Ramona Meraz Lewis

Dr. Ramona Lewis (she/her) serves as a master faculty specialist of higher education leadership in the Department of Educational Leadership, Research and Technology. She also serves as the Director of the WMUx Office of Faculty Development, supporting the professional enhancement and advancement of faculty, instructors, and teaching assistants across career stages and disciplines. Dr. Lewis brings a background in adult learning, college student development, and higher education and student affairs administration to her work as a faculty member.

Dr. Lewis earned her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Eastern Michigan University with a cognate in older adult learning, her M.A. in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University, and her B.A. in English from Arizona State University. Her doctoral work included a research assistantship in a faculty development center, where she collaborated on scholarship of teaching and learning projects with faculty across disciplines. Dr. Lewis is an alumna of the State of Michigan King Chavez Parks Future Faculty Fellow program.

Before joining WMU in 2012, Dr. Lewis served in academic and student affairs roles at multiple institutions across the U.S., including positions in academic advising, academic support services, first-year experience, new student programs, and campus life. As a practitioner-scholar, she uses these experiences to inform her approach to supporting all learners.

Dr. Lewis's work as a faculty member centers on teaching and supporting students in exploring themes of leadership development across higher education environments. For 11 years, she directed the Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) graduate program at WMU. She taught courses in college environments, foundations of student affairs, intervention skills, global perspectives, and adult learning while advising master's and certificate students. She also currently, advises doctoral students and serves on dissertation committees.  In 2021, Dr. Lewis was awarded the Mary L. Dawson Teaching Excellence Awardfrom the College of Education and Human Development. Her leadership in WMUx reflects her belief that effective teaching requires both heart work and head work, and that faculty development must address both the technical and relational aspects of teaching excellence.

Committed to creating experiential learning opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students, she has launched three study abroad programs in Canada, Malaysia & Singapore, and the Dominican Republic. Her international education work includes developing globally focused courses, expanding global internship partnerships, and co-designing an award-winning global classroom experience. This work, highlighted in publications and presentations, has led to Dr. Lewis serving on the Fulbright Specialist Roster (2018-2023) and being selected for the Forum on Education Abroad’s inaugural Global Learning Launchpad cohort in 2023.

Dr. Lewis remains engaged with current scholarship in student development, adult learning, and teaching and learning in higher education. Currently, Dr. Lewis also serves as a faculty consultant to the National Social Mobility Symposium, serves as a faculty associate for the Seita Scholars, leading their study abroad program. She is an Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Qualified Administrator and editorial board member for the Mid-Western Educational Researcher.