Erin O'Connor Marsano, EdD

Professional Summary

Dr. Erin O’Connor Marsano is a Lecturer in Baylor's Moody School of Education’s Professional Online Learning Unit and faculty advisor in the EdD in Learning and Organizational Change program. Dr. O’Connor Marsano teaches in both the EdD in Learning and Organizational Change and Learning Design and Technology programs.

She joined Baylor’s faculty in the fall of 2022 and has served as a faculty advisor for multiple cohorts of students completing their dissertations. She teaches the Problem of Practice series of courses, Ethics for Leadership, and serves as the course lead for Principles and Practices of Mentoring. In addition, she is the Co-Director of the IMPACT Mentoring Program alongside Dr. Amy Sloan.

Prior to Baylor, Dr. O’Connor Marsano was a faculty member at the University of Southern California (USC), where she taught in the Reading and Literacy Added Authorization program and served as a dissertation associate in USC's Ed.D. in Leadership and Organizational Change program. Before transitioning to higher education, she held various roles at the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) in the Teacher Effectiveness and Preparation Department. There, she served as a district lead in their beginning teacher induction program, coordinating mentorship opportunities, serving as a mentor to beginning teachers, and guiding them through qualitative action research cycles. At SDCOE, she also developed asynchronous curricula and taught in the Designated Subjects Program, created specifically for teachers pursuing credentials in Career Technical Education, Adult Education, or Special Subjects in California. Additionally, she collaborated with a colleague to lead a series of professional development workshops and presentations focused on equitable access to content through effective language and literacy strategies. Earlier in her career, she was a high school educator, coach, and mentor teacher in rural San Diego County, where she was named Teacher of the Year in 2013.

Dr. O’Connor Marsano earned her Doctor of Education in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California, her Master of Education with an emphasis in Cross-Cultural Teaching (along with teaching licensures) from National University, and her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from California State University, Chico. She holds a single-subject teaching credential in several subject areas and an administrative services credential in the state of California.

Her research and writing interests focus on the significance of mentorship in education, as well as mentorship, systematic support structures, and communities designed to improve online doctoral students' sense of belonging and success.

When not working with her Ed.D.-LOC students, Dr. O’Connor Marsano raises her daughter, draws on her business background while helping with her husband’s small business, and maintains a small farm with cattle, horses, goats, chickens, dogs, and cats. As she often says, there’s never a dull moment—her family and farm keep her going!

Education

• EdD, Organizational Change and Leadership, University of Southern California (2021)
• MEd, Cross Cultural Training, National University (2009)
• BS, Business Administration, California State University (2007)

Research Interest

• Mentorship programs
• The significance of mentorship in education
• Mentorship, systematic support structures, and communities designed to improve online doctoral students' sense of belonging and success.