"Leveraging Diversity & Creating Solutions"

John began work as the assessment specialist and doctoral assistant for the Honors College in the Fall of 2022. He came to the Honors College after being recognized for high performance as a doctoral assistant within JMU’s Center for Assessment and Research Studies (CARS) during the 2021-2022 academic year. He is a former commissioned officer in the United States Armed Forces and was awarded the distinguished Coast Guard Commendation Medal in 2018. John recently published “Making Learning Visible: A strategy worth sharing”, in the academic journal Assessment Update. Recently serving as the special assistant to the Vice President of Student Affairs, he led strategic planning efforts for military connected students at JMU.

John earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from the College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, where he worked with Dr. Michael Marcel in the cognitive neuroscience laboratory. While on active duty, John earned a Master of Science Degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester, NH. His master’s thesis explores the impact of survey administration methods on survey data. Most recently, He completed over 29 hours of doctoral course work in assessment and measurement and strategic leadership at James Madison University, maintaining a 4.0 GPA. John is currently a Doctor of Philosophy student in the Strategic Leadership Studies program at JMU where he is researching the role of assessment in leading large scale organizational change within the department of defense and department of homeland security. He has conducted program evaluation for over 120 large academic degree programs and has a passion for organizational development consulting.

John is a native of Virginia, and graduate of John Handley High School in Winchester. He Lives in Luray with his wife and two sons, enjoys the outdoors, spending time with his family, and traveling. His website is www.johnwlee.com. 

 Donna Young graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science in Human Development in 2001 and Master of Arts in Curriculum & Instruction in 2003. She has a variety of experiences in education as an upper elementary classroom teacher for Augusta County Public Schools, Lead Preschool Teacher at the JMU Young Children’s Program, and online K-6 instructor for Magic Ears English and Thinkster Math. She also has supervised student teachers from local universities  and taught English to adult learners at MTC. Donna is dedicated to helping educators make a positive impact on their students and communities. Her other interests include practicing and teaching yoga, as well as spending time outdoors.