Barbara Jill Presler, Ed.D., 75, passed away on August 30, 2019.  While attending the Art Institute of Chicago's Junior School on Saturdays, she studied music with a second chair of the Chicago symphony and also studied art. At age 16, she went to Michigan State University on a music scholarship. She graduated from Michigan State with a degree in art and a master's degree. While living in East Lansing, Michigan, Barbara taught Educational Psychology for Michigan State, and earned a second master's degree in educational administration. She earned a full graduate major in writing from the University of South Florida. When she moved to Tucson, Arizona, Barbara taught community college writing and humanities as an adjunct professor. She started a doctorate in curriculum at Northern Arizona University in the summers of 1991-92. She went on to teach English in Mohave County, Arizona for the Colorado River Union High School District. She started an alternative district high school, Bridgeway, and was its first principal. She served as a middle school principal in Needles, California, became active in American Association of University Women, Democratic Women, and was the educational representative for the Bullhead City government grants commission. In the evenings, she taught for Mohave Community College. Her husband, Larry, retired from IBM, and passed away at the age of 55. 

As a widow and single mother with two young children at home, she returned to school and finished earning her doctoral degree. During that time she taught elementary art year-round in the public schools, worked for the University of Nevada, and worked at Henderson Community College. The public school district administrators also gave her a "side job" mentoring 20 new teachers. In March of 2005, Barbara was asked to join the Title I program for the Arizona Department of Education, heading the school wide program, which she took on the road all over the state of Arizona. In addition to this, she was the specialist for about 25 school districts. In 2006, she earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Nevada Las Vegas. 

Her dissertation research was based on a national study which included all 50 states on the principal's role in promoting standards based professional development. Barbara was then promoted to Coordinator for Neglected and Delinquent Children and supervised educational programs and federal funding for Arizona Department of Corrections, the Arizona Supreme Court, and the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections through the Arizona Department of Education. She was the first person to visit all 13 county detention centers and the people that taught incarcerated children. She started the Arizona Alternative Education Association, worked on a Department of Economic Security (DES) committee for families in crisis, and the Homeless Commission. She maintained oversight for a group of about 25 schools and continued to speak nationally on the subject of alternative education, including presenting on her doctoral research. Barbara helped write and edit Arizona Governor Napolitano's online book for dually adjudicated children with various law agency groups. 

After retiring from the  Department of Education in 2009, she started teaching English for upper division education majors online for Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff and Show Low. She taught ASU graduate students in education on the topics of climate and discipline. In addition, she taught various graduate teaching majors online for Grand Canyon University and on campus for freshmen in English. During this time, she also taught writing for Maricopa County Community College at the Glendale and South Mountain campuses and at Coconino Community College online. Barbara served as Co-President of the Phoenix chapter of the American Association of University Women. Barbara is survived by two daughters, a son and five grandchildren. Barbara was preceded in death by her husband Lawrence Irvin Presler. (Source: ASU Foundation)