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Division of Graduate Studies

Graduate Studies Links

Graduate Studies Staff

Dr. Richard Stevens
Title	Acting Dean of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education and CSDA Program Coordinator
Email	rstevens@shepherd.edu ( Email )
Phone	304-876-5313
Dr. Richard Stevens currently serves as Acting Dean of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education and Associate Professor and Program Coordinator of the College Student Development and Administration (CSDA) program at Shepherd University. His research focuses on sexual orientation identity development and intersections of identity. Dr. Stevens was instrumental in the development of the CSDA program and has taught in the program since 2006. He joined the program as a full-time faculty in 2008. Collaboration with Student Affairs and Academic Affairs has resulted in 20 assistantships. He has focused much of his energy on social justice and multicultural issues. He co-founded Shepherd University’s Civility Response Team and serves as Sexual Asssault Victim Advocate. He has been a national presenter on sexual orientation and gender identity topics and has training as a sexual assault victim advocate and sexual harassment prevention trainer. Dr. Stevens has also been actively involved with ACPA – College Student Educators International where he has served on the editorial board of the Journal of College Student Development and held leadership roles with Convention planning and on Commissions for Professional Preparation and Commuter Students/Adult Learners. He currently serves as Director of Professional Development on this association’s Governing Board. Dr. Stevens was recognized with as the 2010 Shepherd University Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award. He was recognized in 2012 as one of ACPA’s Diamond Honoree for service to the association and profession and 2016 with the Annuit Coeptis Award for contributions to the profession. He received the 2016 Storer College Faculty Award for his social justice work in and out of the classroom. He is a member of Chi Sigma Alpha-Student Affairs Honorary, Phi Mu Alpha, Phi Kappa Phi,and Mensa. Dr. Stevens received his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, his M.S. from Iowa State University and his BA from the College of William and Mary. Dr. Stevens and his husband currently live in Herndon, VA. In his spare time, he enjoys Taekwondo, running, MMOs, and genealogy.
Contact For	All graduate programs and certificates Master of Arts in College Student Development and Administration

Dr. Sharon Mailey
Title	Director of Nursing Education
Email	smailey@shepherd.edu ( Email )
Phone	304-876-5344
Contact For	Doctor of Nursing Practice

Dr. Ben Martz
Title	Dean, College of Business
Email	bmartz@shepherd.edu ( Email )
Phone	304-876-5007
Dr. Ben Martz is the Dean of the College of Business and Professor of Business Administration. Prior to Shepherd University, Dr.Martz was a professor and director of the Master of Science in Business Informatics Program at Northern Kentucky University. During his nine years at Northern Kentucky University, he also served as chair of the Department of Business Informatics. Previously, he was a professor in the Department of Information Systems at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, and prior to that served as an associate professor in the Department of Accounting and Information Systems at California State University, Chico. In the private sector, Dr. Martz served as co-founder, vice president of research and development, and president of Ventana Corporation, a technology spin-off company at the University of Arizona created to commercialize the electronic meeting software GroupSystems. GroupSystems was awarded PC Magazine’s Editor’s Choice Award for best electronic meeting software in 1994, and Dr. Martz was nominated for Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year in Arizona for managing the company’s financial turnaround. Dr. Martz has published in refereed publications and journals, including Journal of Management Information Systems, Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education, Journal of Entrepreneurship Education, and Journal of Computer Information Systems. He earned a B.B.A. in marketing from the College of William & Mary, and an M.S. in management information systems and a Ph.D. in business (management information systems) from the University of Arizona.
Contact For	Master of Business Administration

Dr. Georgiann Toole
Title	Associate Professor of Education and Graduate Program Coordinator for MA in Curriculum and Instruction and MA in Teaching
Email	gtoole@shepherd.edu ( Email )
Phone	304-876-5069
Georgiann Hinchcliffe Toole is a West Virginia native who earned her B.A. in Music Education and Social Studies Education at Shepherd College. She holds a Master of Music in Conducting from the Shenandoah Conservatory (Winchester, VA), and a Ph.D. in Music Education from The University of North Carolina-Greensboro. Currently, Dr. Toole is an award-winning professor of research methods and teaching techniques at Shepherd University (Shepherdstown, WV), having been named the Distinguished Graduate Faculty for 2011, and the Shepherd University Outstanding Teacher for 2013. Dr. Toole has taught choral and general music in public and private schools at all grade levels, and has served as clinician, adjudicator, and/or conductor for county and regional honors choruses in West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Her choral arrangements and compositions have been widely performed by public school honors choruses, and commissioned by the American Guild of Organists, VocalPoint, the Piedmont Singers, and Winchester Musica Viva, and are published by St. James Music Press.
Contact For	Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction Master of Arts in Teaching

Dr. Weidong Liao
Title	Associate Professor of Computer and Information Sciences and Graduate Program Coordinator for MS - Data Analytics and Infromation Systems
Email	wliao@shepherd.edu ( Email )
Phone	304-876-5031
Contact For	Master of Science in Data Analytics and Information Systems

Ms. Karen Rice
Title	Director of Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning
Email	krice@shepherd.edu ( Email )
Phone	304-876-5135
Karen Rice is the Director of Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning at Shepherd University. She was hired to head up the new Lifelong Learning initiative at Shepherd in August, 2011. Karen worked as a graduate assistant in the Advising Assistance Center at Shepherd University for two years while pursuing her master’s degree in Business Administration at the university which she completed in 2012. She became full time in July 2013 to also direct the Office of Continuing Education. Karen is a board member of the Contemporary American Theater Festival at Shepherd University and chair of the Education Committee. Prior to moving to the Eastern Panhandle with her husband, Bill, Karen worked for BB&T in Charleston, WV as a trust officer. She was previously employed by Jackson Kelly as a pension benefit administrator. She served as president and treasurer on The Arts Centre board, treasurer of the West Virginia Symphony League Board, was an assistant troop leader for the Girl Scouts, sang in Masterworks at Shepherd University and has assisted in several area fundraisers such as the March of Dimes Chef’s Auction, Panhandle Home Health Mini-Golf Tournament, CASA Purse Auction, and annual campaign for the Girl Scouts. Karen grew up in Richmond, Virginia and received her bachelor of science degree in finance from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Sherry Donovan
Title	Program Specialist and Administrative Associate
Email	sdonovan@shepherd.edu ( Email )
Phone	304-876-5313
Sherry Donovan serves as a program specialist and administrative associate, assisting with student recruitment and admissions, financial aid, registration, and business processes for the Graduate Studies and Continuing Education office. Ms. Donovan earned an associate of science degree in business administration and an associate of arts in psychology from Hagerstown Community College and a bachelor of science degree in sociology from Frostburg State University’s Hagerstown campus. Ms. Donovan earned a Master of Arts in College Student Development and Administration at Shepherd University in May 2017. She worked as an admissions representative for HCC from 2001 to 2010 and most recently as a recruiter/advisor for HCC’s Alternative Energy Technology program.