Patricia I. Mulcahy-Ernt, PhD, is the Professor of Education in Reading and Language Arts at the University of Bridgeport, CT, where she chairs the Graduate Literacy and English Education Programs. She teaches secondary English language arts pedagogy, content area literacy, technological applications, assessment of literacy difficulties, and educational measurement. As the recipient of several outstanding teaching awards, she is a dedicated teacher-scholar.

She holds a BA in Secondary English Education from the University of Rhode Island, a MSEd from Colorado State University, and a PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Minnesota. Her research has focused on secondary and college-level literacy and assessment, media literacy, technical writing, and reading processes for the design of the TOEFL. She co-authored College Reading and Study Strategies and chapters about strategic study reading in the Handbook of College Reading and Study Strategy Research.

Patricia has served the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) as President, the CRLA Northeast Regional Director, and the CRLA Northeast Chapter President. She has also served as the Connecticut Association for Reading Research (CARR) President and continues to serve as its Historian. Currently, she represents CRLA on the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS).

Patricia I. Mulcahy-Ernt, PhD, is the Professor of Education in Reading and Language Arts at the University of Bridgeport, CT, where she chairs the Graduate Literacy and English Education Programs. She teaches secondary English language arts pedagogy, content area literacy, technological applications, assessment of literacy difficulties, and educational measurement. As the recipient of several outstanding teaching awards, she is a dedicated teacher-scholar.

She holds a BA in Secondary English Education from the University of Rhode Island, a MSEd from Colorado State University, and a PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Minnesota. Her research has focused on secondary and college-level literacy and assessment, media literacy, technical writing, and reading processes for the design of the TOEFL. She co-authored College Reading and Study Strategies and chapters about strategic study reading in the Handbook of College Reading and Study Strategy Research.

Patricia has served the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) as President, the CRLA Northeast Regional Director, and the CRLA Northeast Chapter President. She has also served as the Connecticut Association for Reading Research (CARR) President and continues to serve as its Historian. Currently, she represents CRLA on the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS).

Jan Norton’s experiences included over 25 years of developing and managing learning assistance services at Missouri and Wisconsin universities, then advising students at the University of Iowa. Her Master’s in Educational Research facilitated her focus on pursuing program improvement through multiple evaluation approaches. Other training and education include the Kellogg Institute, the Winter Institute, TIDE, NACADA training, NCLCA Summer Institute, and ACT Assessment Institute; she also provided training for Winter and NCLCA institutes.

Jan supported learning assistance and developmental education practitioners in a variety of ways. She reviewed certification applications for CRLA and NADE; she assisted programs as an evaluation consultant and an accreditation reviewer. Within CRLA, she led two SIGs (Learning Assistance Center Management and Research & Evaluation) and served as a president for the Iowa/Missouri chapter.

She has served on the editorial board for the Journal of Developmental Education and reviewed applications for NCLCA Leadership certification. In addition to writing professional articles, Jan co-authored a CRLA White Paper (“Assessment of Learning Assistance Programs”) and a chapter on program assessment for the Handbook of College Reading and Study Strategy Research (3rd ed.). She has offered webinars about learning assistance evaluation topics and presented at many regional and national conferences.

Dr. Gretchen Starks-Martin is professor emerita at St. Cloud State University and part-time faculty of Efficient Reading and of Disciplinary Literacy at the College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University (MN). She taught reading at the middle school, technical college, community college, and university levels in Minnesota and New York. She earned her B.A. in English from the University of Michigan, M.A. in reading from Western Michigan University, and doctorate in Adult Education and Higher Education Administration from Syracuse University.

Dr. Starks-Martin was president of the New York College Learning Skills Association and the Minnesota Post-Secondary Reading Association, and Treasurer and Executive Assistant of CRLA. On sabbatical in 2004 she taught at Diné Navajo Tribal College (AZ). In 2009 she received a Fulbright Specialist Scholarship at Nelson Mandela University in South Africa. She has served as a certified online evaluator for Quality Matters and as evaluator on numerous QEP teams for SACSCOC.

Co-author of Critical Reading, Critical Thinking: Focusing on Contemporary Issues (Pearson Education), she has served on the Minnesota State College and University Committee on Assessment of College Readiness Project and on a team evaluating “First Generation Student Programs” for the Institute of Higher Education Policy (IHEP) in Washington, D.C.

Penny Turrentine, PhD, earned her BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Arizona. and a Master’s degree in education from the University of Arizona with a minor in exercise and sport sciences. Dr. Turrentine wrote Champions in the Classroom, a professional reference guide for student athletes, learning support staff, coaches, advisors, parents, and school administrators. She also authored Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Learning Centers (and Then Some. . .).

Penny directs the West Campus Learning Center at Pima Community College in Tucson. She has collaborated with the Athletic Department at Pima College to design and implement a series of student success workshops that draw parallels between athletic and academic skills. She has developed a mentoring program for student-athletes and facilitates tutor-led study halls for the athletes. She designed and developed the Student Athlete Center for Academic Excellence and continues to be a consultant to the Athletic Department in all facets of academic support.

Penny earned Level 4 certification from NCLCA. For CRLA she has served as the Arizona/Nevada director, led the Learning Assistance Center Management SIG, served as a Master level reviewer for International Tutor Training Program Certification applications for 13 years, and coordinated the ITTPC.