Georgia College names Deal Center director

MILLEDGEVILLE — Theresa Magpuri-Lavell has been named executive director of the Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy at Georgia College. Magpuri-Lavell will provide strategic leadership for the unique center, whose mission is to improve Georgia’s literacy rate for children from birth to age 8.

“Following a national search, Dr. Magpuri-Lavell rose to the top as the professional to lead the Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy,” Kelli Brown, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Georgia College, said.

“We are fortunate to have someone with Dr. Magpuri-Lavell’s research, educational and classroom experiences to lead the center. Under her leadership, I have no doubt the center will thrive as it provides resources for professionals throughout the state of Georgia.”

Magpuri-Lavell comes to Georgia College from Bellarmine University in Louisville, Ky., where she has been an associate professor in the School of Education and served as Scholar-in-Residence for Jefferson County Public Schools for the past four years. In that position, she worked closely with district leaders coordinating a teacher-capacity building program for more than 1,000 K-5 English Language Learning and Early Childhood Education teachers through graduate-level coursework and on-site coaching support.

Magpuri-Lavell received her doctorate in instruction and curriculum leadership with a specialization in reading education from the University of Memphis. After receiving her master’s in education degree from Lesley University, she taught elementary school for 10 years in Massachusetts, Tennessee and Japan. She dedicated her professional career to passionately advocating for early language and literacy as a classroom teacher, professor, scholar and collaborative university partner with public school districts and the community.

Magpuri-Lavell’s research interests are framed around literacy issues, particularly those concerning early literacy skills for K-3 students and urban adolescents with a specific focus on oral reading fluency and building teacher capacity on evidenced-based reading instruction. Her research has been published in the Journal of Adult and Adolescent Literacy, Reading Improvement, International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, Advances in Literary Study and the Journal of Literacy Research.

“As chair of the board of the Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy, I welcome Dr. Magpuri-Lavell to lead the center’s important work,” said Amy M. Jacobs, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. “Her education, experience, advocacy for and commitment to early literacy imminently qualify her to serve as the center’s executive director. Under her leadership, the center will be an invaluable resource for teachers as they help Georgia’s youngest students become proficient readers.”

Founded in 2017 with a statewide mission, the Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy promotes research-based practices for children from birth to age 8, as well as their families, communities and teachers in child care centers, pre-schools and K-3 classrooms. The center will work with universities, technical colleges and alternative-educator preparation programs to develop an effective professional development model to increase literacy rates.