As a longtime educator, Amy Uchacz has a strong passion for leadership and supporting administrators.
So when she embarked on her doctoral dissertation at Grand Canyon University six years ago, she became invested in her topic in the same manner a parent supervises the development of a child.
“As you're writing and working on your dissertation, it's like your baby and you love it,” Uchacz said. “But you’re (thinking), ‘is anybody else going to love this work or find value in this work?’"
Uchacz’s dissertation, “A Case Study: K-8 Principals’ Job – Embedded Learning on Skills and Efficacy in Instructional Leadership,” gained the attention of the Arizona School Administrators (ASA), which honored her recently with the Higher Education Division’s Dissertation of the Year award.
“To be recognized, especially by an educational institute such as ASA, for this work was really humbling and quite an honor,” said Uchacz, who defended her dissertation in March 2024 and serves as a talent development leader for Plexus Worldwide.
For more than 22 years, Uchacz served in education – the last 14 ½ as an assistant principal, principal, administrator and leadership director – and worked at sizable school districts in Mesa and Maricopa County.
“I think it gives you a lens of their lived experience, if you will,” Uchacz said. “And also serving as a school principal myself (in Tempe and Scottsdale), recognizing the day-to-day challenges that school leaders face, it gave me some perspective and insight into the challenges in their daily work.
“And so going into this, my greatest hope and desire was to have learnings and takeaways that would support the future of their professional learning and development or provide insights that challenged even ways of thinking that we might hold or assume.”
Uchacz succeeded in executing her mission, said her dissertation chair, Dr. Karen Lackey-Wince.
“Amy’s passion revealed itself in how committed she was to elevating the voices of principals,” Lackey-Wince said. “She approached her dissertation not just as a task to complete, but as an opportunity to contribute something meaningful to the field. Even during the most challenging phases, she remained connected to the purpose behind her work, which made a difference in the overall quality and impact of her study.
“She worked hard to understand every layer of her study, execute it with care, and present it with clarity and professionalism. In fact, Dr. Luis Zayas, one of GCU’s research consultants, called her dissertation defense the best he had attended to date. That recognition speaks volumes about her preparation, presence and the overall quality of her work.”
Uchacz’s experiences and appreciation for educators enabled her to maintain her drive, “even on those days when I really wanted to give up.”
Uchacz embarked on her doctorate in 2019. She wanted to make sure her dissertation might benefit those in education. She navigated her work through the COVID pandemic and the loss of her father-in-law and father while raising a family.
She credited Lackey-Wince and GCU professors for their engagement with her work.
“(Lackey-Wince) was championing my work but also giving me that thoughtful feedback that was necessary to make sure that my work was also demonstrating the caliber that needed to be in place in order to finish.”
GCU News senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at Mark.Gonzales@gcu.edu
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