Northcentral University

Dr. Deborah Nelson started off her career as a journalist. After earning a BS in Journalism from Howard University, she worked as a copyeditor for an education magazine. She knew she needed to pursue a graduate degree in the education field when she became more interested in reading the articles than editing them! Dr. Nelson returned to Howard to earn her MEd in School Psychology and then went on to earn her PhD in School Psychology from the University of Maryland College Park. Dr. Nelson has over 20 years of experience in the field of education working as a school psychologist, national consultant, and a research associate. She has over ten years of experience teaching graduate-level research courses and serving on dissertation committees. Currently, Dr. Nelson is an associate professor in the School of Education where she is a dissertation chair and teaches the Scholarly Literature Review and Prospectus courses. Dr. Nelson has worked at Northcentral University for the past five years and truly enjoys working with doctoral students. "For me, the greatest enjoyment is seeing the growth and development in candidates as they matriculate through the program and become independent researchers. Their success is truly my success!" Dr. Nelson is proficient in a variety of research methods and designs, including quantitative research, qualitative research, mixed method designs and survey research. Her advice to dissertation students is the following: MEET SOME NCU SCHOOL OF EDUCATION PROFESSORS DEBORAH NELSON, PHD 1. Set realistic goals for yourself and stick to them! 2. Recognize that there are sacrifices involved in earning a doctorate degree, but these are temporary. 3. Reach out to your course instructors and dissertation chair when you get stuck or feel over- whelmed. They will support you. 4. Surround yourself with family and friends who support you in reaching your academic goals. In her spare time, Dr. Nelson likes to travel, read and spend time with her daughter. 25

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