Dr. Elif Kalemdaroglu-Wheeler

Dr. Elif Kalemdaroglu-Wheeler is a recent alumnus of the University of Phoenix. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts with concentrations in Political Science and Economics and a Minor in Business. She completed her B.A. and M.A. in Leadership in Education at the University of Notre Dame of Maryland. In addition, she received her Post-master's Educational Leadership and Administration certification from George Washington University. Her doctoral degree is in Educational Leadership, specializing in Curriculum and Instruction. She has 23 years of experience teaching Special Education, Social Studies, and Science at middle and high school grade levels and in K-12 school administration.

As an instructional leader, she mentored new teachers and served as a Department Chair, Behavior Intervention Coordinator, Dean of Students, Athletic Director, Instructional Coach, Head of Academy, and Director of Virtual Curriculum and Instruction in K-12 settings. She founded Capella Educational Services, LLC., which provides educational consulting, coaching, and mentoring services.  She is currently in line to obtain my Master of Jurisprudence with a concentration in Education Law and Special Education Advocacy at St. Mary's University School of Law.  She is a passionate educator and wishes to continue researching educational leadership practice and become a change agent in educational policy-making. Her dissertation, Perceptions of Test Score Pollution Stemming from COVID-19 and State Testing: An Exploratory Case Study, won the Dissertation of the Year 2023 award. She is a Fellow in Residence with the Center for Leadership Studies and Organizational Research and the Center for Educational and Instructional Technology Research at the University of Phoenix. She is currently serving on the Board of the Virginia Educational Research Association as Secretary and provides Special Education Services/Case Management in Virginia. She was inducted into the National Society of Leadership and Success in 2021.