Turning the Promise into Practice and Policy
Propelling every Georgia child to read proficiently and beyond!
Early Language
Through various programs, publications and events,
the Deal Center will contribute to thought leadership on
importance of early language and literacy to propel all
of Georgia's children to read proficiently and beyond.
Georgia's
To Universal Literacy by 2020
The Deal Center promotes core actions essential
to supporting universal literacy throughout Georgia.
View Core Actions
The Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy is on a mission to improve the early language and literacy skills of Georgia's children by providing research-based professional development for organizations working with children from birth through age eight.
Passionate commitment. Integrity. Collaborative thought leadership. Respect. Our values guide our efforts. They're at the heart of every program, every event, every project, and they keep us focused on our vision – propelling every Georgia child to read proficiently and beyond.
From statewide conferences to local seminars, we apply the
same three-pillared approach to every opportunity.
We conduct our own research and support others in the field to find sustainable and scalable solutions. We collect and share evidence-based research and best practices in the fields of early language and literacy development, process improvement, and professional development.
We provide research-based professional development for organizations working with children from birth through age eight.
We promote community engagement through research and professional development grants for the advancement of early language and literacy.
OUR QUEST
By embedding evidence-based practices for early language and literacy development in organizations working with children birth to age 8, we will ensure reading proficiency for all children.
The Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy is proud to call Georgia College
home and is thankful for the guidance of their senior leadership.
Cathy Cox
President of Georgia College
Dr. Costas Spirou
Dr. Theresa Magpuri-Lavell
Our team of leaders who are helping write the next chapter on childhood Literacy in Georgia.
Cheryl Cooper-Smith
Kimberly Scott
Administrative Office Manager
Beth Panther
Katrina Davis
Appointed by the governor, our nine board members stewards the Center's efforts.
Amy M. Jacobs, Chair
Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning
Arianne Weldon, Vice Chair
Get Georgia Reading Campaign
Keisha R. Callins, M.D., M.P.H
Mercer University School of Medicine/Community Health Care Systems
Wendy Cornelisen
Georgia Public Library Service
Lucky Jain, M.D.
Emory Children's Center
Lisa Kinnemore
Georgia Board of Education
Joe Peters, Ph.D.
Georgia College
Martha Ann Todd
Technical College System of Georgia
Joy Hawkins
GOSA Executive Director
We must make a concerted effort to increase the percentage of children reading at grade level by the completion of third grade. Students must learn to read in order to be able to read to learn; and when we fail to invest in our youngest students, we are forced to spend money on remediation for the remainder of their academic careers.
Governor Nathan Deal and
First Lady Sandra Dunagan Deal
LETTER FROM THE
Are you aware that Georgia currently prepares only 34% of children for reading proficiency by the end of the third grade? This means only 1 in 3 eight-year-olds are ready and able to confidently proceed to the fourth grade with the critical foundation of early language and literacy. This has potentially dire consequences for children who often get left behind. I would like you to stop and think for a moment to ponder this question – how would your life be different today if you could not read or write?
What foundation are we laying for our children? Are we doing our best? Our vision at the Deal Center, simply put, is to propel every Georgia child to read proficiently and beyond. We believe we can and must do better. Our children deserve better. Children need to read well and on grade level by third grade to have the best chance for success in education and ultimately in the work force and in life. Reaching this goal is vitally important. But it is also a shared responsibility. We understand that creating systemic change requires collective impact with cross-sector collaboration. This is why the Deal Center has partnerships at the core of its work and acts as a catalyst to direct and focus our efforts and energy. The Deal Center desires to amplify what is already working and invest in new innovative strategies and approaches. Your help and support is critical to success!
The Deal Center will employ explicit partnering strategies for state-wide, cross-sector collaboration and partnerships focused on early language and literacy.
Will you work with me to make this vision a success? It is only with the full support of all organizations and individuals operating in the birth to third-grade continuum that we can accomplish our goal for the children of Georgia. I am honored to work with all partners to change lives through literacy and turn this promise into practice and policy.
So join us and find your role to help make sure every child reads proficiently and beyond!.
Cathy Cox is the 12th President of Georgia College & State University, Georgia's designated public liberal arts university. Prior to joining Georgia College, President Cox served as Dean for Mercer University School of Law from 2017–2021 and served as president of Young Harris College for a decade. A native of Bainbridge, Georgia, President Cox's distinguished career in law, education, politics, and journalism embodies what it means to have a "liberal arts" background. President Cox earned her associate's degree at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Georgia, before turning her attention to journalism at the University of Georgia where she graduated summa cum laude. Writing for The Times of Gainesville and The Post-Searchlight of Bainbridge, she would cover local area crime and the courts, inspiring her to pursue a degree in law. She served as editor-in-chief for the Mercer Law Review before graduating magna cum laude from Mercer Law School. President Cox practiced law in her hometown of Bainbridge and in Atlanta for 10 years, during which time she was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives. She subsequently broke new ground in her election as Georgia's Secretary of State, becoming the first woman in Georgia's history to serve in this Constitutional office. In 2020, she was named Georgia's Woman Lawyer of the Year by the Middle Georgia Chapter of the Georgia Association of Women Lawyers.
Dr. Costas Spirou serves as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Previously, he was Senior Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and Director of The Graduate School. In 2017, Spirou was named a Fellow by the American Council of Education (ACE), the nation's premier higher education leadership development program and spent the 2017-2018 academic year at Georgia Institute of Technology. He has held academic appointments at numerous universities including as a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Latino Studies of the University of Notre Dame (2009-2011) and a Research Fellow at the Center of Cultural Understanding and Change of the Field Museum in Chicago (2005-2010). He also holds a faculty position as a Professor of Sociology and Public Administration. His research interests and scholarship center on mayoral leadership, public policy, technology and political sociology, urban affairs and governance. He has also written about downtown revival, the politics of stadiums and convention centers, and urban tourism and sustainability. Spirou is currently completing a book manuscript titled Anchoring Innovation Districts: The Entrepreneurial University and Urban Change (under contract with Johns Hopkins University Press). He is also co-editing a book titled The Many Futures of Work: Interpretations, Contentions, Expectations that examines the technological, political, and economic sources of the gig economy, the impact of the rapidly changing labor economy, and ameliorative policy options. His most recent book is Building the City of Spectacle: Mayor Richard M. Daley and the Remaking of Chicago (with D. Judd) was published by Cornell University Press in 2016. Other books include Urban Tourism and Urban Change: Cities in a Global Economy (Routledge, 2011), St. Charles: Culture and Leisure in an All-American Town (Arcadia, 2005) which received an Award of Merit by the Illinois Association of Museums, and It's Hardly Sportin': Stadiums, Neighborhoods and the New Chicago (Northern Illinois University Press, 2003, with L. Bennett). He has published numerous articles and chapters in academic journals and edited volumes.
Dr. Theresa Magpuri-Lavell was appointed Executive Director of the Deal Center in December 2017. She has spent 20 years in education passionately advocating for early language and literacy as an elementary school teacher, professor and researcher of literacy education, and university partner with public school districts and the community. Prior to Georgia College, Dr. Magpuri-Lavell spent eight years in the School of Education at Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY serving as an Associate Professor, Assistant Dean of Outreach, and as the Scholar in Residence for Jefferson County Public Schools. As Scholar in Residence, she worked closely with school district leaders to coordinate the operations of a teacher capacity building program for over 1000 K-5 teachers in evidence-based literacy practices through graduate level coursework with on-site coaching support over a four year period. Dr. Magpuri-Lavell received her doctorate in Instruction and Curriculum Leadership with a specialization in Reading Education from the University of Memphis. Her research is focused on early literacy, specifically foundational reading skills, reading fluency, and building teacher capacity on the science of teaching reading. Her research has been published in the Journal of Adult and Adolescent Literacy, the Journal of Educational Research, the Journal of Literacy Research, and Advances in Literary Studies. After receiving her Master's in Education from Lesley University, she taught elementary school for ten years in Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Japan.
Cheryl Cooper-Smith is the Professional Development Specialist for the Deal Center. Prior to this, she served as a Language and Literacy Specialist with the Governor's Office of Student Achievement- Reading Mentor Program and State-wide Initiative. In this position, she provided job-embedded capacity building professional development to teachers across the state. Cheryl has more than 8 years of experience as a literacy instructional leader supporting Georgia Public School administrators and teachers. She has more than 19 years of experience as an educator. Cheryl has a Specialist Degree in Curriculum and Instruction, a Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education both from Piedmont College in Georgia. She earned her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from the City College of New York. In addition, she holds an endorsement in reading instruction with Certification in Educational Leadership from the University of West Georgia. Cheryl has a passion for reading literacy. She is committed and excited to be a part of a team that works to positively impact the lives of students, families, fellow educators, and the community through the work of early language and literacy.
Kimberly Scott is the Administrative Office Manager for the Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy. She has 20 years of experience in Administrative services with the last 15 years being in the Hospitality sector with The Ritz-Carlton and Marriott International. Her most recent role was as the Senior Executive Assistant to the General Manager of The Miami Beach EDITION with Marriott International located in Miami Beach, FL. She was the liaison to the Guidance Team and part of the Leadership team for the Stay Plastic Free Committee, Cultural Committee, Safety Committee, and the Breakthrough Leadership Program that focused on the company goals of Financial Performance, Employee Engagement and Guest Engagement. She was nominated for Employee of the quarter and year several times with Marriott and also nominated for Georgia Hospitality and Lodging Association for Emerging Leader and nominated for Executive Administrative Assistant of the Year for Greater Miami and the Beaches Hotel Association. Kim is from Atlanta, GA originally and grew up in Lake Oconee, GA. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration from Georgia College & State University in 2008 and is excited to return home to Middle Georgia. She resides at Lake Oconee with her husband, Jeffrey, and 8-year-old son, Ethan. They enjoy spending time with family and outdoors especially with the Boys Scouts of America where Jeff is a Cub Den Leader and Kim is the Pack Committee Chair as well as supporting and volunteering with their local communities and church.
Beth Panther is an Administrative Assistant II at the Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy. She comes to the Deal Center with over 14 years of administrative support experience with Williams Funeral Home in Gordon, Georgia, along with Macon-Bibb County Government's Department of Human Resources. Beth was also a Middle Grades Education Major at Middle Georgia State University. Beth volunteered with a Wilkinson County Girl Scout Troop for four years, and taught Sunday School (ages 2 and up) for five years in Dry Branch, GA. She is a lifelong resident of Wilkinson County where she resides with her husband, Shannon.
Katrina Davis is the Program Assistant for the Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy. She comes to the Deal Center with more than 14 years of administrative support experience in both the private and non-profit sector. She was previously the accounting administrative assistant for the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Central and West Georgia and has participated in numerous fundraising and social events for the organization. Katrina has served as a parent volunteer, PTA board member and Band Booster board member in her local school system of Jones County. She has lived in Haddock, Georgia for over 30 years with her husband, and they have two daughters.
Amy Jacobs is the commissioner of the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. Appointed commissioner by Governor Nathan Deal in 2014, she oversees an annual budget of more than $800 million for programs benefiting children and families including child care licensing, nutrition, and early childhood education, specifically Georgia's Pre-K Program. Jacobs previously served as a senior policy adviser for the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget. She is a member of the Georgia's Children's Cabinet, the Georgia Child Fatality Review Panel, the Alliance of Education Agency Heads, and the 2020 Complete Count Committee. She sits on the board of directors for the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education and is chair of the board for the Georgia Foundation for Early Care and Learning.
Arianne Weldon is the director of the Get Georgia Reading Campaign, a collaboration of more than 100 public and private partners working to ensure that all children in Georgia become proficient readers by the end of third grade. She was previously the Maternal and Child Health Services Title V administrator for the Georgia Department of Public Health and the director of State Partnership Strategies for Georgia Family Connection Partnership. Weldon earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from Georgia State University and a master's degree in public health from Emory University.
Keisha R. Callins is a women's health professional. She serves on faculty at Mercer University School of Medicine and works with Community Health Care Systems, a network of Federally Qualified Health Centers that provides healthcare services to rural and underserved areas in middle Georgia. She previously worked at the Mirian Worthy Women's Health Center, Albany, Georgia and served as assistant medical director for Albany Area Primary Health Care. Callins is currently in the 2018 Class of the Georgia Physicians Leadership Academy, a 2015 alumni of Leadership Georgia and serves on the Georgia Composite Medical Board. She has served on appointed committees with Mercer University School of Medicine, Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, and Albany Area Primary Health Care. Callins earned a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Virginia, a master's degree in public health from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and a medical degree from Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM). She completed her graduate medical training at the MSM OB/GYN Residency Program at Grady Memorial Hospital, where she served as chief resident. Callins is member of civic organizations including Rotary Club and Junior League. She is the author of a monthly women's health segment in the SW Georgia Health Beat.
Wendy Cornelisen is the assistant state librarian for library innovation and collaboration with the Georgia Public Library Service, a unit of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. She has more than 15 years of experience working in and with public libraries. Cornelisen holds leadership roles in the Georgia Library Association and is a past president of the Tennessee Library Association. She earned a bachelor's degree from Iowa State University and a master's degree in information science from the University of Tennessee.
Lucky Jain is the president and CEO of the Emory Children's Center and the Richard W. Blumberg professor and chairman of Pediatrics at the Emory University School of Medicine. He is the chief academic officer at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and a senior investigator at the Center for Cell and Molecular Signaling. Jain also holds a joint appointment as a professor in the Emory Department of Physiology. He is an elected member of the Society for Pediatric Research and the American Pediatric Society. Jain is also a fellow of the Woodruff Leadership Academy and has received numerous teaching awards, including the Ross Educator of the Year award from the Southern Society for Pediatric Research and the Most Distinguished Physician of the Year award from the Association of American Physicians of Indian Origin. He is a graduate of Sawai ManSingh Medical College Jaipur and trained in neonatology in Chicago.
Lisa Kinnemore represents the 4th Congressional District on the Georgia Board of Education. She also sits on the advisory board of Thrive Youth Development, Inc. and sat on the board of Northeast Independent Preparatory Academy for five years. Kinnemore earned a bachelor's degree from Georgia State University.
Joe Peters is the dean of education at Georgia College. He served in the U.S. Army and Army Reserves and has taught grades K-8, high school science, and university courses at the University of Pittsburgh, the University of West Florida, Mercyhurst College, Pensacola State College, Chaminade University, and Georgia College. He was previously an executive director representative to the Council of Scientific Society Presidents, a North American representative to the International Council of Associations for Science Education, and executive director of the Association for Science Teacher Education. He is the secretary of the Milledgeville Rotary and board member of the Oconee RESA. Peters earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Mercyhurst College, master's degrees in natural sciences and environmental education from Gannon University, and a doctoral degree in science education from the University of Pittsburgh.
Martha Ann Todd is the deputy commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia. She was previously the executive director of the Governor's Office of Student Achievement (GOSA). In her career, she has also been an assistant superintendent for Meriwether County Schools and an associate superintendent of teacher and leader effectiveness with the Georgia Department of Education. Todd has more than 38 years of experience in public and private education, working with students grades K-12 as a classroom teacher and has held a range of leadership roles at the school, district and state level. She previously served as chair of the Georgia Alliance of Education Agency Heads and is a member of the Georgia Children's Cabinet. Todd is a graduate of Emory University, Columbus State University and Georgia College.
Joy Hawkins earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Georgia State University and a Juris Doctorate Degree from Georgia State College of Law. She began her career in state government in the Senate Research Office where she served as director for five years. She worked under Governor Sonny Perdue's administration as a Policy Analyst and Deputy Chief Operating Officer. Most recently she has led a literacy movement, serving as director of Literacy For All for the past two years. Joy is a native of Georgia and has two grown children; one is Governor Brian Kemp's Executive Operations Officer and the other is a junior at UGA. She resides in Sandy Springs with her other children, three dogs and a cat.
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Contact the deal center
478.445.8500 | galiteracy@gcsu.edu
Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy
Georgia College | 202 North Clarke Street | Campus Box 130
Milledgeville, GA 31061
© 2022, Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy