Rate My Professor Chris Benedetti

Dr. Chris Benedetti serves as Associate Professor of Educational Leadership in the Department of Educational Leadership at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi since August 2021. He concurrently holds the role of Artificial Intelligence Faculty Fellow since May 2025, leading initiatives in AI professional development and community building. Benedetti's academic journey began with a B.S. in English Education from Florida State University in 1997, followed by an M.S. in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University in 2000, and a Ph.D. in Leadership and Education from Barry University in 2008. His career spans over two decades in education, including K-12 roles as principal for PreK-8 schools in the Diocese of Orlando, Florida (2011-2012), adjunct faculty at University of Phoenix (2005-2013), Assistant Professor and Department Associate Chair at Western Colorado University (2013-2017), and Assistant/Associate Professor and program coordinator at Plymouth State University (2017-2021). At TAMUCC, he teaches graduate courses such as EDAD 5376/6376 Supervision of Teaching, EDFN 5301 Introduction to Research, EDLD 6333 Applied Statistics I, and various dissertation seminars.

Benedetti's research focuses on leader preparation and succession, teacher burnout and satisfaction, college student ethics, research methods, adult learning in online and virtual simulations, and equitable school leader preparation. He has published extensively, including peer-reviewed articles like "Leading K-12 Schools at the US Border: Navigating Unique Cultural, Political, and Systemic Complexities" (2025, Qualitative Research Journal, with A. Holba), "Assessing Principal Preparation: Texas Programs and the NELP Standards" (2025, International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, with A. Covarrubias), "Teacher Retention in High-Poverty Urban Schools" (2025, Education and Urban Society, with E. Martin), and "Balancing the Clock: Work Hours and Work-Life Balance Among Texas Principals" (2025, School Leadership Review, with J.S. Ponton). Notable books include co-editing Teaching Critical Inquiry and Applied Research in Ed.D. Programs: Moving Beyond Traditional Methods (2023, Myers Education Press) and Sports and K-12 Education (2018, Rowman & Littlefield), with forthcoming titles Diagramming Your Dissertation and Mixed Methods in Practice. Benedetti has chaired 13 dissertation committees (15 defended, one awarded 2024 Morphet Dissertation of the Year by ICPEL), served as Vice Chair of the Institutional Review Board, and contributed to program redesigns, search committees, and editorial boards. His honors include Faculty of the Year at University of Phoenix (2010) and Young Educator of the Year from Phi Delta Kappa (2006).