Dr. Joanna Shaw, 37
Dr. Joanna Shaw teaches in the College of Business at Tarleton State University and loves her students, family and community.
Tarleton professor has love for teaching, family, community Joanna got her masters degree in human resource management in 2004 r. Joanna Shaw didn’t always want and decided she wanted to teach at a university, so went back and got a PhD at to become a teacher, but after a the University of North Texas in 2009. brush with death, the Bluff Dale She now teaches in the College of native’s perception changed. Business. Joanna earned a bachelor’s degree “I also had twins (Ella Renee and from Tarleton State University in public Allie Evelyn) in 2009, so it was a busy relations and English in 2002 and after a traumatic health crisis right before she year,” she said with a laugh. Joanna grew up going on educagraduated, Joanna changed. tional trips with her family, and having “I think I was pretty driven toward money before that — I had a blood clot a father who’s a mathematician, has quite the stories to tell. in my leg and almost died,” she said. “On one of my first dates I had the “And that changed me because at that boy over for dinner at my house and we point I decided I really wanted to do something to invest in other people.” had pizza. My father made us figure out During her time in the hospital, Joanna the circumference of the pizza before became engaged to her high school we could eat it,” she said. “And when sweetheart Cory Shaw. we would go to Six Flags we would By Autumn Owens
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have to figure out some kind of math thing with the rollercoaster — that’s how I grew up.” Joanna has received tenure — one of only two women in the College of Business — and teaches business ethics, human resource and recruitment and selection classes. One of Joanna’s unique ways of teaching includes bringing in community members — a doctor, police officer, lawyer, small business owner, real estate agent, public administrator — to visit with her students, playing Scrabble, using Play-Doh and drawn lectures bringing out their creativity. “What I love about teaching is that you bring students into your classroom that you might not have met any other way and what I find the most
interesting about teaching is everyone comes with their own story. Everyone comes with their own experiences and ideas and my classroom is a great place to meld all of it together,” she said. “It’s so wonderful getting to watch my students from the beginning to the end and I can’t believe I get to do this every day.” Joanna is on the Erath Excels board and formerly served on the Texas Neighborhood Services board. The family is active in First Baptist Church Stephenville, where Joanna and Cory teach their adult class. “Any type of community service I can be involved in, obviously I want to when the opportunity comes,” she said. “Your home is your community.” 15