Program Director
I joined UNG and the Higher Education Leadership & Practice (HELP) program in fall 2018, after working at UGA for 14 years in graduate advising and program development. I happily took on the role of the HELP program coordinator in summer 2019. Like many of our students, I worked full-time while pursuing all of my degrees, and incorporate adult learning strategies, such as practical application and empathy into my course design and program development. I teach coursework on higher education trends, higher education leadership theory, advanced qualitative research, student affairs administration and leadership, and law and ethics in higher education.
I am a quad-dawg from UGA obtaining a BS in Psychology, GC in Interdisciplinary Qualitative Research Methodology, MEd in Human Resources/Occupational Development, and a PhD in Adult Education. My research interests are in the areas of boundary spanning, higher education consolidation, community engagement, Generation Z, college homelessness, and student research communication. I am the book review editor for the Journal of Community Engagement & Scholarship, and enjoy writing for publication and presentations. I have been married for over two decades, and have a 6’6” son who is a Montessori Pre-K teacher. I am an avid trivia player and love horror movies.
Assistant Professor
As a newly hired Assistant Professor of Higher Education at UNG, I teach classes on research methods, globalization, organizational change and reform, and support for underrepresented students. Before arriving at UNG, I earned my Ph.D. in Urban Education Policy from the University of Southern California and was a postdoctoral research associate for two years in the Pullias Center for Higher Education. My research explores the social and cultural dimensions of education, with a specific focus on equity, international higher education, institutional innovation, and the workforce of the twenty-first century. Apart from teaching and researching, I love mentoring first-generation students, playing piano and drums, and traveling to other countries.
Assistant Professor
I teach quantitative research methods and courses focused on social justice. I am also a research associate with Rankin and Associates and a board member at Turn Out. Prior to UNG, I worked in Institutional Research, most recently as the Assistant Vice President at a private college for three years and I held a similar role at a community college for six years. I am a peer reviewer for the Community College Journal of Research and Practice and a peer reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission. I hold an M.S. in Survey Methodology from the University of Michigan and I have a Ph.D. in Education Leadership from Oakland University. I currently research in the field of QuantCrit, focusing on the ways researchers use racial statistics to promote racial justice and disrupt racism.