CREATE Officers and Board of Directors

Dr. Sean Owen, President
Mississippi State University 

Sean Owen is an Associate Research Professor for the Research and Curriculum Unit. Prior to joining the RCU, he was a research professor for Mississippi State University’s Center for Educational and Training Technology (CETT). Much of his CETT work included writing grants and curricula and administering and evaluating programs that integrated technology into core academic and career and technical areas in school districts statewide. Owen received a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences with an emphasis in chemistry and psychology from the University of Mississippi. He also holds a Master of Science in biological sciences and a doctorate in education with a minor in teacher technology education. His research focus and experience primarily is in the applied sciences and career and technical education. Frequently presenting at local, state, and national conferences, he is an active member of the ACTE and Who’s Who of Emerging Leaders in America. Additionally, he is a former president of the Mississippi Educational Computing Association.

Dr. Susan Colby, Past-president
Appalachian State University

Susan Colby is the Director of Faculty Professional Development in the Center for Academic Excellence and professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Appalachian State University. Prior to her work in educational development, she served as chair and assistant chair in the department for twelve years. Susan earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership from East Carolina University; her MA in Administration, Curriculum and Supervision from the University of Colorado, Denver; and her BS in Elementary Education with Distinction from the University of Minnesota. In 2002, she was the recipient of the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration Morphet Dissertation Award. In the public schools, she served as principal, Title I director, clinical professor, and teacher. Her research interests include assessment of student learning, teacher preparation program effectiveness, and the evaluation of preservice and practicing teachers. Her published articles have appeared in journals such as Studies in Educational Evaluation; Reading Research and Instruction; Action in Teacher Education; Teaching Education; Multicultural Education; and Educational Leadership.

Dr. Corrie Block, Secretary
Bellarmine University

Corrie Rebecca Block, Ph.D., received her doctorate from the Department of Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation at the University of Kentucky. She holds a Master of Arts in Teaching as well as a Bachelor of Arts in History with a minor in Sociology. She is an Associate Professor of Policy Studies, Measurement and Evaluation in the School of Education at Bellarmine University.

Dr. Jacqueline S. Craven
Delta State University

Jacqueline Craven is an associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Delta State University. Her scholarly interests are multifarious and emanate from the sociology of education as well as the social contexts of education and mixed-research methodologies. She has conducted research with diverse ages and populations in elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools throughout Mississippi for more than ten years on a variety of topics and is most interested in researchers’ fidelity to ethical practices and implementation. Dr. Craven regularly reviews articles and abstracts for Taylor & Francis' Action in Teacher Education, Delta State University's Delta Journal of Education, American Educational Research Association (AERA) divisions B, C, D, & G, the Mid-South Educational Research Association (MSERA), and Sage Publications. She has presented work at AERA, International Literacy Association (formerly LRA), CREATE, National Science Foundation Joint Annual Meeting (NSF-JAM), and MSERA among others, and now serves in multiple capacities as the DSU doctoral program coordinator. As such, she advises all doctoral candidates throughout the program, leads & evaluates doctoral curriculum in accordance with CAEP and other professional accrediting bodies, and serves on and chairs DSU doctoral dissertations on an ongoing basis.

Dr. Kevin Eakes
College of Charleston

​Kevin Eakes is Director of the Office of Student Services and Credentialing for the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. Kevin has taught in elementary and secondary public schools in North Carolina and South Carolina and has supervised clinical interns and taught graduate teacher education and human development courses at the College of Charleston. Kevin is a graduate of the Strategic Data Project at the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University, completed his doctoral degree at Auburn University, earned his master’s degree from the University of North Carolina – Greensboro, and received his undergraduate degree from Appalachian State University.  Kevin’s research interests include socio-emotional learning and observation of teaching behaviors.

Danielle Hahn, Administrative Assistant
Appalachian State University

Danielle Hahn is the Administrative Support Specialist, Faculty Services in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at Appalachian State University. She has been working in this capacity since 2012. Prior to her work at Appalachian, she was a bookkeeper, office manager, and medical secretary. She has a degree in Business Administration, with over 22 years of experience working with budgets and bookkeeping. 

Carrie Hodge

Carrie Hodge is a doctoral candidate in Higher Education Leadership at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. She earned her B.A. and M.A. in English from Clemson University in Clemson, SC. Carrie has over five years of experience teaching English at the community college level and ran the Writing Center at Pitt Community College in Greenville, NC, for three years. Currently, she is working as a Senior Associate in Data & Advanced Analytics at the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education in Frankfort, KY. Her dissertation focuses on how six rural high schools in Western North Carolina create a college-going culture. 

Dr. Stacy Leggett
Western Kentucky University​

Stacy Leggett is an associate professor in the Educational Administration, Leadership, and Research  department at Western Kentucky University. She joined the WKU faculty in 2016.  She teaches EDAD 642 School-Community Relations, EDAD 643 Securing and Developing Staff, EDAD 644 Creating Organizational Structures and Operations, EDAD 645 Preparing for the Principalship, EDAD 684 Instructional Leadership, and EDAD 594 Leading Auxiliary Services.  Dr. Leggett has 23 years’ experience in P-12 education that includes serving as a high school math and social studies teacher, an instructional coach for the North Carolina Department of Public Administration for turnaround schools, and a North Carolina school and district administrator.   She received her B.A. and M.A. from Mississippi College in Political Science and History, respectively (1991, 1997).  She earned her M.S.A. in Educational Leadership from East Carolina University (2005) and her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from The George Washington University (2015).    Her research interests include evaluation of teachers and principals, evaluation of program impacts on student outcomes, and leading change.  She was the recipient of the Achilles-Harper-Swenson Emerging Research Award at the 2013 CREATE Conference. 

Dr. Bronwyn MacFarlane
University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Bronwyn MacFarlane is a professor of gifted education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has experience teaching; leading programs; designing and evaluating curriculum for advanced learners; and providing professional development. Dr. MacFarlane published four books including Specialized Schools for High-Ability Learners (2018). She delivered more than 150 presentations and authored numerous articles and 20 book chapters. She earned her doctorate with dual specializations in gifted and K-12 education administration at the College of William and Mary in Virginia. She has held leadership roles as Associate Dean of the College of Education and Health Professions; Academic Dean of the Summer Institute for Gifted at Princeton University; National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) Chair of the STEM Network and the Counseling & Guidance Network; editorial assistant and guest editor for Roeper Review; and national columnist of “The Curriculum Corner” for Teaching for High Potential. She has been named as the recipient of the 2018 Early Leader Award by the National Association for Gifted Children for the field of gifted education.

Dr. Jennifer McGee
Appalachian State University

Jennifer R. McGee is Associate Professor of Research and Evaluation in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Appalachian State University.  She completed her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership with a specialization in Research and Evaluation in 2012 from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Dr. McGee’s research interests include: assessment, program evaluation, self-efficacy, and S.T.E.M. education. She teaches courses in research methods, applied statistics, and classroom assessment.  She has published in such journals as the Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, Action in Teacher Education, and the International Journal of Educational Research. Prior to joining Appalachian as a faculty member, Dr. McGee was a high school agriculture teacher.

Dr. Sheila Wilson

Virginia Beach City Public Schools

Dr. Sheila Wilson is a passionate educator and transformative school leader. With over 30 years in education, she has worked with diverse populations and has held many leadership roles. A native of New Orleans, she has worked in private and public education settings in Louisiana and Virginia. Dr. Wilson considers it her responsibility to sow into the next generation seeds that will produce a great harvest. This philosophy undergirds her call to serve the youth and adults that she impacts.

Dr. Wilson’s research interests include: school leadership, equity in education, amplifying 21 st century instruction, and assessment reform. Dr. Wilson is currently employed with Virginia Beach City Public Schools as a 5th grade teacher and has served at Regent University as an Adjunct Professor in the Teacher Leader program.

Dr. Tara A. Wilson

Orange County Public Schools

Tara A. Wilson is a doctoral candidate in Educational Administration and Policy Studies at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She has seven years of teaching experience and is currently a middle school reading teacher in Orlando, Florida. She earned her M.Ed. in Reading Education and her B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Central Florida. In 2015, she was honored as Teacher of the Year at Odyssey Middle School in Orlando, Florida. Her dissertation research is focused on the professional development of novice assistant principals. She is particularly interested in the methods used to prepare assistant principals for long-term careers within school leadership.