UW–Madison PhD students CJ Greer and Deonte Iverson were both recently selected as University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) Jackson Scholars for 2022-24.
This two-year program provides formal networking, mentoring, and professional development for graduate students of color who intend to become professors of educational leadership. Greer and Iverson are both PhD students with the School of Education’s highly regarded Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis.
“It is an immense privilege to join a support network dedicated to developing the next generation of scholars,” says Greer. “I am deeply humbled to have the support of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis and UCEA as I move towards my goal of becoming a tenure track professor. I am looking forward to mentorship, support, and fellowship from scholars across the country.”
“It is an honor and a privilege to be named a member of the UCEA Barbara L. Jackson Scholars Network,” says Iverson. “I believe being a member of this network is an invaluable opportunity that will propel me on my journey to becoming a tenure track faculty member.”
Greer is a third-year doctoral student whose research examines how the relationship between K-12 schools and community-based education spaces can holistically develop Black youth. His current work examines the attempt to erase racially minoritized communities’ narratives by censoring Critical Race Theory and other social justice frameworks — such as equity, ethnic studies, and multiculturalism— in schools.
Greer’s research centers on K-12 education and out-of-school-time contexts, such as community based education spaces, after school programs, and youth nonprofits.
Greer will be mentored by Robert Cooper, an associate professor with the Department of Education at the University of California, Los Angeles.
“UCEA’s focus on providing a system of support for doctoral students of color will directly impact my trajectory into the academy as I will have the opportunity to work with amazing folks who have insight into joining the professorate,” says Greer. “Additionally, being in a community with other graduate students will help develop my professional network with future colleagues.”
Iverson is a fourth-year doctoral student who previously earned a bachelor’s degree in special education from UW–Whitewater. He says his career goal is to become a tenure track faculty member of either special education or educational leadership and policy analysis at a higher education institution.
Iverson’s work currently examines BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) students in special education and their experiences in behavioral intervention processes, paying particular attention to student voice and agency. He uses Dis/ability Critical Race Theory and Cultural Historical Activity Theory as guiding frameworks to situate the work. His other research interests include disproportionality in special education, students with dis/abilities in college, and the impact of law and state/district-level policies on students of color. His work ultimately centers on expanding the field of special education beyond a deficit lens and singular notions of identity.
Iverson will be mentored by David DeMatthews, an associate professor with the Department Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Texas at Austin.
“Not everyone has opportunities like this, so I feel a great responsibility to take full advantage and to pay it forward to the academy, the fields of educational leadership and special education, and future scholars,” says Iverson.
The program’s namesake, Barbara L. Jackson (1928-2012), was an exemplar as a leader, scholar, and mentor in the field of educational administration for over 50 years. As a trailblazer, she influenced people, institutions, and scholarly and applied research.