Student Spotlight: Michelle Donahue, DPT – Ed.D. Program 

Michelle Donahue, Doctor. of Education program, Ed.D.
Michelle Donahue has her Doctorate of Physical Therapy and is now pursuing her Ed.D. in order to advance her career in academia. Here she talks about what drives her, how she relates her current studies to her professional life, and her best advice for incoming Ed.D. candidates. Tell us about yourself, and what led you to get your Ed.D. I’m a Physical Therapist (PT) and board-certified pediatric specialist, working extensively in the early intervention setting with children from birth to 3 years old and their families. I began as a clinical instructor for physical therapy students completing full-time clinical education experience, then began taking on work as an adjunct faculty member teaching students during on-campus clinical experience and teaching lectures.…

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Alumni Spotlight: Skip Wilhoit, Ed.D.

Skip Wilhoit, Ed.D.
Skip Wilhoit, Ed.D. was recently awarded a $2.7 million dollar grant to benefit his K-12 school district. Here, he gives details about the grant he won, and how he used his real-life experience to shape his educational journey. Tell us a little about yourself and what kind of work you do After I served in the Army, I spent the first part of my civilian career in education as a teacher and coach. After that, I explored other options in TV and radio broadcasting, and I eventually found my way back into education. In 2002, I started work at the school district level, in the federal Safe and Drug-Free schools program. One of the major initiatives at that time was…

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Student Spotlight: Fred Adhaya, MPH – Doctor of Education Program

Fred Adhaya, MPH graduate and Ed.D. student at UNE Online
Fred Adhaya earned his Master of Public Health through UNE Online, and now he has returned to attain his terminal degree, a Doctor of Education. In this post, Fred discusses why he chose to pursue his Ed.D. with UNE, and how his MPH has helped him along that journey. You earned your MPH at UNE. What attracted you to continue with UNE for your Doctor of Education? The reason I chose to pursue the Doctor of Education, or Ed.D., following a successful MPH at UNE was a desire to more deeply understand the concept of leadership. I wanted to be able to hone my leadership skills and gain the skills to build a learning organization – concepts I…

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Alumni Spotlight: Bonnie Blake, Ed.D.

Bonnie Blake EdD Alumna
Bonnie Blake, Ed.D. is a graduate of the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) program at UNE Online. Here, she talks about her experience with the online Ed.D. program, and how she is putting her dissertation research to work, planning the next steps in her career.  Can you tell me a little bit about yourself, and what encouraged you to pursue your Ed.D.? I had been an educator at New York University for more than 25 years; first as an advisor, an instructor, and eventually clinical assistant professor, as well as academic director and coordinating chair for the programs in media industry studies and design. I received my Master’s in Graphic Communications Management and Technology from NYU, and it was my desire…

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Student Spotlight, Jeffrey L. Brown, Ed.D. Program

Jeffrey Brown, Chief Information Officer, Martin's Point Healthcare, Ed.D. in Transformative Leadership candidate at UNE Online
Jeffrey is currently in his third executive officer role as the Chief Information Officer for Martin’s Point Healthcare. When he felt that he’d reached a growth plateau, he took a year to research before choosing UNE’s Ed.D. to combine leadership skill acquisition, applied science, and applied research.

“The way each class builds on the next within the program, it literally all comes back to myself as a leader in my organization. I’ve experienced rapid-cycle development, seemingly on a weekly basis. Because of this program, I feel that I’ve accelerated my leadership thinking, comfort, and capability by leaps and bounds over the last two years. I can’t say enough about it. It’s been a remarkable experience.”

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Alumni Spotlight: Mike Wilber, Ed.D.

Selfie of Mike Wilber, Ed.D.
Dr. Mike Wilber, an Ed.D. graduate, is an Adult Basic Education Instructor at the Delaware Department of Education Adult and Prison Education Resources Division in Wilmington, Delaware, helping inmates earn their GEDs and learn job skills. He is also a GED Instructor in the Adult Education Division of James H. Groves Adult High School. Dr. Wilber’s Ed.D. dissertation was designed to examine a particular aspect of the prison population in order to look at the problem of recidivism from a different angle. It’s challenging work, but Dr. Wilber’s passion for teaching and serving others is evident through his most recent award: Region II Teacher Of the Year for 2018. We sat down with Dr. Wilber recently to talk about his…

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Student Spotlight: Kylie Bragdon, Ed.D. Program

Kylie Bragdon Ed.D. student
Recently, we spoke with UNE graduate Kylie Bragdon ’11, Ed.D. ’18 who is running for the Maine State House of Representatives in District 136 this coming November. Bragdon has an undergraduate degree in Mathematics from UNE and is currently working on her Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) here at the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. She’s studying the effect of K-12 education on the lobster industry in Maine. Update July 23, 2019: Kylie Bragdon joined Maine Ocean School as executive director and serves as chair of the board of selectman in Winter Harbor. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself, and what encouraged you to pursue your Ed.D.? I graduated from UNE in 2011 with my B.S. in…

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Student Spotlight: Stephanie N. Brown, Ed.D. Program

Stephanie Brown
Can you tell me a little bit about your background? My name is Stephanie Brown and I am an adjunct English as a Second Language (ESL) professor. I honestly love what I do. There is nothing like teaching, especially teaching English learners. I learn so much from my students, probably more than they learn from me. Every day my students open my eyes to the world – not just in terms of content, but with their lived experiences. I am honored to know, work, and support these amazing people. They work so hard and give so much. Their passion and dedication are what keeps me alive: as a human and as a teacher. Outside of teaching, I have also taken…

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Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Joel Lowsky, Ed.D.

Dr. Joel Lowsky, Ed.D. Graduate
Dr. Joel Lowsky is a recent graduate of UNE Online’s Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Program. We recently spoke with him about his career, his research, and plans for the future. Can you tell me a little bit about your background? I earned my bachelor’s degree in humanistic studies and English literature; two areas for which it’s tough to find a job! So I went back to school and earned another diploma, this time in Computer Programming. This gave me access to work in the corporate world, in technology. I went on to get a great job implementing software at large corporations, but after a few years, I felt that I wanted a more meaningful work experience. Career twist The…

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Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Vicki Rusbult, Ed.D. – Education Program

Dr. Vicki Rusbult, Ed.D.
UNE Online Alumna Dr. Vicki Rusbult fulfilled a lifelong dream last May and graduated from the College of Graduate and Professional Studies with her Ed.D. And it turns out that her dissertation wasn’t only interesting to her faculty advisor… The ‘National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) Rural Transportation National Newsletter’ recently published a link to her full dissertation in their national newsletter. We’re so thrilled for Dr. Rusbult and her impressive national exposure! We spoke with Dr. Rusbult to talk about her professional career, and how her Ed.D. from UNE Online is opening doors and helping further her work. Here’s a little more about how she is putting her Ed.D. to good use: What was your experience like, getting…

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