The Center for Education in Appalachia Staff

Van O. Dempsey is the Dean of the School of Education at Fairmont State University. He is a native of Scotland Neck, a small town in rural eastern North Carolina and a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Van had the opportunity to participate in North Carolina’s dynamic education reform efforts of the 1980’s, and his experience includes teaching at the high school and university levels. Now a resident of Morgantown, West Virginia, he provided long-time leadership to the Benedum Collaborative, a nationally recognized school-university partnership at West Virginia University. Van has also served in national and state leadership capacities in initiatives such as the West Virginia Partnerships for Teacher Quality (WVPTQ), the National Network for Educational Renewal, and as the state contact for West Virginia’s partnership with the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF).

Craig S. McClellan is the Director of The Center for Education in Appalachia. A native of Logan West Virginia, he is a recent doctoral graduate of West Virginia University and resides in Morgantown. Craig also has degrees from Marshall University and Radford University. With extensive teaching and administrative experience in the public schools of Virginia and educational policy work at the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), he brings a unique perspective of the challenges facing educational stakeholders when formulating policy for implementation at the local level.

Barbara Owens is the Professional Development School Partnership Director for the School of Education. A graduate of Fairmont State University and West Virginia University, she is a native of Elkins, West Virginia and has long resided in Bridgeport. Barbara was a career middle schools teacher for Harrison County schools before coming to work at Fairmont State. Among her responsibilities include a focus on 21^st Century teacher professional preparation and development

Lucas C. Moore serves as a program assistant for The Center for Education in Appalachia and a liaison between the School of Education and the Fairmont State GEAR UP project.  Lucas is a native of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, a small Appalachian town in the southwestern region of the state. With a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, and a master’s degree from West Virginia University, he is currently a doctoral student in the Educational Psychology program at West Virginia University.  Lucas has been involved in both research and evaluation efforts within West Virginia that are specific to education policy related issues. 

Erica Garrett is the responsible for Center Communications. A resident of Monongha West Virginia in Marion County, she is also a Business and Computer Science major at Fairmont State University. Erica effectively manages Center records, logistics and technology related issues such as the Center website. 

Louella Rennie is responsible for financial matters within The Center for Education in Appalachia. Louella is a native of Fairmont West Virginia, and is herself a business graduate of Fairmont State University.