Program Coordinators and Staff

Dr. Ann Wendle |
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Title | M.Ed. in Educational Leadership (EDLD) Program Coordinator |
awendle@shepherd.edu ( Email ) | |
Phone | 304-876-5068 |
Contact For | Master of Education in Educational Leadership - Higher Education Leadership Concentration and Curriculum and Instruction Leadership Concentration |

Dr. Ben Martz |
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Title | Dean, College of Business and Recreation, Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) Program Coordinator |
bmartz@shepherd.edu ( Email ) | |
Phone | 304-876-5007 |
Office | White Hall 202B |
Contact For | Master of Business Administration - Health Administration, Management Information Systems, Public Management, and Sports Management Concentrations and Certificates |

Dr. Benjamin Bankhurst |
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Title | M.A. in Appalachian Studies (APST) Program Coordinator |
bbankhur@shepherd.edu ( Email ) | |
Phone | 304-876-5253 |
Office | Knutti Hall 115C |
Colonial and Revolutionary North America, Appalachian History and Culture, Atlantic History, Ireland and the Irish Diaspora Ph.D., King’s College, University of London M.A., King’s College, University of London B.A., University of New Mexico Dr. Bankhurst’s research focuses on migration to the Appalachian frontier in the colonial and revolutionary periods. Before Joining the History Department at Shepherd, Dr. Bankhurst held teaching and research appointments at the London School of Economics; the Institute of Historical Research; and Queen Mary, University of London. His articles have appeared in the Pennsylvania Magazine for History and Biography, The Journal of Irish and Scottish Studies, and Eire/Ireland. The American Council for Irish Studies awarded his first book Ulster Presbyterians and the Scots Irish Diaspora, 1750-1763 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013) the Donald Murphy Prize. Bankhurst coedited a collection of essays alongside Nigel Aston entitled Negotiating Toleration: Dissent and the Hanoverian Succession, 1714-1769 (Oxford University Press, 2019). Dr. Bankhurst is the Co-Director of the Maryland Loyalism Project , a public archive and database documenting the experiences of Chesapeake Loyalists in the Era of the American Revolution. |
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Contact For | Master of Arts in Appalachian Studies - Appalachian History, Culture, and Heritage Concentration and Preserving Appalachian Communities, Business Development, and the Environment Concentration |

Dr. Brenda Johnston |
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Title | D.N.P., Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (P.M.H.N.P.) Program Coordinator |
bjohnsto@shepherd.edu ( Email ) | |
Phone | 304-876-5366 |
Office | Eram Ora Byrd Hall - Room 217 |
Collaborative Practice Models Forensic Nursing Health disparities and vulnerable populations Bioethics Mental Health Substance abuse |
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Contact For | Doctor of Nursing Practice - Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Concentration and Certificate |

Dr. Kelly Watson Huffer |
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Title | D.N.P., Family Nurse Practitioner (F.N.P.) Program Coordinator |
kwatsonh@shepherd.edu ( Email ) | |
Phone | 304-876-5026 |
Office | Erma Ora Byrd Hall - Room 206 |
Educational History: Doctor of Nursing Practice – University of Maryland School of Nursing Masters of Science – University of Maryland School of Nursing Bachelors of Science in Nursing – University of Maryland Baltimore County Associates Degree in Nursing – Frederick Community College Research Interests and Expertise: Geriatrics, specifically dementia Student health Primary care chronic disease management |
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Contact For | Doctor of Nursing Practice - Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration and Certificate |

Dr. LeAnn Johnson |
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Title | M.A. in Teaching - Elementary and Secondary; M.Ed. in Teaching; and CERT First Alternative Certification Program Coordinator |
ljohnson@shepherd.edu ( Email ) | |
Phone | 304-876-5508 |
Office | Knutti Hall 103D |
Contact For | Master of Arts in Teaching; Master of Education in Teaching; and CERT First Alternative Certification |

Dr. Mary Hancock |
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Title | Director, School of Nursing and D.N.P. Progam |
mhancock@shepherd.edu ( Email ) | |
Phone | 304-876-5688 |
Office | Erma Ora Byrd Hall 216 |
Contact For | Doctor of Nursing Practice |

Lucinda Powers |
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Title | Director of Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning |
lpowers@shepherd.edu ( Email ) | |
Phone | 304-876-5135 |
Office | CHE Room 182 |
Contact For | Continuing Education, Education Professional Development (EDPD), and Life-Long Learning |

Patrick Fuller |
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Title | Administrative Assistant |
pfuller@shepherd.edu ( Email ) | |
Phone | 304-876-5648 |
Office | Byrd Center CHE Room 185 |
Contact For | Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning |

Sherry Donovan |
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Title | Coordinator of Graduate Studies |
sdonovan@shepherd.edu ( Email ) | |
Phone | 304-876-5010 |
Office | Graduate Studies - Ikenberry Hall, Room 111 |
Sherry Donovan serves as the primary contact for all graduate programs, ensuring that the goals and objectives of the unit are accomplished with the established institutional priorities and time and funding parameters, while working directly with the students. Sherry has worked in higher education for twenty-four years, and assisted in opening ºÚÁϳԹÏÍøUniversity’s Martinsburg Center in 2013, which was a full-service location effectively serving the area’s non-traditional students and delivering ºÚÁϳԹÏÍøUniversity’s outstanding academic instruction to adults seeking degree completion in the region while offering a convenient location, flexible hours, and affordable price. Since 2017, Sherry has worked various positions for the School of Graduate and Professional Studies, all of which support graduate students through the admissions process and assist them in the transition from parent/spouse/employee to student. Currently, Sherry represents ºÚÁϳԹÏÍøUniversity as the Coordinator of Graduate Studies. Sherry received her M.A. in College Student Development and Administration from ºÚÁϳԹÏÍøUniversity, B.A. in Sociology from Frostburg State University, and an A.A. in Psychology and an A.S. in Business Administration from Hagerstown Community College. She is a member of Chi Sigma Alpha, Alpha Kappa Delta, and Phi Theta Kappa and served as Pi Theta’s Advisor for three years. Sherry focused most of her spare time volunteering as a building committee member for Washington County, Maryland’s Habitat for Humanity, and was the Construction/Project Manager for the first Women Build. She also volunteered as a board member and as president for Washington County’s domestic violence shelter, Citizens Assisting and Sheltering the Abused (CASA). Sherry and her husband live in Charles Town, WV, and enjoys spending time with her family (nine grandchildren), camping, traveling, bicycling, throwing clay, and creating art and crafts in her spare time. |
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Contact For | The School of Graduate and Professional Studies |