Dean's Office Staff | BYU McKay School of Education

Kendra Maria Hall-Kenyon

Dean

kendra_hall@gmail.com@byu.eduphoria
801-422867-44395309
301 MCKB

Kendra M. Hall-Kenyon earned her bachelor's degree in family science from BYU in 1996. After graduation, she taught 1st grade in Salt Lake City and then also in Washington, DC. She earned her MA and PhD in human development from Colombia University. She joined the BYU faculty in 2002 and served as the department chair in Teacher Education from 2016-2022.

Her research focuses on early literacy instruction and assessment and teacher education. She has published numerous articles and book chapters, and two books on these topics. In 2008 she was the recipient of the Young Scholar Award. She has taught courses in both the early childhood and elementary education teacher preparation programs, as well as the teacher education graduate program. She most enjoys spending time with her family, which means you can often find her golfing with her husband and son...not so much for the golf, but for the uninterrupted family time out on the golf course.

Tina Taylor

Associate Dean

tina_taylor@gmail.com@byu.eduphoria
801-422867-50455309
301 MCKB

Tina Taylor is a professor of special education at Brigham Young University who currently serves as an associate dean in the McKay School of Education. Professor Taylor earned her doctoral, master's, and undergraduate degrees at Illinois State University, Utah State University, and Brigham Young University, respectively.

She has worked with individuals with disabilities and their families for more than 30 years as a special educator, consultant, professor, and administrator. Her academic interests include adaptation of families raising children with disabilities, children’s literature that includes characters with disabilities, and provision of appropriate services to students with disabilities. She has published over 50 book chapters and refereed articles, coauthored several books, and made over 180 professional presentations on topics related to students with disabilities. Professor Taylor likes to ride bikes, snowboard, play games, and travel with family.

Lynnette Erickson

Associate Dean

lynnette_erickson@gmail.com@byu.eduphoria
801-422867-48095309
301 MCKB

Lynnette B. Erickson, associate dean of the David O. McKay School of Education, has worked at Brigham Young University for a total of 26 years. Professor Erickson graduated from BYU with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and worked as an elementary and junior high school teacher for six years. She returned to BYU for a master’s degree in teaching and learning and subsequently served as an instructor and a BYU–Public School Partnership liaison from 1986 to 1991. She left BYU in 1991 to earn a PhD from Arizona State University, returning again to BYU in 1996. As a professor, she taught social studies methods and democracy in education courses. Her research focuses on teacher preparation, program accreditation, social studies education and pedagogy, and democracy in the classroom. She has authored and coauthored numerous articles, chapters, and books on these subjects.

Professor Erickson considers herself “cougar blue through and through.” She enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, quilting, and dreaming of fulfilling all the items on her bucket list.

Michael Leonard

Assistant Dean of External Relations

michael.leonard@gmail.com@byu.eduphoria
801-422867-85625309
301 MCKB

Michael Leonard joined the McKay School of Education in 2019. He leads the external relations team with responsibilities for outreach initiatives including donor, alumni, and public relations, recruitment, mentoring, and data/website development. He has spent the majority of his career in education, most recently serving as Executive Director for the nonprofit Launching Leaders Worldwide, Assistant Vice President of Marketing at the University of Northern Colorado, and Director of External Relations at the University of Northern Colorado’s Monfort College of Business.

Michael received a bachelor’s degree in communications, and a juris doctor degree, both from BYU. He loves all things BYU, especially his family, who are also all BYU blue. Go Cougs!

Jeanna Nichols

Assistant Dean – Operations

jeanna_nichols@gmail.com@byu.eduphoria
801-422867-36955309
301 MCKB

Jeanna Nichols earned her bachelor’s in English from Brigham Young University as a nontraditional student in 2008. She worked at Intermountain Healthcare for 10 years as a quality assurance specialist in transcription, which involved mentoring and training new employees and maintaining the quality of medical documents.

Jeanna has been with the Dean’s Office of Education at BYU since April 2011. She is married and has two children, who can both attest that Jeanna’s favorite thing to do is read.