Shealey named board chair for the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education

The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) has named Dr. Monika Williams Shealey, Rowan University’s senior vice president for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, chair of the organization’s board of directors.

A post on the web site EdPrepMatters published by the AACTE said Shealey will serve as board chair for one year. Her service to the AACTE comes during its 75th anniversary year and that’s fitting, she said, considering her commitment to education throughout her career.

“At the core of everything I do is the belief that education is transformative and the positions where I serve in higher education allow me to tap into my knowledge and skills as an educator,” Shealey said. “My commitment to advocacy was at the root of my work as a special education teacher, as dean of the College of Education and in my current role of senior vice president for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. I’m honored to represent Rowan University and work on behalf of AACTE members who include education candidates, doctoral students, education professionals and faculty and leaders of education preparation programs to advance our profession.”

Shealey has held academic appointments at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Florida International University in Miami; and the University of Missouri at Kansas City. She joined Rowan in 2013 as the first African American dean of the College of Education and, in 2019, President Ali Houshmand asked her to lead the University’s new Division of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. The Division was the first of its kind in the region and strives to be a model for systemic change in higher education that results in equitable outcomes for students, faculty and staff.

Shealey received her B.S. and M.A. from the University of South Florida, her Ed.S. from the University of Miami, and her Ph.D. in education from the University of Central Florida. Her research has focused on the experiences of minoritized groups in special education and on Black women in teacher education and leadership.

“We are thrilled to have Dr. Shealey serve as board chair during a year when AACTE will commemorate its 75-year history as the leading voice in educator preparation,” said President and CEO Lynn M. Gangone, Ed.D. “With her expert leadership, the organization will amplify its work to grow and diversify enrollments in colleges of education and programs of teacher education and increase the number of qualified PK-12 teachers, as well as the faculties of colleges of education.” 

In addition to serving as AACTE board chair, Shealey is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Center for Family Services and the Friends School at Mullica Hill. She is also past president of the National Association of Holmes Scholars Alumni; diversity, equity and inclusion council chair for the Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey, and chair of the American Educational Research Association’s Committee on Scholars of Color.