Lyndon Institute is proud to announce the Commencement Speaker and Faith Leader for the graduating class of 2022. 

Commencement Speaker - Dr. Heidi Webber Jenkins
Dr. Heidi Webber Jenkins, an LI alumnus of the class of 1990, is a lifelong educator who has had the honor of working with middle school, high school, and graduate school students in both Vermont and Oklahoma. She currently serves as the librarian at Bixby High School in Bixby, Oklahoma, and is a professor of Library Media and Information Technology at Northeastern State University.

Dr. Jenkins has had a 27-year career serving students in public schools as a classroom teacher, team leader, school librarian, and technology cadre member. She has mentored hundreds of students, instilling in them a sense of self-worth and direction as they embrace their future. She has presented at professional conferences at the University of Tulsa, Louisiana State University, the University of Ottawa, the Oklahoma Library Association, and the Oklahoma Society for Technology in Education. She has been published in the Journal of Curriculum Theorizing and wrote her dissertation on nonviolence in young adult literature. Her most recent charitable endeavor involved a book drive to expand the prison library at the John H. Lilley Correctional Center in Boley, Oklahoma.

Dr. Jenkins was raised in Vermont and has an extensive family numbering several LI graduates, including two nieces in the class of 2022. She now lives in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma with her husband, Larry. Together they have raised two children, Emilie and Jared Jenkins, who are currently pursuing careers in engineering.

Dr. Jenkins graduated cum laude from the University of Vermont in 1994 and holds a Masters in Library and Information Studies from the University of Oklahoma and a Ph.D. in Education from Oklahoma State University. During her time at Lyndon Institute, Dr. Jenkins played softball, was a member of the National Honor Society, and participated in drama productions while also showing horses and competing in pulling pony competitions.

Dr. Jenkins’s passions include dogs, books, jigsaw puzzles, humorous and dramatic storytelling, and mentoring others. Her life philosophy: Listen more than speak, live in service to others, and get a lot done every day!

Faith Leader - Rob Perkins
Rob Perkins is a graduate of Lyndon Institute's class of 1991. Born in St. Johnsbury, he lived in several different towns before moving to Lyndonville his sophomore year. After graduation, he worked for local area businesses before settling into his busing career. Perkins is currently employed at Butler Bus Service as their mechanic and backup driver.

As a member of the New Beginnings Christian Church in St. Johnsbury, Perkins soon became a deacon at the church. He then rose to the position of Elder, serving in that role for the last 10 years before becoming the Senior Pastor at Sheffield Federated Church where he currently serves. Perkins has been on a number of in-country mission trips and has been active in the community for a number of years doing outreach and local ministry.

Lyndon Institute will hold its Commencement ceremonies on Sunday, June 5, 2022. The event starts with Baccalaureate at 10:00 a.m. in the Alumni Auditorium followed by Commencement at 11:00 a.m. on the Robert K. Lewis Field. More information about LI’s Commencement will be made available on their website at www.lyndoninstitute.org.

Photo caption: Lyndon Institute Faith Leader, Rob Perkins.

Photo caption: Lyndon Institute Commencement Speaker, Dr. Heidi Webber Jenkins.