ASHLAND, Ohio – Ashland University is pleased to announce that Lisa Vernon-Dotson will be the new dean of the Dwight Schar College of Education. She will officially begin her leadership of the college on July 1, taking over for Steve Denney who served as interim dean during the 2021-22 academic year.
“We are very excited to welcome this very accomplished scholar-leader to Ashland University. We expect Dr. Vernon-Dotson will enhance the meaningful work of the Dwight Schar College of Education,” stated Amiel Jarstfer, provost at Ashland.
Vernon-Dotson comes to Ashland from Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J., where she has served since 2014. She is associate dean for Rowan’s College of Education as well as a professor and chair of the department of interdisciplinary and inclusive education. Vernon-Dotson has also held faculty and/or administration positions at Coastal Carolina University, Duquesne University and Hampton University. She has taught at both the undergraduate and graduate level, chaired multiple dissertation committees and been a consultant on accreditation for several universities.
Vernon-Dotson’s research on teacher leadership, distributed leadership models and special education teacher education has been published extensively. She serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Educational Research. Additionally, Vernon-Dotson has been the principal investigator or co-principal investigator on grants totaling $18 million since 2015.
Joining Ashland University marks a return to the region for Vernon-Dotson, who taught five years for the Barberton City Schools. She also taught six years in Norfolk Public Schools in Virginia.
Vernon-Dotson holds a Ph.D. in education policy, planning and leadership from the College of William and Mary, a master’s degree in special education from Hampton University and a bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education from the University of Akron.
Ashland University is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.