Ena Shelley Chosen for 2016 Pomeroy Award
AACTE has selected Ena Goodrich Shelley, professor and dean of the College of Education at Butler University (IN), to receive the 2016 AACTE Edward C. Pomeroy Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teacher Education. The award will be presented at the 68th AACTE Annual Meeting Welcoming Session, Tuesday, February 23, at The Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas.
The Pomeroy Award, named for longtime AACTE Executive Director Edward C. Pomeroy, recognizes distinguished service either to the educator preparation community or to the development and promotion of outstanding practices in educator preparation at the collegiate, state, or national level.
Dean Shelley wins accolades in both of these categories, captured in an impressive nomination portfolio submitted by a passionate coalition of faculty, staff, and students at Butler and beyond.
“I have never known anyone who sets such a high bar with such positive energy. Everyone—professors, students, administrators, and parents—wants to follow her example and is inspired by her energy, focus, and good humor,” writes world-renowned researcher and educator Louise Cadwell in her nomination letter. Cadwell calls Shelley “a tireless advocate for equality, for inclusion, for high-quality early education for every child.”
Professor Arthur Hochman, who has worked with Dean Shelley at Butler for 26 years, pins her success on her unique ability to build common ground and lead by example. “She has no enemies,” he writes. “She is not merely able to rally the troops, preach to the choir, or fight the opposition—she is also able to build bridges that others cannot, to connect with those in direct opposition to teacher education.”
Shelley has shared her expertise on early childhood education and the Reggio Emilia approach in numerous presentations and publications, and she helped create the Indianapolis Reggio Collaborative and the public Butler Lab School that extends Reggio principles beyond early childhood through middle school.
Her service to the profession takes many forms. In addition to her leadership locally at her institution and with partner schools, she recently served as president of the Indiana Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and is a regional representative to the Executive Committee of AACTE’s Advisory Council of State Representatives (ACSR). She has led or presented at numerous state and national conferences and advocacy events. Last month, she was elected chair-elect of ACSR, a role that also earns her a seat on the AACTE Board of Directors beginning March 1.
“Ena Shelley’s influence and dedication to the field of teacher education and her contributions to practices in all levels of education are exemplary,” said James M. Danko, president of Butler University. “AACTE made an excellent choice for the 2016 Edward C. Pomeroy Award. Butler University is extraordinarily proud, and we congratulate her on this honor.”
Shelley has been on the faculty at Butler University since 1982 and served as education dean since 2005, where she embodies the vision of developing educators to be agents of change who can confront inequities in schools and society. She is a three-time graduate of Indiana State University, with a B.S. in elementary education, M.S. in early childhood and elementary education, and Ph.D. in early childhood education and child psychology.
Nominations for the Pomeroy Award are reviewed by the AACTE Committee on Professional Preparation and Accountability. AACTE issued a press release today announcing all of its 2016 award winners. For more information on AACTE’s awards program, visit http://aacte.org/professional-development-and-events/awards. Applications for next year’s awards open in June.
Tags: Annual Meeting
