Page 7 - CEHD Commencement Undergrad Program

Biographical Information
Michael C. Rodriguez
Michael C. Rodriguez, PhD, is dean of the College of Education and Human Development and a professor of educational measurement and assessment.
He holds the Campbell Leadership Chair with a focus on education equity and
is a member of the University’s Academy of Distinguished Teachers. He directs the MN Youth Development Research Group that explores the role of the social and cultural contexts of learning and positive youth development through the measurement of social and emotional learning. He currently chairs the Technical Advisory Group of the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards and is a member of the Design and Analysis Committee of the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
He is the recipient of the Albert J. Harris Research Award from the International Literacy Association. Perhaps most importantly, he is a fifth generation Minnesotan and a first generation college graduate.
John Leonard
John Leonard joined the University of Minnesota band faculty in the fall of 2021 after completing his DMA in wind conducting at the University of Kansas. In
2018 he was the interim assistant director of bands, and director of the Bronco Marching Band at Western Michigan University. Previously, Leonard was the assistant director of bands at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, and worked as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst teaching music arranging techniques as well as leading the UMass “Hoop” Band and assisting with the Minuteman Marching Band. A prolific arranger, Leonard writes music for many university marching bands, as well as working on new arrangements and transcriptions for wind band. In the summers, he teaches at the George N. Parks Drum Major Academy where he is both a lead clinician as well as the staff manager for the company.
Sophia Haddad
Sophia Haddad is graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Marketing Education with a double minor in Leadership and Spanish. She is from Bloomington, Minnesota and takes pride in her Syrian heritage. During her years at the University of Minnesota, she was involved with on campus organizations like MCAE, the Orthodox Christian Fellowship, and worked for the University of Minnesota as a swim instructor. Her favorite college memories include studying abroad in Milan, Italy, cheering the Gophers on in the student section at hockey and football games, and learning byzantine chanting at different Orthodox churches in the Twin Cities. Her future plans are to stay in Minnesota and work in marketing within the food and beverage industry.
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