Back to School: LHRIC’s leader looks to master’s program to enhance expertise

Dr. McDonnell studied Engineering Management to expand her skillset as Executive Director

May 11 graduation in State College, Pa., will mark the culmination of a two-year educational pursuit

Education leaders frequently espouse the idea of lifelong learning. For Dr. Ellen McDonnell, Executive Director of the Lower Hudson Regional Information Center (LHRIC), that ethos is more than a philosophy—it’s personal practice.

Despite already holding a doctoral degree in educational leadership, Dr. McDonnell recently enrolled in a master’s program in Engineering Management through Penn State University. 

“This wasn’t about getting another degree,” Dr. McDonnell said. “It was about learning to support the leaders we have here better—by understanding more about managing from a technical lens.”

An opportunity to grow

Her background is rooted in education. She holds a bachelor’s in mathematics and music as well as a Master of Arts in Teaching in mathematics, both from Cornell, and both a second master’s and a doctorate in educational leadership from the College of New Rochelle and Manhattanville University, respectively. Her career began in the classroom and eventually took her into district-level leadership roles. 

Her current role at the LHRIC, which she has held since 2022, represented a new challenge.

“For the first time in my career, I don’t have anyone reporting to me who is required to be a certified educator,” she explained. “They’re all technical professionals. And while I don’t need to match their technical skills, I do need to know how to lead and support them effectively.”

That prompted her, near the end of her first year, to reflect on what the organization needed most from her as a leader. Most of what she already knew applied directly to her work, but where, she asked herself, might there be gaps?

“I’d never taken a course in project management or technical leadership,” she said. “I started thinking, how can I help a leader in this organization who might be struggling to get a project off the ground or dealing with a complex technical challenge in a district? That’s where the need was.”

'What's our Kodak?'

Dr. McDonnell researched graduate programs and ultimately chose Penn State’s online Master of Engineering Management through its World Campus. The program’s focus on practical application appealed to her. 

“The cohort model definitely worked well for me,” she added. “And the work was always grounded in what I could bring back to LHRIC.”

Courses offered insights she could apply directly to her work. One example came from a case study on Kodak’s invention of the digital camera—and its choice not to pursue it, fearing it would cannibalize the company’s core film business. Dr. McDonnell brought the lesson back to her leadership team.

“I asked them, ‘What’s our Kodak?’” she recalled. “What are we holding onto so tightly that we might be blind to what’s next?”

The discussion helped spark new thinking about the future of educational technology services. It also contributed to the creation of a new role within the organization: Assistant Director for Strategic Planning, and prompted a shift toward engaging with districts during earlier phases of service design.

“In my coursework, we studied design thinking and user-centered design,” she said. “Both emphasize building early-stage prototypes and feedback. That’s a big shift from the way we’ve traditionally done things, where we announce something when we’re ready to move forward.”

Now, she said, the organization invites district representatives into the conversation earlier.

“That requires a mindset change,” she acknowledged. “We’re used to saying, ‘If the LHRIC says we’re doing it, then we’re doing it.’ Now we’re saying, ‘We’re exploring this—and we need your input before we decide.’ That kind of transparency helps us create better services, but it also takes courage.”

Real-life lessons

Her final capstone project focused on a real-world challenge: the 2024 global IT outage caused by a faulty software update by security firm CrowdStrike. The issue froze millions of Windows-based computers, including many across New York schools. The LHRIC’s immediate overnight response to the July 2024 disruption led to 95% of district servers and all centrally hosted LHRIC services coming back online by 9 a.m the same day. 

Analyzing the organization’s response in the context of engineering management provided both validation and insight for future improvements.

Dr. Brendan Lyons, Deputy Superintendent/COO at Southern Westchester BOCES, expressed admiration for Dr. McDonnell's accomplishment and the example it sets.

“Dr. McDonnell’s pursuit of additional learning and expertise is inspiring to us all and reinforces the belief that as educational leaders we must model the importance of professional and personal growth.”

Dr. McDonnell completed the Penn State program while continuing to lead the LHRIC full time. The remote format meant that the first time she will set foot on Penn State’s campus—and the first time she’ll meet members of her cohort in person—will be on May 11, at graduation.

“That there is always something else to learn is critical—and it’s been a part of my existence as a leader,” Dr. McDonnell said. “I love learning, and I love demonstrating that it’s important. Hopefully, everybody sees that.”