Tag: Alumni

Sgt. John Liehr, graduate of NSU’s Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice (FCE&SCJ), has been promoted to Administrative Captain of the Smyrna Police Department (Tennessee).

Last year, Sgt. Liehr was recognized for his 25-year commitment to serving the Smyrna Police Department. He joined Smyrna Police Department in 1994 as a patrolman and worked his way through the ranks of the department, serving as a field training officer, corporal in the Patrol Division, sergeant in the Patrol Division, detective, detective sergeant of narcotics, and detective sergeant of the Detective Division.

Sgt. Liehr earned his M.S. in Criminal Justice with FCE&SCJ in 2007.

JoAnne Negrin, Ed.D.

JoAnne Negrin, Ed.D., graduate of NSU’s Abraham S. Fischer College of Education and School of Criminal Justice was honored last month as Visionary Supervisor of the Year by the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association.

Negrin is Supervisor of English Language Learners (ELL), Bilingual Education, World Languages, and Performing Arts for Vineland Public Schools. Under her leadership, Vineland’s K-5 Bilingual Program has become a New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) Model Program for 2016-2018 and four other programs were designated NJDOE Model Programs for 2018-2020.

Additionally, she is also Immediate Past President of New Jersey Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages/New Jersey Bilingual Educators and current Council Member and Chair of the English Language Learners Committee of the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association.

Dr. Negrin earned her Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from the Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice in 2014.

To view the video from the NJPSA awards ceremony, please click here.

Brian Creasman, Ed.D.

Brian Creasman, Ed.D., a two-time graduate of NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice, has been named Kentucky’s 2020 Superintendent of the Year.

 Creasman, who serves as the superintendent of Fleming County Schools in Kentucky, moves on to compete with other state winners to become a finalist for the National Superintendent of the Year Award, given by the American Association of School Administrators in February 2020.

 After serving in multiple administrative roles, Creasman accepted the head position for the Fleming County Schools in 2014. As superintendent, he has made a point to work closely with members of the board of education, school and district administrators and staff, parents, and community members.

 Through these partnerships, Fleming County Schools has gone from a district that was state monitored due to financial instability, leadership capacity, and student achievement, to a high-performing district.

 Creasman earned his Doctor of Education in 2012 and an Education Specialist Degree in 2005, both from the FCE&SCJ.

Pamela Swanson, Ed.D

Pamela Swanson, Ed.D., graduate of NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice, has been named Colorado’s 2020 Superintendent of the Year.

Dr. Swanson has been with Westminster Public Schools (WPS) since 1995 and served in several positions. She was named interim superintendent in 2011 and appointed superintendent in 2012.  WPS serves a diverse population, in which 80 percent of the students qualify for free and reduced lunch.

Under her leadership, WPS became the largest school district in the country to become entirely competency based. This personalized model is rooted in the belief that every child learns differently, and it shifts the system from traditional grades and grade levels to a system requiring students to show mastery of topics before moving to the next level.

Dr. Swanson and her team are recognized as nationwide leaders in competency based education and have become strong advocates for reforming how schools and districts are evaluated. She will represent Colorado in the 2020 American Association of School Administrators (AASA)’s National Superintendent of the Year Program.

She earned her Doctor of Education from the FCE&SCJ in 2004.