Prof. Soares joined Georgia Southern University in 2009 and retired in 2026.

 — Biography from the 2026 Spring Commencement program — 

Dr. Soares has consistently excelled in teaching, scholarship, and service. In 2014, Dr. Soares received the Jack Miller Top Educator of the Year Award, an award bestowed on a College of Education faculty member who has excelled in teaching, scholarship, and service. In 2015, Dr. Soares was awarded the Excellence in Contributions to Instruction from Georgia Southern University, and in that same year, the university nominated Dr. Soares for U.S. Professor of the Year, an award sponsored by The Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Dr. Soares’ scholarship includes co-authoring three books, publishing over 40 research- and practitioner-oriented articles, and a distinguished record of refereed presentations at international, national, and regional conferences. Dr. Soares’ instructional contributions include focusing on effective curriculum and instructional practices for pre-service and in-service teachers, literacy development for all subject-matter content, gifted education, and the teacher as a leader and instructional specialist. She served as program director for the Middle Grades BSEd, the Teaching & Learning EdS, and Gifted In-Field endorsement programs. Dr. Soares has championed student success by chairing and serving on doctoral dissertation committees and education specialist thesis committees. Dr. Soares served as the editor of the Georgia Journal of Literacy, to promote knowledge, pedagogy, and effective research in support of literacy across all grade levels and content areas for readers. She served on the University Institutional Research Board and co-chaired the University Undergraduate Curriculum Committee during the time of consolidation between the present campuses of Statesboro and Armstrong. Dr. Soares further served as a member of the University Faculty Senate and the Faculty Senate Executive Committee. For her many contributions to the institution, to her field, and to her students, Dr. Lina B. Soares is deserving of the title Professor of Middle Grades and Secondary Education Emerita.*