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Planning Committee

The 2025 Convention Planning Committee includes Shelby Cosner (University of Georgia), Kaneshia Dorsan (University of Georgia), Osly Flores (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Hans Klar (Clemson University), Patricia Virella (Montclair State), and Karl Gildner (UCEA Events Manager).
Shelby Cosner

Shelby Cosner

University of Georgia

SHELBY COSNER is the Morrill M. Hall Endowed Chair in Educational Administration at the University of Georgia, Mary Frances Early College of Education, the Educational Administration and Policy program. Cosner is an expert on the capacity-building and improvement-oriented work of school leaders, the preparation and development of educational leaders, the continuous improvement and evaluation of preparation/development programs for educational leaders. She examines these issues more generally as ...

Kaneshia Dorsan

Kaneshia Dorsan

University of Georgia

Dr. Kaneshia Dorsan is a clinical assistant professor in the Educational Administration and Policy (EDAP) program at the University of Georgia. She teaches pivotal courses such as Educational Leadership for Instructional Improvement and Change, Leadership in High-Needs School Settings, and Clinical Practices in Educational Leadership, equipping leaders with the knowledge and skills to drive meaningful change in education. Before transitioning into higher education, Dr. Dorsan devoted 19 years of...

Osly Flores

Osly Flores

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Osly J. Flores is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research focuses on two main areas: race-conscious leadership in K-12 schools and the persistence of graduate students of color in navigating higher education. In the first area, he explores three themes: equitable leadership practices, leadership ethics, and the experiences of school leaders of color. In the second area, he uses crit...

Hans Klar

Hans Klar

Clemson University

Hans W. Klar, PhD, is a professor of educational leadership and the chair of the Department of Educational and Organizational Leadership Development in the College of Education at Clemson University. Dr. Klar’s research is centered on fostering leadership development in rural and high needs schools through research practice partnerships. He is the director of the Leading Educational Administrator Development for Excellent Rural Schools (LEADERS) Center of Excellence. Prior to arriving at Clemson...

Patricia Virella

Patricia Virella

Montclair State University

Dr. Patricia M. Virella is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at Montclair State University. Dr. Virella studies equity-oriented crisis leadership examining how school leaders can respond to crises without further harming marginalized communities. Her research focuses on implementing equity-oriented leadership through leader responses, organizational transformation, and preparation. She has published in prestigious journals including AERA Open and Educational Mana...