films will premiere at Court Square Theater on Wednesday, March 29. March is National Disability Awareness Month. Viewers can also find the videos on the and . View the event flyer here.

Each character engages with peers, parents, and educators; the theme of self-advocacy and self-discovery weaves together with the challenges of being a teenager in the 21st century world:  the characters encounter issues of social justice and intersectionality, disability rights, societal constraints and communication challenges, among other themes. 

“We didn’t want to wrap these characters and these stories in a bow,” Swartzentruber said. “It’s not about giving answers but it’s about the critical discourse that happens from watching it collectively. We really want you to think more deeply about what these characters are experiencing.”

One goal for the film series is to showcase important skills promoted within the I’m Determined program: choice making, self-regulation and self advocacy.

“So many times someone with a disability has been taught that they need to hide it or find ways to work around it or fix it, but our approach comes to them with the idea that it is a part of their identity that they can embrace and we all can embrace,” Rodriguez said. “How can we help them fold that into their own identity in a way that helps them be successful and allows them to share their unique perspectives and skills with others?”

The educators also want the stories of Tony, Steph, and Emma to help educate the general public about what it’s like to live with a disability and what it means to be a self-advocate.

“We work with highly talented individuals who successfully overcome what can be significant barriers on a daily basis,” Swartzentruber said. “If you are not in special education or in a profession where you  might interact with this population or you don’t have a family member with a disability, you may not know very much about or have a relationship with someone who can help you understand better.”

The 18-month project has not been without its stresses, as the partners kept other programming and collaborations going alongside the production work. But at the root of their work together is a deep and lasting friendship, which they realize has become a valuable model for those they interact with. 

“We realize that we are providing a unique example of people who care, especially men who care, and what that genuine care looks like,” Swartzentruber says. “That’s not a relational piece that a lot of families interacting in the special education world get to see.”

Rodriguez says their collective sensitivity and acceptance of and openness to diversity sets their partnership apart: “There’s something about our coordination and collaboration that is super unique …  [We] embrace the quirkiness of everyone, including ourselves!”

Kathy Alsberry Temple ’14, the very first person to graduate from Lord Fairfax Community College (LFCC) during its inaugural commencement ceremony in 1972, was presented with the 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award during the LFCC Educational Foundation’s Appreciation Luncheon in spring 2022. She accepted her plaque from LFCC President Kim Blosser ’91, MA ’98.

The youngest of 11 children, Temple attended Sunset Hill Elementary, a school for Black children in Strasburg as education was still segregated at that time. She is now on the alumni committee of the school. A 1970 graduate of Strasburg High School, Temple was thrilled when she found out a community college was opening up just a few miles away.

Graduates at the 1972 ceremony were called alphabetically, and with her maiden name being Alsberry, she was first in line. After earning her associate degree in secretarial science, Temple went on to have a successful 27-year career at IBM, beginning in the typing pool and advancing to become an award-winning manager. After retiring, she returned to LFCC, and in 2012, graduated with her degree in liberal arts. She then transferred to 91����Ƶ where she earned her bachelor’s degree in organizational management in 2014.

“It was a very pleasant surprise [to learn about the alumni award], and it still seems surreal to me,” Temple said. “Being selected is truly an honor and a blessing. I did not get here alone.”

She paid tribute to many family members and mentors, including her parents, Roberta and Jordan Alsberry; her late husband, Harry Thomas Temple Jr.; and several employees at LFCC – Sociology and Human Services professor Larry Friedenberg, who was her advisor during her second time at the college, late Math professor Evan Humbert and Agnes Creasy, the college’s word processor who was Temple’s work-study supervisor.

“Mrs. Creasy was a very good boss and mentor,” Temple said. “She taught me so much. She was caring and kind.”

She brought with her the college brochures she’d made as part of her job, as well as the receipt for her very first tuition payment of $60.

“You never know, I may be back for a third time,” Temple said.

Students at the Elon Rhodes Early Learning Center in Harrisonburg will now have the opportunity to attend class outdoors, sitting at rooftop picnic tables, learning at the vertical wall garden, or experimenting with the rain barrel. This is thanks to Lauren Arbogast ’04 and Lisa Heatwole ’96, two teachers selected by the Harrisonburg Education Foundation (HEF) for the first annual 91����Ƶ Teacher Grant. 

Heatwole has been at Elon Rhodes since it was built, and through the years noticed that the rooftop patio area was not being utilized. When Arbogast joined her team this year, the pair decided to address the issue and create an accessible, welcoming learning space for the 150+ students at the school.

“We wanted components for outdoor exploration such as a waterfall for children to play in along with an outdoor garden space,” the teachers wrote about their proposal. “We wanted each classroom to have an area to plant and grow things. Our hope is that this is just the beginning of what this space can be and hope to continually add to it.”

Elon Rhodes Early Learning Center is home to three different services offered by HCPS: the Virginia Preschool Initiative, Shenandoah Valley Head Start, and the Early Childhood Special Education Program. Each program serves a different population of children aged 2-5, including those from families with limited financial resources and children with disabilities; among their services are transportation, specialized instruction and therapy services.

Arbogast and Heatwole also partnered with the local soil and water conservation district, the local Natural Resources Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA-NRCS), Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom, Virginia Cooperative Extension / Master Gardeners, and in-kind contributions by local volunteers.

The grant funded durable picnic tables, vertical wall garden stations for each class, a gravity water station, a rain barrel, and an outdoor teaching station. 

“It is a great example of the amazing things happening across HCPS,” said Cody Oliver, executive director of HEF. “Elon Rhodes Early Learning Center supports our youngest students and the school has been working towards their rooftop classroom for multiple years.”

HEF’s Innovative Educator Grants support teacher-generated classroom ideas in Harrisonburg City Public Schools. Last year, 91����Ƶ made a donation to establish the specific 91����Ƶ Educator Grant, targeting projects that were led by HCPS educators who were alumni or attended 91����Ƶ. 

This donation was combined with other unrestricted funds to support the rooftop classroom project at Elon Rhodes Early Learning Center this year. Funded projects facilitate learning in all five of Virginia’s newly adapted Early Learning and Development Standards. 

After 26 years at 91����Ƶ in leadership positions with several programs, Dean Sue Cockley has touched hundreds of students, faculty and staff – from those in the adult degree completion program to graduate and seminary studies and more recently undergraduate faculty – and helped to shape and guide many of the institution’s core programs for adult learners.

Planning ahead, one might say, would be a strength for a leader like Cockley. But now, with her retirement date set for June 2022, she says “in a sudden turn of character, I have almost no plans!” The prospect feels “very daring,” she adds, to step out of the confining cycle of the academic timetable and role and into the unknown.

She’s looking forward to spending time with her husband, Dave, recently retired as a professor in health sciences at James Madison University; their two adult children, including daughter Kate Cockley Clark ‘07, professor of nursing at 91����Ƶ; and grandchildren.  “And I’ll probably clean out some closets and organize family photos, but beyond that, it’ll be an adventure!”

It’s an “adventure” well-deserved. Cockley has held several transitional roles in which she had key responsibilities through a time of realignment and restructuring. In fall 2018, she began serving as the first dean of 91����Ƶ’s School of Theology, Humanities and Performing Arts. From 2016 through spring 2018, she was successively an associate graduate dean, graduate dean, and graduate and seminary dean.

In a retirement tribute last month, longtime colleague Provost Fred Kniss expressed gratitude for Cockley’s expansive and generous spirit of leadership. “We are so grateful that, whenever 91����Ƶ called you to new responsibility, you found a way to say ‘yes,’ and embraced the risks that come with change.”

Cockley says that she “never set out to be a dean.” Nevertheless, the last several years have been, “on the whole, very satisfying, especially in the challenges of problem solving with others and helping people grow in their own ways.”

In some ways Cockley’s trajectory reflects her own growth model as a student of organizational change, management, and empowering leadership. 

After designing community education programs with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in Haiti and Kentucky in the 70s and 80s, Cockley flourished in her calling. She went on to hold a range of positions, including as a national trainer for Literacy Volunteers of America, Vista volunteer in adult education programs in West Virginia, adult education specialist in Virginia, and director of the Adult Educator’s Research Network. She also earned a master’s degree in adult education from Marshall University in West Virginia.

The MCC connection was what led her to 91����Ƶ. “In the late 1970s, Dave and I did an MCC term and started a program in a village in the Central Plateau in Haiti. Ten years later, Chris Gingerich [former professor of business] and his wife Eileen were stationed nearby and closed the program. When we met Chris and Eileen at church, we got together to talk about Haiti over dinner and Chris mentioned that the Adult Degree Program was looking for a new director.”

She arrived at 91����Ƶ in 1996 to direct the Adult Degree Completion Program and was tapped in 2012 to to develop and then direct the new MA in Organizational Leadership program. She further explored the role of education while earning a doctorate in the social foundations of education at University of Virginia. 

She counts those years with students in 91����Ƶ’s ADCP program, which continues today as the Leadership and Organizational Management program, as thoroughly fulfilling. 

“One of the things I am most proud of in my work here is the time I spent with ADCP students,” she said. “I often see problems in the world and feel helpless to do anything about them. At a time when earning a bachelor’s degree was an important step toward earning a living wage, providing an accessible, high quality degree completion program for working adults was something real that 91����Ƶ and I could do to help individuals.”

Graduates of the program, which started in Harrisonburg in 1993 and in Lancaster in 1997, number more than 1,100.

“Sue led ADCP to dramatic growth in both its size and its distinctive excellence and her impact on this region by way of ADCP’s many graduates now in the workforce is a legacy in which she can take great pride,” Kniss said.

From leading both the ADCP and MAOL programs, Cockley was asked to step into bigger roles. 

She was willing in part because of her colleagues — people who are committed to doing their best in sometimes difficult constraints of the institutional environment, she said. “Over the years I have become more and more impressed with folks at 91����Ƶ, as I’ve gotten to know them better, to become aware of what is important to them and the challenges they face.”

Interacting with faculty dedicated to creating optimal environments for adult learners who brought their own tremendous strengths and experiences to the classroom created a rich immersive learning environment, she said. Now Cockley can reflect on those influences in her professional career as well as in her transition to retirement. “Working on developing the MA in organizational leadership caused me to really think about my own leadership strengths and weaknesses, and later, working with the seminary has underscored for me the importance of spiritual formation as an opportunity for real growth at a time in my life when formal education is over.”

And thank goodness, she adds!

___________

Sue was honored at an April reception with other 91����Ƶ retirees; participation in news coverage is voluntary. Read other news articles about transitions for Dave King, Nancy Heisey, Jayne Docherty, and Dave Detrow. Share your good wishes and fond memories in the comment box below and we’ll make sure she sees them.

“You are the subject of your own research.” Listening to that inner voice sent Lisa Collins, EdD, on her own journey of autoethnography. Collins is co-teaching Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR), Level 2, with Lead Trainer �����پ������Ѳ��Բ��ھ������, at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding’s

Two five-day SPI sessions remain, beginning June 6 and June 13, with courses in circle processes, restorative practices for sexual and domestic harms, building resilience for challenging systemic racism, and several other courses, including STAR I (June 6).

There is still time to apply to courses. Due to some cancellations from international participants who did not receive a visa, there is still a small amount of partial scholarship funding for individuals as well as organizational discounts available to organizations sending three or more people. To apply to SPI 2022, . (To start your SPI Application, you will need to create an 91����Ƶ My Forms account)

An educational professional with over 25 years of experience, Lisa Collins holds degrees in psychology and education and works as an assistant professor at Lewis and Clark College and a business consultant in Portland, Oregon.

Learn more about Lisa Collins, her experiences in healing from racial trauma, and how her STAR training changed her healing path in a

91����Ƶ’s 104th Commencement ceremony was marked by the conferring of only its second honorary doctorate in its history — to human rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative.

91����Ƶ awarded 408 total degrees on Sunday, May 8. The total included 260 undergraduate degrees, 92 master’s degrees, 54 graduate certificates, one doctorate, and one honorary doctorate. Among those were 29 graduates of the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding and 10 graduates of Eastern Mennonite Seminary. 

Check out our  include the graduation ceremony and Cords of Distinction, Donning of the Kente, and Lavender Graduation celebrations.

With the honor, Stevenson joins only Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Leymah Gbowee, a Liberian peace activist who graduated from 91����Ƶ’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding in 2007.

During his Commencement speech, Stevenson said he was proud to join the Class of 2022: “You are unique among college graduates around this country because you have committed to do justice and to love mercy and to walk humbly with God and I just believe that we’ve never needed people to take seriously that commitment than we do today.”

Graduate perspectives were offered by Thomas Guadelupe Johnson, Faith Manickum, and Jodi Beller.

Johnson, one of the that biked from Seattle, Wa. to Washington D.C. in summer 2021, spoke of a memorable day of cycling 12 hours, three in the wrong direction and with 10 flat tires. His fellow travelers never complained and “the worst day transformed to the finest,” because of how their collective spirit sustained them. 

Manickum, Student Government Association co-president, experienced 91����Ƶ’s collective spirit as well. “Over and over, we emerged from our grief and isolation to listen to each other, ask questions and empower ourselves to make things better,” she said.

Manickum urged her classmates to continue to be curious. “Beyond the many facts and figures we learned in the classroom, I hope we continue to have genuine curiosity for the world and those around us. As I’ve learned from our 91����Ƶ community, this curiosity can be what drives us to love fully, live generously and be courageously kind.”

Beller, a teacher who earned a , highlighted the dignity and worth of each individual and the power of one’s relationships to be a source of light. “The way we treat each other matters,” she said. “We need each other to become what we are truly capable of being.”

91����Ƶ’s recipients of the annual Excellence in Teaching Awards for 2022 are:

• in the Tenured Faculty category, Ron Shultz, PhD, professor of education,
• in the Pre-tenure Faculty category, M. Esther Showalter, instructor and program director,
• in the Adjunct Instructor category, Bonnie Fisher, instructor of psychology.

The award honors the gifts of faculty across all the positional categories of employment. Criteria include impact on students, effective teaching practices, subject knowledge and continual growth, including a commitment to professional and pedagogical development.

The selection process began with nominations from the campus community. A committee appointed by the Faculty Senate reviewed the nominations and selected the honorees.  

“We have great teachers here at 91����Ƶ. Ron, Maria Esther, and Bonnie, much gratitude was expressed for the ways you go above and beyond in your service to students and this learning community,” said Professor Tim Seidel, who co-chaired the committee. “It was such a privilege to read through all of the nominations and get just a small glimpse into all of the incredible work our teachers are doing at 91����Ƶ—very inspiring and encouraging.”

“Thanks again to the Selection Committee and to the Faculty Senate for organizing this award,” continues Seidel. “And to all the teachers in the audience, keep up the good work. We’re only here because of you.”

Tenured Faculty: Ron Shultz, PhD

Shultz is an assistant professor in teacher education and the coordinator for the PK-6 program, as well as the field placement coordinator for the department. He has been teaching at 91����Ƶ since 2011.

Ron does an excellent job at modeling an energetic and kind teacher, says one student, recalling a time when he modeled a morning meeting in a first grade classroom. He had all 8 students sit in a circle on the carpet and he played his guitar and sang a welcome song.

“Ron goes above and beyond as a professor,” said another student. “He is everything a professor should be. He is kind, thoughtful, and easy to talk to. He provides excellent and honest feedback in a timely manner while being encouraging and understanding at the same time.”

Another says, “Overall, I’ll be forever grateful for Ron’s impact in my education. Without sounding too dramatic, I would follow Ron to the edge of the world. If there was nothing good to come out of my experience at 91����Ƶ except for Ron, I would be satisfied with that.”

Shultz was honored to receive the award. “Becoming a teacher was a childhood ambition for me, which I prefer to think of as a calling,” he says. “God has blessed me with the distinct opportunity and immense responsibility to help prepare future educators. Effective teaching requires investing in the relationship with our students. I am so encouraged by the next generation of teachers who have come through our program, and to see the difference that they are making in the lives of their students in our local schools, across the country, and around the world.”

Shultz earned a doctoral degree from George Mason University with a focus on teacher education and multicultural/multilingual education, with a PK-8 teaching certification, a master’s degree in education from Millersville University, and a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts studies from 91����Ƶ.

Pre-tenure Faculty: M. Esther Showalter

Showalter is an instructor and program director in the Language and Literature Department. 

Students recognize the enthusiasm and personal care Showalter brings to the classroom to her teaching of language and culture. “Maria Esther is one of the most joyful and enthusiastic professors that I have had. Even learning Spanish grammar can be fun when Maria Esther is teaching it. If we didn’t understand something, she would find new ways to explain it to us and encourage us to keep trying until we got it.”

“I wasn’t scared to make mistakes as she would encourage us and lead us to the correct answer,” says another student. “She also went out of her way to get to know her students personally. She would always ask questions about my life and my job and she was open about her life as well. I remember her sharing a story with me about why she became a teacher and growing up in Bolivia. Her class felt very personal and welcoming, and if my schedule would allow, I would take every course taught by Maria Esther.” 

Yet another student says, “Her contribution to 91����Ƶ deserves to be celebrated.”

“Teaching Spanish is one of the biggest gifts I can give to my students,” says Showalter. “I love teaching about my culture, giving the students the skills to communicate in another language, and opening a door to learning about the beauty of the diversity in the Hispanic culture. Learning a language takes a lot of time and dedication. I am grateful to my students for their commitment and perseverance on this rewarding journey. Seeing my students grow so much in just one semester empowers me to continue giving my best every day. I am blessed to be part of this community where I can develop my gifts and be surrounded by colleagues and students whom I love very much and with whom I have a great time.”

Showalter earned a master’s degree in adult education from George Mason University and a bachelor’s degree in English with minors in Spanish and French from the Universidad Autonoma Gabriel Rene Moreno, Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

Adjunct Instructor: Bonnie Fisher

Fisher began teaching at 91����Ƶ in 2019. She teaches courses in theories of personality, social psychology, and interpersonal relationship skills.

“Bonnie is the true definition of a ray of sunshine,” says one student. “Her personality lights up a room and her classes are always my favorite. I view Bonnie not only as one of my favorite professors, but as a friend. Overall, she is just a prime example of someone who is meant to work with people because of how charismatic and loving she is.” 

“Her teaching methods are effective, she is very open-minded, and she is able to talk about sensitive topics that make me feel seen as a person of color,” said another student. “She cares for her students, is amicable, kind, and generous.”

“She makes her classroom a safe space for everyone,” says another student. “As a person of color, she made me feel welcome and understood, so I really appreciate the fact that she is at 91����Ƶ. She is the embodiment of kindness and love for others.”

Fisher speaks highly of her students, in turn. “Teaching psychology students at 91����Ƶ is the greatest joy,” she says. “I am an adjunct along with my full time work because I love teaching and interacting with these amazing humans. They are full of life and wisdom, a group of world changers. 

She also addresses her own whiteness, privilege and social standing in each class that she teaches: “BIPOC students at a predominantly white university do not always have professors that will speak in direct support of them—I will always be that instructor,” says Fisher. “Diving into difficult, real-life topics with these bright students with compassion and empathy at the root of all my teaching.”

Fisher earned a master’s degree in psychology: college student personnel administration from James Madison University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from 91����Ƶ.

This year’s Selection Committee members were Carrie Bert, athletics representative; Cindi Boyer, Student Government Association representative; Marti Eads, faculty, 2021 awardee; Daniel Showalter, faculty, 2020 awardee; Leda Werner, Student Life representative); and Andrew Suderman and Timothy Seidel, co-chairing the committee as Faculty Senate representatives. 

The committee received 54 nominations for 35 different teachers, with 83% of nominations coming from students.

Five education students from 91����Ƶ (91����Ƶ) were chosen to attend the 2022 Teachers of Promise Institute, which was held March 25-26 in Midlothian, Va. The annual event provides professional development, mentor discussions, and networking opportunities for 100 of the best and brightest pre-service teachers in Virginia.

91����Ƶ’s Teachers of Promise this year are:

• Mary Harnish, from Lancaster, Pa.; Elementary Education, PreK-6 & Special Education
• Hannah Leaman, from Bakersfield, Ca.; Mathematics, Secondary Education, 6-12
• Rachel Lute, from New Market, Va.; Early Elementary Education, PreK-3
• Bethany Shultz, from Harrisonburg, Va.; Elementary Education, PreK-6 
• Anna Smith, from Edinburg, Va.;  Elementary Education, PreK-6.

The honorees “exemplify strong potential for impacting students in the classroom, high academic standing, commitment to the teaching profession, and embody 91����Ƶ’s teacher education mission to ‘teach boldly in a changing world through an ethic of care and critical reflection,’” said program director and professor of education Cathy Smeltzer Erb. “This is a delightful group of honorees. I am confident that these future teachers will positively influence the lives of each student in their classrooms as they create and advocate for just and equitable learning environments.”

Professor Barbara Wheatley is the students’ teacher education faculty advisor. 

91����Ƶ’s education program values experiential learning, offering early practicum experiences that help candidates determine their professional path. Teacher candidates choose from 15 different licensure programs.

The teacher education program is National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) accredited through the (CAEP).

The “Peacebuilder” podcast, hosted by Patience Kamau MA ‘17, releases the debut episode of its third season today. Jacqueline N. Font-Guzmán, the inaugural executive director of diversity, equity and inclusion at 91����Ƶ, is the featured guest.

Font-Guzmán, a native of Puerto Rico, talks about her journey into conflict resolution and to the position at 91����Ƶ from the fields of law and healthcare. She also shares about her new book, co-written with Bernie Mayer, (Wiley, 2021). 

“The message at the heart of this book is that when it comes to the important social issues that face us today, avoiding conflict is a mistake,” Font-Guzmán says. “We need conflict, engagement, and disruption in order to make it to the other side  and progress toward the worthy goal of  social justice.” 

Font-Guzmán explains in the podcast that “value neutrality stems from a position of privilege. Professional codes of ethics for lawyers and medical personnel, for example, “preserve the status quo and a system that was not built with people that come from a minoritized group like mine.” She asks, “Every time you’re thinking about being neutral or professional, what does that really mean?”

The two authors, former colleagues at Creighton University, will co-teach a course on disrupting and connecting for social change at �䴳��’s 2022 . 

“Peacebuilder,” a production of 91����Ƶ’s , has logged more than 11,500 listeners  in 119 countries/territories and 1,794 cities across the globe.

The podcast is among just a handful covering the general peacebuilding field. It is available on , Apple Podcasts on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcast, Stitcher, iHeart Radio, TuneIn and other podcast directories.

Font-Guzmán is a practitioner in the conflict transformation field and is also a professor at 91����Ƶ’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding. She has a master’s degree in healthcare administration from St. Louis University, a law degree from InterAmericana University of Puerto Rico and a PhD in conflict analysis and resolution from Nova Southeastern Florida. Font-Guzmán’s first book “” (Palgrave Macmillan) was the winner of the Puerto Rico Bar Association 2015 Juridical Book of the Year.

She characterizes 91����Ƶ as at “an exciting crossroad where there’s a group of people really authentically going through thinking how they can make a better world, how they can really lead together, how we can teach our students to be out there, be truly agents of social change and be leaders in affecting that social change.” 

The process, sponsored by the local commonwealth’s attorneys, will divert criminal cases in Charlottesville and Albemarle County away from traditional proceedings and into a restorative process designed to offer opportunities for participants to reflect upon their decisions and meet with those who have been impacted.

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Neal Pollack, a 2011 graduate of CJP, was hired specifically for her expertise in the field. She and colleague Samantha Markley have been key promoters of the program, especially in connecting with CJP and 91����Ƶ faculty expertise and resources. 

Read more about the alumni involved below.

Restorative justice processes have proven to have beneficial outcomes for participants, including those harmed, over proceedings of traditional justice processes, says Tarek Maassarani, visiting professor at CJP and advisor to the project. He has been involved in setting three similar diversion programs in the Washington D.C. metro area and is working with prosecutor’s offices in Arlington and statewide in Nevada.

The program is sponsored in part by a JustPax Fund grant for $8,500, awarded to The Center for Justice and Peacebuilding in October 2021. 

�䴳��’s has also contributed $7,500 to the project to support restorative justice training, facilitator mentoring, and a project coordinator.

The coverage below appeared in the 2021 CJP Impact Report. Click here to learn more about CJP’s work in 2021.