Marilyn J. Llewellyn is Professor of Education and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in several programs at Carlow University. She brings extensive experience as a teacher and principal at the primary, secondary, and post-secondary levels to her current work. She co-developed several graduate programs during her time at Carlow. She also served as the Dean of Education at Carlow. Her work earned her the Max and Esther Sestili Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the St. Thomas Aquinas Distinguished Alumni Award. She received her Master’s Degree from Boston College and her PhD from The Union Institute Graduate College and University in Cincinnati. She has co-authored the book Dealing with Differences: Taking Action on Class, Race, Gender, and Disability. Marilyn’s current research is focused on the ways that being a Scholar-Practitioner is manifested in action. Her book, Spirituality and Pedagogy: Being and Learning in Sacred Spaces (Wisdom of Practice Series), was published in March of 2017 by Learning Moments Press and is available on Amazon.

Patricia L. McMahon is a professor of Education and teaches graduate and undergraduate students across a number of programs at Carlow University. She began her career in education as a high school English teacher. She holds a Bachelor’s in Secondary English Education with an emphasis in Theater from the Pennsylvania State University, a Master’s of English Literature from the University of Pittsburgh, and a PhD in Education from the University of Pittsburgh. Throughout her years in higher education, she has co-developed several graduate programs in Education, has created new graduate and undergraduate courses, and has been the director of the Secondary Education Certification Program and the program director for High Performance Learning. In working with student teachers, in her seminars on student teaching, and in her research courses, Pat invites learners to examine the Scholar-Practitioner qualities and to reflect on those attributes as a means of nurturing an awareness of their developing pedagogy. Her areas of expertise include narrative inquiry, curriculum, composition, content area literacy, reflective portfolios, qualitative dissertation research, and arts-based educational research. Her work on arts-based educational research has been published nationally and internationally. Currently, Pat’s research also includes a focus on educators thinking like system designers who see beyond the context of the single classroom and embrace the paradoxical elements inherent in the complex nested systems of education.

Maria Piantanida holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in English Literature and a doctorate in curriculum and supervision from the University of Pittsburgh. Her interest in education began as a graduate teaching assistant and progressed when she became involved in instructor-training for Emergency Medical Technicians. Since then she has served as the director of hospital-wide education at a major teaching hospital; a curriculum developer working with faculty on the development of undergraduate, independent study courses in the arts and humanities; and a curriculum consultant for programs in health and human services. With Pat and Marilyn she developed and co-taught a graduate course for educators committed to in-depth study of their practice. Her areas of interest include professions education and interpretive modes of qualitative inquiry. She co-authored the book, The Qualitative Dissertation: A Guide for Students and Faculty and co-edited The Authority to Imagine: The Struggle toward Representation in Dissertation Writing. Most recently, she has established Learning Moments Press, a small, independent publishing company dedicated to the publication of books reflecting the wisdom gained through professional practice and significant life events.