Education

• Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• M.B.A., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Ed.M., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• B.S., University of Colorado at Boulder

Research & Academic Interests

• The impact of LGBTQ+ sexual orientation on school superintendent leadership.
• The impact of partisan political groups on local school board elections.

Publications

• Lauk, R. A. (2023). Did you feel you needed to tell the board? Looking for leadership in all the queer places. In Tran, H. and Gaetane, J. M., Leadership in Turbulent Times: Cultivating Diversity and Inclusion in the Education Workplace. Emerald Publishing.
• Lauk, R. A. (2021). Child Care: The opportunity and solution for sustainability. In Coffin, S. V., Higher Education’s Looming Collapse: Using new ways of doing business and social justice to avoid bankruptcy (pp. 157-167). Rowman & Littlefield.
• Lauk, R. A. (2023, October). Storytelling for School Leaders. American School Board Journal,
• Lauk, R. A. (2022). When a paycheck isn’t enough: The impact of financial incentives for employee perfect attendance. Kentucky Journal of Excellence in College Teaching and Learning, 18, 62-66.
• Lauk, R. A. (2021, November). Attendance Payoffs, Perks, and Best Intentions. School Business Affairs, (31-35).

Associations, Affiliations & Work History

• American Educational Research Association

• CASA of the Wilderness (Court Appointed Special Advocates), Board Member and Treasurer
• Kentucky Youth Law Project, Board Member

Awards & Accolades

• College of Education and Applied Human Sciences Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award, 2024
• University Creative Achievements Award, Eastern Kentucky University, 2023
• University Faculty Innovation in Teaching Award, Eastern Kentucky University, 2023