- James McIntyreDean, College of Education & Assistant Provost for Academic ExcellencePh.D., University of MassachusettsLocation: Ayers 5022View Bio
Dr. James P. McIntyre, Jr. is the Dean of the College of Education at Belmont University. Prior to his appointment as Dean, he served as Director of the Center for Educational Leadership and Assistant Professor of Practice at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In this role, Dr. McIntyre managed the University’s Leadership Academy for aspiring school principals, facilitated the Tennessee Rural Principals Network, and provided targeted support and leadership coaching to school and district leaders across Tennessee and around the country.
Before transitioning to the University of Tennessee in 2016, Jim served for eight years as Superintendent of the Knox County Schools, the 60,000 student public school district of Knoxville, Tennessee. Under his leadership, the school district saw extraordinary growth in student learning and success. The district’s four-year high school graduation rate increased from 79.3% in 2008 to 90.3% for the class of 2016, and the Knox County Schools was named by the Tennessee Department of Education as one of only twelve "Exemplary” School Districts state-wide, and the only large metropolitan school system to ever earn this distinction in the Volunteer State.
Preceding his appointment as Superintendent in Knoxville, Dr. McIntyre served as the Chief Operating Officer for the Boston Public Schools, where he was responsible for the day to day operations of the school district. Jim had also previously served as the Budget Director for the Boston Public Schools for several years. During Dr. McIntyre’s tenure, the Boston Public Schools was named one of the top performing urban school systems in the nation. As a teacher at Vincent Grey Alternative High School in East St. Louis, Illinois early in his career, McIntyre taught English, anatomy, and physical education to a diverse group of at-risk students between the ages of 16-21. He began his career in higher education, serving in various administrative roles at Boston University and at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York.
McIntyre has served on numerous state-level and national working groups aimed at enhancing public education, and participated as a fellow in the prestigious Broad Foundation Superintendent’s Academy, an intensive fellowship in the urban public school superintendency. He is also a proud graduate of the Aspen Institute’s Pahara Fellowship in Entrepreneurial Education. Jim has provided advice on education policy to two successful candidates for governor: one a progressive Democrat in Massachusetts, the other a conservative Republican in Tennessee. In 2010, Governor Phil Bredesen invited Dr. McIntyre and three others to join him in presenting Tennessee’s Race to the Top proposal to the United States Department of Education. Tennessee was one of only two states in the country to be selected in the first round of this national competition, and was awarded $501 million for school reform and improvement.
As a parent of two graduates of the Knox County Schools, Dr. McIntyre is incredibly honored that the state-wide Parent Teacher Association (PTA) named him the Tennessee Outstanding Superintendent of the Year in four of his eight years (2009, 2010, 2011, and 2014) at the helm of the Knox County Schools. He has also been honored with the Life Achievement Award from the National PTA, the Excellence in Educational Leadership Award from the University Council for Educational Administration, and the John H. Tunstall Outstanding Faculty Award. Dr. McIntyre holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Boston College, a Master of Science degree in Education Administration from Canisius College, a Master of Urban Affairs from Boston University, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University of Massachusetts.
- Cathy Eschete, Ph.D.Associate Dean, College of EducationPh.D., Louisiana State UniversityLocation: Ayers 5021View Bio
Dr. Cathy Eschete has more than 18 years of experience working in the field of education. Following the completion of her bachelor’s degree from Louisiana College in Elementary and Special Education, she served as a resource and inclusion middle school teacher. Upon relocating to California, she served as a Clinical Supervisor providing early intervention services for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, as well as providing consultation services to area school districts seeking to improve their special education programs.
She received a master’s degree from California State University Stanislaus in Special Education and her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Special Education from Louisiana State University. During her PhD program, she served as a graduate assistant and taught special education courses at Louisiana State University. Following the completion of her PhD, Dr. Eschete served as Assistant Professor and Director of Field Experience in the School of Education at Louisiana College. She has presented at numerous professional conferences on topics, such as behavior management, instructional strategies to increase engagement, and supporting children in the foster care system.
Growing up in a family of educators, she has always had a desire to work in the field of education. She and her husband, Dylan Eschete, have three daughters, Isabella, Presley, and Kennedy. Dr. Eschete enjoys being active in her church, ministering to children in the foster care system, serving in her community, cheering on the LSU Tiger football team, shopping, and making memories with her family. - Darcie Finch, Ed.D.MNUTR Director and Assistant ProfessorEd.D., Argosy UniversityLocation: Ayers 5034View Bio
"Loving People, Changing Lives” is the motto that Dr. Darcie Chism Finch strives to live by on a daily basis through the various roles as a wife, mother, educator, and active community member. After leaving Memphis, TN in 1999, she attended the historical Fisk University, and was a Jubilee Singer who traveled the world and recorded "In Bright Mansions" in 2002 with Curb Records. She received a Bachelor's degree in Psychology with a special focus in Education in 2003. After Fisk, Darcie continued her education at Tennessee State University, receiving Master of Education and Educational Specialist degrees in Administration Supervision. She received a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership in October 2016 and has successfully taught student-centered, technology integrated, and data driven classes in grades 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th.
For ten years, Darcie worked with teachers and students as an elementary and middle school Numeracy Instructional Coach to improve academic achievement while also leading professional developments in research-based practices, mathematics, and intervention.
Darcie has facilitated several TN state initiatives and was a common core math coach for grades K-2, 5, and 8. In 2015, Darcie was selected to serve on Tennessee's Math Standards Revisions and Tennessee Standards Recommendations Committees.
At Belmont, Darcie has enjoyed directing and coordinating the Metro Nashville Teacher Residency and job-embedded programs for the College of Education, engaging in anti-racist book studies, and connecting with other faculty and staff on campus to find ways to enhance the classroom experience. Her personal goal is to "Recruit, Train, and Retain" the best teachers for the classroom.
Most importantly, Darcie is married to Harold W. Finch, II and has two beautiful children, Darilyn and Harold W. Finch, III. Together, they enjoy traveling and Friday Family Nights! - Annie Insana, Ph.D.Director of Clinical Practice and Assistant ProfessorPh.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignLocation: Ayers 5034
- Crystal RandolphEducation Coordinator for Licensure and Graduate AdmissionsMS.Ed., Lee UniversityLocation: Ayers 5018View Bio
Crystal Randolph has over 14 years working in higher education. She is originally from West Tennessee (Bolivar to be exact) and graduated with her undergraduate in Organizational Leadership from Union University where she found her passion for higher education while serving in the University Relations sector. From there, her career and education advanced at Lee University in Cleveland, TN. She spent 11 years working in various roles across campus where she discovered that academics, advising, and college students were her calling and her heart. While at Lee she served as Assistant Registrar, Director of Academic Services, and the Coordinator of Graduate Studies in Education. She also earned her Masters in Marriage and Family Studies and Masters in Higher Education Administration. Crystal is currently finishing up her Ed.D.in Professional Practice at Lee.
Crystal and her husband, John, have been married 25 years and together have a daughter, Abby, and a son, Gabe. In her spare time she loves to repurpose furniture, do home improvement projects, and make jewelry. - Qiana Appleton, Ed.D.Math Teacher Residency - Director of Pedagogy and ProgrammingEd.D, Grand Canon UniversityLocation: Ayers 5019View Bio
Dr. Qiana Appleton began her teaching career in 2003 after completing her bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Middle school education (K-8) from Tennessee State University. Because of her strong passion for education and children, not only did she teach, but she went back to school in 2005 to earn her Master of Education degree in Administration and Supervision. Dr. Appleton’s Master’s degree was also earned at Tennessee State University.
Serving as a K-8 teacher with Metro Nashville Public Schools, Dr. Appleton made the decision to return to Tennessee State University in 2009 to endorse her master’s degree with an additional thirty hours of coursework in the field of Special Education. During this time, Dr. Appleton served on the Leadership Team, the schoolwide discipline committee, and she served as the Community liaison for teachers and parents at Glenn Enhanced Option School.
In 2012, Dr. Appleton enrolled at Grand Canyon University where she received her Educational Specialist degree via the school’s online program. Dr. Appleton was certified in K-12 Organizational Leadership. Dr. Appleton served on the Curriculum Standards Committee for English/Language Arts for Metro Nashville Public Schools, and she also transitioned from being a general education teacher to becoming an Advanced Academics Resource Teacher, working solely with gifted students. Dr. Appleton earned her doctoral degree in 2021 from Trevecca Nazarene University and after serving as an educator for 18 years with Metro Nashville Public School, she took on the role of Clinical Supervisor in the College of Education here at Belmont University.
Dr. Appleton exemplifies a true passion for education, but in her spare time, she loves spending quality time with her family. She has two sons, Eric, and Braylon, and she was just recently engaged to her fiancé’ Edward. Dr. Appleton also loves shopping, traveling, reading, and taking daily trips to her favorite drink spot…STARBUCKS!! - Jenny DeHartMath Teacher Residency - Director of Mathematics TeachingLocation: Ayers 5019
- Dana Perry, M.A.Assistant to the DeanM.A., Belmont UniversityLocation: Ayers 5032View Bio
Dana Perry is a Nashville native and alumna of Belmont University. She graduated from Belmont with a B.A. in English (concentration in Writing) in 2010 and earned an M.A. in English in 2013. Dana has worked at Belmont since 2014 and now serves as Assistant to the Dean of the College of Education. When not assisting the faculty, staff, and students of the College of Education, you can find her spending time with friends and family, attending concerts, renovating, or reading anything published by Lorraine Hansberry and Ta-Nehisi Coates.
- James McIntyreDean, College of Education & Assistant Provost for Academic ExcellencePh.D., University of MassachusettsLocation: Ayers 5022View Bio
- Cathy Eschete, Ph.D.Associate Dean, College of EducationPh.D., Louisiana State UniversityLocation: Ayers 5021View Bio
- Darcie Finch, Ed.D.MNUTR Director and Assistant ProfessorEd.D., Argosy UniversityLocation: Ayers 5034View Bio
- Annie Insana, Ph.D.Director of Clinical Practice and Assistant ProfessorPh.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignLocation: Ayers 5034
- Crystal RandolphEducation Coordinator for Licensure and Graduate AdmissionsMS.Ed., Lee UniversityLocation: Ayers 5018View Bio
- Qiana Appleton, Ed.D.Math Teacher Residency - Director of Pedagogy and ProgrammingEd.D, Grand Canon UniversityLocation: Ayers 5019View Bio
- Jenny DeHartMath Teacher Residency - Director of Mathematics TeachingLocation: Ayers 5019
- Dana Perry, M.A.Assistant to the DeanM.A., Belmont UniversityLocation: Ayers 5032View Bio