Welcome to our spring 2025 edition of Engagement. We are pleased to share College of Education and Social Services news about our ongoing work to support children, youth, families, and communities through experiential learning, interdisciplinary programs, research, and community partnerships.
We are proud to highlight our expanded engagement with communities, schools, and state and global partners. Read on to learn about our students' success, innovative partnerships, internship opportunities, community engagement, new programs, faculty and staff awards, and much more.
The excitement surrounding Commencement weekend (May 17–18) brings new energy as we celebrate our graduates and watch them bring our CESS mission and UVM values forward into the world. As spring comes to Vermont and our beautiful campus, warmer temperatures and increasing sunshine remind us of the need to center on hope and its power to make the world a better place.
Thank you for your support of our vibrant college and the larger UVM community. Our important and impactful work is done in partnership with all of you, and for that we are deeply grateful. Happy spring to all!
Katharine (Katie) Shepherd, Ed.D. Levitt Family Green and Gold Professor and Dean
Rewards of the Profession
From a young age, Kevin Columbo remembers the kindness of teachers who made a difference in his life. “They showed me just how important the job of a teacher is," he recalls.
“I enjoy finding ways to break down ideas to help students conceptualize it in their own way,” says the Class of 2025 Secondary Education major. “It’s great to see something finally click with students.”
Entering the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program, Nova Mordecai dreamed of working as an equine-assisted psychotherapist. Mordecai's dream became reallity through a UVM internship program integrating mental health workers into rural community schools.
“I was able to work with children and families in the local rural community to apply course curriculum concepts in real life and real time," says Mordecai.
“I was drawn to the way the program equips educators to engage critically with policy, research, and leadership theory while staying grounded in the real challenges schools and communities face," says Monica Desrochers about the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Ed.D. Program. "My dissertation allowed me to explore the relationship between school leadership, race, gender and teacher perceptions—topics that directly relate to the work I do every day.”
When Isabel Wolhandler took her first Human Development and Family Science course, she had her 'aha' moment. "I knew that I was in the right place,” recalls the Phi Beta Kappa electee and Presidential Scholarship recipient.
The course prompting her to switch majors was HDF 1050 (Human Development). “This class blew my mind and opened my world to view the human experience through a developmental lens,” she says.
“I thought it would be great for them to learn more about where their food comes from and what farmers do,” says Annie Boudreau about connecting local middle schoolers with the UVM Dairy Barn. “The whole experience was so heartwarming and fulfilling. I felt like this is what my future could look like. Partnering with a community, with farming, with animals, and seeing the children so excited and inspired.”
Throughout her journey to become an early childhood educator, Charlie Meecham's sense of purpose has been clear and unwavering. “It just always feels like the right thing to do," she says. Along the way, Meecham navigates the challenges associated with her physical disability. “I’ve had to work super hard,” says the Class of 2025 senior. “It affects my whole body, my mobility, and my energy.”
“Service-learning is all about taking what you’ve learned in the classroom and using it to help people,” says Kaito Esselstrom '26.
As students in Kathleen Brinegar’s Teachers and the Teaching Process course, Esselstrom and Mia Sherwood showcased their experiences at an event hosted by the Office of Community-Engaged Learning (CELO) on May 1. Brinegar received the Outstanding New Community-Engaged Learning Faculty Award given by CELO.
Catamount Community Schools Collaborative Expands Reach of UVM Internship Program
The Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships recently announced the return of UVM's Statewide Internship Program. The internships offer students a chance to explore rural communities and engage in resilience efforts supporting the state.
Through collaboration with CESS, the program will expand into the White River Valley. These internships were designed to align with the Catamount Community Schools Collaborative, part of a national effort integrating community resources into local schools to have them function like community centers.
Tricia Brown was named as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) STEM Faculty Fellow. Brown is one of four faculty fellows from UVM who will lead year-long faculty communities of practice joining in inquiry, exploration, and pedagogical innovation.
For outstanding scientific contributions in special education and applied research, Justin Garwood received the Martin J. Kaufman Early Career Research Award given by Council for Exceptional Children. He also received UVM’s Prelock Online Teaching Award for his Behavior Management course.
AERA Honors Faculty at National Convention
At the recent AERA 2025 Annual Conference, the American Educational Research Association honored two UVM faculty as Outstanding Reviewers for 2024: Rebecca Callahan for Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, and Jesse Suter for AERA Open.
Eliana Castro was invited to join a Presidential Session at AERA 2025. The session was titled Toward the Fulfillment of Full Personhood: The Persistent Invisibility of Latinx Communities Across Institutions 4.0.
AERA's Queer Studies Special Interest Group (SIG) honored Jay Garvey with the Body of Work Award for his numerous scholarly contributions. The SIG also named Dolan Dolanas the recipient of the Dissertation of the Year Award for Nonbinary BIPOC College Students’ Freedom Dreams of Utopia.
A Pioneer for Change
Each year, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education selects a cohort of emerging scholars and features their stories in an edition of their magazine. As a selectee for the 2025 cohort, Brittany (Brit) Williams was recognized as Pioneer for Change and featured on the magazine’s cover.
Following a national search, Associate Professor and Interim Chair Jennifer Putneywas named Chair of the Department of Social Work. Putney is a nationally recognized scholar and educator whose work focuses on substance use, LGBTQ+ health, rural mental health, with a sustained commitment to dismantling stigma and advancing equity. Her leadership is rooted in collaboration, critical inquiry, and a deep commitment to social justice.
The Office of the Provost named Kaitlin Northey as a recipient of the Kroepsch-Maurice Excellence in Teaching Award. The award recognizes her work to advance the early childhood education profession and prepare students as advocates and agents of change.
The Office of Community-Engaged Learing (CELO) honored Kathleen Brinegar as a recipient of the Outstanding New Community-Engaged Learning Faculty Award.
For her ongoing work to advance inclusive excellence at UVM, Tracy Arámbula Turner received with the Joan Mulholland Freedom Rider Award given by the Mosaic Center
The Women and Gender Equity Center and the Student Government Association joined forces to celebrate and honor the contributions of faculty for their dedication to promote gender equity and intersectional belonging:
Nicole Conroy received the Outstanding Faculty Award for exemplary leadership in advancing gender equity with a commitment to creating inclusive academic environments through innovative teaching practices, pioneering research, and active campus engagement.
Summer Pennell received the Edith Hendley Award for demonstrated excellence in research, scholarship, teaching, and dedicated service to women.
CESS Faculty Awards Announced
Congratulations to the following honorees for their outstanding commitment and respresentation of our collage and the university community:
Kaitie Northey: John Dewey Educator's Award for Excellence in Teaching recognizing her ability to connect theory and practice and to bring to life what it means to educate for the advancement of a civil society.
Christine ProulxandRegina Toolin: Joseph A. Abruscato Award for Excellence in Research and Scholarship recognizing them as exemplars who achieve the ideals of the teacher-scholar. Jacqueline Weinstock andLeon Walls:Jackie M. Gribbons Award for Extraordinary Serviceto their academic department, the college, the university, and the community. Kelly Clark/Keefe: The Judith A. Aiken Award for Relational Leadership celebrating her inclusive collaboration in cultivating relationships and partnerships that demonstrate what is possible when individuals and diverse groups come together to achieve a shared goal.
Honoring Our Staff
We are pround to recognize the outstanding contributions of four College of Education and Social Services difference makers receiving Staff Recognition Awards. We are grateful for their effort, expertise, ingenuity, and colleagueship. Congratulations to the following award recipients:
At local community schools, seniors and youth find connection through an intergenerational meals program. Led by faculty and students with the Catamount Community School Collaborative, the partnership with school and supervisory union leaders is supported by funding from the Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships. WCAX recently featured the program bringing Northeast Kingdom seniors and students together at the Newport Town School.
As an undergraduate student majoring in Social Work with a minor in Human Development and Family Science, Jenna Barry exemplifies UVM's Our Common Ground value of Openness. Through her coursework, she engaged with the local community, providing service to the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project and the Meals on Wheels. She also contributes to the wellbeing of peers working in the Honors College advising office.
As professional advisors in the CESS Student Services Office, Will Major, Catherine (Cat) Cane, and Eric Braun exemplify UVM's Our Common Ground value of Innovation in their work to support the success and wellbeing of CESS undergraduate students. Together, they implement strategies that improve access and reduce barriers for students.
The UVM Department of Education is proud to launch a Literacy Hub led by faculty and staff committed to ensuring high-quality literacy educator preparation. With funding through the generosity of the Sidney E. Frank Foundation, the group is completing year one of a two-year strategic visioning and implementation plan for preparing educators, deepening collaborative partnerships, and disseminating scholarship at the state and national level.
New micro Certificates of Graduate Study Available
Three new micro Certificates of Graduate Study (mCGS) offer targeted pathways that can be completed in one year and/or stacked into future graduate programming. Online delivery format allows flexibility for working professionals.
Registration is open for UVM Summer University courses with a 30% discount on tuition and many online and hybrid options for your convenience. Find a course that suits your professional interests:
