Graduate Coordinator Mona Kerby honored as distinguished alumna
Mona Kerby, the L. Stanley Bowlsbey Endowed Chair at McDaniel College, was the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from Texas Woman's University.
Mona Kerby, the L. Stanley Bowlsbey Endowed Chair at McDaniel College, was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award from her alma mater, Texas Woman’s University (TWU) during the annual Pioneer Alumni Association Awards ceremony held April 30 in Denton, Texas. This is the highest and most prestigious award presented for alumni contributions by TWU.
Kerby coordinates the School Librarianship program at McDaniel and also serves as coordinator of the Writing for Children and Young Adults and Learning Technologies Specialist certificate programs.
An author, professor, and librarian, Kerby began her 48-year career in education as a kindergarten teacher with the Arlington Independent School District in Arlington, Texas, before enrolling at TWU to obtain her master’s degree and Ph.D. in Library Science.
She started as an assistant professor at McDaniel in 1994 and has dedicated more than two decades in higher education at the college.
About her time at McDaniel, TWU stated, "There she has cultivated graduates who have achieved success as professors, professional writers, school superintendents, and, of course, librarians — two of whom have been named Maryland School Librarian of the Year."
Kerby is also an award-winning author of 15 books ranging from fiction and non-fiction to picture books.
She has served as a member of numerous professional associations, such as the American Association of School Librarians, Association of Library Service to Children, International Association of School Librarians, the Maryland Association of School Librarians, and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
In 1993, she was named a National Endowment for the Humanities Teacher Scholar and in 2020, she was the recipient of the American Association of School Librarians’ Distinguished Service Award.
In addition to her degrees from TWU, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Spanish from Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas, and a master’s degree in Counseling Education from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas.
