NCUs Julie Davis named Director of SAIL

Prescott, Arizona—October 30,2006 — Northcentral University (www.ncu.edu) announced today that Dr. Julie Ann Davis, a Mentor in the School of Education, has been named Director of Standards Aligned Instructional Leadership (SAIL), an Ohio-based professional development program for school principals known familiarly as SAIL for Education. A native of Moline, Illinois and resident of Gahanna, Ohio, Davis has been a Mentor at NCU since August 2006.

The NCU-SAIL relationship has been a mutually beneficial one since its inception in 2004.

NCU is privileged to partner with SAIL to offer doctoral and masters degrees, Dr. Claudia Santin, President of NCU, said. Our flexible 100% online format is ideal for serving school administrators. And we are especially pleased that Dr. Davis, one of our faculty Mentors, has been chosen to lead SAIL.

Sharing the SAIL perspective, Davis agrees. At SAIL for Education, we are pleased to partner with the Northcentral University and provide an excellent graduate experience for our participants.

Dr. Kathryn Hollywood, chair of NCUs School of Education and a SAIL proponent, expressed enthusiasm about Dr. Davis. I have had the opportunity to work with Julie as a student and colleague since 2001. I am professionally thrilled to have someone of her caliber and expertise mentoring in the School of Education.

Davis earned her bachelors degree at North Park University in Chicago and began teaching in the Chicago area. After relocating to Columbus, Ohio, she served as Teacher Leader in the Gahanna-Jefferson (OH) School district. Returning to school, she earned a Masters degree in Educational Theory and Practice at Ohio State University then went on to gain administrative certification from Ashland University. Davis followed that up with postgraduate work at Nova Southeastern University, where she was awarded a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership.

Although she has been both a teacher and a principal, for much of Dr. Daviss career her role has been that of educating educators. Most recently, she has served as development director for the Central Ohio Regional School Improvement Team, which provides support and professional development to educators in 46 school districts in the Columbus, Ohio area. A key function of the group is working with schools or districts that did not meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standards and deploying state initiatives for the Ohio Department of Education. Davis also served on the writing team for the Ohios Educator Standards for Principals.

At NCU, Davis mentors courses reflecting the areas of specialization she focused on in her own education: Instructional Leader as Creator of Learning Culture; Organizational Development; Innovation and Change. The work she has been doing for education in Ohio has further polished her expertise in these subjects. Consequently, Dr. Davis is emblematic of NCUs faculty model, combining practical experience with superb academic preparation.

SAIL was launched in 2003 with the goal of providing professional development to both entry-year and experienced school principals in Ohio. Having achieved notable success, the organization is expanding its horizons. It is now serving the state of California as wellas a Professional Clear Alternative Administrative Services Credential Programand has inaugurated SAIL for Teacher Leadership, which extends SAIL services beyond school administrative ranks by tailoring a program for classroom teachers. SAIL Online, a recent innovation, will further extend the organizations reach.

NCU is the primary education partner of SAIL at the doctoral level and one of only two partners at the Masters level. Working together, the 100% online university and SAIL offer an affordable fast-track Doctor of Education and Doctor of Philosophy-Education degree program. And with the new SAIL for Teacher Leadership program, participants can pursue a Masters degree at NCU, as well.

Davis was accorded the directorship of SAIL at a time of expansion and growth for the organization and she relishes the challenge. It is with great excitement that I have begun my new position as the Director of SAIL for Education, where we believe that instructional leadership is the key to academic improvement.