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Faculty
Executive Dean of the College of Education and Human Studies & University Professor of Education
E-mail: trosebro@uu.edu
Dr. Rosebrough has served as Dean of the College since 1996. He formerly served as a Graduate School Dean and as Department Chair in Education and Psychology at two other Christian liberal arts universities. His duties have also included the roles of Director of Graduate Studies in Education and Director of Teacher Education. Dr. Rosebrough has taught elementary school social studies and middle school mathematics. He has taught extensively at the university undergraduate and graduate levels in educational foundations, learning theory, and instructional design. His interests include pedagogy and engaged learning, educational philosophy and ethics, and the history of education. Dr. Rosebrough has been honored for his university teaching and scholarly excellence. He is active in his writing, research, and presenting at the local, national, and international levels. Dr. Rosebrough is lead author of the book, Transformational Teaching in the Information Age: Making Why and How We Teach Relevant to Students, published by ASCD (2011).
In his tenure as Dean of Education at Union, NCATE accreditation was achieved in 2000 with re-accreditation in 2006 and 2013 for the Teacher Education Program; the School of Education has been honored by AILACTE with the Model of Excellence Award for the moral and ethical dimensions of its learning community; the Center for Educational Practice has been created; the School has added the Master of Education (which now includes an online version of the degree), the Master of Urban Education, the Education Specialist, and the Doctor of Education degree with specializations in School Administration and Higher Education Administration. The School of Education also has more than doubled the size of its faculty during Executive Dean Rosebrough’s tenure.
The School began graduate programs on the Germantown campus in 1998, the university’s first online degree program (Ed.D. in H.Ed.) in 2005, and graduate programs on the Hendersonville campus in 2009. Also in 2009, the School began a partnership with a Memphis foundation to offer an innovative Master’s degree in Urban Education as part of the Memphis Teacher Residency program. In 2014 the School of Education launches its first internship degrees at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The School of Education now enjoys one of the largest enrollments at the university.
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Associate Dean of the School of Education & Professor of Special Education
E-mail: asinglet@uu.edu
Dr. Singleton is currently in her 21st year at Union. Prior to teaching at the university level, she served first as a special education teacher and later as Supervisor of Special Education in the Jackson-Madison County School System in Jackson, TN. She brings particular expertise to Union’s students in behavioral disorders, instructional design, and mathematics instruction for students in inclusive settings. She has presented frequent workshops and professional papers on a variety of education and special education issues in national venues. Dr. Singleton is called upon frequently to serve as a consultant to area school systems. She is known for her sensitive, practical approach to both public school and university-level instruction. Dr. Singleton is a co-author of Teaching Mathematics to All Children: Designing and Adapting Instruction to Meet the Needs of Diverse Learners, and was named Union University’s 2003 Faculty of the Year.
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Assistant Dean for Teacher Education & Accreditation & Professor of Education
E-mail: dmyatt@uu.edu
Dr. Myatt came to Union in 1994 following a 14-year career in public elementary education. Her current responsibilities as Assistant Dean for Teacher Education and Accreditation include coordinating all teacher licensure programs; serving as licensing officer; implementing NCATE and State accreditation standards; compiling annual reports to AACTE, NCATE, and the TN Department of Education; and chairing dissertation committees. She coordinated the vast array of documents, persons, and additional information related to the electronic institutional report and documents room as Union secured reaffirmation of NCATE accreditation and approval of programs by the TN Department of Education. Her areas of interest are teacher licensure and the integration of instruction and technology. She has presented regionally and nationally in these areas, and was named Union’s Faculty of the Year for 2007.
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Professor of Education
E-mail: matkins@uu.edu
Dr. Atkins came to Union in 1998 after a 10-year career in the public school arena encompassing service as a special education teacher, administrator, and educational diagnostician. During her public school career, she obtained experience teaching, evaluating children at all grade levels with a wide variety of disabilities, and in district-level administration. She has served graduate students at Union as the Director of Graduate Studies and Director of the Ed.S. and Ed.D. programs on the Jackson campus. Dr. Atkins currently serves as Professor of Education, Coordinator of Program Assessment, dissertation chair, and research mentor. Her areas of interest include ethics in leadership, moral development, emotional intelligence, qualities of effective teachers and leaders, and psychological issues in the schools. Dr. Atkins has presented her research nationally and co-authored several journal publications. In addition to her service at Union, she is an active consultant to school districts and serves as school psychologist to the Paris Special School District.
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Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies in Education, Hendersonville
E-mail: lcash@uu.edu
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Director of the M.A. Ed. Program, Jackson & Associate Professor of Education
E-mail: ncherry@uu.edu
Prior to teaching at the university level, Dr. Cherry came to Union following a fifteen year career in public elementary education. Before coming to Union in 2005, she worked in adjunct and assistant professor positions at Dyersburg State Community College and Lambuth University. Dr. Cherry is a Somerville, TN native and a graduate of Union. She has taught extensively at the undergraduate level and brings to Union’s students experience teaching educational foundations, reading assessment strategies and a love for children’s literature. Her research interests and presentations focus on early childhood reading experiences, children’s literature in the content areas, preparation of reading teachers and reading assessment. Dr. Cherry is currently a full time faculty member serving as Union’s director for the M.A. Ed. Program on the Jackson campus, and also as counselor to Union’s Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society.
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Director of the Ed.D/ Higher Education Program & Associate Professor of Education
E-mail: mclarke@uu.edu
Dr. Melinda Clarke, Associate Professor of Education, serves as the Director of the Higher Education Ed.D. Program and the Center for Educational Practice. Dr. Clarke’s 14 years of experience in higher education include service in both faculty and administrative roles. She also served as Special Assistant to the President of the Fund for American Studies and her doctoral research was recognized by the Aspen Institute. In addition to her interests in higher education research and practice, she joins Drs. Rosebrough and Leverett with an interest in the relationship between character, faith development and service. Service-Learning, the topic of Dr. Clarke’s dissertation research as well as the subject of her national and international research presentations, remains one of her core interests because of its capacity to advance the mission of educational institutions while impacting students and communities in transformational ways. She is grateful for the opportunity to initiate her research on service-learning with two of the foremost experts in the field, Drs. Dwight Giles and Janet Eyler, while at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Clarke’s work with improving the quality of online instruction through the utilization of learning taxonomies was recently requested by the Tennessee Board of Regents to be shared with the Tennessee’s public colleges and universities.
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Associate Professor of Education
E-mail: acliffor@uu.edu
Dr. Anna Clifford brings more than thirty years of both public and private (K-16) teaching experiences to Union students. Her classroom experience includes mathematics education, early childhood-Montessori education and instructional technology. In the last few years, Dr. Clifford has worked closely with the Association for Childhood Education International. She has served on the executive boards for West Tennessee ACEI and Tennessee ACEI and was an active member of the ACEI Technology Committee. She was instrumental in launching and maintaining the first website for both level chapters. She was involved in student leadership development and training and peer viewer of virtual presentation. She was an active member of the American Montessori Society, as well.
Dr. Clifford is a member of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) and serves as a member of the Teacher Education Division. She has made numerous presentations at the local, state, and national levels from both the practitioner and researcher’s perspective, focusing on effective technology integration in the teaching-learning environment. She is an invited member of Professors of Instructional Design and Technology.
Dr. Clifford works extensively with graduate and undergraduate students in both early childhood education and instructional technology. Her research interests are within the framework of effective use and integration of instructional technology in P-16 classrooms. She serves as the Technology Coordinator for the School of Education, Jackson Campus.
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Associate Professor of Education & Graduate Faculty Liaison, MTR
E-mail: mcounts@uu.edu
Dr. Counts came to Union University as an adjunct faculty member in 2000. She joined Union full-time in 2009 after retiring from Memphis City Schools. During her 31-year tenure in public schools she taught at the elementary level and served as both assistant principal and principal. Dr. Counts teaches courses and serves as a coach for students enrolled in the Memphis Teacher Residency Program (MTR); a collaboration involving the MTR, Union University and local urban schools.
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Associate Professor of Education, Germantown
E-mail: neasley@uu.edu
Dr. Easley grew up in a Christian home. She is married to a seminary professor.
While teaching students with hearing impairment, Dr. Easley became aware of a desire to teach at the university level in the preparation of teachers. Before coming to Union, where she has directed the Master of Education program in Germantown since 1998, she taught at Toccoa Falls College (GA), Crichton College, and The University of Memphis. She has also served as a Professional Development School supervisor. Dr. Easley has professional interests in university collaboration with P-12 schools, teaching diverse learners, and integration of faith and learning.
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Assistant Professor of Education, Germantown
E-mail: cmarvin@uu.edu
After a career as a high school English teacher and eventually an adjunct instructor for Union University Hendersonville, Dr. Marvin joined the faculty full-time in August of 2011 as Program Director for the Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree and Assistant Professor of Education. Soon after assuming the leadership of the M.Ed. program on the Hendersonville campus, Dr. Marvin was instrumental in bringing the Master of Arts in Education (M.A.Ed.) degree to that campus, as well. In August of 2012, Dr. Marvin accepted a transfer to Union University’s Germantown campus, where she now serves as Assistant Professor of Education in the Graduate Studies in Education programs.
Dr. Marvin’s research interests include assessment in higher education, the role of language in the classroom, and the relational aspect of online learning. Her presentations have addressed language as a currency of power assertion in the classroom and unique strategies to meet the needs of diverse learners. In 2011, Dr. Marvin served as one of 20 reading specialists selected from across the country for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)'s Judgment Standard Setting Project, a groundwork project that garnered data for the compilation of the 2012 Nation's Report Card. At Union, Dr. Marvin participates in collegial dialogue and research on the Christian intellectual tradition and also teaches courses on classroom management, secondary school teaching methods, and multiculturalism in the classroom. Dr. Marvin will be a course designer for Union’s new online Master’s degree program, and she aspires to the development of a comprehensive writing instruction program for graduate-level students.
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Professor of Educational Leadership & Executive Director, Hendersonville
E-mail: clea@uu.edu
Dr. Charles Lea joined the faculty of Union University in 2008. In addition to his teaching, Dr. Lea serves as Executive Director of Union’s Hendersonville campus. Prior to joining the Union faculty and administration Dr. Lea served 18 years as Vice President of Academic Affairs at two community colleges, retiring from Volunteer State Community College in 2007. Over the past 36 years in higher education Dr. Lea has served as a faculty member, chief Student Personel officer, chief academic officer, chief development officer, interim president and consultant. Dr. Lea has served on the graduate faculty of the University of Memphis and Tennessee State University. Dr. Lea earned his Ed.D degree from Vanderbilt University with an emphasis in Higher Education Administration.
Among Dr. Lea’s interests are distance education, dual enrollment, developmental education and K-16 partnerships. He has presented at state, regional and national meetings and served in key leadership positions including chair of the Oversight Committee for the Regents On-line Degree Program, chair of the Tennessee Board of Regents Developmental Education Task Force, and chair of the North Central Tennessee Workforce Investment Board’s Youth Council. Still active in his local community, Dr. Lea currently serves on the Ad Hoc Committee for Compensation for the Sumner County Board of Education and the Sumner County Board of Education’s Director Search Committee. Recently Dr. Lea was named as one of the “Most Influential in Sumner County” by the editorial boards of the Sumner County newspapers for his work to advance educational issues in Sumner County and the mid-state.
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Director of the M.Ed. Program, Jackson & University Professor of Special Education
E-mail: rleveret@uu.edu
Dr. Leverett has served as a public school teacher in several areas of Special Education, primarily low incidence impairments and learning disabilities. He conducted a part-time private practice in speech-language pathology for approximately fifteen years. Almost half of that period was with the Missouri Department of Mental Health as practitioner and consultant. He has been teaching at Union since 1997. During that time he has also served as a part-time speech-language pathologist for the West Tennessee School for the Deaf. His research interests and professional writings, which include journal articles and chapters in professional reference texts, relate to the language needs of special education students in inclusive settings. He has presented workshops in these areas at the local, state, and national level. Dr. Leverett also served for ten years as editorial consultant to The Journal of Childhood Communication Disorders and Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools. These publications are journals of the Council for Exceptional Children (Division for Children’s Communication Development) and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, respectively. Dr. Leverett is a member of the Advisory Council for TREDS, a division of Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital addressing the needs of persons who are Deaf-Blind; Board of Directors of the STAR Center providing technical support to persons with disabilities; Board of Directors of the Alliance for Technology Access (ATA) a national center providing technical support to persons with disabilities; and Board of Directors of the Foundation of the Tennessee Speech-Language Hearing Association (TAASLP), and State Representative for the Tennessee Federation of the Council for Exceptional Children. Dr. Leverett is co-author of the book, Transformational Teaching in the Information Age: Making Why and How We Teach Relevant to Students, published by ASCD (2011).
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Director of M.Ed. Program, Germantown and Assistant Professor of Education
E-mail: smarvin@uu.edu
A native of California, Dr. Stephen R. Marvin has served in a variety of educational capacities throughout his career. Prior to beginning his service at Union University in 2007, Dr. Marvin served as an adjunct professor for the University of Memphis, Freed-Hardeman University, and David Lipscomb University. Dr. Marvin has also served in several positions within public and private school systems, including as a Business Technology teacher and technology coordinator for Cordova High School, in Cordova, TN. Dr. Marvin has served as an educational researcher for The Center for Research in Educational Policy (CREP) at the University of Memphis, as well as the tutor coordinator for the Academic Services Center at Harding University. Dr. Marvin was a recipient of the $15,000 Paige E. Mulhollan Dissertation Award, granted by the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities. Dr. Marvin’s research interests include learning theory, the Multiple Intelligence Theory, and technology integration. Dr. Marvin has authored and co-authored journal publications and presented his research at the state, regional, national, and international levels. Dr. Marvin is a graduate of West Hills Community College and Fresno Pacific University. He earned a Masters of Education degree in Elementary and Secondary Administration and Elementary and Secondary Curriculum from Harding University and a Doctorate in Education with an emphasis in College Administration and College Teaching from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
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Associate Professor of Education, Germantown
E-mail: emarvin@uu.edu
Prior to beginning his service at Union University, Dr. Eric D. Marvin has served in a variety of educational capacities. Most recently, Dr. Marvin was an Associate Professor of Education at Freed-Hardeman University. Dr. Marvin completed his doctoral studies in Instruction and Curriculum Leadership concentrated in Instructional Design and Technology at the University of Memphis. While in Memphis, Dr. Marvin worked at the University of Memphis as a research analyst for the Appalachian Technology in Education Consortium (ATEC), one of the ten Regional Technology in Education Consortia (RTEC) of the US Department of Education’s Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI). In this role, Dr. Marvin co-authored a Technology Coach Handbook to assist K-12 educators with technology integration, and he assisted in the training of Tennessee Technology Coaches, recipients of competitively distributed federal funding as a part of Tennessee’s EdTech Launch initiative. Dr. Marvin has also worked as a Technology Literacy Challenge Fund (TLCF) site researcher and adjunct professor at the University of Memphis. Dr. Marvin was the recipient of the Outstanding Instructional Design and Technology Student Award at the University of Memphis. Dr. Marvin holds a Masters of Education degree from Harding University, and he is a graduate of Fresno Pacific University. Dr. Marvin has presented at numerous international, national, state, and local conferences, and he is a member of several leading educational organizations. Dr. Marvin’s research interests are related to technology integration and the ways in which new technologies can enhance student achievement.
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Director of Clinical Experiences & Assistant Professor of Education
E-mail: mmathis@uu.edu
After graduating from the University of Alabama, Mrs. Mathis returned to Brownsville, TN. While teaching in the Haywood County School system, She completed her master’s degree at the University of Memphis. She taught public school for 13 years in math, science, and social studies to fifth and sixth graders. She left teaching before the birth of her third child. Mrs. Mathis came to Union as a supervisor of practicum students in Spring 1998 which led to a position as a part-time instructor. She became a faculty member in Fall 1999. In addition to her responsibilities as Director of Clinical Experiences, she teaches instructional design course in science and social studies.
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Associate Professor of Education, Germantown
E-mail: dmorgan@uu.edu
Prior to her tenure at Union University, Dr. Morgan was an Assistant Professor at the University of Memphis. Her expertise includes how culture shapes engagement in learning, language development/acquisition, as well as early childhood development. She received her Bachelor’s of Science and Masters from The University of Texas at Austin in the areas of Deaf Culture and Education. She received her Ph.D. at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Educational Psychology studying human development and engaged learning. During her graduate studies, she received the Pre-Dissertation AERA Spencer Grant ($16,000). Her dissertation study examined culturally Deaf preschool teachers’ visually based engagement practices and their sense making of those practices, as well as the school setting’s and program philosophy’s influences on those beliefs and practices. Dr. Morgan has presented her research at multiple national conferences and co-written a book chapter examining the school’s function as well as the teacher’s role in primary language acquisition and identity development within the Deaf Education classroom. Her course offerings have included Early Childhood Development in Urban Contexts, Faith and Ethics, Engaged Learning. She has provided guest lectures in Special Education, Cognition, and Learning at both of her alma maters. She has also created seminar classes connecting pre-service educators with community leaders and professionals.
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Professor of Educational Leadership, Jackson
E-mail: knewman@uu.edu
Dr. Newman came to Union after a long and successful career in the local public school system. He began his teaching career in 1962 in the Jackson-Madison County School System. He was a classroom teacher and librarian until 1996, at which time he became a Middle School Instructional Supervisor. As a classroom teacher, he taught English and French. He was a full-time librarian for one and one-half years and a part-time librarian for eight years. He retired from the public school system in 2000 and accepted a three-fourths position at Union. In the Fall of 2001 he became a full-time Associate Professor of Educational Leadership, teaching primarily in the M.A.Ed., M.Ed., and Ed.S./Ed.D programs. After serving two years as M.A.Ed. Director, and three years as Director of Ed.S. and Ed.D./P-12 Programs, he now serves as Professor of Educational Leadership.
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Director of Ed.S. and Ed.D. Programs & Associate Professor of Educational Leadership
E-mail: bphillips@uu.edu
Prior to Dr. Phillips’ full-time role at Union, he served as an adjunct instructor in the Ed.D. program that he now directs. His education experience includes serving as a secondary school math teacher, high school assistant principal, and high school principal. His varied background has taken him from rural schools to urban schools to suburban schools. After ten years in public education, he began his ministry in Christian education at Trinity Christian Academy in Jackson. During his time as Trinity’s high school principal, he also completed a year-long interim assignment as the Head of School, overseeing the day-to-day operations and educational program for grades PreK-12. Now, Dr. Phillips oversees both the Ed.S. and Ed.D. programs on the Jackson campus.
Dr. Phillips continues to pursue his research interests that began with his dissertation, including the calculation and understanding of student gain scores and the factors that influence students’ academic gains. Dr. Phillips has also spent almost a decade preparing high school students for the ACT. Recently, he has begun training high school teachers to incorporate ACT-style instruction and testing into their classrooms. In the leadership and research classes he teaches at Union, he strives to show how theory relates to practice in today’s schools. His years as a practitioner provide a solid background that helps him bring relevant meaning to his classes.
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Associate Professor of Education and Director of the M.U.Ed.-Germantown
E-mail: rscott@uu.edu
Dr. Robin Scott has 19 years of experience in education. She worked as an elementary school teacher and administrator for 12 years before moving into higher education. Dr. Scott joined Union University as an adjunct faculty member in 2009 as part of the University’s inaugural work with the Memphis Teacher Residency (MTR). She moved into the role of Program Director for the M.U.Ed in 2011 and has a shared role as the Director of Education at the MTR.
Her course offerings have included: 21st Century Classroom Leadership, Reading in the Content Area, Teaching Language Arts in the Elementary Classroom, and Capstone Seminar: Current Issues in Urban Settings.
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Associate Professor of Educational Leadership, Hendersonville
E-mail: mshackleford@uu.edu
Dr. Michael Shackleford joined Union University, Hendersonville, in the fall of 2009 as an adjunct professor. In the summer of 2010 he became a full-time faculty member as an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership. Prior to joining Union University, Dr. Shackleford was a public school classroom teacher, administrator, school accreditation visiting team member, curriculum publisher consultant, educational consultant, conference speaker, guest lecturer for various universities, and professional development specialist working with community college instructors as well as for a variety of corporate clients. In addition to Dr. Shackleford’s work at Union University, he provides professional development training and consulting services to schools and school districts across the United States and Canada.
Dr. Shackleford has his doctorate in Administrative Leadership from Vanderbilt University. His research centers on the use of problem-based learning in professional preparation for administrators and teachers as well as classroom applications in K-12 settings. Additional research focuses on specific strategies that classroom teachers and schools can implement in the areas of learning environment, curriculum, assessment and instruction which lead to improvement in student learning.
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Assistant Professor of Education, Hendersonville
E-mail: ssteele@uu.edu
While Dr. Steele joined the faculty in 2009, she has been a part of Union in other roles. She is a graduate of Union's School of Education undergraduate program (1998), and she also served in Union's Student Services as the Director of Student Leadership Development (2000-2003). Dr. Steele received both her master's and doctoral degrees from Vanderbilt University. Her experience in higher education spans student life, university instruction, and research and policy analysis. Prior to her faculty appointment, she worked for the Tennessee Higher Education Commission in the fiscal policy analysis division. Her research interests focus on the college choice process and the college student experience. Dr. Steele serves the M.Ed. and Ed.S. programs in Hendersonville as well as the Ed.D. higher education program in Jackson.
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Professor Emeritus of Education
E-mail: btucker@uu.edu
Dr. Tucker has been at Union for 12 years, during which time he has served as Professor of Education, Chair of the Department of Education, and founding Dean of the School of Education and Human Studies. Formerly, he taught in the Mathematics Departments of Hannibal-LaGrange College and Illinois State University and in the Education Department of Carson Newman College. He has also been a high school math and English teacher and served as a K-12 mathematics coordinator. Dr. Tucker is author or co-author of 16 books and 30 articles. He has presented more than 40 professional papers at meetings across the United States. Dr. Tucker (with Drs. Ann Singleton and Terry Weaver) has recently published Teaching Mathematics to All Children: Designing and Adapting Instruction to Meet the Needs of Diverse Learners, Second Edition.
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Associate Professor of Special Education
E-mail: tweaver@uu.edu
Dr. Weaver came to Union in 1991 after nine years at another Tennessee Baptist institution, Carson-Newman College. He served as chair of the Education Department for four years during the initial growth of the graduate program in Education and the hiring of the current dean. Prior to college teaching, Dr. Weaver was a teacher in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools. He brings to Union expertise in the assessment of children with exceptionalities and maintains interest and research in many areas of special education. Dr. Weaver along with Drs. Tucker and Singleton recently had published a second edition of their methodology textbook, Teaching Mathematics to All Children: Designing and Adapting Instruction to Meet the Needs of Diverse Learners. Dr. Weaver has chaired and continues to chair many doctoral dissertation committees and the School of Education’s Research Review Committee as well as serving on the Institutional Review Board for the University.
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Professor of Education
E-mail: cwhaley@uu.edu
Dr. Whaley has previously served as a prekindergarten and kindergarten teacher in the public schools for 15 years. Prior to these roles, she served positions in youth ministry and church music. She is a Jackson, TN native and a graduate of Union. Her interests relate to early childhood education, particularly language arts and early literacy instruction. Since coming to Union to teach in 1997, she has been active in a wide variety of professional groups related to early childhood and education. Dr. Whaley’s expertise in early childhood has led to publications in various professional journals and to numerous presentations at the local, state, and national level. A past president of TACEI, she has recently been elected to ACEI’s national board. In addition, Dr. Whaley is advisor to Union's award-winning Student Tennessee Education Association (STEA).
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