Her nonfiction guidebook earned a Paper Anvil Award in the Special Purpose Publication category from the Public Relations Society of America.
GOODYEAR, AZ, April 10, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Susan Coppess Pendleton Montjar, PhD, APR of Goodyear, Arizona has been selected to be included in Marquis Who's Who as a Top Educator. As in all of Marquis Who's Who biographies, Top Educators are selected on the basis of their higher level of achievement in the field of education. Factors such as prominence in a career, noteworthy accomplishments and excellence in a field are all considered during the selection process. Dr. Susan Montjar is more than qualified to be an honored participant of the Top Educator award.
Dr. Susan Montjar, a lifelong educator and communications consultant, most recently was an adjunct professor at Grand Canyon University, Phoenix, Arizona. She accepted the appointment in 2009 in the College of Humanities and Social Science to enrich students' communication prowess in their personal and professional lives. As an online educator, she enabled hundreds of students from varying backgrounds and locations around the country teaching Communication Studies, English and Media Art.
Her collegiate background is impressive: She completed diverse degree tracks that began with a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Development from the University of Arizona in 1964. After many years of public relations and community outreach as a volunteer, she proceeded to complete a Master of Arts in Communication and Media Studies at the University of Denver in 1978. Nearly twenty years later while teaching full-time in upstate Pennsylvania, she commuted to State College and finally realized her dream, completing her Doctor of Philosophy in Mass Communications from Pennsylvania State University in 1997 while teaching at the University of Nebraska Omaha. As a lifelong learner, a mass communications scholar and an Accredited Public Relations Practitioner with the Public Relations Society of America, she continues to serve her clients' communication needs at Estrella Communications. Volunteering is her passion, and she remains committed to providing pro bono public relations promotions in her local community.
Even as a child, Dr. Montjar identified a passion for teaching by operating a successful in-home playschool for neighborhood youth. As a young entrepreneur, her business grew over time, and she employed friends and embraced small-business management. After graduation from high school in Southwestern Ohio, she landed a music scholarship at the University of Arizona where she excelled as a student and sang in choirs and in musicals. Following the completion of her four-year degree in Early Childhood Development, she was hired to teach primary grades in Vallejo, California and later in Oakland. Interestingly, the Head Start initiative was in its infancy during the mid-1960s, and teachers served breakfasts before starting classes for underserved families in Oakland; students became attentive and more focused with this new program in the war on poverty.
Upon leaving the Golden State, she taught in the Denver Public Schools for 10 years, and when her two daughters started primary grades, she began her graduate work at DU. When they both went East for college, she was hired for a tenure-track professorship in Pennsylvania. Her college classrooms centered on public relations, mass communications and speech communications, focusing on the importance of public speaking and the impact of media on society. Her courses included media ethics, communications law, public relations writing, public speaking, public relations case studies, advertising, mass media and society, and interpersonal communications.
As a student-oriented professor, her learners benefitted greatly from her applied corporate experience amassed from her professional work as the owner of communication consulting firms. She stays in touch with many former students on social media. One of her accomplished students who is working in Manhattan penned, "Dr. Pendleton was instrumental in my life; I am who I am because of her. She was my best teacher―ever!"
After waiting seven years for her four grandchildren to be born, her first book was published. "Get Ready to Be a Grandmother in Less Than Nine Months" was the culmination of years of research because there were no resources available to help her transition to Grandmotherhood. Her nonfiction guidebook earned a Paper Anvil Award in the Special Purpose Publication category from the Public Relations Society of America. It has guided many women as they enter this new stage in life with broad-reaching topics that streamline the many challenges that lie ahead.
As Dr. Montjar turns 80 years old this summer, and after a rich and rewarding career as a professor of mass communications and a fulfilling personal life, she is writing an extensive historical autobiography of her remarkable life from the turbulent post-war years to the present day. It delves into the societal changes and technological advancements throughout the decades. Her motto is "Learning is Lifelong" and she purports that the key to elevating the quality of our lives lies in continuing education. Dr. Montjar may be reached at [email protected].
About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Marquis celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2023, and Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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