Washington State University’s College of Education names outstanding faculty and staff

Washington State University’s College of Education recognized outstanding faculty and staff at its semi-annual all-college meeting on April 27. Awards are:

Faculty Excellence in Service:
Jane Kelley
Jane Kelley is an associate professor of children’s literature and literacy education and has been with the College of Education since 2002.

Kelley’s work is grounded in critical multicultural analysis and involves the examination of ideology of power in children’s literature and the dissemination of this theory. She works closely with current WSU students and preservice teachers, service teachers, and graduate students.

“Simply put, the Language Literacy, and Technology program runs smoothly and effectively because of Dr. Kelley’s commitment to helping faculty and students,” LLT faculty member Deanna Day said. “The program (and the LLT faculty) would not survive without her expertise and responsibility.”

Regents Professor Joy Egbert said Kelley addresses big ideas and leads by example.

“When something needs to be done, Dr. Kelley often does it herself,” Egbert said. “The program would not run as smoothly, or maybe at all, without her dedication, enthusiasm, and incredible effort.”

Faculty Excellence in Research:
Shenghai Dai
Shenghai Dai is an assistant professor of educational psychology who has been with the College of Education since 2017. He currently serves as the director of the Large-Scale Data Laboratory, is a statistical and methodological advisor of the Journal of School Psychology, is an associate editor of Frontiers in Education – Assessment, Testing and Applied Measurement, and is a consulting editor of the Journal of Experimental Education and Psych.

Through his research, Dai examines the current and emerging measurement frameworks for student learning and achievement.

“As a quantitative methodologist and psychometrician, Dr. Dai’s scholarship explores student success in learning from a methodological and theoretical standpoint,” nominator Yuliya Ardasheva said. “His colleagues note that his research is timely and essential, focusing on areas in which there is a critical need.”

Faculty Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:
Tom Salsbury
Tom Salsbury, an associate professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning, has been a College of Education faculty member since 2005. He teaches courses in the elementary and secondary education programs, master in teaching program, and graduate courses in the Language, Literacy, and Technology program.

Salsbury also conducts research in second-language acquisition. He studies vocabulary acquisition in content areas and is collaborating with colleagues to develop better measures of vocabulary proficiency. His data come from longitudinal studies of children and adult English language learners. His work is published in research journals such as Language Learning and Second Language Research as well as applied research journals for teachers such as English Teaching Forum and Teaching Education Journal.

“He is a walking example of someone who cherishes diversity, and values inclusion and equity,” doctoral student Golrokh “Rose” Maleki said. “Dr. Salsbury is a perfect example of applying culturally sustaining pedagogy; he taught us that all of us have a treasure chest full of cultural values, our identity and our experience.”

Faculty Excellence in Teaching:
Jessica Masterson
Jessica Masterson, an assistant professor of teacher education at WSU Vancouver, said she designs her courses to facilitate authentic dialogue and discussion. She works to ensure students have multiple meaningful opportunities to learn from one another, as she believes this is an impactful learning method.

“In my research, I am interested in exploring the many interconnections of literacy and democracy as they play out in public education,” Masterson said. “As an English and reading teacher in Hawai’i, I began to realize that the sort of literacy education that was mandated for students deemed to be ‘struggling’ was qualitatively distinct — and often far less engaging — than the literacy opportunities enjoyed by their on-grade-level and gifted peers.”

“With recognition of the inequity crisis ongoing in our schools, she led a massive revision to interrogate the failure, role, and opportunities of teaching in contemporary classrooms,” said Masterson’s nominator, who requested anonymity. “As Jessica is a newer faculty member, her experience at WSU has been marked amidst substantial instructional shifts — and within these shifts, her students continue to demonstrate strong learning outcomes.”

Staff Excellence in Service:
Angie Hammond
Angie Hammond, director of the office of undergraduate student services, has been with the College of Education since 2004. She directs student services staff and oversees management of student records and data collection.

She also collaborates with all college departments to work with internal and external constituents. She also works with the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

“Many of the traits that make Angie the most amazing supervisor stem from her openness, willingness, and honesty; these are traits that ensure our interactions are always transparent and helpful,” said colleague Ashley Herridge. “On top of serving our college, she consistently is challenging herself to do and be better. She leads by example and makes sure she is continually learning and growing in her position.”

Staff Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:
Genna Kieper
Genna Kieper, an employment services coordinator for WSU ROAR, joined the program in 2019 as a peer-ally volunteer, then joined the staff during the 2020-2021 school year. During her time on staff, she has focused on supporting employment services for the program, developing community employment partnerships, and helping students explore their career interests and passions.

Kieper was nominated for the award by two of her colleagues in WSU ROAR who called her a “driving force in the growth, expansion, and success of the WSU ROAR program.”

“Genna has gone above and beyond in ensuring WSU ROAR job coaches are prepared to meet the needs of diverse learners,” her nomination letter read. “We believe she’s the ideal recipient of this award based on her dedication to the program’s mission to empower students to reach their personal and professional goals through program specific coursework, person-centered planning, WSU audit courses, career-development, and facilitated campus and community experiences.”