Biography
Dr. Sherry Forkum joined the Concordia University Master’s in Coaching and Athletic Administration team in 2019 continuing a career in education, having taught grades K-12, undergrad levels (including community college and 4-year), and graduate level in the fields of English, Literature, and Education and California credentialing. Her current responsibility is teaching the MCAA 595 Portfolio course, serving on master’s and doctoral committees, professionally editing, and teaching American Literature and English Foundations courses for St. Augustine High School – Tucson. She continues to mentor new teachers at all grade levels, K- College. Sherry has amassed a stellar career as a teacher, professor, mentor, consultant, and speaker on adult learning theory, generational differences, and athletics administration at all levels. She has coached swimming and diving at the high school level and coached NCAA Division II cheerleading. She has specialized certificates in Second Language Acquisition, Gifted and Talented Education, Special Education, and Technology. Along with being a published author of children’s books, she has also been a special reviewer for 2018 seventh edition of The St. Martin’s Handbook by Andrea A. Lunsford. Majoring in English Composition in her undergrad degree, she has had many years of professional editing in business, church, and educational arenas. While an associate professor of English at William Jessup University, she was director of the Warrior Writing Center (WWC), creating the environment and instructional manual for the student-workers, and trained and managed the graduate student leaders for the WWC.
In her spare time, Sherry, along with her husband Dr. Jim Forkum, have presented from Florida to Hawaii and Internationally, predominately in the Middle East, on the topic of adult learning theory, generational differences, and effective communication with today’s Millennials and Homelanders, including Millennial and the Homelander student-athletes, given at the NATYCAA and NACDA Conventions in Orlando, Florida in 2009, Dallas in 2017, and Orlando in 2019. In July of 2014 we conducted a workshop in Vancouver, Washington, for 83 members of the Northwest Athletics Association of Community Colleges (NWAC) winter convention which included commissioners, athletics directors and support staffs from 34 Oregon and Washington institutions, three times at the NACDA/NATYCAA national convention, and twice in Yakima, Washington to the Washington State Interscholastic Association Summer Coaches School attended by over 450 middle and high school coaches.
On the athletics administration side of the house at Santa Rosa Junior College, Sherry fully understands the rigors of being an AD as she taught on the Santa Rosa Junior College campus where Jim had the responsibility for a twenty-sport program, and seven club teams, one of the largest and most successful in California community colleges. In total, Jim administered to the needs of over 400 student-athletes who competed in the Big 8 Conference, arguably the most competitive athletics conference in California and perhaps the nation. She had many student-athletes in her English courses and attended many of their events. Sherry is aware of the importance of coordination and communication between the athletics department and general campus faculty.
Ever the adventurers, Sherry and Jim began new career adventures in 2014 moving to Alexandria, Egypt, to assume positions at Schutz American School. Sherry had the responsibility of holding a first grade class in the primary school as a lab, allowing teachers PreK-12, to observe various components of teaching, and then going into their classrooms to observe, teach, and help insert technology components into their lessons and professional use. Jim had responsibility for Physical Education and the athletics department at Schutz American School while Jim’s major focus was on establishing and administering the first true interscholastic athletics league among Alexandria’s eleven international schools sponsoring interscholastic sports.
When their Middle East adventure concluded, Jim and Sherry returned to their favorite spot in the world, Carmel-by-the-Sea on the Monterey Peninsula, where both volunteer for the Monterey Bay Aquarium where they have been charter members for many years. Additionally, Jim continues to serve the CCCADA and NATYCAA as a retired past president and both will continue to speak on generational differences and athletics administration through their consulting firm. He also sits on the MJCAA Foundation Board. Both are now charter board of trustee members of Global Parity Foundation, providing health services to women and children in rural areas of Nepal. Finally, while continuing to deliver workshops, presentations, and consulting for athletics and education and amassing more information on generations and instruction, in their free time, both volunteer at various organizations around whatever area they are living, which happens to be Tucson, Arizona. As time permits, they are avid world-wide travelers, having accumulated many friendships around the globe.
For more information you may contact Sherry at: [email protected] or via phone at 916.847.9974.
Courses Taught
- MCAA/MSCE 595: Culminating Project