Educational Administration & Foundations at Illinois State University

05/26/2026

EAF doctoral alum & Peoria Public Schools District 150 Superintendent Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat was highlighted in the Illinois State University Alumni Magazine for earning Illinois Association of School Administrators Superintendent of the Year honors. So well deserved! https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2026/05/pause-for-applause-spring-2026/

05/18/2026

We're so of the newly minted Ph.D. completer Dr. Kevin Goffard!

The finished his work in the Leadership, Equity, & Inquiry (LEI) program in May. Dr. Lydia Kyei-Blankson served as the chair for his dissertation:

"Masculinity as a Condition for Belonging: How LGBTQIA+ Students Negotiate Hegemonic Masculinity, and the Influence on Identity Development, Self-Expression, and Perceptions of Campus Climate in Higher Education."

Three degrees, lasting mentorship, and meaningful policy change: Why Kevin Goffard says Illinois State feels like home.

05/15/2026

Excited to share photos from the graduate school's doctoral luncheon! We had so many in attendance! Congrats Drs. Caputo Love, Supanichrattana, Goffard, (Ashley) Smith, Lambey Requena, Douglas, Lage, Finnessey, Howard, & Flynn!

Plus, congrats to those not pictured: Drs. Lackland, Amponsah, Mwilambwe, Oxarart Pettit, Shank, Joy Webb, & Krcatovich!

05/04/2026

🥳 Woohoo Dr. Codron! 🎉

05/04/2026

Just in: EAF alum & Normal West High School Principal Dr. Angie Codron was honored this morning with the 2026 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Leadership.

Angie has dedicated 20 years of teaching & leadership to Normal West. She was hired as principal in 2023. It's a statewide honor and she was selected among 100 candidates.

She'll receive $10,000. $5,000 will be awarded to her personally and another $5,000 will go to Normal West High School. She'll get to choose the project it's used for.

Codron is now officially a member of the Golden Apple Academy of Educators. This educator network prepares and supports the next generation of teachers in Illinois.

05/04/2026

of EAF alum Dr. Jonathan Hubbell!!! He received the the Illinois Valley Community College 2026 Teaching Excellence Award for Criminal Justice Leadership! More about Dr. Hubbell: https://www.regionalmedianews.com/news/local/dr-jonathan-hubbell-receives-2026-teaching-excellence-award-for-criminal-justice-leadership/

05/01/2026

It’s Principal’s Day! EAF has no shortage of amazing school leaders who deserve recognition. ICYMI - one of our alums earned a National Principal of the Year Award last month. Education Week recently published an awesome write-up about Sonia Ruiz! She’s part of our LEI doctoral cadre! , , and

Sonia Ruiz has been named the 2026 Middle School Principal of the Year.

04/22/2026

Happy !

🌎💧🌱

04/21/2026

EAF College Student Personnel Administration alum Dr. Todd "Bowtie" Jenkins rocked a TEDx Talk in NW Arkansas (TEDxFayetteville) earlier this month!

Within his message is his Morehouse College practicum experience, a crucial part of the CSPA program.

Dr. BowtieTodd Jenkins is the Founder of Bowtie Leadership and Development, Inc., a global training, consultation, and coaching firm with a focus on bringing diverse people together to increase individual or organizational productivity and performance.

"My bowtie is not a costume, it is a reminder. A reminder of my personal mission statement, which is to wake up every day to create spaces for all humans to belong and thrive together. One bowtie conversation at a time." -Dr. Bowtie Todd

Another thought he spoke to:
"Leave the conversation better than when you came, for something larger than yourself."

This led to the BOWTIE acronym he lives by:
Be mentally present
Open to new ideas
Willing to engage and share your own perspective while owning your truth
Together
Inclusive
Environment

Dr. Bowtie Todd invites us to reframe what it means to lead — not by gravity of accolades, but by the gravity of character, curiosity, and service. Through p...