2024 Recipients
Matthew Militello, PhD, East Carolina University
Dr. Matthew Militello, a long-standing member of CPED, has consistently contributed to the development and strengthening of the CPED community and its mission to transform EdD programs. From 2014 to 2016, Dr. Militello served as a Senior Research Fellow for CPED, where he shared his expertise and passion for cultivating EdD program designs specifically tailored to develop scholarly practitioners. His ongoing participation in CPED convenings and events has not only contributed to the advancement of educational leadership but has also directly influenced the improvement of EdD programs across the network.
In his book, Cultivating School Change from Within, Dr. Militello draws from an impressive 77 EdD dissertations, offering CPED members a comprehensive view of how internal school leadership can drive meaningful change. This connection between scholarship and practice reflects CPED’s vision for EdD programs and demonstrates how advisors can support the development of scholarly practitioner work within the CPED framework.
One of Dr. Militello’s most notable achievements includes securing a SEED grant to support 30 students in earning their EdD degrees, a significant contribution to CPED’s goal of expanding access to quality educational leadership programs. He has also brought numerous EdD students to CPED convenings and events, fostering a new generation of educational leaders committed to the CPED model. His unwavering dedication to advancing the mission of CPED continues to have a lasting impact on students, schools, and communities. This recognition reflects his profound influence on CPED’s growth and his commitment to the development of its scholarly practitioner model.
Margaret “Terry” Orr, PhD, Fordham University
Dr. Margaret “Terry” Orr has built an extraordinary career spanning over 30 years, dedicated to researching and preparing educational leaders. With over 9,000 citations to her name, Dr. Orr’s scholarly contributions have been instrumental in shaping the role of EdD programs and fostering the growth of scholarly practitioners. Her work consistently advocates for bridging the gap between research and practice to improve educational leadership. As a result, the Fordham EdD program has flourished and had an impact in local schools.
Since 2017, Dr. Orr has coordinated a remarkable partnership with Bronx and surrounding school districts through the Improvement Leadership Education and Development (iLEAD) initiative. This partnership, formed in collaboration with the Carnegie Foundation and CPED, continues to serve as a model for how universities and schools can work together to develop innovative leaders prepared to tackle today’s educational challenges. Dr. Orr has consistently presented her learning at CPED convenings and events and she has chaired a CPED Dissertation in Practice of the Year award.
Each year CPED receives several nominations of faculty members who demonstrate important contributions to the Vision and Mission of CPED and/or the reclaiming of the EdD as the highest quality professional practice doctorate in education. Our Review Committee spends a great deal of time thoughtfully considering the merits of each application. As a result, in 2022 we had three outstanding winners. Please see their names and distinctions below.
2022 - Dr. Nancy Fichtman Dana, University of Florida
Focusing on the impacts of practitioner inquiry as a professional learning strategy, Dr. Nancy Fichtman Dana has contributed significantly to improving, enhancing, and reclaiming the professional doctorate in education through her leadership, teaching, advising, and scholarship within and beyond CPED-influenced EdD programs and the consortium. A distinguished researcher and teacher at the University of Florida, Dr. Dana works to embed inquiry as a signature pedagogy into the Teachers, Schools, and Society (TSS) EdD program in Curriculum and Instruction. With a commitment to transforming the advanced preparation of equity-minded educational professionals, Dr. Dana was instrumental in the initial development of this professional practice doctoral program, and she continues to devote much time, effort, and energy to designing and implementing inside-out innovations, which contributed to TSS being recognized as the CPED Program of the Year in 2020.
2022 - Dr. Jacqueline Hawkins, University of Houston
As described by her nominators, Dr. Jacqueline Hawkins is most deserving of the David G. Imig Distinguished Service Award as she has been instrumental in not only initiating the Professional Leadership Ed.D. at the University of Houston College of Education, but she has continued to work tirelessly to develop and improve the program. Support letters describe Dr. Hawkins as a co-learner, bringing expertise to bear in supporting the student through the development and critical refinement of doctoral research by asking key questions, avoiding assumptions, and insisting on an unwavering commitment to rigor. They also identify the important scholar-practitioner work in which she engages with students, resulting in dozens of co-developed published articles, book chapters, presentations, district professional development workshops, and school board presentations. As UH’s Provost summarizes, “Dr. Hawkins lives the CPED values of diversity, learning, partnership, people, social justice, and students first. I cannot stress enough her influence on professionalizing the Ed.D. at a time when educational equity is more important than ever.”
2022 - Dr. Deborah Peterson, Portland State University
Deborah Peterson transformed scholarly practice in the administrator licensure program at Portland State University (PSU), enhancing PSU’s capacity to successfully initiate system-wide change in the administrative preparation program and the PSU College of Education EdD program. As a direct result of her leadership, a team from the PSU College of Education was granted $1 million (2021) to recruit and prepare special education administrators in the doctoral program, using Improvement Science as a signature pedagogy.
Within CPED, Deborah co-chaired the Improvement Science CIG and facilitated Challenge Fridays as well as webinars at multiple convenings and meetings. Her published work promotes the EdD as a professional practice degree and has been shared in a variety of forms. Most importantly, in all of these efforts, she centered equity and justice promoting their importance in educating Scholarly Practitioners through these lenses.
2021 - Dr. Jennifer Fellabaum-Toston, University of Missouri
2021 David G. Imig Distinguished Service Award Winner: Dr. Jennifer Fellabaum-Toston from CPED Initiative on Vimeo.
2020 - Dr. Ray Buss, Arizona State University
2020 CPED David G. Imig Distinguished Service Award Reflection - Ray Buss from CPED Initiative on Vimeo.
2020 - Dr. Lauri Johnson, Boston College
2020 CPED David G. Imig Distinguished Service Award Winner Reflection - Lauri Johnson from CPED Initiative on Vimeo.
2019 - Dr. Edmund "Ted" Hamann, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
2018 - Dr. Debby Zambo, Arizona State University
2017 - Dr. David G. Imig, University of Maryland
About the Award