Notable Awards and Honors

The DePaul University Excellence in Teaching Award, presented annually by the Quality of Instruction Council (QIC), recognizes faculty members who demonstrate exceptional commitment to teaching and student learning. The award reflects the university's dedication to instructional excellence and honors faculty whose contributions have had a meaningful impact on the educational experience of DePaul students. Recipients are selected through a rigorous review process that considers teaching effectiveness, curriculum development, student evaluations, peer review, and demonstrated dedication to fostering student success.

This year, the College of Education is proud to celebrate two outstanding recipients of the Excellence in Teaching Award: Vince Walsh-Rock and Kavita Khara. Through their commitment to innovative instruction, student mentorship, and educational excellence, both faculty members exemplify the highest standards of teaching and service to the DePaul community.

Kavita Khara is recognized for her outstanding work as an instructor, consultant, and licensed clinical professional counselor. Drawing on her expertise in trauma-informed practice, human development, and mental health, she creates engaging and supportive learning environments that help students connect theory to practice. In addition to teaching courses focused on human growth and adolescent development, she facilitates professional development programs on trauma-informed education, helping future educators better understand and support the diverse needs of their students.

Vince Walsh-Rock is honored for his dedication to counselor education and his ability to create meaningful, reflective learning experiences for students. Bringing more than 25 years of experience in public education as a counselor, teacher, supervisor, and administrator, he enriches the classroom with a wealth of practical knowledge and insight. His teaching emphasizes dialogue, co-constructed learning, and the integration of students' lived experiences into their development as counselors. His ongoing work in clinical supervision, comprehensive school counseling, therapeutic alliance, and Relational Cultural Theory reflects his commitment to advancing both the counseling profession and the preparation of future practitioners.

Congratulations to Walsh-Rock and Khara on this well-deserved recognition of their exceptional contributions to teaching and learning at DePaul University.

Book Publications

Melissa Ockerman, a professor in DePaul University's Counseling Program, is a recognized scholar whose work focuses on school counselor preparation, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), and evidence-based counseling practices. A two-time Illinois School Counselor Educator of the Year, she is a frequent presenter and leader in the school counseling profession.

Ockerman co-authored of The ABCs of Social Emotional Learning for School Counselors and Administrators, which was published in October 2025. This new book provides educators with practical, research-based strategies for supporting student well-being and strengthening school climate. The book also offers guidance on implementing culturally responsive SEL programs, building collaborative partnerships, addressing real-world challenges, and preventing educator burnout, helping schools create sustainable and inclusive environments where all students can thrive.

Megan Krone, a faculty member in the Teacher Education, Kinesiology, and Educational Studies program, brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her work as an educator, scholar, and author. With a background in higher education, leadership studies, and wellness education, her teaching and research focus on holistic wellness, inclusive and equitable learning environments, mental health, and education as a practice of freedom. These interests, along with her commitment to supporting student success, inform her work both in and beyond the classroom.

In her book published summer 2026, Navigating the Dissertation Writing Process: Finding Your Path from First Drafts to Submission, Krone draws on her expertise as an educator and mentor to guide doctoral students through one of the most challenging stages of their academic journey. The book offers practical strategies for developing sustainable writing habits, understanding academic writing conventions, and navigating each phase of the dissertation process. Reflecting her dedication to creating supportive and accessible learning environments, Krone's work provides an encouraging roadmap that helps students approach dissertation writing with greater confidence, clarity, and resilience.

Jason Goulah and Gonzalo Obelleiro recently co-authored a scholarly volume exploring the enduring relevance of the educational philosophies of John Dewey and the founders of the Soka (value-creating) tradition: Tsunesaburō Makiguchi, Jōsei Toda, and Daisaku Ikeda. The book, The Dewey-Soka Heritage and the Future of Education, published in August 2025, examines the intersection of Eastern and Western educational thought, highlighting how concepts such as value-creating education, democratic learning, human development, and global citizenship continue to inform contemporary educational theory and practice.

The publication reflects the authors' shared commitment to advancing educational philosophy and transformative learning. Goulah, professor of Bilingual-Bicultural Education and director of the Institute for Daisaku Ikeda Studies in Education at DePaul University, is an internationally recognized scholar whose research focuses on Ikeda/Soka studies, language and culture education, and socioecological approaches to learning.

Obelleiro, whose work centers on curriculum theory, philosophy of education, ethics, aesthetics, and cosmopolitanism, brings complementary expertise in educational thought and theory. Together, they offer a timely examination of how Deweyan and Soka educational perspectives can contribute to more humane, equitable, and globally minded approaches to education in the twenty-first century.