Debra Scheffel

Dr. Debora Scheffel was appointed in October, 2013, as Dean of the School of Education, at Colorado Christian University. Previous to her appointment at Colorado Christian, she was Dean of Research at University of the Rockies, and Dean of the School of Education at Jones International University. Previously, she held a tenured professorship at the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colorado, served as the Director of Competitive Grants and Awards/Literacy Grants and Initiatives at the Colorado Department of Education, and served as special assistant to the Colorado Commissioner of Education in literacy.

Dr. Scheffel has an extensive background in assessment, serving as the Director of Academic Assessment at two universities, and has been a visiting scholar at the United States Air Force Academy in assessment. She earned a Master’s degree from the University of Denver in special education, a PhD in communication sciences and disorders from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, and completed a National Institutes of Mental Health post-doctoral fellowship from the University of California, San Diego in cognitive science. Her research interests are in reading and oral language development and disabilities in children, and education reform policy. She has served as a national consultant in school reform efforts related to literacy since 2012.

Debora has worked in six states in a variety of higher education contexts, and is a published author in literacy, special education, and higher education assessment. Her professional affiliations include the International Neuropsychological Society, the International Dyslexia Association, and the Council for Exceptional Children. She was elected to the Colorado State Board of Education in November, 2010 and served through January, 2017 representing the 6th Congressional District. She was re-elected to the Colorado State Board of Education in February, 2018 to complete a retiring member’s term representing the 4th Congressional District. She has served on the editorial board of Learning Disabilities Research and Practice and currently serves on the editorial board of Journal of the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition. She is passionate about quality public education, a range of available educational options, and knows the value of exemplary teachers, great school leaders, and parents who best know their children’s educational needs and potential.