Office of Educational Leadership Learning

Daniel Reyes-Guerra, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology (ELRM) at Florida Atlantic University. He has dedicated himself to research, learning, and support for school leaders, addressing complex socioeconomic and cultural inequities both locally and globally. Notably, his efforts as Principal Investigator on the University Principal Preparation Initiative (UPPI) grant from The Wallace Foundation have transformed the School Leaders Program in six partnering school districts, earning him the recognition as the 2023 FAU College of Education Researcher of the Year and recently earned the distinction of 2023 Champion of Education from the Florida Association of School Administrators.

John E. Critelli Jr., Ph.D., is a forefront educator and consultant in K-12 educational leadership, bringing his extensive experience and innovative approaches to the Office of Educational Leadership and Learning (OELL). With a doctorate in K-12 Educational Leadership and a career that spans over a decade across public education and higher education, Dr. Critelli specializes in the development and enhancement of leadership capabilities within educational systems. His consulting work through OELL emphasizes the creation of robust leadership tracking systems, effective school leadership preparation programming, the development of effective school leadership teams, coaching for instructional excellence, and the development of effective partnerships between districts and universities. His work with OELL not only focuses on system-level improvements but also on delivering tailor-made solutions that foster sustainable growth and excellence in educational leadership across institutions. Practitioners benefit from Dr. Critelli’s comprehensive approach to consulting, which combines evidence-based strategies with practical insights gained from his vast experience. His commitment to excellence and his passion for developing leaders who make a difference in the educational landscape make him an invaluable asset to any organization looking to elevate their leadership potential.

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Cynthia B. Bauman, Ph.D., currently serves as Associate Director for OELL and an instructor at Florida Atlantic University's IDEAL School Leaders Master’s Degree Program, teaching courses in education policy and instructional leadership. Her responsibilities in OELL include program outreach and grant development. She is significantly involved in research and evaluation for OELL’s $1.8 Million National Professional Development Grant (PRAISE) in partnership with the School District of Osceola County. Her research agenda focuses on organizational change for sustained student achievement through collaborative evaluation and shared leadership, including building collective efficacy within educator professional networks. Dr. Bauman is passionate about leadership coaching and developing shared leadership networks, recognizing the unique contributions all educators can make to increase collective efficacy and support students' academic growth and well-being.

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Angela Fulton, Ph.D. began her 29-year career in education as an elementary and middle school educator. She was inspired to become an educational leader because she wanted the opportunity to serve and make an impact in the lives of children, particularly children impacted by poverty. After leaving the classroom, she served as assistant principal, principal, and now district administrator with Broward County Public Schools in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Inspired by Marva Collins, Dr. Fulton is passionate and unrelenting in her pursuit of academic excellence for all children. In her current role as Regional Superintendent, Dr. Fulton leads a team of principal supervisors who coach and mentor principals of turnaround schools. Through research-based and innovative approaches, her work is driven by the importance of always providing a high-quality and equitable education for all children within an atmosphere of high expectations. Several of her accomplishments include transforming failing schools into high performing learning organizations and helping principals become better instructional leaders. She facilitates training for school leaders and serves as an adjunct professor at Florida Atlantic University imparting knowledge on turnaround leadership. Dr. Fulton earned a specialist and doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from Florida Atlantic University, and a bachelor and master’s degree in Elementary Education from Florida A&M University.

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Rebecca Savage, Ph.D. began her career in public education teaching ELA, Reading, AP coursework, and the AVID program for five years at a Title I high school and was named Lee County’s District Teacher of the Year for Language Arts in 2011. She composed 6-12 ELA curriculum and assessments, coached, and facilitated districtwide ELA professional development as a Content Specialist while earning her master's degree in educational leadership from Florida Gulf Coast University in 2012. In 2012, Rebecca assisted in coordinating the implementation of the TIF (Teacher Incentive Fund) grant at the secondary level. She then served as an Assistant Principal at Title I elementary and high schools for five years and earned her Level II Principal Certification in Florida. She has served at the state level as the Teacher Liaison for the Florida Department of Education (2018) and has served as the Coordinator for 6-12 English Language Arts at the School District of Lee County since 2019. She recently earned her doctorate in Educational Administration at the University of Florida (2022), researching sustained school turnaround.

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Sabrina F. Sembiante, Ph.D., is an associate professor of TESOL and Bilingual Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and doctoral coordinator of the Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction program. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Miami in Teaching and Learning with an area of specialization in Language and Literacy Learning in Multilingual Settings. She also served as a postdoctoral researcher at The Ohio State University’s Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy before coming to FAU. Her research agenda looks to document the varied and complex ways teachers and children use their multiple languages and semiotic resources in pre-K12 contexts and to explore how functional language instruction can provide emergent-to-advanced bi/multilingual students with meaningful access to content area knowledge and discourse. She employs ethnographic, discourse-analytic, and statistical approaches to analyze textual and video data documenting sociocultural influences on participants’ language and literacy development.

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Christopher L. Small, Ph.D., is an Assistant Teaching Professor at Florida State University in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. Dr. Small currently serves as the Director of the Online Educational Leadership/Administration Masters & Specialist Program and teaches multiple core courses as part of the State Approved Program for Level 1 School Leadership Certification. With a passion for educational administration and the academic success of at-risk youth, Dr. Small has made it his personal goal to build self-esteem, character, leadership, and integrity in all students he encounters. His previous work experience includes time as a dean of discipline, assistant principal for curriculum and instruction, and school principal at both the elementary and middle school levels. His research foci include exploring the intersections of leadership, gender, and race in K-12 schools and implications for literacy outcomes and student success.

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As the Director of School Improvement, Professional Learning, and Assessment for Clay County District Schools, Jennifer Shepard, Ed.D. supports educators in working together to foster collective efficacy throughout the district in support of school improvement and student achievement for teachers and leaders. Using her experience as a general education teacher, exceptional education teacher, instructional coach, reading development facilitator, and school administrator at both the elementary and secondary levels, she leads her team in designing and facilitating coherent and differentiated professional learning for teachers and leaders through a variety of formats and job-embedded learning opportunities.

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Michelle Vaughan, Ed.D. is an associate professor at Florida Atlantic University in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. She teaches courses in curriculum design, action research, and school reform. Her scholarship explores teacher growth and change through action research, living theory methodology, and the integration of technology into practice. She serves as the graduate program coordinator and oversees top-ranked online graduate programs in the field of curriculum and instruction. Additionally, she serves as the chair of the Teacher Inquiry strand of the Florida Educational Research Association annual conference as well as the Associate Editor of the Teacher Inquiry section of the Florida Journal for Educational Research. Her most recent scholarship explores the outcomes of the Comprehensive Educator Research Program, a collaboration with AD Henderson University School/FAU High where she serves as the Principal Investigator and Supervisor of K-12 Educator Research Practices.

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