Assistant Professor Linsay DeMartino hails from Buffalo, New York, and attended college in Arizona. Her bachelor’s is in history and classics, and she earned her teaching certification while attending community college. Her master’s is in educational leadership, and she earned her Ph.D. from the University of Arizona.

Her research interests include transformative leadership and multicultural education. She is also interested in tempered radicalism. She views this as a mechanism for sustainable change through an insider with outsider status. Although a controversial process, she has used the theoretical framework in collaboration with refugee mentors who had an element of tempered radicalism within their work. She also utilized this type of research in her dissertation, which was a critical ethnography at a not-for-profit charter school with transformative mechanisms.

Linsay DeMartino

Linsay DeMartino

DeMartino began her educational career as a special education resource/inclusion teacher and department chair. Her desire to be a part of positive leadership change in PreK-12 schools inspired her decision to earn her advanced degrees. When she returned to PreK-12 schools, DeMartino joined the administrative academic intervention team at one of the largest high schools in Tucson, Arizona.

DeMartino only knew about Illinois State through its reputation before joining the faculty of the Department of Educational Administration and Foundations (EAF). However, she said the welcoming college community, the department, Department Chair Lenford Sutton, and the EAF faculty were kind and motivating since the first day she arrived last summer. She is looking forward to researching and collaborating with her colleagues and students on issues of social justice based on the transformative leadership framework, inclusivity of non-gender conforming students, and ethnic studies in PreK-12 settings.

Throughout her childhood and adult life, the local music scene has served as a great source of inspiration and as a de-stressor. She is an avid record collector and she has already checked out both stores on North Street. Her partner is a professional author whose favorite genre and format to write in are mythical reality short stories.

We’re honored to welcome DeMartino to EAF!