Shelley Wepner

Shelley B. Wepner is a Professor of the Doctoral Program in Education, Coordinator for the Signature and Higher Education Pathways, and Dean Emeritus of the School of Education. Before coming to Manhattanville in 2004 as Dean, she was Director of the Center for Education and Associate Dean of the School of Human Service Professions at Widener University, Chester, PA. There, she oversaw three doctoral programs and served as a chair or committee member for doctoral dissertations. Previously, she was a professor and administrator at William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ and a K-12 teacher and administrator in three different New Jersey school districts.

Shelley’s current research focuses on the notion of critical friends for executive leaders in K-12 and higher education. Her research endeavors have included the leadership attributes and skills of executive leaders in higher education, K-12 literacy educators, and K-12 administrators. Additionally, the collaborative efforts of K-12 and higher education faculty and administrators have been the focus of her research on partnership development, especially as it relates to changing suburban schools. She has published over 165 articles, books, book chapters, instructional materials, and award-winning software packages.

She coedited the 6th edition of The Administration and Supervision of Reading Programs (Teachers College Press, 2021). She was honored to receive the Jerome L. Neuner Award for Excellence in Scholarly Publication from the American Association of University Administrators in 2018 for her coauthored (with Bill Henk, Sharon Lovell, and Steven Melnick) article, “Education Deans’ Beliefs about Essential Ways of Thinking, Being, and Acting: A National Survey” and then again in 2025 for her coauthored (with Bill Henk and Ali Heba) article, “Examining Chief Academic Officers’ Reasons for

Remaining or Exiting Their Positions.” She is especially grateful for receiving the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education 2019 Educator of the Year Award.

Shelley received her EdD and MSEd in Reading/Language Arts from the University of Pennsylvania and her BS in Elementary Education (magna cum laude, minor in psychology) from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Wepner can be reached at Shelley.Wepner@mville.edu