Associate Director, Madison Center for Civic Engagement

Dr. Monica McEnerny

**** ******** *****, #***, ************, VA 22801

*********@*****.***, 802-***-****

May 5, 2025

To the College Solutions Team:

My doctoral degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Vermont has led me to a distinguished career in education and to meaningful connections with students of all levels and abilities. After 12 years teaching secondary English in public schools, I moved to the university setting to support pre-service and practicing teachers and administrators. I earned the title of full professor at Vermont State University/Castleton

(VTSU) last April, after 24 meaningful semesters. This year, I embarked upon a one year position as Interim Associate Director for the Madison Center for Civic Engagement at James Madison University (JMU), where I have been instrumental in helping shape the future of this presidential unit and the lives of future leaders. We are moving to Charlottesville shortly, and I would be thrilled to serve as a College Counselor for College Solutions, Inc.

As I have done in the past, I currently supervise undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students, and I have spent the past ten months strategically helping JMU foster their Better Conversations Together: Dialogue program, which encourages civil discourse and champions civic-related initiatives. Because of my background in restorative practices, peer-to-peer facilitation, systems and structures, and perspective-taking, I am an excellent fit for a position that encourages a culture of kindness, inclusivity, and professionalism and that encourages students to achieve personal outcomes.

I have extensive experience supporting, mentoring, and advising students. I served as advisor to VTSU’s Student Education Association and as counselor for VTSU’s Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society for all 12 years of my university experience. I coordinated VTSU’s educational leadership program, served as Chair of the Education Department for three years, and I deeply understand university settings and the application process. I have built lasting relationships with professionals across the country and the world and, in recent years, in an effort to learn from diverse audiences, I moved into international engagement, twice earning grants to teach in Kazakhstan as a Fulbright Specialist. Leading with Integrity is not just the name of a graduate course I have designed and taught, it is part of my values system. I recognize the complexities of the current educational landscape and lean into those challenges. Proactive, detail-oriented, and compassionate, I also recognize the resilient nature of students. My dissertation, which later became a book, is written as a scholarly personal narrative focused upon socio/emotional needs of students, teachers, and families and celebrating research in the field of resilience. I know the value of asset-based language, the strength of relationships-based partnerships, and the importance of confidentiality. My background in culturally-responsive and trauma-informed pedagogy would make me a clear asset to your team, as well. Diplomatic, dedicated, dependable, and curious, I can provide student support from an ethical leadership lens and would make an impactful difference in Crozet and beyond. Thank you for considering me as an exceptional candidate for this part-time, online role, and I look forward to hearing back from you soon. Sincerely,

Dr. Monica McEnerny

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Dr. Monica McEnerny (she/her)

Harrisonburg, VA 22801, 802-***-****, *********@*****.*** Resumé/Curriculum Vitae

I am a flexible and creative educator and administrator who has worked with pre-service and practicing professionals and with undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate participants, in classrooms and online. I have served as a full-time, tenured university faculty and staff member, and my efforts center around the support and encouragement of learners and leaders. My overarching mission is to design, engage upon, and support authentic learning experiences. I have aligned my work with diverse populations in an effort to foster more globally joyful, inclusive, and experiential learning environments. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Interim Associate Director, Madison Center for Civic Engagement, James Madison University, July 2024 - Present. This is a one year position.

● In this administrative and professional faculty role, I supervise the day-to-day activities of Democracy and Facilitation Fellow students, post-graduate fellows, and a graduate assistant whose main purposes are to educate and inspire their community to address public issues and cultivate the common good. As a member of our team, I help design and implement civic engagement efforts across campus and community, which includes integrating civic learning in classrooms.

I work in partnership with numerous organizations, including The Institute for Citizens & Scholars (Cohort #1), VA Engaged (Initiator of working group on Civics and Careers), Close Up Foundation (recent panelist), Student Learn Students Vote, the American Democracy Project, Campus Vote Project, and the Next Generation Service Corp. Professor of Education, Vermont State University (formerly Castleton University) - Recommended to Full Professor in April 2024

● See the attached CV for a sampling of activities and coursework.

● Spring Term 2025 - Visiting professor for an undergraduate education course entitled Teaching Toward Democracy

● Winter Term 2025 - Visiting professor for a graduate leadership course for future school principals entitled ReCulturing The Meaning of Learning in Your School. Associate Professor of Education, Vermont State University - 2018 - 2024

● Leonard Johnson Student Government Community Excellence Award, 2019 Coordinator, Educational Leadership Program for future principals, Vermont State University - 2021-2024

Chair, Castleton University (Vermont State) Education Department, 2015-2018 - Serving 3 years in 2-year term

Assistant Professor of Education, Castleton University, 2012 – 2018 Fulbright Specialist, Almaty, Kazakhstan, KIMEP University College of Humanities and Education

June 2023 - Visiting Professor - Teaching Middle Grades Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, Organizational Behavior and Leadership, and Leadership and Management for Changes in Education

July 2016 - Visiting Professor - Teaching Educational Technology and Applied Linguistics Secondary Educator, English Language Arts, Vergennes Union High/Middle School, Vergennes, VT, 2000-2012

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EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND AND LICENSURE

Doctor of Education (EdD), Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Vermont, 2012 Master of Arts in Education, Castleton University (formerly Castleton State College), Vermont, 2000 Previous Highly Qualified Teaching Licensure: Grades 7-12 (and previously K-6) and Middle Level Endorsement

Bachelor of Arts, Randolph-Macon College, Virginia, English Major PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCES, PRESENTATIONS, AND ENGAGEMENT (Partial List) Lead Organizer, James Madison University (JMU) Health Policy Summit, April 2025 Lead Organizer, with students, JMU Changing Immigration Policies Engagement Evening, March 2025 Lead Organizer, JMU International Informed Engagement Panel, with College of Education, April 2025 Panelist, JMU, Student Government Civic Town Hall, March 2025 Presenter, JMU Diversity Conference, March 2025

Presenter, with students, Virginia Commonwealth University, IMPACT Conference, Richmond, VA, February 2025 Panelist, Student Civic Leadership Summit, Close Up Foundation, Arlington, VA, February 2025 Participant, Cohort #1, Annual Convening of Citizens & Scholars, citizensandscholars.org, Washington, DC, January 2025

Speaker to the delegation, Students Learn Students Vote Coalition, University of Maryland, College Park, MD,November 2024

Co-coordinator and Presenter, Vermont Association for Middle Level Education (VAMLE’s) Student-Led Conference, 2014 - 2024

Participant (and at times Co-coordinator and Presenter), Vermont Middle Grades Collaborative’s Teacher-Led Conference, 2013 - 2024

Participant, Vermont Principals’ Association (VPA) Winter Symposium Leadership Conference, February 2024

Presenter, A Teacher’s Journey to Kazakhstan, Fulbright Annual Conference, Denver, CO, 2023 Presenter, Middle Level Initiatives in Kazakhstan, Association for Middle Level Education Conference, MD, 2023

Presenter, Sabbatical Experiences in Kazakhstan, Vermont State Academic Excellence Retreat, VT 2023 Presenter, Pen Pal Project Between US and Kazakh Students and Teachers, Brandon Library, VT 2023 Personalized Learning Facilitator/Workshop Leader/Organizer, Vermont Middle Grades Annual Summer Institute 2013 - 2023

Transformation/Optimization for Castleton University Faculty Affairs, VT, 2021 - 2022 Community Webinar Panelist, Success in the Middle Grades, VT, 2021 Instructor, Online Course Design Full Faculty Workshop, KIMEP University, Kazakhstan, Summer 2020 Co-coordinator and Presenter, Annual VAMLE Scholar Leader Awards Banquet, Norwich University, VT 2015-2020

Instructor and/or Travel Abroad, English and Theater Programs, London, England 2008, 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019)

Coordinator, The Human Library Civic Engagement Event, Castleton University, VT,2017 Presenter, Vermont Middle Grades Institute, Google Classroom and Blended Learning, VT, 2017 Presenter, Castleton University Soundings Campus Arts Program, Journey to Kazakhstan, VT, 2017 Presenter, Brandon Library, Changing Perspectives: Empathy Curriculum, VT, 2016 Instructional Technology Facilitator, Castleton University, VT, 2015-2016 Coordinator, Our Teachers’ Stories Civic Engagement Event, Castleton University, VT, 2015 Organizer, The Price We Have to Pay, Civic Engagement Project, Castleton University, VT, 2013, 2015 Facilitator, Instructional Technology Full-Faculty Workshops, Castleton University, VT, 2014-16 Participant, Green Mountain Writers Conference, VT, 2014-2015 Presenter, Curriculum and Instruction Conference, New Orleans, LA, 2013 Soundings Program Campus Speaker, Resilience, VT, 2014 Fellow, National Writing Project, VT, 2010

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BOARD AND COMMITTEE SERVICE

Co-President, Vermont Association for Middle Level Education (VAMLE.org), 2023-24 President, Vermont Association for Middle Level Education (VAMLE.org), 2017-2020 Board Member, Brandon Artists’ Guild, VT, 2021 - 2024 Vice President, Changing Perspectives Organization, Empathy/Social/Emotional Learning, VT, 2017-2019 Campus Advisor, Student Education Association (SEA), VT, 2012 - 2024 Campus Chapter Counselor, Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society (KDP), VT, 2012 - 2024 Committee Member, various academic committees including but not limited to: Chairs (Academic Unit Heads), Cultural Affairs, Faculty Affairs, Soundings Arts Program, Retention/Promotion/Tenure, Scholarships,Faculty Assembly Committee for Teacher Education, and numerous Hiring Committees PUBLISHED WORK

Associate Editor, Autumn 2022 Issue of KIMEP University/Kazakhstan’s Language, Culture, and Environment Periodical, Theme: Monsters in Young Adolescent Literature Chief Editor and Publisher, Middle School Is Not a Building Online Resource for teachers, 2020, VAMLE.org

Author, Book, A Teacher’s Journey to Adolescence, Published by Scholars Press, 2015. Re-published Amazon/Kindle edition, 2018

Dissertation, A Teacher’s Journey to Adolescence: Scholarly and Personal Perceptions of Resilience at the Middle Level,University of Vermont, 2012

Article, Reflections on the Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Strand: VAMLE’s Middle Grades Institute.

Various Book Reviews

PROFESSIONAL TRAVEL

Multiple National Educational Conferences around the U.S., including but not limited to annual trips to Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) Conferences

Multiple VTFest Technology Conferences, Killington, VT Fulbright Residencies, Almaty, Kazakhstan, Summers 2016 and 2023 Participant, Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) National Conference, Nashville, TN 2019 Participant, Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) National Conference, Philadelphia, PA 2017 Experiential field experiences in London, Castleton University, 2014, 2016, 2018 Participant, National Education Association (NEA) Student Leadership Conference, Orlando, FL 2015 Experiential field experiences in New York City, Castleton University, 2013, 2015, 2017 Coordinator and instructor, Semester Abroad in London, 2008 Leader in Student Trips to Montreal, New York City, Boston, with School Teams, Vergennes Middle/High School, 2000-2012

Personal experiences: Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, lived 3 years in Prague, Czechoslovakia, spent 2 years as an adolescent in Leningrad (St. Petersburg), Russia, married in Antwerp, Belgium. TECHNOLOGY EXPERTISE

Proficient in Canvas, Moodle, Google Suite/Google Classroom (Certified), Microsoft Office Suite, MSTeams, Zoom, Slate, ImageNow, Procreate, Adobe, Canva, Powerschool, Nearpod, Padlet, Sona Systems, Slack, Sched, and more.

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PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES

Dr. Dave Brown, Executive Director, Vermont Association for Middle Level Education ******@*********************.*** 610-***-****

Dr. Kara Dillard, Executive Director, Madison Center for Civic Engagement, James Madison University, VA ********@***.*** 435-***-****

Ms. Melissa Muzzy, Middle Level Science Educator, Vergennes Union Middle/High School, VT ******@*****.*** 802-***-****

Dr. Anne Slonaker, Professor of Education/Literacy, Vermont State University/Castleton ****.********@************.*** 802-***-****

Dr. Juldyz Smagulova, Dean of College of Humanities/Education, KIMEP University, Kazakhstan ******@*****.**

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