About Us

NEXUS Education Consulting is a full-service dissertation and thesis coaching firm dedicated to help graduate students complete their culminating dissertation or project. Founded in 2015, we have worked with doctoral students from various traditional and online universities across the country in reaching their Ph.D. and Ed.D. goals.

Image of Dr. Dawn Marie Sherman

Dr. Dawn Sherman is the founder and principal consultant of NEXUS Education Consulting, LLC. She has over 20 years of experience as an academic advisor, editor, professor, and researcher specializing in programs & policies impacting minority students & teachers in urban school districts. Her research interests include the minority teacher pipeline, novice minority teacher induction, culturally-responsive education, out-of-school time / supplementary education programs, the impact of technology integration on student outcomes, and data-driven instruction & leadership in urban school districts.

Dr. Sherman's work as a dissertation coach is greatly informed by her experiences as a doctoral student and the experiences of her mentees across the country. She worked full-time in K-12 and higher education as she completed her doctorate degree -- all while raising a young child at home. "Doctoral students today carry multiple responsibilities as they complete their degree programs," Dr. Sherman asserts. "As a coach, my job is to give each of my mentees some sense of balance in their lives while guiding them on the quickest path towards completing their degree." Her practical know-how of the intricacies of the doctoral pathway gives her a unique advantage over other dissertation coaches and consultants. "I've seen both sides of the coin. I know what faculty want to see in a high-quality dissertation. I also know the behind-the-scenes policies that impact faculty decisions. Doctoral students need to know both -- what faculty want and what the university demands. Not having a thorough understanding of both can delay graduation by months or even years. Nobody has time for that!"

​Dr. Sherman has worked with doctoral candidates at traditional "brick-and-mortar" institutions as well as those attending online or blended learning institutions such as Walden University, Capella University, University of Phoenix, and Strayer University. She is personally invested in the success of each of her students and provides the technical, practical, and emotional support her students need when they need it. "I am a faculty advisor, thought-partner, cheerleader, human 'reality check,' and counselor rolled into one. Doctoral students need all of these supports to be successful. I know my scholars appreciate me for the support I provide throughout their doctoral journeys."

​Dr. Sherman earned an M.A. in Curriculum & Instruction with a concentration in Minority & Urban Education and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies from the University of Maryland - College Park. She is a member of the American Education Research Association, the American Evaluation Association, the International Society for Technology in Education, the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education, and the American Mentoring Association.

​She currently resides in Washington, DC, with her husband and two daughters.

Dr. Terra Brown is an Assistant Professor with the College of Security Studies at Colorado Technical University, where she has been a faculty member since 2022 facilitating Criminal Justice courses. She previously held an adjunct position from 2018-2021 at the prestigious Huston Tillotson University in Austin, Texas as a Criminal Justice instructor.

Terra completed her Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Walden University in 2020, where she completed an emotional qualitative study on African American sibling homicide in honor of her brother Jermaine Malone who was tragically killed in 2015. She completed her undergraduate and graduate studies in Criminal Justice from Lamar University where, in 2016, Terra published “It’s a wide sky of academic stars: Lessons learned from twelve outstanding female scholars in criminology and criminal justice.” Her research highlighted outstanding women in academia as they navigated work within a male-dominated field.

Terra’s research interests continue to lie in the area of bereavement ranging from sibling homicide to African American grief. Terra’s professional experiences range from Corrections, Parole, Juvenile Probation, and the Federal Government.