Angelo State Professor to Lead National Educators’ Honor Society

SAN ANGELO, TX - Dr. Leah Carruth of Angelo State University's teacher education faculty has been elected to serve as president-elect of the National Board of Directors for the Kappa Delta Pi (KDP) Professional Association and Honor Society for Educators.

Formed in 1911, KDP's mission is to inspire and and equip teachers to thrive. Carruth will serve two years as president-elect, followed by two years as president and then two years as past-president. As president-elect, she will attend KDP national conferences and monthly board meetings, serve on at least one committee, and further the mission through KDP's core values: community, belonging, leadership and celebration.

"It is an honor to serve my profession in the position of president-elect of the KDP National Board of Directors," Carruth said. "I look forward to representing Angelo State and West Texas and working with my colleagues at the national level to promote the education profession through the KDP community."

An associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education, Carruth joined the ASU faculty in 2015 after teaching Head Start and kindergarten for several years in Lubbock. She primarily teaches early childhood and literacy courses, and she has been the faculty advisor for ASU's award-winning Mu Gamma chapter of KDP for nine years. She is also the coordinator of ASU's Texas 2-Step teacher certification program for school district paraprofessionals, as well as secretary of the ASU Faculty Senate.

In addition to teaching, Carruth has published multiple articles and made numerous presentations on early childhood topics, early literacy, social and emotional skills, and teacher preparation at local, state, regional and national conferences. She has served as president of the board for the San Angelo Early Childhood Center, and she is currently an article reviewer for the Texas Association for Literacy Education and The Reading Teacher.

Carruth has been nominated multiple times for ASU President's Awards for Faculty Excellence and ASU Rodgers Distinguished Faculty Awards, has been named the KDP Regional Counselor of the Year, and was named ASU's 2024 Student Organization Advisor of the Year. She earned her bachelor's degree in advertising, her master's degree in elementary education, and her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from Texas Tech University.