Dr. Bethel E. Cager holds the position of Professor of Practice for Educational Leadership within the Division of Education and Counseling at Xavier University of Louisiana. As a veteran clinician of educational leadership, she comes to this position with the knowledge and expertise required to teach, guide, and support graduate students through the successful completion of the master’s degree and doctoral degree programs. Dr. Cager has Principal and Superintendent of Schools certifications in the states of Louisiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Her educational leadership experiences include coordinator of instruction, assistant principal, principal (elementary, middle, and high school levels), central office senior-level administrator (Executive Director/Associate Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent supervising principals at the elementary, middle, high, and alternative school levels), and Superintendent of Schools. Dr. Cager’s research area of interest is culturally responsive leadership, as she has designed a framework, The 5Rs of Responsive Leadership, to guide and support school and district-level administrators.

Dr. Cager is a proud two-time alumna of Xavier University of Louisiana, receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education in 1987 and her Master of Arts in Education Administration in 1989. Dr. Cager graduated with her Doctor of Philosophy in Education Administration from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1994.

Dr. Cager’s greatest joy in life is being a devoted mother to her beautiful daughter, who is a gifted creative writer and an incredible human being.