Dr. Zaharis is a faculty member of the Division of Educational Leadership and is the Assistant Dean in the College of Education.

She teaches master's and doctoral classes in the Principal Preparation and Superintendent licensure programs. Dr. Zaharis is a program leader and member of doctoral faculty. She has served on Faculty Senate as secretary and as a member of the executive team. She has been a school principal/superintendent in both public and private school systems for 16 years and educator for 25 years. Dr. Zaharis is committed to the preparation of aspiring school leaders at the school and district level, the vision and mission of CUC and the educational leadership framework of integrity, competence and servant leadership.

Degrees

  • PhD, Educational Leadership - Concordia University Chicago; River Forest, IL
  • MS, Educational Leadership - University of Georgia; Athens, GA
  • BS, Elementary Education - University of Nebraska; Omaha, NE

Academic and Professional Highlights

Awards

  • Concordia University Chicago – Graduate Commencement Speaker
  • Concordia University Chicago Commencement Junior Marshall
  • Teacher of the Year Finalist – Gwinnett County Public Schools – Lawrenceville, Georgia
  • Student Teacher of the Year – University of Nebraska – Omaha
  • Patriarch Athenagoras Medal for Distinguished Metropolis Service
  • PERA Certified Teacher and Principal Evaluator – Illinois State Board of Education

Prior Professional and Academic Positions

  • Illinois Council of Professors of Educational Leadership (ICPEA), Secretary
  • Association of Curriculum and Development (ASCD)
  • National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP)
  • National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP)
  • Association of Middle Level Educators (AMLE)
  • Metropolis of Chicago Greek Orthodox Church Musicians, Board Member
  • Clergy Wives Association, Board Member
  • Illinois Principal’s Association (IPA)
  • Delta Kappa Gamma, Scholarship Coordinator
  • Illinois Principals Association, Member
  • Phi Delta Kappa International, Member
  • Metropolis of Chicago Greek Orthodox Church Music Federation, Board Member
  • University of Georgia Alumni Association, Member
  • Concordia University Chicago Alumni, Member

Publications:

  • Zaharis, M. (2019, October). Ethical decision-making for 21st century school leaders [Unpublished working paper]. 83rd Annual Conference of Association of Lutheran Colleges Faculties (ALCF), Wittenberg University, Springfield Ohio.

  • Zaharis, M. (2019). High quality teacher induction and multi-year mentoring: Are your new teachers in your school thriving or merely surviving? Lutheran Educational Journal, November, 1-5.

  • Safer, A., Zaharis, M., Glasgow, D., Gnan, M., & Mann, S. (2019). Every family program: Community engagement for families with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Lutheran Educational Journal, Fall, 1-12.

  • Zaharis, M. (2017, October). The impact of spirituality on school leadership [Unpublished working paper]. 81st Annual Conference of Association of Lutheran Colleges Faculties (ALCF), Thousand Oaks, CA.

  • Zaharis, M., Sims, P., Tagaris, A., Hendricks, A., Sekulich, K., & Glasgow, D. (2017). The impact of spirituality on school leadership. International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, 18, 1-5.

  • Albright, J., Sims, P., Tagaris, A., Glasgow, D., Sekulich, K., & Zaharis, M. (2017). What factors impact why novice middle school teachers in a large midwestern urban school district leave after their initial year of teaching. International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, 12, 1-5.

Presentations:

  • Zaharis, M., Dr., Sims, P., Dr., & Glasgow, D., Dr. (2022, November 1). Who is evaluating the evaluators in your district? [Poster presentation]. IASB, IASA, IASBO Joint Annual Conference.

  • Zaharis, M. (2019, July). Teacher evaluation. Presented at Heilongjiang Summer Symposium. Concordia University Chicago.

  • Zaharis, M. (2019, October).  Zaharis, M. (2019).  Ethical decision-making for 21st Century school leaders. Paper presented at 83rd Annual Conference of Association of Lutheran Colleges Faculties (ALCF), Wittenberg University: Springfield, Ohio.

  • Zaharis, M. (2019). Using data to improve instruction. CUC Academy of Continued Professional Learning (JKLUT/NUT Lutheran Teachers).  October 18, 2019.

  • Zaharis M., Glasgow, D. (2019, June). Professional learning communities. Teacher Leader Conference. North Central College.

  • Zaharis, M., Sekulich, K., & Glasgow, D. (2018, October).  “Reflecting on the Danielson Framework to improve teaching and learning.” Northern Illinois Lutheran Education Association.

  • Safer, L., Glasgow, D., Sekulich, K., & Zaharis, M. (2018, April). Is there a gender gap in how women and men make ethical decisions in their leadership roles? Inaugural Gender and Gerontology Summit. Concordia University Chicago.

  • Sims, P., Zaharis, M. (2018, July). PERA and teacher evaluation.  Concordia University Chicago.

  • Sims P., Zaharis, M. (2017, July). PERA and teacher evaluation.  Concordia University Chicago.

  • Zaharis, M. (2017, September).  The Impact of Spirituality on School Leadership. Paper Presented at California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, CA.