Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Stanley Maynard

The Patton College of Education is honored to recognize the most recent member of the West Virginia Board of Education, Dr. A. Stanley “Stan” Maynard, as the January 2021 Alum of the Month.

Maynard, who has over 40 years of experience in both public and higher education, was appointed to the school board by West Virginia Governor Jim Justice on Nov. 5, 2020. As the Executive Director of the June Harless Center for Rural Educational Research and Development at Marshall University, Maynard has dedicated his past 20 years to advocacy on behalf of educators, children, and families in West Virginia’s rural school districts.

“The position on the WV State Board of Education allows me the opportunity to apply the experiences, particularly in rural education, to the issues currently facing our State’s educational system,” said Maynard.

The Holden, West Virginia, native started his higher education career in 1980 as a professor of literacy and science education at Marshall University, where he taught for 35 years. Before his position at Marshall, Maynard taught at the elementary level in West Virginia and at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia, where he also coached basketball.

Maynard attended Virginia Tech for his undergraduate degree and later received a master’s degree in Science and Public Health from the University of North Carolina. In 1975, he earned a second master’s in Reading Education from Marshall University before obtaining his doctorate in Reading Education and Higher Education Administration from Ohio University in 1978.

When recalling his doctoral studies at Ohio University, Maynard emphasized that his time in Athens fundamentally changed his perspective on literacy education.

“My experience at Ohio University made an indelible mark on me as an educator. My experience with the faculty, especially Dr. Don Leighty (now deceased) demonstrated the type of support a graduate student or any student should receive during his/her educational journey,” said Maynard.

“Dr. Leighty was my professor in Children’s Literature,” Maynard added. “He mentored me in how to teach in such a way that a book is brought to life to the extent that one could imagine walking the streets of London or marooned on an island with Robinson Crusoe. I have never forgotten that instructional methodology, and it has provided me a model of how literacy can be a tool to expand the experience and ultimate success of the reader.”

In addition to his positions with the West Virginia Board of Education and Marshall University, Maynard serves as interim pastor at Madison Avenue Christian Church in Huntington, West Virginia. He resides in Huntington with his wife, Barbara Maynard, who is also an educator. They have two sons and five grandchildren.