Kelly Kearney Awarded EERA Emerging Scholar

Kelly Kearney, Ed.D. with ACI students

by Teresa Crane | Tuesday, Jan 11, 2022

Florida Atlantic University’s Kelly Kearney, Ed.D., won the 2021 Eastern Educational Research Association (EERA) Emerging Scholar Award. Kearney received recognition for outstanding research contributing to the national professional body of knowledge about education, and demonstrating excellence in teaching and mentoring. Kearney’s accomplishment will be recognized at the 2022 EERA Annual Conference in February at Clearwater Beach, Florida.

Kearney is a visiting faculty member at FAU College of Education in the Department of Special Education. She was one of the founding members of the Boca Raton campus expansion of the Academy for Community Inclusion (ACI). She is an experienced Board-Certified Behavior Analyst who has been working with individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities since 2011. The majority of her research involves identifying effective interventions to teach adults with autism and/or an intellectual disability self-determination and employability skills.

“Michael Brady nominated me for this award because of my work with students in the ACI program. The Academy was very important to him, and I am truly honored to have won this award,” said Kearney.

ACI, led by Michael P. Brady, Ph.D., professor and chair of FAU’s Department of Special Education, is a college program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Academy students earn certificates in the areas of Supported Community Employment, Supported Community Access, and Supported Community Living. The program began at the FAU Jupiter Campus in 2016.

Congratulations, Kelly Kearney! Your research, mentoring, coaching, and instruction make a difference in the lives of individuals and in the community.