The Office of Community College Research and Leadership (OCCRL) in the College of Education recently added two new affiliate members to its team and has retained the affiliate services of a former staff member.
Derek A. Houston is an associate professor of educational leadership at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) with four secondary education degrees from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Houston’s courses at SIUE focus on the foundations of research methods and quantitative research methods in multiple graduate programs. His work advocates for a socially liberating future and revolves around policy questions about inequality and inequity across the P-20 educational pipeline.
Edward J. Leach is the executive director of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD), which supports excellence in teaching, learning, and leadership by distributing professional development materials to faculty, staff, and administrators at its member colleges. In addition to authoring several books, Dr. Leach is a Certified Association Executive (CAE). This designation identifies association professionals who have completed higher education, work experience, and professional development studies identified as essential to the chief staff executive role. Dr. Leach will be assisting with OCCRL’s ASPIRE Regional Change Initiative project.
In addition, OCCRL has retained the affiliate services of Dr. Marci Rockey, who has been involved with the office in various capacities since her time as a research assistant in 2015. Dr. Rockey was the assistant director for community college relations and research at OCCRL before her current role as assistant coordinator and academic advisor in the College Student Personnel Administration program at Illinois State University.
Learn more about OCCRL here.
