Martha McCarthy was preparing to retire from her faculty position at Indiana University and wasn’t in the job market when she was nominated to be the SOE’s first Presidential Professor. “It was serendipity,” says one of the nation’s leading scholars in educational law and policy. “I was so impressed with the school and its commitment to social justice.”
A former public school teacher and administrator, McCarthy spent more than three decades at Indiana University, where her scholarship earned her the Campbell Lifetime Achievement Award from the University Council of Educational Administration – the highest honor bestowed in the educational leadership field. Her work has focused on First Amendment issues in schools, including church-state relations, challenges to public school programs, equity issues and students’ and teachers’ rights.
Antonia Darder, newly arrived from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the first endowed chair holder in the SOE, feels the same way as McCarthy. “To be able to engage doctoral students about ethical and moral issues related to social justice makes this a terrific match,” says the renowned scholar and activist, who examines and addresses conditions of inequality and social exclusion within schools and society.
Darder, who began her career as a pediatric nurse and psychotherapist, is today internationally recognized for her publications on culture, pedagogy and power. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in East Los Angeles, her experience growing up in poverty and struggling with educational practices that impede the success of disenfranchised students continues to inform her work. “I use my scholarship as a political tool in the struggle for social justice,” Darder says. “I am thrilled to be at LMU, where our students are on the front lines, becoming leaders in this struggle.”
The addition of McCarthy and Darder, among other outstanding faculty, has increased the stature of a school already on the rise. Joining McCarthy and Darder are nine other outstanding new faculty:
Beth Brewer, Ed.D.
Visiting Professor
Catholic Teacher Preparation
Megan Caldwell, M.A.
Clinical Faculty
CMAST / Math + Special Education
Ernesto Colín, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Anthropology of Education
Antonia Darder, Ph.D.
Leavey Presidential Chair & Professor
Moral and Ethical Leadership
Lindsay DeVeny, M.A.
Clinical Faculty
CMAST / Math Education
Clara Garay, M.A. cand.
Clinical Faculty
CMAST / Science Education
Michael Gottfried, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Economics of Education
Karie Huchting, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Quantitative Research
Martha McCarthy, Ph.D.
Presidential Professor
Education Law and Policy
Philip Molebash, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Educational Technology
Anthony Sabatino, Ed.D.
Assistant Professor
Catholic School Leadership
