School of Education E-newsletter

by: Dr. Kathy Richardson-Jones, Coordinator

Please join us in honoring Dr. Judy Brown Lehr as she transitions to retirement. Both cadets and graduate students know Dr. Lehr well. Over the past nine years she has been a mainstay in The Citadel's professional education programs at both the cadet and graduate levels. Beyond the Lesesne Gate, she is internationally known for her work in Invitational Education and for her participation in the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

	(Click the photo above to enlarge.)

Dr. Lehr hails from middle Tennessee and earned degrees in education from Tennessee Technological University, Clemson University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her areas of expertise include: Secondary Social Studies; Elementary and Special Education; Educational Administration; and Educational Psychology. Prior to joining the faculty at The Citadel, Dr. Lehr worked for the Greenville County School District as a classroom teacher; as Coordinator of Staff Development; as an Elementary School Principal; and as a Curriculum Coordinator. When offered the opportunity to reach a larger circle of educators and to model her beliefs about best practices, Dr. Lehr assumed a professorship at Furman University and directed their Center of Educational Excellence.

Dr Lehr is an accomplished scholar, publishing books and articles explaining Invitational Education. Her many national and international presentations focus on the connection between teaching and leadership skills and such Invitational Education attributes as respect, trust, care, optimism, and intentionality. Through her work with both cadets and graduate students, Dr Lehr models these invitational education qualities. In addition to exemplary teaching, Dr. Lehr served the profession as a member of the Board of Directors of the International Alliance for Invitational Education and as an active participant in both the state and international Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development. She has served as ASCD state president and as member of the Board of Directors for eight years. She sponsored student chapters at both Furman and The Citadel. Through her scholarship, teaching and service, Dr. Lehr has been a key player in preparing educators for South Carolina for the past thirty six years.

While teaching, learning and service have been a central focus of her life, Dr. Lehr is more than an academic. She is the wife of Mr. Frank Guarino and the proud mother of two children and three step-children. She is also a grandmother and loves spending time with her precious, growing family. Judy enjoys chasing that little white ball around the fairways and greens of the Lowcountry and volunteers to assist with the monitoring of the nesting of sea turtles.

The faculty and staff of School of Education will miss her but wish her well in this new phase of life.