2025 Recipients
Kofi Lomotey, PhD, Western Carolina University
For 50 years, Dr. Kofi Lomotey (Ko-fee’ Low’-mow-tay) has been concerned about the limited academic, social, cultural, and spiritual success of Black children in U.S. schools. Virtually all of his research, publishing, experience in the academy, and practice have focused in one way or another on this longstanding crisis. As a researcher, his work has focused largely on the significance of Black principals for the overall success of Black children. He has published more than 50 books, journal articles and book chapters, most focused on aspects of Black education — pre-k to professional school. Professor Lomotey’s most recent book is Justice for Black Students: Black Principals Matter (Myers Education Press, 2022). As an academic, he has been a professor, a department chair, a provost (Medgar Evers College & Fisk University), a president (Fort Valley State University), and a chancellor (Southern University).Dr. Lomotey is a member of the executive committee of the Board of Directors of The Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED). He is also a member of the executive committee of the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA).
Kofi is the Chancellor John Bardo and Deborah Bardo Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership at Western Carolina University. In 2020, he received the Roald F. Campbell Award from UCEA, an annual award that recognizes a senior professor of educational leadership for a lifetime of excellent achievement. He is a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Recently, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from Division G of AERA.
Noelle Paufler, PhD, Arizona State University
Dr. Noelle A. Paufler is an Associate Professor - P-12, Assistant Department Chair, and the Program Coordinator for the EdD in Education Systems Improvement Science at Clemson University. She has experience as a high school social studies teacher, district administrator, and applied researcher in high-need districts and schools. Her research interests include K-12 educational policy, specifically how educational leaders enact policy into practice and its impact on teachers and students. She is the Co-Director of the Leading Educational Administrator Development for Excellent Rural Schools (LEADERS) Center of Excellence. She is actively involved in the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) as the delegate for Clemson University and currently serves as the Program Chair for the American Educational Research Association Supervision and Instructional Leadership Special Interest Group.
2024 Recipients
Matthew Militello, PhD, East Carolina University
Dr. Matthew Militello, a long-standing member of CPED, has consistently contributed to the development and strengthening of the CPED community and its mission to transform EdD programs. From 2014 to 2016, Dr. Militello served as a Senior Research Fellow for CPED, where he shared his expertise and passion for cultivating EdD program designs specifically tailored to develop scholarly practitioners. His ongoing participation in CPED convenings and events has not only contributed to the advancement of educational leadership but has also directly influenced the improvement of EdD programs across the network.
In his book, Cultivating School Change from Within, Dr. Militello draws from an impressive 77 EdD dissertations, offering CPED members a comprehensive view of how internal school leadership can drive meaningful change. This connection between scholarship and practice reflects CPED’s vision for EdD programs and demonstrates how advisors can support the development of scholarly practitioner work within the CPED framework.
One of Dr. Militello’s most notable achievements includes securing a SEED grant to support 30 students in earning their EdD degrees, a significant contribution to CPED’s goal of expanding access to quality educational leadership programs. He has also brought numerous EdD students to CPED convenings and events, fostering a new generation of educational leaders committed to the CPED model. His unwavering dedication to advancing the mission of CPED continues to have a lasting impact on students, schools, and communities. This recognition reflects his profound influence on CPED’s growth and his commitment to the development of its scholarly practitioner model.
Margaret “Terry” Orr, PhD, Fordham University
Dr. Margaret “Terry” Orr has built an extraordinary career spanning over 30 years, dedicated to researching and preparing educational leaders. With over 9,000 citations to her name, Dr. Orr’s scholarly contributions have been instrumental in shaping the role of EdD programs and fostering the growth of scholarly practitioners. Her work consistently advocates for bridging the gap between research and practice to improve educational leadership. As a result, the Fordham EdD program has flourished and had an impact in local schools.
Since 2017, Dr. Orr has coordinated a remarkable partnership with Bronx and surrounding school districts through the Improvement Leadership Education and Development (iLEAD) initiative. This partnership, formed in collaboration with the Carnegie Foundation and CPED, continues to serve as a model for how universities and schools can work together to develop innovative leaders prepared to tackle today’s educational challenges. Dr. Orr has consistently presented her learning at CPED convenings and events and she has chaired a CPED Dissertation in Practice of the Year award.
About the Award