Four doctoral candidates in the Educational Leadership program have won awards from the program.
Deanene H. Deaton, director of accountability, testing, media, and virtual learning services for Person County Schools, and Betsy Sutherland, who teaches fifth grade at McDougle Middle School in Chapel Hill, were selected as recipients of the Virginia Carter Gobbel Fellowship. Each fellowship carries an award of $4,000.
Deaton, a first-generation college graduate, has degrees from N.C. A&T State University, UNC-Greensboro and N.C. State University. She is from Randolph County and now lives on a farm with her family in Caswell County.
Sutherland received her B.S. degree in psychology from Clemson University and a Master’s of Arts in Teaching from the College of Charleston. She has studied international relations at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, volunteered in classrooms in South Africa, and consulted for the Western Cape Department of Education Foundation.
Christine Fierro has been selected as the 2011 recipient of the William Self Award, which carries an award of $2,000. Fierro, who is in her second year of doctoral studies, began her career as an educator in Pennsylvania where she taught high school mathematics for four years. She has worked at the Durham School of the Arts since 1998, currently serving as an instructional facilitator.
Derrick D. Jordan has been selected as the 2011 recipient of the Patrick W. and Janet R. Carlton Award for Dissertation Research in Educational Leadership, which conveys an award of $500. Jordan serves as the executive director of secondary and career/technical education for Chatham County Schools and will become the district’s assistant superintendent for Instructional Program Services on Jan. 9. Jordan, who is a University Council for Education Administration Barbara L. Jackson Scholar, completed his undergraduate degree at N.C. Central University, where he served as student body president. After graduating, he taught English at the middle grades, high school and community college levels. He earned his MSA degree from East Carolina University in 2003 and has served as an assistant principal in elementary, middle and high schools.