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School of Graduate and Professional Studies

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Program Coordinators and Staff

Dr. Ann Wendle
Title	Educational Leadership Program Coordinator
Email	awendle@shepherd.edu ( Email )
Phone	304-876-5068
Contact For	Master of Education - Educational Leadership Higher Education Leadership Certificate Curriculum and Instruction Leadership Certificate

Dr. Ben Martz
Title	Dean, College of Business, Recreation, and Education and MBA Program Coordinator
Email	bmartz@shepherd.edu ( Email )
Phone	304-876-5007
Contact For	Master of Business Administration; Health Administration - certificate; Management Information Systems - certificate; Public Management - certificate; Sports Management - certificate

Dr. Benjamin Bankhurst
Title	Appalachian Studies Program Coordinator
Email	bbankhur@shepherd.edu ( Email )
Phone	304-876-5253
Office	Knutti Hall 115C
Colonial and Revolutionary North America, Appalachian History and Culture, Atlantic History, Ireland and the Irish Diaspora Ph.D., King’s College, University of London M.A., King’s College, University of London B.A., University of New Mexico Dr. Bankhurst’s research focuses on migration to the Appalachian frontier in the colonial and revolutionary periods. Before Joining the History Department at Shepherd, Dr. Bankhurst held teaching and research appointments at the London School of Economics; the Institute of Historical Research; and Queen Mary, University of London. His articles have appeared in the Pennsylvania Magazine for History and Biography, The Journal of Irish and Scottish Studies, and Eire/Ireland. The American Council for Irish Studies awarded his first book Ulster Presbyterians and the Scots Irish Diaspora, 1750-1763 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013) the Donald Murphy Prize. Bankhurst coedited a collection of essays alongside Nigel Aston entitled Negotiating Toleration: Dissent and the Hanoverian Succession, 1714-1769 (Oxford University Press, 2019). Dr. Bankhurst is the Co-Director of the Maryland Loyalism Project , a public archive and database documenting the experiences of Chesapeake Loyalists in the Era of the American Revolution.
Contact For	Master of Arts in Appalachian Studies

Dr. Brenda Johnston
Title	Coordinator of PMHNP Program
Email	bjohnsto@shepherd.edu ( Email )
Phone	304-876-5366
Office	Eram Ora Byrd Hall - Room 217
Collaborative Practice Models Forensic Nursing Health disparities and vulnerable populations Bioethics Mental Health Substance abuse
Contact For	Doctor of Nursing Practice

Dr. Kelly Watson Huffer
Title	Coordinator DNP Program, Family Nurse
Email	kwatsonh@shepherd.edu ( Email )
Phone	304-876-5026
Office	Erma Ora Byrd Hall - Room 206
Educational History: Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP); University of Maryland School of Nursing Masters of Science (MS); University of Maryland School of Nursing Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN); University of Maryland Baltimore County Associates Degree in Nursing; Frederick Community College Research Interests and Expertise: Geriatrics, specifically dementia Student health Primary care chronic disease management
Contact For	Doctor of Nursing Practice

Dr. LeAnn Johnson
Title	MAT Program Coordinator
Email	ljohnson@shepherd.edu ( Email )
Phone	304-876-5508
Contact For	Master of Arts in Teaching

Dr. Mary Hancock
Title	Director, School of Nursing and DNP Progam
Email	mhancock@shepherd.edu ( Email )
Phone	304-876-5688
Contact For	Doctor of Nursing Practice

Lucinda Powers
Title	Director of Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning
Email	lpowers@shepherd.edu ( Email )
Phone	304-876-5135
Contact For	Continuing Education EDPD courses Life-Long Learning

Sharika Abdul-Muhaimin
Title	Administrative Associate - School of Graduate and Professional Studies
Phone	304-876-5313
Office	Byrd Center CHE Room 185

Sherry Donovan
Title	Coordinator of Graduate Studies
Email	sdonovan@shepherd.edu ( Email )
Phone	304-876-5010
Office	Graduate Studies - Ikenberry Hall, Room 111
Sherry Donovan serves as the primary contact for all graduate programs, ensuring that the goals and objectives of the unit are accomplished with the established institutional priorities and time and funding parameters, while working directly with the students Sherry has worked in higher education for twenty-two years, and assisted in opening Shepherd University’s Martinsburg Center in 2013, a full-service location effectively serving the area’s non-traditional students and delivering Shepherd University’s outstanding academic instruction to adult’s seeking degree completion in the region while offering a convenient location, flexible hours, and affordable price. Since 2017, Sherry has worked various positions for the School of Graduate and Professional Studies, all of which support graduate students through the admissions process and assist them in the transition from parent/spouse/employee to student. Sherry received her M.A. in College Student Development and Administration from Shepherd University, B.A. in Sociology from Frostburg University, and an A.A. in Psychology and and an A.S. in Business Administration from Hagerstown Community College. She is a member of Chi Sigma Alpha, Alpha Kappa Delta, and Phi Theta Kappa and served as Pi Theta’s Advisor for three years. Sherry focused most of her spare time volunteering as a building committee member for Washington County’s Habitat for Humanity, and was the Construction/Project Manager for the first Women Build. She also volunteered as a board member and as president for Washington County’s domestic violence shelter, Citizens Assisting and Sheltering the Abused (CASA). Sherry and her husband live in Charles Town, WV, and enjoys spending time with her family (nine grandchildren), camping, traveling, bicycling, throwing clay, and creating art and crafts in her spare time.
Contact For	The School of Graduate and Professional Studies