Member Spotlight: Dr. Rick Breault

By Raevyn Harris posted 39 minutes ago

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Meet Dr. Rick Breault, Faculty Licensing Officer at Ashland University, KDP member of more than 32 years, KDP Eleanor Roosevelt Chapter member, and the 2026 Founders Day Awards recipient of the Dr. Truman L. Kelley Award for Scholarship Excellence. This honor recognizes his sustained, impactful scholarship within KDP and the broader education profession at local, national, and global levels.

Dr. Breault’s KDP journey began in 1986 with his initiation into the Delta Epsilon Chapter at Northern Illinois University as a doctoral student. His prior experience as an elementary and middle school teacher in the Chicago area remains the foundation of his career, driving his commitment to supporting educators at every stage. In 2021, his decades of dedication were recognized with an induction into KDP’s honorary Eleanor Roosevelt Chapter—a lifetime appointment limited to just 100 living members who have demonstrated an extensive history of service and commitment to KDP.

Throughout his career in higher education, Dr. Breault has taught across eight states, spanning small liberal arts colleges to major research universities. His global work includes serving as a Fulbright Scholar and an invited educator in Central and Eastern Europe and China. In every role, his research and teaching have focused on strengthening the education profession and creating clear pathways for future educators.

His instructional excellence has earned both institutional and national recognition. Notably, he has consistently integrated preservice teachers into the research process, guiding them to conduct, present, and publish their work as true contributors to the field.

His direct contributions to KDP's run deep. Dr. Breault has supported KDP’s Life Cycle of the Career Teacher project, contributed to Experiencing Dewey, and shared his expertise on national Convocation panels. Most recently, he has dedicated his time to archiving and analyzing historic KDP lectures from 1929 through the 1970s, preserving the insights of the organization's founders to inform and inspire today’s members. Dr. Rick Breault has beautifully modeled what it means to be a part of this amazing community.

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