Grad Ed Faculty

Janet Arndt, Ed.D.
Associate Professor of Education
Director of Graduate Education
Licensure Officer

p: 978.867.4814
e: janet.arndtgordon.edu

B.A. Gordon College
Ed.M. Boston University
Ed.D. University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Dr. Arndt teaches in the undergraduate and graduate programs. She assists teacher candidates and alumni in obtaining Massachusetts as well as other states' teacher licensure. Dr. Arndt served in the public sector as a teacher, counselor, early childhood specialist, principal and policy maker for ten years as a state representative. Her research interests include transitions, learning needs of students with disabilities, the impact of social emotional competence on learning, family-school partnerships, and intentional teaching for young children.

Ian DeWeese-Boyd, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Graduate Education and Philosophy

e: ian.deweese-boyd@gordon.edu

B.A. University of South Carolina
M.A. Covenant Theological Seminary
Ph.D. Saint Louis University

Janis D. Flint-Ferguson, D.A.
Professor of Education and English
Chair-Middle School, Secondary, ESL Education

p: 978.867.4317
e: janis.flint-fergusongordon.edu

B.A. North Central College
M.S., D.A. Illinois State University

Both a composition and English education specialist, Dr. Flint-Ferguson began teaching at Gordon in 1990. Her additional areas of interest and scholarship include adolescent literature, women's literature, literacy, and rhetorical theory. Dr. Flint-Ferguson is a widely sought after educational consultant. She is also the editor of The Journal of the New England League of Middle Schools, a refereed publication focusing on strategies and issues in education as well as on current educational research. An avid sports fan, Dr. Flint-Ferguson regularly participates in the Gordon faculty/staff Monday Night Football gatherings (Go Bears!) and annually attends the Indianapolis 500 auto race.

Priscilla Nelson, Ed.M.
Associate Professor of Education

p: 978.867.4359
e: priscilla.nelsongordon.edu

B.S. Gordon College
Ed.M. Boston University
Ed.D. University of Massachusetts, Lowell

Priscilla Nelson, Class of '74, returned to Gordon's Education Department after twenty years of combined experience as a public school classroom teacher, an elementary Christian school principal, and an adjunct professor at Gordon. Priscilla pursued advanced study at Boston University and the University of Massachusetts. This enables her to prepare teachers of reading using the most recent scientifically based research. She served as a Master Trainer in the Massachusetts Department of Education's Teacher Reading Academies under the Reading First legislation. Priscilla's doctoral studies focused on the perceived disconnect between scientifically based research and the teacher preparation program.

Donna Robinson, Ed.D.
Associate Professor of Education

p: 978.867.4326
e: donna.robinsongordon.edu

B.S.  Gordon College
M.A., CAGS   Salem State College
Ed.D. University of Massachusetts, Lowell

Donna (Vincent) Robinson , Class of’70, came back to Gordon with 16 years teaching experience and a passion for promoting middle and secondary level reading that includes applicable literacy skills, an emphasis on complex text and a commitment to critical thinking. In the 13 years she has taught at Gordon her research and academic interests have centered on interactive teaching strategies and dialogic discourse that engenders retention of information and student engagement. Her doctoral research on the Paideia Seminar is published on the National Paideia Center’s website. Donna teaches elementary, middle, secondary and graduate courses.

Graeme D. Bird
Associate Professor of Linguistics and Classics

e: Graeme.Birdgordon.edu

B.A., M.A. Auckland University
B.D. London University
B.M. Berklee College of Music
M.A., Ph.D. Harvard University

Dr. Bird is a native of New Zealand and has been teaching full-time at Gordon since 2001. His interests include Greek and Latin language and literature, Indo-European linguistics, and early English literature. He is a participant in the Harvard-affiliated Homer Multi-text Project, with a chapter in a book due out in the fall dealing with a celebrated medieval manuscript of Homer's Iliad. He enjoys exploring the connections between such diverse disciplines as Homeric poetry, historical linguistics, Greek mathematics, computer programming, and jazz improvization (he plays piano professionally and for relaxation). He co-directs the Linguistics major and minor and oversees the minor in Classics

Mary Beth Goodell, M.Ed.
Adjunct Professor, Special Education Assessment and Intervention, Language and Learning Disabilities, Methods

e: mary.goodellgordon.edu

B.S. Lesley University
M.Ed. Lesley University

Mary Beth Goodell brings a rich variety of experiences to Gordon College. Mary Beth has been a learning specialist, head integration teacher, assistant principal, and assistant director of special education at schools in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. She provided learning support at The British School in Paris. Mary Beth teaches several special education courses in Gordon’s undergraduate and graduate programs. Mary Beth is currently the Out of District Coordinator for the Windham Public School District in New Hampshire.

K. David Goss
Assistant Professor
History

e: David.Gossgordon.edu

B.A. Gordon College
M.A. Tufts University
Ph.D. Candidate, Boston University

Teaching Fields:
Museum Studies, Public History, Early American Maritime and Intellectual

Research Fields:
Museum Studies, New England Puritanism, American Revolution, New England Maritime

Selected Publications:
The Salem Witch Trials: A Reference Guide. (Westport: Greenwood Press, 2008).
Salem: Cornerstones of a Historic City. (Commonwealth Editions, 1999).
Treasures of a Seaport Town. (Beverly Historical Society and Museum, 1998).
Salem: Maritime Salem in the Age of Sail. U. S. National Park Service, 1987. (AAM Publication Award)
Massachusetts Officers and Soldiers in the French and Indian Wars: 1755-1756 , Society of Colonial Wars and New England Historic and Genealogic Society, 1985.
"Heritage Plaza East: Salem's Experiment in Urban Renewal", Essex Institute Historical Collections, October, 1983.

Mariann Illingworth, M.Ed.
Adjunct Professor, Language Acquisition, English as a Second Language, Sheltered English Instruction

e: mariann.illingworthgordon.edu

B.S. Salem State University
M.Ed. Salem State University

Mariann Illingworth brings a wealth of teaching experience to the Gordon College Department of Education. Mariann currently teaches the English as a Second Language courses at Gordon and previously taught at North Shore Community College. She is a teacher of history, French and ESL at Danvers High School. Her early teaching experience included teaching middle school (social studies, French and Spanish) at North Shore Christian School in Lynn.

Gregory S. Keller
Associate Professor of Conservation Biology
Curator of Birds and Mammals

p: 978.867.4852
e: greg.kellergordon.edu

B.S. Alma College
M.A. The College of William and Mary
Ph.D. in Ecology with Conservation Biology Emphasis, The Pennsylvania State University

Dr. Keller joined Gordon College in 2007 after teaching for five years at Eastern New Mexico University, where he was an Assistant Professor of Wildlife Ecology. As a conservation biologist, Dr. Keller focuses his research on the impacts humans have on biological systems, including a variety of taxonomic groups (birds, mammals, amphibians, and insects) and a variety of biological scales (habitats, landscapes, and ecosystems). Primarily, Dr. Keller and his students try to determine how migratory birds are impacted by habitat fragmentation, and if using tools like Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and analysis of foraging behavior allow researchers to determine causes of population declines in these species. Most recently, Dr. Keller has established a study analyzing the uniqueness of bog habitats in northern New England compared to other non-forested habitats.

Kimberly Leonard. M.Ed.
Adjunct Professor, Early Childhood, Reading, Special Education

e: kimberly.leonardgordon.edu

B.A. Gordon College
M. Ed. Gordon College

Kimberly Leonard, Class of 1989 (Sociology), is licensed in Early Childhood Education, Special Education, Reading, and English as a Second Language. Kim has been in the field of education for over 20 years. She has experience within all four disciplines and currently serves as Elementary Education Coordinator for Georgetown Public Schools and consults as a reading specialist at Covenant Christian Academy. She has seven years of experience teaching graduate and undergraduate education courses at Gordon with a special interest in teaching reading. Kim is currently pursuing a doctorate in education.

Kathleen Mort, Ed.D.
Adjunct Professor, Human Development, Action Research, Classroom Management

e: kathleen.mortgordon.edu

B.A. Rhode Island College
M.Ed. Rhode Island College
Ed.D. Johnson and Wales University

Kathy worked in public middle and high schools in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island for over thirty years. She taught English, speech, theatre, and served as a reading specialist and consultant. Additionally, she spent one year in Liberia, West Africa where she taught middle school students and did adult literacy work in a village. Previous administrative positions include district-wide professional development coordinator, assistant principal for curriculum, instruction, and assessment, middle school principal, and educator quality specialist. Kathy serves as the Director of Curriculum and Training with DELTA Ministries International, an interdenominational evangelical organization that supports U.S. and international local churches in short-term missions.

Ryan Plosker, Ed.D.
Adjunct Professor, Special Education, Educational Leadership, School Law

e: ryan.ploskergordon.edu

B.S. Northeastern University
M.S./CAGS Northeastern University
Ed.D. University of Massachusetts

Ryan Plosker has taught Exceptional Child courses at Gordon College for several years. He is the Executive Director and founder of New England Academy, a private school that caters to the social-emotional and academic needs of students in grades 6-12. Ryan worked in both clinical and school settings throughout his career. He brings extensive experience as a school psychologist, private school director and special education administrator in the Methuen Public School system.

Robert Talbot
Part-Time Instructor
English

e: robert.talbotgordon.edu

B.A. Gordon College
M.A. Syracuse University
Ph.D. Duke University