Biography

Dr. Dan Shepherd is an associate professor in the Department of Education at Missouri Western State University. The teacher preparation programs within this department serve approximately 500 graduate and undergraduate students.  Previously, he directed the Master of Education program at Indiana Wesleyan University, which provided advanced training to over 1,500 classroom teachers.  In addition to these professional roles, Dr. Shepherd keeps an active speaking schedule, focusing primarily on teacher and leadership development.  His trainings have been warmly received by hundreds of teachers in numerous countries around the world, including places as diverse as Papua New Guinea, Thailand, Honduras, and Colombia.  In September of 2022, in partnership with the US State Department, he led trainings for nearly 2,000 Eastern European teachers, including many from war torn Ukraine.  Dr. Shepherd is a published author; his most recent book, Students of Trauma: A Handbook for Classroom Teaching in an Environment of Suffering, was published by Peter Lang in 2021.  Before moving to the university, Dr. Shepherd served for 10 years as a high school English teacher and for 10 years as a public school administrator at the building and district levels.