Bethel E. Cager
holds the position of Professor of Practice for Educational Leadership within the Division of Education and Counseling at Xavier University of Louisiana. She is a veteran clinician of educational leadership. Her experiences cover elementary, middle, and high school levels and higher education. Dr. Cager holds school and district-level administrative certifications in the South and Midwest of the United States. Her research area of interest is culturally responsive leadership. She has designed a framework, The 5Rs of Responsive Leadership, to guide and support school and district-level administrators with their implementation of culturally responsive practices. Dr. Cager has authored and edited publications on culturally responsive leadership.
Jill Tussey's career in literacy education has provided a variety of experiences in curriculum and instruction across K-12, undergraduate, and graduate courses. Her areas of interest include student engagement and motivation with targeted focus on digital literacy, poverty impacts, and social-emotional learning. Service leadership is important to Dr. Tussey and can be clearly seen in her current work as the Division Chair for Literacy, TESL, and Early Childhood at Buena Vista University. She has authored and edited books, chapters, and journal articles. Additionally, she has presented at local, state, national, and international settings over a variety of literacy topics.
Leslie Haas’s teaching career experience includes working with K-12, undergraduate, and graduate students. Additional experiences include instructional coaching, professional development, curriculum design, and department administration. Opportunities in highly diverse settings have acted as both a catalyst and foundation for her focus on integrating and connecting literacy across disciplines through culturally and linguistically responsive instructional practices. Dr. Haas is particularly interested in technology-based literacy opportunities for underrepresented populations through engagement with popular culture, specifically gaming and fanfiction. She has been honored for her work in research, teaching, and technology through Buena Vista University, Fierce Education, The Texas A&M University System, and The Dallas Catholic Foundation.
Monica Galloway Burke
is a Professor in the Department of Counseling and Student Affairs at Western Kentucky University. For approximately 25 years, she has been an educator and practitioner in Student Affairs and Higher Education. Dr. Burke has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles in scholarly journals and contributed chapters to various books. Furthermore, she served as the lead author for Helping Skills for Working with College Students: Applying Counseling Theory to Student Affairs Practice and Helping Students in Distress: A Faculty Guide. She is also a co-author for Mindful Strategies for Helping College Students Manage Stress: A Guide for Higher Education Professionals. Dr. Burke served as a co-editor for No Ways Tired: The Journey for Professionals of Color in Student Affairs (a three-set volume) and for Contemporary Issues within Caribbean Economies. Additionally, Dr. Burke has conducted over 150 workshops and presentations at the international, national, regional, state, and local levels. She has also served on the editorial boards of professional journals as a co-editor, associate editor, and reviewer as well as supervised numerous research projects.