Faculty

Dr. Patricia Jones
Director of Education Department
Elementary and Early Childhood Coordinator
Professor of Education

Office:  HP 422,
864-833-8369
pljones@presby.edu

Education:
B.S. University of North Carolina
M.S. Tennessee Technological University
Ed.S. Tennessee Technological University
Ed.D. Tennessee State University

Moving to PC from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Patti Jones holds an Ed.D. in Administration and Supervision from Tennessee State University in Nashville. She taught kindergarten, fifth, and 7thgrade language arts in Tennessee, and also worked 7 years as an elementary principal before moving to higher education.  She is a curriculum specialist and loves to write and work with new programming options to help teacher candidates as well as in-service teachers in the local community.

Before coming to PC, Dr. Jones worked as the Director of Accreditation for the Spadoni College of Education at Coastal Carolina University.  She worked with the department on accreditation and programmatic issues, and provided accreditation assistance to the campus at large. Prior to that, she served for ten years as the Associate Dean of Behavioral Science at Tennessee Wesleyan University in Athens, TN, and directed the Psychology, Sociology and Criminal Justice departments.

She has been published in several peer reviewed journals, and has presented at conferences in Oxford, England and Salzburg, Austria.

Her hobbies include baking, hiking, golf and crafting.

Dr. Julia Wilkins
Middle Level and Secondary Education Coordinator
Associate Professor of Education

Office:  HP 435, ext 8279
jwilkins@presby.edu

Education:
B.Sc., Swansea University
M.Sc., Bristol University
M.S., D’Youville College
M.Ed., Clemson University
Ph.D., State University of New York at Buffalo

Originally from London, England, Julia Wilkins holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She taught middle and high school students in Buffalo, NY, where she earned an M.S. in Special Education. She recently earned her third master’s degree, an M.Ed. in Literacy from Clemson University.

Prior to coming to PC, Dr. Wilkins was a research associate at the National Dropout Prevention  Center for Students with Disabilities (NDPC-SD) at Clemson University. In addition to  conducting research reviews on dropout prevention, she provided technical assistance to state  and local education agencies on implementing evidence-based school completion practices.

Dr. Wilkins has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, her most recent articles focusing on successful dropout prevention initiatives, reengaging school dropouts with  emotional and behavioral disorders, and strategies for developing literacy-focused family-school  partnerships. In addition to numerous state and national conferences, Dr. Wilkins has presented at international conferences in Spain, Portugal, and Bulgaria.

Julia Wilkins is the author of Group Activities to Include Students with Special Needs, published  by Corwin Press, and co-author of two other activity books for teachers.

In her spare time, Dr. Wilkins enjoys traveling, watching documentaries, taking nature photos,  and playing with her dogs.

Dr. Mark Adams
Adjunct Instructor

madams@presby.edu

Education:
Ph.D. University of South Carolina
Ed.S. University of South Carolina
M.Ed. University of South Carolina
B.S. University of South Carolina

Upon retirement as teacher, coach, and administrator in public schools in the upstate of South Carolina, Mark Adams joined the Education Department faculty as adjunct professor in 2019. For most of his career he served as vice principal and principal of schools in Spartanburg School District 5, Laurens County School District 55, and Greenville County School District. He holds the Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Administration from the University of South Carolina.

Dr. Adams brings knowledge and experience from a long career in teaching and working with young people, families, and communities. He finds joy in teaching and mentoring Presbyterian College students preparing for the field of education. He enjoys spending time with family (six grandchildren), reading, writing, music, exercise, outdoor activities, and woodworking.

Ms. Karen Windsor
Adjunct Instructor

kmwindsor@presby.edu

Education:
B.S., Presbyterian College
M.Ed., University of South Carolina Upstate

Reading Recovery Teacher Training, Clemson University
South Carolina Literacy Coach Training, University of South Carolina

Karen Windsor is a graduate of Presbyterian College where she earned a B.S. in Elementary Education. She also holds an M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from the University of South Carolina Upstate.

Ms. Windsor taught first grade, fifth grade, and Reading Recovery in Laurens County School District 56. She was the district’s first literacy coach through the South Carolina Reading Initiative. Ms. Windsor also worked in the district’s administrative offices where she served as the Reading First Project Director, Language Arts Coordinator, Social Studies Coordinator, ESOL Coordinator and Director of Federal Programs.

In her spare time, Ms. Windsor enjoys reading, traveling, playing the piano, and playing with her two little schnauzers.

Ms. Kim Windsor
Adjunct Instructor

Kwwindsor@presby.edu

Education:
B.A., University of South Carolina
M. Ed., University of South Carolina

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification, English Language Arts
Teacher Fellows Scoring Leader, Winthrop University
Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition Scoring Leader, College Board
2002-2003 Teacher of the Year, Laurens County School District 56

Kim Windsor is a veteran teacher having taught middle school in both neighboring Newberry County and Laurens County School District 56 as well as spending a large part of her career teaching at Clinton High School. She has also taught a variety of courses and held several positions at Piedmont Technical College and the University of South Carolina before joining the PC faculty in the fall of 2011.

As a teacher leader in her profession, Ms. Windsor was the second teacher in her district to achieve NBPTS certification and then led workshops for other local teachers seeking this prestigious distinction. She became a Mentor Teacher while teaching at Clinton High School and worked with Induction Teachers for many years. Ms. Windsor has also been a scoring leader with the College Board for the AP English Literature and Composition Exam for the past 19 years serving first as a Reader before being promoted to Table Leader and eventually to Question Leader. With Winthrop University, she works with the Teaching Fellows Program training teacher scorers from several SC school districts to assess essays written by Teacher Cadets applying for the Teaching Fellows Award given annually to future educators across the state of South Carolina. With all of her varied experiences and with decades of training, Ms. Windsor very much enjoys working with Teacher Candidates at Presbyterian College.

In her spare time, Ms. Windsor enjoys traveling, gardening, reading, and spending time with her family.

Dr. Tammy Graham
Special Education

864-833-8146
tjgraham@presby.edu

Education:
Ed.D. Educational Leadership

Dr. Tammy J. Graham joined PC’s Department of Education in August 2022 to coordinate the new special education major. Prior to joining PC, she worked in the teacher education division of The Citadel for 13 years and worked in PK-12 public education for 17 years as a teacher for students with exceptionalities, an educational diagnostician, and a special education coordinator.

Dr. Graham holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership in addition to three special education degrees. During her time in education, she has been involved in several service activities and has enjoyed opportunities to present at multiple conferences; provide professional development on students with exceptionalities for teachers in Belize; and collaborate with other educators across the country on peer-reviewed journal articles, research agendas, systematic literature reviews, and book chapters. Her research interests include students with exceptionalities, student diversity, teacher education, and mentoring.

In her spare time, Dr. Graham enjoys boating and hiking with family, singing and playing piano in a quartet, decorating and repurposing items, and reading. She feels she is a teacher at heart and is delighted to be working with PC students, faculty, and staff.

Doug Smith
Department of  Education

Office:  HP 432
dosmith@presby.edu

Education:
Ph.D., The Ohio State University
M.A., The Ohio State University
B.S., Muskingum College

Dr. Douglas Smith began his higher education journey as an undergraduate student at Muskingum College (now University) and has now come full circle having joined the faculty of Presbyterian College; a sister institution to Muskingum. It feels like home! After double-majoring in Education and Psychology with minors in vocal performance and chemistry, he began his career as an inner-city middle school science teacher, first in Garfield Heights, OH and then in Columbus, OH. It was during these years when he began to work on first a Master of Science degree and then a PhD in Teacher education at the Ohio State University.

Dr. Smith has come to PC after being part of the faculty of Bethany College (WV) and, for the last 25 years, teaching at a mid-major institution in SC where he served variously as a curriculum and program developer, Program Coordinator, and as a tenured Professor of Education and a member of the Graduate Faculty. During that time, he was active in teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses, conducting research, developing assessment instruments and practices, and engaging in entrepreneurship/service to the profession and community. Smith has been a leader at the State and regional levels for institutional assessment and accreditation through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and finally the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). He has also authored software which is being used at PC and other institutions to manage assessment/accreditation needs (LCAS).

Dr. Smith is still growing and learning, and he is excited to continue working excellence in service to God through the students, faculty, and community of Presbyterian College. You’ll find him teaching courses about educational psychology, the historical/philosophical foundations of education, and how to understand and teach linguistically and culturally diverse students. He is also active in conducting research and using his experiences in assessment and accreditation to assist with maintaining the Education department’s state and national accreditation through SCDOE and CAEP.

In addition to being on the faculty of Presbyterian College, Dr. Smith is a husband, father, grandpa (PapPap), member of First Baptist Church of Lexington, singer in the Lexington County Choral Society, bus driver, actor, and private pilot, and carpenter. Throughout his career and in all these others, Dr. Smith has been guided by Colossians 3:23-24 from the Bible.

“Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, for the Lord and not for men … It is the Lord Christ you are serving”