Debbie Whitaker
Coordinator, MAE Program; Instructor, undergraduate education program
Degrees
A.A., Volunteer State Community College
B.A., Cumberland University
M.A.E, Cumberland University
M.S.O, Cumberland University
Special Education coursework, University of Tennessee
Phone: 615.547.1217
E-mail: dwhitaker@cumberland.edu
In March of 2002, Debbie came to Cumberland as the Program Coordinator for the Master of Arts in Education program. She is also a full-time faculty member in the School of Education & Public Service, teaching undergraduate courses including Diagnosis and Remediation of Reading Difficulties, Strategies for Reading and Language Arts and Effective Collaboration.
In her pre-Cumberland days, Debbie had a varied background of experiences from stay-at-home mom to Pre-K day school teacher, and from working with deaf individuals at the State Division of Vocational Rehabilitation to working as a third-party benefits administrator. Part-time work has included substitute teacher, freelance newspaper writer, volunteer ESL teacher and community theater work.
A native of Old Hickory and a DuPont High School graduate, Debbie is past-President of the school's Alumni Association and remains active on the Board. She married fellow DuPont graduate, John Whitaker III, in 1972. They have been blessed with two daughters, one son, three granddaughters and a grandson.
Degrees
A.A., Volunteer State Community College
B.A., Cumberland University
M.A.E, Cumberland University
M.S.O, Cumberland University
Special Education coursework, University of Tennessee
Phone: 615.547.1217
E-mail: dwhitaker@cumberland.edu
In March of 2002, Debbie came to Cumberland as the Program Coordinator for the Master of Arts in Education program. She is also a full-time faculty member in the School of Education & Public Service, teaching undergraduate courses including Diagnosis and Remediation of Reading Difficulties, Strategies for Reading and Language Arts and Effective Collaboration.
In her pre-Cumberland days, Debbie had a varied background of experiences from stay-at-home mom to Pre-K day school teacher, and from working with deaf individuals at the State Division of Vocational Rehabilitation to working as a third-party benefits administrator. Part-time work has included substitute teacher, freelance newspaper writer, volunteer ESL teacher and community theater work.
A native of Old Hickory and a DuPont High School graduate, Debbie is past-President of the school's Alumni Association and remains active on the Board. She married fellow DuPont graduate, John Whitaker III, in 1972. They have been blessed with two daughters, one son, three granddaughters and a grandson.
Debbie is also active with the Tennessee Writer's Alliance, where she has served as President (2009-2010), Vice-President, and Secretary, as well as Chairperson for the 2009 and the 2010 Writer's Conferences. She has had several poems and songs published and one song recorded in 2003. Her goal is to publish a collection of short stories and a children's book.