Clockwise from top left: Jay Jones, Shabaash Kemeh, Vivien Marcow Speiser, Rick Reinkraut, Louise Pascale, Shaun McNiff and Martha McKenna.
At a recent Zoom celebration, newly designated faculty emeriti were feted, as were longtime staff and faculty members, some of whom are celebrating more than 30 years of service to Lesley.
Provost and Chief Academic Officer Jonathan K. Jefferson announced six new faculty emeriti appointments and one recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award.
Professors Louise Pascale and Rick Reinkraut were named 2020 faculty emeriti. Professors Jay Jones, Vivien Marcow Speiser, Martha McKenna and Shaun McNiff were named 2021 faculty emeriti.
Retiring Assistant Professor Michael “Shabaash” Kemeh received the Distinguished Achievement Award.
Interim Chief of Human Resources Mary-Jane McLaughlin also honored faculty and staff celebrating milestone work anniversaries, including the following employees:
30 years
- Katherine Barone
- Christopher James
- Kathy McWey
- James O’Keefe
35 years
- Alison Angell
- Rhonda Gold
- Jay Jones
- Martha McKenna
- Joanie Ryan
45 Years
More about the new faculty emeriti and Distinguished Achievement Award honoree
University Professor Martha McKenna has served as provost and vice president of academic affairs, dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences, dean of the Division of Liberal Studies and Adult Learning, and director of the Adult Baccalaureate Program. She has made numerous contributions, especially in the areas of faculty support and community engagement. Most recently, she has been director of Lesley’s Creativity Commons, providing creative leadership in the arts and innovation in teaching and learning across the university and through community and school partnerships. She has also served as director of our Graduate School of Education’s Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS).
As Lesley’s first ever University Professor, Shaun McNiff has been a pioneer and a leader for Lesley and in the field of Expressive Therapies. He taught Lesley’s first art therapy/expressive therapy course almost 50 years ago in 1973 and established the groundbreaking Expressive Therapies and Integrated Arts in Education graduate programs one year later. In addition to his contributions as a faculty member in our Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences, he also served as the Interim Dean for what was then Lesley College for several years.
Associate Professor Jay Jones has been a mainstay for students and faculty across the university for 40 years, especially in the field of International Higher Education (IHE). He was a major contributor in the initial planning, execution, and continued success of the IHE master’s program, and offers expertise in the areas of intercultural negotiation, intercultural research, and international and global interdependence.
Assistant Professor Michael “Shabaash” Kemeh has been teaching at Lesley for 23 years. He has brought his warmth and dedication to multiple committees and his leadership of the Early Childhood and Elementary Education Creative Arts and Integrated Arts programs. He has empowered and inspired generations of educators to integrate drama into classroom curriculum and use theater as a tool to improve the lives of people in marginalized communities.
Professor Vivien Marcow Speiser joined the Lesley community over 40 years ago, and her vision, energy, and creativity have made her an outstanding representative of Lesley both nationally and internationally. Her work has been far-reaching, especially her international outreach in the Middle East and South Africa, working with trauma and cross-cultural conflict resolution through the arts, and establishing an Expressive Therapies master’s program in Israel in collaboration with Lesley. She has received numerous honors and awards for her significant contributions to the field of arts in health, Dance/Movement Therapy and Expressive Therapies.
Professor Louise Pascale has served Lesley for over 20 years in a variety of academic and leadership roles, most recently as part of the CAPS leadership team, where she has helped reimagine professional development for educators. She has been director of the Integrated Teaching through the Arts (ITA) program, managing all academic and recruitment aspects of the on-campus program and in states across the country, providing leadership for faculty and working closely with cohort liaisons in national sites. Dr. Pascale also brought the work of the Creative Arts in Learning program beyond the classroom to workshops she has presented to a variety of groups across the country.
Professor Emeritus Rick Reinkraut came to Lesley over 30 years ago to oversee and teach in the off-campus programs of the Division of Counseling and Psychology. His scholarship in the areas of empathic relational competency and teaching counselors has supported the training of counselors and made a unique contribution to the field of counseling. His influence expanded beyond classrooms and counseling offices as a leader in the Lesley community. He has served as chair of the Faculty Assembly and has served on numerous faculty committees over the years.
