Lauren M. Barrow, Ph.D.
Lauren M. Barrow, Ph.D. is currently Chair of the Center for Education, Advocacy & Social Justice, and an Associate Professor of Justice Studies at Chestnut Hill College. She began her criminal justice career at the National Victim Center (NVC) in Arlington VA. While working at NVC, she was a team-member for the Looking Back—Moving Forward: A Guidebook for Communities Responding to Sexual Assault and the Focus on the Future: A Systems Approach to Prosecution and Victim Assistance projects. She left Washington DC to pursue graduate studies at CUNY Graduate Center, John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. During her career, she worked on several federal and national research projects, including assessing Federal Drug Treatment Evaluation in NYC (Urban Institute), and surveying AAC Board users regarding victimization (Inst. For Excellence, Temple University).
Dr. Barrow has been teaching criminal justice courses for over 20 years and has taught undergraduate, graduate, and online students. She first taught as an adjunct instructor for undergraduates at John Jay College and Queens College in New York, then as a graduate instructor at Monmouth University, NJ before joining Kaplan University as a full-time online instructor. She joined the full-time faculty at Chestnut Hill College in 2011, and since then, has taught a wide range of criminal justice courses and is regionally recognized for her innovative course designs
Laurie Borger, Ed.D.
Laurie Borger has spent over 30 years as an elementary public school teacher and curriculum leader in Bucks County. She earned her B.A. in Elementary Education at the University of New Orleans. She continued her education at Kutztown University by earning an M.Ed. in Elementary School Guidance and Counseling followed by an M.Ed. in Education from De Sales University. She earned her Doctoral degree in Educational Leadership K-12: Curriculum, Instruction, and Staff Development from Widener University. Her dissertation thesis was, “Embedding Argumentation Discourse within Elementary Inquiry Teaching: Implications for Professional Development.” She is a National Board Certified Teacher. Her numerous curriculum leadership roles were focused in the areas of professional development for Science, Math, and STEAM instruction. Laurie has been teaching education courses and supporting student teachers at Chestnut Hill College since 2013.
Theresa A. Deckebach, M.Ed
Theresa A. Deckebach is an educator who began her teaching journey as an undergraduate at Kutztown University (Kutztown, PA) under the watchful eye of Dr. Elizabeth Liddicoat and other wonderful mentors. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in elementary education and a concentration in reading, Theresa returned to New Jersey to teach at the Frank Antonides School in West Long Branch. Later, she moved to Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, where she continued her elementary teaching career. While teaching third graders at Fort Washington Elementary in Upper Dublin, Theresa pursued both her graduate degree and a reading specialist certification from Cabrini College. A few years after completing that graduate work, Theresa was invited to teach as an adjunct at Cabrini College. Theresa served as a reading specialist in the Wissahickon School District for a decade and then returned to classroom instruction for the final decade of her career. In 2011, Theresa earned her National Board Certification in Literacy: Reading-Language Arts/Early and Middle Childhood. She was also very active in the Delaware Valley Reading Association (presently KSLA Delaware Valley), serving as its president for a term. In her community, Theresa has served as a trustee on the board of the Abington Township Public Library and is the proud steward of a Little Free Library.
Kathy M. Gibson, M.Ed
As the Benchmark Coordinator for Education students, Kathy supports students as they strive to meet all Pre-professional Benchmark Requirements before reaching 60 credits, as mandated by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. She focuses on maintaining continuous communication with students and advisors and keeping accurate records of student progress.
Kathy has extensive experience in the field of education having been an instructor at Chestnut Hill College at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Previously, Kathy had an extensive career with the Upper Dublin School District as a teacher leader and educator and as an administrator for Professional Development. Additionally, Kathy served as a member on the Board of Directors of Learning Forward PA, the leading organization in support of professional development in Pennsylvania. Another position held by Kathy at CHC has been in the Office of Field Experience where she was instrumental in developing partnerships with local school districts.
Marie Leahy, SSJ, Ed.D.
Marie Leahy, SSJ, Ed.D. is a Sister of Saint Joseph and Chair of Undergraduate Education. She received a B.A. in Economics and Philosophy and Religion from Ursinus College, an M.Ed. in Multicultural Education from Eastern University, and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership K-12: Curriculum, Instruction, and Staff Development from Widener University. Sister Marie spent 25 years as a classroom teacher and has taught all subjects and numerous grade levels. Her areas of expertise lie in classroom management, trauma-informed teaching, mathematics, language arts, and social studies. Throughout her teaching career, she served as a curriculum coordinator and a mentor teacher. Her scholarly achievements include published peer-reviewed articles on the effects of childhood trauma as it pertains to the school setting, diversity in children’s literature, and early readers and academic success. She currently serves on the Board of Limited Jurisdiction at Our Mother of Consolation School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Nancy Levitt, M.Ed.
Nancy L. Levitt is the Education Partnership Liaison and Student Teaching & Field Experience Coordinator for Chestnut Hill College. She focuses on building and sustaining relationships with local schools. Developing partnerships provides her with opportunities to directly engage with school administrators and teachers meeting both the needs of local schools and pre-service teachers. She directly supports pre-student teaching field placements allowing her to spend time in some partnership elementary schools. She has extensive experience as a preschool teacher, director, elementary teacher, and reading specialist.
Elizabeth McGowen, M.S.
Elizabeth McGowen is an educator with thirty years of experience in the education field as a teacher and administrator. She holds certifications in Elementary and Special Education, and she is a certified Reading Specialist. Elizabeth has taught students with a variety of special needs and has an extensive background in administration, serving sixteen years in special education school administration roles. She also has participated in Philadelphia’s Early Intervention program as a Specialized Instructor.
Father Robert Mulligan, OSFS
Robert G. Mulligan, OSFS is an Instructor in Education in the Center for Education, Advocacy, and Social Justice. Robert has extensive experience in the classroom as a university instructor at DeSales University, Neumann University, Cabrini University, and Chestnut Hill College.
Robert has been a practitioner in secondary education as a principal in Daytona Beach, FL, Fairfax, VA, and Philadelphia, PA, and an assistant principal in Daytona Beach, FL, and Wilmington, DE. He has been a classroom teacher on the secondary level in the areas of social studies 7-12 and social science 7-12.
Robert’s research areas include classroom management and civility in the higher education classroom. He has published in the areas of metacognition, management of behavior for the adult learner, and assessment of learning in the clinical setting.
Leonard Spearing, Ph.D
Leonard M. Spearing has served as an Assistant Professor of Education at Chestnut Hill College since 2015. His primary area of emphasis is Special Education, with particular attention to students with Emotional Behavior Disorders and Autism. Areas of research include perceived self-efficacy, assistive technology, and learned helplessness.
Prior to his tenure at Chestnut Hill College, Leonard was employed as a special education teacher and coach for 35 years in Council Rock School District. Dr. Spearing earned his B.A. from LaSalle University in Special Education and an M.Ed. from Temple University in Educational Media. He received his Ph.D. from Drexel University in the area of Educational Leadership and Learning Technology. His current PDE certifications include Special Education PK-12, Math, Science, English and Social Studies. He also holds a letter of eligibility as a School Superintendent.
