Featuring Dr. Debora Scheffel: Dean, School of Education, Colorado Christian University
Dr. Debora Scheffel, Dean of the School of Education at Colorado Christian University, is an educator’s educator. Her life and work reflect her faith and commitment to education. She has dedicated her studies and her career to teaching and learning, preparing teachers and students, and especially supporting those with communications and learning disabilities.
Dr. Scheffel was appointed Dean at CCU in September 2013. She previously served as Dean of Research at University of the Rockies in Denver, CO, and Dean of the School of Education at Jones International University in Centennial, CO. She has held a tenured professorship at the University of Northern Colorado (Greeley, CO), and served as Director of Competitive Grants and Awards and Literacy Grants and Initiatives at the Colorado Department of Education, as well as Special Assistant to the Commissioner of Education in Colorado, in Literacy. She has an extensive background in assessment, serving as Director of Academic Assessment at two universities, and has been a visiting scholar at the United States Air Force Academy in assessment.
Dr. Scheffel’s academic background is in communication sciences and disorders and in special education with research interests in cognitive psychology; brain-behavior relationships; learning, reading, and oral language development and disabilities in children and adolescents; and education reform policy. She holds a Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Communicative Disorders from Northwestern University, an M.A. in Special Education from the University of Denver, and B.S. from Bob Jones University. Dr. Scheffel’s professional affiliations include the International Neuropsychological Society, the International Dyslexia Association, and the Council for Exceptional Children.
In addition to working in six states in a variety of post-secondary educational contexts, Dr. Scheffel is a published author in literacy, special education, and higher education assessment. She also serves on editorial boards of Learning Disabilities Research and Practice and the Journal for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.
Along with her post-secondary and publishing experiences, Dr. Scheffel was elected to a 6-year term on the Colorado State Board of Education in November, 2010, representing the 6th Congressional District. In that capacity she works not only on issues impacting schools in Colorado but overall education policy.
Through her academic and professional achievements, Dr. Scheffel has been unwavering in her faith and commitment to bringing effective leadership to education in Colorado and throughout the country.