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.
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.
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.
