Rutgers professor shares insights on education administration through diverse experiences

From Brooklyn to New Brunswick, Dr. Gail Verona has been teaching since the 1970s. Her career has come "full circle" by her definition, as a former student at Rutgers Graduate School of Education (GSE) to now a seasoned professor at the same school.

Dr. Verona celebrated a momentous recognition of her life's work in 2024 when she was promoted to Associate Professor of Professional Practice at the GSE.

"It's particularly exciting and important because this is a second career for me," she said.

Before joining the Rutgers GSE faculty in September of 2016, Dr. Verona had an illustrious career as a school administrator. She served in various administrative positions beginning with supervisor which led to director, principal, assistant superintendent, and eventually superintendent of schools. When she retired in 2014 after seven years of service as a superintendent, she realized she wasn't ready to retire.

"I still had a lot I wanted to accomplish, particularly to share my administrative experiences with students who could benefit from hearing about them," Dr. Verona said.

Dr. Verona decided to share her wealth of experience and applied for an opening at the same school where she earned her Ed.M. and Ed.D. in Educational Administration and Supervision degrees: Rutgers GSE.

"It really was an amazing opportunity because I had come full circle," Dr. Verona said.

The most important thing was to give back. She wanted to give back the knowledge she acquired throughout her nearly 35-year career as an administrator. She wanted to give students a practitioner's point of view and guidance throughout the challenges of teaching K through 12th grade, especially during the COVID pandemic.

"There are a lot of theories in the coursework, which is great…but students need to know the real-life application of these theories, and that's where my strength lies," Dr. Verona said.

This real-life application of learning isn't just something Dr. Verona teaches to her students. She is a life-long learner herself.

"My piano is an example of my role as a lifelong learner, as well as a lifelong teacher," Dr. Verona said.

Even as an advanced classical pianist who has been playing since she was eight years old, she still practices and has a teacher.

The same goes for ballroom dancing; a hobby that she and her husband share. The duo take lessons together and separately to practice and participate in showcases, dancing the Foxtrot, Waltz, Tango, Hustle, and Salsa.

Living a life of intertwining disciplines and passions – in teaching, piano, and dance – has led to many accomplishments, the latest being her promotion.

"I always tell my students I didn't do this alone; I had mentors along the way," Dr. Verona said.

Dr. Verona works in the Department of Educational Theory, Policy, and Administration (ETPA) at the GSE. This department's programs prepare educational leaders and scholars through various programs for educational professionals including teachers, administrators, and policymakers from preschool to adult levels. In their research and teaching, the department's faculty examine institutional policies and practices and factors that influence them as well as day-to-day operations of schools and non-school educational agencies.

"For me education is really about being a mentor," Dr. Verona said. "It's helping people imparting knowledge that I have to help them become better at what they do."

Information from this article can be found here.