Mississippi Public Schools

Dr. Chuck Benigno is currently an associate professor at William Carey University. Prior to this position, Dr. Benigno was the superintendent of the Laurel Schools and has also served as vice president for Student Services at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and principal of North Forrest High School and West Jones Middle School.  He has been named Who’s Who Among American Teachers, Coach of the Year, and was the 2014 Mississippi “Superintendent of the Year”. Dr. Benigno was a participant in the Project Zero Classroom at Harvard University and is the author of Teaching: Excellence or Survival? He has served as a motivational speaker for schools across the Southeast and his passion lies in helping people reach their fullest potential.

Dr. Ben Burnett is the Executive Vice-President and the Dean of the School of Education at William Carey University. He began his tenure as Dean of the William Carey University in 2014. His service to the field of education began in 1986 and since that time he has worked with the students of south Mississippi as a band director, middle school principal, and superintendent of education. Dr. Burnett is a faculty member in the William Carey School of Education where he teaches School Law and Data-Driven Decision Making. 

Dr. Wanda Maulding Greenis an educational leadership faculty member at the University of South Alabama.  She has served in K-12 leadership roles as a classroom teacher, coach, assistant principal, and principal in K-12 schools in Mississippi and Texas. Additionally, in higher education, she has led as a department chair, associate dean, college dean, and university assistant vice president for accreditation. She and Dr. Leonard are co-authors of six books on leadership.

Dr. Edward Leonard is an assistant professor at William Carey University, and a  retired educational administrator who served 30 years in the public schools of Mississippi.   He has served as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent (Picayune School District), and superintendent of education (Forest Municipal School District).  He has also served as Director of Student Life at William Carey University and done extensive adjunct work for the University of Southern Mississippi, Southeastern Louisiana University, William Carey University, and the University of South Alabama. 

Dr. Permenter is the associate director of the Program Research and Evaluation of Public Schools (PREPS) and an assistant professor at William Carey University. She is an Educational Specialist with the Academic Development Institute (ADI), and she has worked as an educational consultant for The Virgin Island Department of Education and Bureau of Indian Education through her work with ADI.

She has also served as an Empowerment Specialist for the Alaska Department of Education Early Development (DEED) and Region 16 National Comprehensive Center where she worked directly with a tribal school on school improvement. She achieved National Board Certification as an Early Childhood Generalist and focuses research on rural and remote areas and those in poverty. She is a founding member and co-chair for the Mississippi Rural Education Association (MsREA), which is housed with PREPS.