Literacy Specialist Program Certificate

Program Faculty

*John Carroll University*
Catherine A. Rosemary, Ph.D., is Professor of Education in the Department of Education and Allied Studies at John Carroll University where she teaches advanced level literacy courses and serves as Coordinator of the Consortium-based Literacy Specialist Endorsement Program. Her research and publications focus on professional development in literacy, preparation of literacy coaches, and teacher learning. She works extensively with local schools in areas of literacy instruction and assessment, and teacher and coach professional development. Dr. Rosemary has 31 years of teaching experience, including 15 years in higher education and 16 years in public education, where she held positions of elementary and special education teacher, reading specialist, and curriculum coordinator.

Kathleen Roskos, Ph.D., is Professor of Education in the Department of Education and Allied Studies at John Carroll University where she teaches courses in reading instruction and reading diagnosis. Formerly an elementary classroom teacher, Dr. Roskos has served in a variety of educational administration roles, including director of federal programs in the public schools and department chair in higher education. She completed two years of public service as the Director of the Ohio Literacy Initiative at the Ohio Department of Education, providing leadership in P-12 literacy policy and programs. Her areas of research include early literacy development, teacher cognition and the design of professional education for teachers. She has published research articles, chapters and books on these topics. She is the past president of the Literacy Development for Young Children SIG of IRA. She presents and consults extensively in local schools in areas of literacy curriculum development, reading assessment, and teacher development.

*Muskingum University*
Polly Collins, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Education at Muskingum University teaching a variety of literacy courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Dr. Collins has also been involved in Reading First Ohio as a Professional Development Facilitator. She previously taught for 32 years in public schools at different grade levels.

*The University of Akron*
Ruth A. Oswald, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of literacy at The University of Akron where she teaches both undergraduate and graduate literacy courses. She was formerly an elementary classroom teacher. Ruth is a past president of The Ohio Council of The International Reading Association and is currently co-chair of The Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers' research committee. Her areas of research focus on writing instruction, early literacy development, and multicultural literature. Ruth has presented at numerous professional conferences and published her research in international, national and state journals.

*The University of Toledo*
Eileen M. Carr, Ph.D., is Professor of Literacy at the University of Toledo where she teaches graduate literacy courses. Her research interests include vocabulary and comprehension instruction. She has co-authored books on content area reading and has published in numerous professional journals. Dr. Carr has written and managed numerous grants to support teachers’ professional development in literacy education and is a frequent presenter and consultant to school districts and community agencies.

*University of Dayton*
Katie Kinnucan-Welsch, Ed.D., is Professor and the chairperson of the Department of Teacher Education, and coordinates several graduate programs. She taught elementary school in Illinois and Indiana before teaching in higher education. She believes that preparing quality teachers for all schools is an important mission, and the Department of Teacher Education is committed to that mission. Equally important is providing excellent graduate programs for practicing teachers and other educators. Dr. Kinnucan-Welsch has research interests in the area of professional development in the area of literacy and the impact of teacher preparation on the quality of new teachers.

*Wright State University*
Ken Schatmeyer, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Education at Wright State University, where he serves as Director of the Reading/Literacy Program. He has taught since 1973 as an elementary school teacher (grades 1-6), middle and high school English teacher (7-12), Title I reading teacher, and adjunct faculty in education at the College of Wooster and Ashland University. He also served as district reading supervisor in Wooster, OH and Reading Consultant with the Ohio Department of Education. Ken is a past president of The Ohio Council of The International Reading Association.

*Youngstown State University*
Joyce Feist-Willis, Ed.D., is Associate Professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Youngstown State University where she teaches courses in literacy education. She has served as a public school educator in primary and middle school classrooms for six and one-half years. Dr. Feist-Willis works with teachers in Youngstown-Warren area schools in Ohio. Her research focus is on reading fluency, teacher learning, and early literacy practice. Dr. Feist-Willis served many years as a member of the field faculty on state-university-school partnership projects that prepare teachers for literacy coach roles in high needs schools.