Department of Leadership and Educational Studies

Dr. Chauntee Thrill  (she/her/hers) is an Assistant Professor of Higher Education within the Reich College of Education at Appalachian State University and  Research Affiliate at the Office of Community College Research and Leadership (OCCRL) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Thrill’s research interests were birthed from the experiences, inputs, and professional appointments absorbed from her higher education tenure, life, and community in general. Broadly, Dr. Thrill’s research has focused on understanding postsecondary educational access, STEM, college readiness and academic success for minority student populations in community colleges. Her work highlights student experiences, providing researchers and practitioners the opportunity to interrogate data from and derive strategies to enhance support, best practices, and aligned college policies to bolster student success in the community college setting. Her research has been presented at several regional and national conferences and her efforts have contributed to several publications. 

Dr. Thrill earned her Ph.D. in Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She holds a Master of Education in Higher Education Leadership from Mercer University, a M.B.A. from  University of Maryland University College,  a B.S. in Business Administration from Clayton State University, and an A.S. in Business in Administration from Georgia Perimeter College. Prior to joining the faculty at ASU, she was a research associate at Spelman College and worked in entry- and mid-level positions in enrollment management at various academic institutions.