Chair Erin Anderson, Ph.D. Secretary Frank Perrone, Ph.D. Members at Large Kathleen Cunningham, Ph.D. Kristin Huggins, Ph.D.
CHAIR
Dr. Erin Anderson, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Denver. She was the recipient of the 2021 Jack A. Culbertson Early Career Award. She is the program manager for a team-based professional learning program that integrates liberatory design and improvement science, and PI of a state grant to support the development of and research on the Design Improvement Program. After serving as the Learning and Teaching in Educational Leadership (LTEL-SIG) newsletter editor, co-editor, and secretary, Anderson is a currently an at-large member of the LTEL-SIG and the Chair of the Improvement Science SIG. She is an UCEA Executive Committee member and has been a UCEA Plenum Service Representative. Her research focuses on planning, leading, and implementing continuous school and district improvement to make schools more equitable and inclusive spaces for students historically marginalized, creating school climates and cultures that ensure student and educator well-being in schools and districts, and the role of leadership preparation. In Fall 2023, she published a co-edited book called Continuous Improvement: A Leadership Process for School Improvement and co-authored book called Leading Continuous Improvement in Schools: Enacting Leadership Standards to Advance Educational Quality and Equity.
SECRETARY
Dr. Frank Perone, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and EdD Program Coordinator at Indiana University-Bloomington. A member of LTEL SIG since 2017, Frank earned his doctorate from the University of Virginia and served as an Assistant Professor at the University of New Mexico from 2017 to 2020. Before entering academia, he worked as a teacher and teacher leader in public, private, and charter schools in the U.S. and abroad, most recently in Philadelphia. Frank’s research largely focuses on the preparation and career trajectories of school leaders. His work on leadership preparation has been featured in EdWeek and published in leading journals, such as Educational Researcher, Educational Administration Quarterly, Journal of Educational Leadership, and Leadership and Policy in Schools. His current collaborative projects in leadership preparation include developing a database of U.S. principal preparation programs (PPPs) and examining features of PPPs that successfully improve diversity in the principalship.
MEMBERS AT LARGE
Dr. Kathleen M. W. Cunningham, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Leadership, Learning Design, and Inquiry Department at the University of South Carolina. Cunningham has served as the Program Chair and Program Co-Chair in the Learning and Teaching in Educational Leadership (LTEL) SIG and was also the Graduate Student Representative during her doctoral program at the University of Iowa. Cunningham was one of the coordinators of LTEL’s two-part online learning series—Leading Justly in Polarizing Times offered in May 2024. Cunningham’s current research focuses primarily on leadership preparation programming, improvement science, and university-district partnerships. Her research is published in journals such as the Journal of Research in Leadership Education, Leadership and Policy in Schools, Journal of Educational Administration, and Education Policy Analysis Archives. She has co-authored two books: Redesigning Educational Leadership Preparation for Equity: Strategies for Innovation and Improvement and Leading Continuous Improvement in Schools: Enacting Leadership Standards to Advance Educational Quality and Equity. Cunningham teaches courses for teacher leaders, aspiring school leaders, and doctoral (i.e., Ed.D. and Ph.D.) students. She is dedicated to high-quality instruction and received the 2023 College of Education Early Career Teaching Award. She would be honored to continue to contribute to the LTEL SIG.
Dr. Kristin Shawn Huggins, Ph.D., is an associate professor of Educational Leadership in the Department of Educational Leadership and Sport Management at Washington State University (WSU). Dr. Huggins’ teaching and research is focused on leadership development for school improvement. Her recent work has been published in Educational Administration Quarterly, Journal of School Leadership, Leadership and Policy in Schools, Journal of Educational Change, and Professional Capital and Community. Dr. Huggins’ has been the program coordinator for three different Master’s and principal certification programs at WSU, as well as the state-wide educational doctorate program coordinator. From 2011-2018, she was the associate editor for Journal of Research on Leadership Education. Dr. Huggins has been active in service to the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Division A and has held Executive Committee roles, including Chair, in the Leadership for School Improvement (LSI) SIG. She has been a part of the Learning and Teaching in Educational Leadership (LTEL) SIG Executive Committee during the 2024-2025 academic year.
On March 5, 2025, Dr. John E. Critelli from FAU led an interactive professional learning session for school leadership faculty in the LTEL SIG at AERA, focused on understanding and integrating AI in higher education. The session introduced key AI concepts, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) vs. Generative AI, and explored practical applications in teaching, research, and faculty productivity. Participants engaged in discussions on AI’s ethical considerations, such as bias, hallucinations, and responsible use, and examined the Intelligent-TPACK framework for integrating AI into leadership preparation programs. A breakout activity allowed faculty to reflect on AI’s opportunities and challenges in their own work. Participant feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with attendees highlighting the session’s clarity, engagement, and immediate relevance to their professional roles. Many expressed interest in further exploration of AI tools for research, curriculum integration, and instructional leadership development.
📌 Resource Padlet (Workshop Materials & AI Resources): Padlet Link