Megan Murphy, Board Member

Megan Schumaker Murphy, Ed.D., has engaged with public education her entire life.  A product of small-town public schools and a state university (University of Illinois at Chicago), Megan began her career as a preschool special education teacher in Chicago Public Schools.  After public school teaching, Megan spent a decade as an early childhood special educator for the Illinois Early Intervention Program, a federal supported program for infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities.  Immediately before becoming a professor, Megan was the early childhood advisor for the YMCA of Metro Chicago’s Early Head Start program.    

After completing her doctorate in education at DePaul University in 2019, Megan moved from Chicago to Salem for her current job as an assistant professor of early childhood education at Salem State.  In this role, she helps prepare future teachers and early interventionists.  Megan’s research focuses on how to support adults in young children’s lives so that children have more equitable outcomes.   

Megan lives in Salem with her husband, daughter, and two adorably naughty cats.  Her daughter, Jocelyn, is a student at Collins Middle School.