COE welcomes new faculty and staff for 2018-19

September 10, 2018

Georgia Southern University’s College of Education (COE) is excited to welcome new members to the College team this semester including seven faculty and nine staff members. New faculty members for fall 2018 include:

	Stephanie Devine, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of special education in the Department of Elementary and Special Education. While completing her Ph.D. in Special Education at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada (UNLV), Devine also held a visiting lecturer position and earned the Rodman Scholar Graduate Assistantship to teach technical assistance to undergraduate and graduate scholars. Devine also earned a master’s in special education from UNLV and a bachelor’s in English from California Lutheran University. Prior to higher education, Devine worked in the Clark County School District as a special education teacher and instructional facilitator. Her research interests centers on students with disabilities including access to general education curriculum and competitive integrated workplace as well as technology and assistive technology to support access to text for students with moderate to significant disabilities.
	Kathryn Haughney, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of special education in the Department of Elementary and Special Education. After serving as a public school educator for 10 years, Haughney began working in higher education as the Lake and Edward Snyder Graduate Assistant and as a guest lecturer at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, where she also earned her Ph.D. in Special Education. She completed a Master of Arts in Teaching in Special Education from National-Louis University in Illinois and a B.A. in English Literature at Appalachian State University. Haughney’s research focuses on the intersection of augmentative and alternative communication and academic instruction, but also investigates assistive technology applications, general curriculum access, applied behavior analysis, and meeting the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse learners.
	Allison Jackson, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of special education in the Department of Elementary and Special Education. Jackson brings five years of experience from childcare and preschool settings as well as three years of service as a child and adolescent intensive family intervention case manager in Augusta, Georgia. Prior to joining Georgia Southern, she also served as a faculty member at the University of Maine. Jackson earned a Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of Delaware. She also completed a M.A.T. in Special Education and bachelor’s in psychology from Augusta University. Jackson conducts research in areas including special education, teacher education programs, early writing development and executive function, writing instruction and intervention for young children, professional development for in-service teachers, and mindfulness and meditation in the classroom.
	Beverly King Miller, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of elementary science education in the Department of Elementary and Special Education. Miller joins the College of Education from Central New Mexico Community College in Albuquerque, New Mexico where she taught courses in effective teaching methods as well as computers and technology for teachers. She also supervised students in field placements. Miller earned a doctorate in multicultural teacher and childhood education from the University of New Mexico, a Masters of Art in Teaching with a concentration in biological science from National Louis University and a bachelor’s in psychology from Nyack College. Her dissertation explored the strategies and skills needed by Afro Caribbean women in their pursuit of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) training and careers. Her research explores the cultural, racial and gender issues that create barriers to  females of African descent which affects their persistence and their access to STEM training and careers.
	Taylor Norman, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of middle grades education in the Department of Middle Grades and Secondary Education. Norman earned her doctorate and master’s in curriculum and instruction and a bachelor’s in English education from Purdue University. She served as a high school English teacher for four years before entering higher education. As a visiting professor at Northern Michigan University, Norman taught a variety of English education courses. Her teaching interests include adolescent literacy, critical literacies, new and multimodal literacies, integrated reading and writing pedagogy, young adult literature, student centered teaching, and culturally responsive teaching. Norman’s research and scholarship focuses on bridging the gap between educational theory and classroom practice through storytelling methods, teacher research and narrative inquiry.
	David Owens, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of science education in the Department of Middle Grades and Secondary Education. Owens brings a variety of teaching experiences to Georgia Southern including five years as a high school biology teacher with Memphis City Schools, two years as an outdoor education instructor for the Chadwick School in California and South Korea, and eight years as an outdoor education instructor for Outward Bound, a non-profit organization providing experience-based learning programs for youth and adults that focus on leadership and character development. Owens earned a Ph.D. in Mathematics and Science Education (Biology Concentration) from Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). He also completed a master’s in aquatic ecology from the University of Nebraska and a bachelor’s in animal biology from MTSU. Research conducted by Owens centers on better understanding the motivational nature of learning contexts that promote functional STEM literacy, such as active and gameful learning, as well as the use of socioscientific issues as contexts for STEM instruction.
	Alexandra Reyes, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of Teaching Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students (TCLD) in the Department of Middle Grades and Secondary Education. Reyes joins the College from the University of North Carolina (UNC), both the Greensboro and Chapel Hill locations, where she taught courses in linguistics, teaching practices, and Spanish. Reyes earned a Ph.D. in Education (Culture, Curriculum and Change) from UNC at Chapel Hill. She also holds a master’s in bilingual and multicultural education from Northern Arizona University and a bachelor’s in Spanish from Southern Connecticut State University. Prior to higher education, Reyes served as a secondary teacher in Connecticut and Arizona. Her research interests focus on the intersections of language, culture, and identity, and how they inform learning experiences for bilingual and Latin0 communities. Reyes is also interested in arts integration pedagogies and methodologies.

New staff members joining the COE in 2018 include:

	Nicole Wright Aldana, an academic advisor for elementary education students, joined the College’s Student Success Center in March. Prior to joining the COE, Aldana served as a financial aid advisor for Georgia Southern, where she worked with students to assist in their loan and financial aid needs. After earning dual undergraduate majors in international studies and Spanish from Georgia Southern, Aldana served as an English teacher in Japan for two years. Aldana will be housed on the Statesboro Campus.
	Hillary Cummins is an academic advisor for the College’s Graduate Academic Services Center on the Armstrong Campus. A graduate of the University of South Carolina, Cummins holds a bachelor’s in retail management and master’s in higher education and student affairs. Before joining the COE in March, Cummins served as an academic advisor at the College of Coastal Georgia for two years. She is a current representative on the College’s Staff Advisory Council (SAC).
	Jazmin Dekle joined the COE’s Student Success Center in March as an undergraduate recruiter and academic advisor for health and physical education majors on the Statesboro Campus. Dekle earned a bachelor’s in journalism from Georgia Southern, and she plans to pursue a master’s in counseling. Prior to coming to the College, Dekle worked for East Georgia State College as an admissions recruiter. She also has five years of experience in the public school classroom teaching English language arts.
	Kelly Kennedy is a graduate advisor for the COE’s Graduate Academic Services Center on the Statesboro Campus. Prior to joining the College in March, Kennedy served an academic advisor for undergraduate students in the College of Science and Mathematics (COSM) for seven years. She also worked as a classroom educator for eight years, teaching pre-k, middle and high school science. Kennedy earned a B.S. in Biology from Georgia Southern University. She is a current representative on the College’s Staff Advisory Council (SAC).
	Lakesha Loving is the coordinator of field experiences and clinical practice for the College of Education on the Armstrong Campus. Loving joins the College with over a decade of classroom teaching experience from Beaufort County School District where she also served two years as a educational technology coach. An Eagle Educator, she earned a bachelor’s in middle grades education with concentrations in language arts and social studies from Georgia Southern University. She also holds a master’s in curriculum and instruction from Nova Southeastern University and a master’s in educational leadership from American College of Education. Loving began her position with the COE in July.
	Ingrid Mateo-Anderson serves as the assistant to the dean and can be found in University Hall on the Armstrong Campus. Mateo-Anderson earned a bachelor’s in public health from Georgia Southern and worked with the Chatham County Health Department for three years prior to joining the College of Education. Fluent in Spanish and English, Mateo-Anderson has served in previous roles as a bilingual interpreter and brings several years of executive administrative assistance experience to her new role with the College.
	Hollie Sisk is the director of the Instructional Resources Center (IRC), Armstrong Campus. Sisk is a Double Eagle Alumna, earning both a bachelor’s in special education and master’s in instructional technology from Georgia Southern University. She holds several certifications including Google Certified Educator Levels 1 and 2, Google for Education Certified Trainer, Flipgrid Certified Educator and Apple Teacher. Sisk was recently selected and trained as a Google for Education Certified Innovator and is now only one of 14 in the state of Georgia who holds this certification. Prior to joining the COE, Sisk served in public education for 16 years. She is a current representative on the College’s Staff Advisory Council (SAC).
	Mary Thaler is the senior administrative assistant for the Institute for Interdisciplinary STEM Education (i2STEMe). Prior to joining i2STEMe in January, Thaler served as administrative assistant for the Division of Continuing Education at Georgia Southern, where she worked with developing and managing youth camps, conferences and professional development programs. Thaler also has experience in the public school system, having previously served as the 21st Century afterschool program coordinator for the intermediate and middle schools in Candler County. She brings several years of administrative experience to her new role with the STEM Institute.