UNLV College of Education Alumni

06/18/2026

Welcome to the the next installment of the spotlight series, “50 Alums, 50 States!” 🎓🌎 UNLV College of Education Alumni are everywhere!
Say hello to Dr. Romeshia Thomas representing the Magnolia State of Mississippi. Romeshia earned a Master’s of Education from UNLV College of Education in 2008 in Educational Leadership - specializing in Higher Education.
: All graduates from the UNLV College of Education are automatically members of the COE Alumni Chapter and the UNLV Alumni Association. No fees or dues! ❤️🩶
Want to be featured in an upcoming post? Submit a Class Note and let us know what’s new with you! 👉 unlv.edu/unlv-magazine/class-notes
UNLV UNLV Alumni

06/17/2026

“Your career path isn’t linear, and you never know what the next opportunity could be.”
We’re celebrating Coby Carner ‘23 for being named the inaugural Intercollegiate and Professional Sport Management Alum of the Year. He was honored this past spring at an UNLV College of Education awards event and at an IPSM end-of-year celebration. 🎉
👉🏽 Read more:
unlv.edu/announcement/college-education/coby-carner-setting-standard-ipsm-excellence

UNLV UNLV Alumni

Coby Carner, the inaugural Intercollegiate and Professional Sports Management (IPSM) Alum of the Year, had always envisioned a career in professional sports. Upon graduation, he found a new passion for creating opportunities for young athletes and their families across Nevada as the director of mark...

06/16/2026

🎉 We’re celebrating the latest UNLV College of Education Rebels to earn a doctoral degree!
Let’s congratulate Dr. Amy Mathis-Leonard for earning her doctorate this past spring! Her Ph.D. is in Curriculum & Instruction, focused on Mathematics Education and marks her second degree from UNLV and the College of Education. 🎓🎓
Amy said her favorite moment at UNLV was her dissertation defense. “I was very intentional about being in the moment and enjoying the chance to share everything I'd learned over the past 4 years. It was an amazing day!” ❤️🩶
Her “why,” the thing that motivates her? “Math was always my favorite subject in school and I felt that I had a gift for explaining the process to others in a way that wasn't intimidating. This naturally expanded into training and guiding other teachers in methods related to mathematics teaching. Math education has been my passion for 30 years!” ➕➖✖️➗
Amy’s favorite pastime is crocheting? “It started by teaching myself how to make a blanket in 2022 and now my favorite things to make are bags and purses.” 🧶
UNLV Alumni UNLV Graduate College

06/15/2026

“Colleagues remember her as a driven scholar and collaborative leader who embraced every opportunity to support students both inside and outside the classroom.”
We’re celebrating Dr. Lisa Rubin ‘12 as the 2026 Higher Education Alum of the Year. 🎉 She was honored earlier in the spring at a UNLV College of Education event.
🎓 Read more at unlv.edu/announcement/college-education/rebel-roots-national-impact-lisa-rubins-journey-higher-education
Know someone deserving of recognition? Nominate them for next year’s award. More info at unlv.edu/education/alumni-awards
UNLV UNLV Alumni

When Lisa Rubin arrived at UNLV as a doctoral student, few could have predicted the national impact she would go on to make in higher education. Today, as the recipient of the UNLV College of Education Higher Education Alumna of the Year, Dr. Rubin’s career stands as a testament to the power of le...

06/11/2026

✨Alumni in Action Spotlight✨
👋🏽 This month we’re featuring Dr. Taro Ito! Taro has earned FOUR degrees from UNLV!!!! 🎓🎓🎓🎓
From UNLV College of Education, he has earned a M.Ed. and Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction in 2012 and 2017, respectively, focused in Math Education. He serves as a lecturer in UNLV’s Department of Mathematical Sciences, a role he’s had for 7 years, after previously teaching at the K-12 level. ➕➖✖️➗
Taro is originally from Japan?
features that work at UNLV. Drop us a note if you know someone we should highlight. ❤️🩶
UNLV College of Education Alumni UNLV Alumni

06/10/2026

🎉 We’re celebrating the latest UNLV College of Education Rebels to earn a doctoral degree!
Dr. Ebenezer Belete graduated with a Ph.D. in Learning Sciences this past semester with a 4.0 GPA. , his daughter Tracy also graduated this past spring with a 4.0 (4.3 unweighted) from high school! 🎓🎓
Ebe, who was honored as one of the Commencement ceremony speakers, served as a part-time instructor for UNLV. He said his favorite moment during his time at UNLV was “when a student in my class who was about to fail responds to my encouragement, finishes the requirements and passes.”
A couple of goals he’s working on:
1️⃣ Visiting national parks - he’s got 22 done so far.
2️⃣ Teaching on every continent - he’s 3 for 7.
Ebe has performed as a whistler and human trumpet?
UNLV Alumni UNLV Graduate College

06/09/2026

“He was caring, compassionate, and supportive to individuals living their worst day.”
Congratulations to Othoniel “Tony” Hernandez ‘08 ‘11 for being named the 2026 School Psychology Alum of the Year. 🎉
Read more: unlv.edu/announcement/college-education/stepping-and-stepping
Know someone deserving of recognition? Nominate them for next year’s award. More info at unlv.edu/education/alumni-awards
UNLV UNLV College of Education UNLV Alumni

Supportive Leadership Sets the 2026 School Psychology Alumni of the Year above the Rest We all remember October 1, 2017, as one of the most tragic dates in Las Vegas history. We remember the numbers, the loss, and the trauma that followed. But no one remembers the unsung heroes. The ones who stepped...

06/08/2026

🎉 We’re celebrating the latest UNLV College of Education Rebels to earn a doctoral degree!
Congratulations to Dr. Melonie Poster for earning a doctorate this past spring semester! She finished with a degree in Executive Educational Leadership after earning her bachelors in Secondary Education in 2000. 🎓🎓 Melonie is the principal of Carroll Johnston STEM Academy in North Las Vegas. 🐶
Melonie shared, “I pursued my doctorate to deepen my impact in education by better understanding how school leadership systems operate. I wanted to examine how decisions within schools shape access to opportunities for both educators and students, and to identify ways to create more equitable and intentional systems for future leaders.” 📈
Her favorite UNLV moment? “The connections and support from Cohort 2 as well as the extended doctoral family from Cohort 1.” 🫱🏽‍🫲🏽
UNLV UNLV Alumni UNLV Graduate College Clark County School District

06/03/2026

To earn multiple college degrees shows perseverance and determination. To earn them at one university is remarkable. And yet, to earn them from the same college within that university is even more unique! 🦄
In this month’s ✨ Three Degrees from COE ✨ spotlight, we’re spotlighting 3x UNLV College of Education alum, Dr. Ashley Skylar! Her degrees:
🎓 1996 B.S. Special Education
🎓 1999 M.Ed. Curriculum & Instruction
🎓 2004 Ph.D. Special Education
Ashley serves as the Manager for Online Course Services for the California State University system and credits grad school for her career. “In my case, it opened doors as a K-12 teacher, university professor, and in administration at the system level supporting faculty across 23 CA university campuses.” 💻
Being a part of her doctoral community is a favorite memory of Ashley’s. “In … Special Education, we were all very close and supportive as it was a transformative experience with deep critical thinking and research. … It was important to know that we were all experiencing the same thing and that we were building a community and professional relationships that extended beyond the program.” ❤️🩶
A career highlight? Ashley has two!
1️⃣ “I was mentored and supported by my Dept. Chair Dr. Nancy Burstein as we co-wrote and were federally funded an $800,000 grant for Secondary Special Education teachers. This was transformative for me as we were able to support five cohorts of secondary special education teachers in the development of a hybrid credential program infused with technology and culturally responsive curriculum.
2️⃣ “The 2nd career highlight was being awarded a national award by Quality Matters in 2016 at their annual conference for “Outstanding Impact by an Organization.” This award was monumental for me as I have been serving as an administrator supporting the CSU system in preparing instructors developing and delivering quality online course experiences for students enrolled in the California State University courses.” 📈
Know another triple COE alum? We want to highlight them! DM us for more details.
Interested in leveling up? Visit unlv.edu/education to learn about all of our undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificates.
UNLV Alumni