The School of Education (Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs) is pleased to welcome a new special education program director.
Leslie Mathews received a B.S. in Special Education from Union University in Jackson, Tenn., with teaching endorsements in early childhood special education and K-12 mild/moderate disabilities. She later pursued her M.A.Ed. in Special Education from the same university where she served as a graduate assistant, adjunct faculty, and then assistant professor. Leslie then met her ultimate academic goal by completing her Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of Oklahoma. She has 19 years of diverse teaching experience in public and private schools in Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Oklahoma where she has taught prekindergarten through fourth grade special education, middle and high school math, and special education pre-service teachers. Most recently, Mathews served as the director of special services at Grove School in Shawnee, Okla. Her research interests include special education teacher stress and special education teacher preparation programs. Mathews has been married to her high school sweetheart, Chris, for 27 years. Together they have three beautiful daughters, and one lucky son-in-law.
