JESSICA BACON Early Childhood, Elementary, and Literacy Education Department B.S. The College of Wooster M.S. Syracuse University Ph.D. Syracuse University DR. BACON received her Ph.D. in Special Education from Syracuse University. Before coming to Montclair State, Dr. Bacon was an Assistant Professor at Lehman College, CUNY. Her research investigates the impact of the standards-based reform movement on special and inclusive education. Her broader research agenda focuses on critical and intersectional examinations of inclusive and special education systems from a disability studies perspective. She has integrated her research and service commitments by working closely with community members who are parent-advocates, self-advocates, teachers, and students with disabilities to promote policies and practices that advocate for the inclusion of people with disabilities within K-12 and higher education systems. PAULETTE V. BLOWE Director, Montclair State University Gifted and Talented Program B.A. Williams College M.A. Rowan University MS. BLOWE began her career as an educator teaching in the Gifted & Talented (G&T) Program in the Plainfield, NJ Public Schools. She served as vice principal and then principal of Maxson Middle School in Plainfield before becoming the school district s Director of Special Projects. In that position, Ms. Blowe established the Alpha and Beta Academies, alternative education and G&T programs, respectively. At Aura School in Elk Township, NJ, she redesigned the Academic and Cultural Enrichment (ACE) Program to provide enrichment activities for G&T, general, and special education students (Pre K 6th grades). Ms. Blowe is pursuing her doctoral degree in Urban Education Policy at Rutgers University-Newark. BETSY FREEMAN Assistant Director, Montclair State University Gifted and Talented Program M.A. Columbia University MS. FREEMAN joins the Montclair State University Gifted and Talented Program as an experienced educator, leader, and designer of an award-winning gifted and talented Program in the East Greenwich School District in South Jersey. A proponent of inquiry- and problem-based learning, she has served in the Westfield and East Greenwich School districts. Ms. Freeman also has significant management experience in the private sector as a former director and assistant vice president in marketing and communications as well as a leader in project management and process improvement. Her substantial experience will support the re-envisioning and restructuring of the MSU Gifted and Talented Program.
CAROLINA GONZÁLEZ Director, Teacher Education Advocacy Center, Center of Pedagogy B.S. State University of New York (SUNY) New Paltz M.S. University at Albany, SUNY MS. GONZALEZ joins the Center of Pedagogy with a wealth of experience in education. She recently worked at the NYC Department of Education leading the implementation of Core Curriculum programs for all NYC public schools. She has also worked at Ramapo College in both student and academic affairs and has served as the Director for the Educational Opportunity Fund Program at the College of Saint Elizabeth. She is currently in the final stages of her dissertation at Seton Hall University examining the persistence of Latino males in college. Her research interests include access, equity, and academic success of underrepresented students in higher education; and the relationship between academic advisement and the retention of college students. EMILY M. HODGE Counseling and Educational Leadership Department B.A. University of Virginia M.T. University of Virginia M.A. University of Virginia Ph.D. The Pennsylvania State University DR. HODGE received her PhD from the Department of Education Policy Studies at The Pennsylvania State University in 2015. Her work uses historical and qualitative methods to understand the changing nature of strategies for educational equity and the evolution of the American school district. Her dissertation research, funded by Penn State and the Conference on English Education, explored how educational systems, schools, and teachers negotiate the tension between standardization and differentiation in the context of Common Core implementation. Dr. Hodge s work on interpretations of the Common Core English/Language Arts standards for classroom instruction appears in the journal English Teaching: Practice and Critique, and in the edited volume, Challenging Standards: Navigating Conflict and Building Capacity in the Era of the Common Core (Rowman & Littlefield, 2015).
REVA JAFFE-WALTER Counseling and Educational Leadership Department B.A. University of Rochester M.A. Columbia University Ph.D. City University of New York, Graduate Center DR. JAFFE-WALTER s research focuses on immigration and schooling, the anthropology of policy, teachers professional communities, and urban education reform, and has been published in journals such as the Harvard Educational Review and Teachers College Record. Her book Coercive Concern: Nationalism, Liberalism and the Schooling of Muslim Youth (Stanford University Press) will be released in Spring 2016. Her dissertation was awarded the Outstanding Dissertation in Anthropology and Education by the Council on Anthropology and Education, American Anthropological Association. Prior to her work in the academy, Dr. Jaffe-Walter taught humanities at Manhattan International High School, a public high school serving recently arrived immigrant youth. ADRIAN KERRIHARD Health and Nutrition Sciences Department B.A. California State University, Monterey Bay Ph.D. University of Georgia DR. KERRIHARD s research focuses on developing models for prediction of oxidation of food lipids preserving functional food compounds as they relate to healthy living and disease prevention. His work has also examined functional foods and nutraceuticals. He has developed teaching materials and multimedia presentations on the subject, and has a forthcoming book chapter to be published in Specialty Oils and Fats in Food and Nutrition: Properties, Processing and Applications. He plans to continue to conduct research with the Nestlé Corporation and hopes to involve other MSU faculty in that research. EVAN MATTHEWS Exercise Science and Physical Education Department B.S. Slippery Rock University M.S. Bloomsburg University Ph.D. University of Delaware DR. MATTHEWS joins the Department of Exercise Science and Physical Education after completing a doctorate in Kinesiology and Applied Physiology at the University of Delaware. Using an integrative approach to cardiovascular research, he has focused on studying the effects of exercise and dietary sodium on the cardiovascular system. Dr. Matthews strives to bring physiology research into the classroom, while at the same time taking students into the research laboratory.
JESSICA RYAN MILLER Technology Services Supervisor, CEHS Technology Services & Facilities Operations B.A. Montclair State University B.S. Montclair State University MS. MILLER joins the CEHS Office of Technology Services and Facilities Operations after several years with the Division of Information Technology at Montclair State University, where she was commended for excellent customer service and meticulous technical work. Ms. Miller has a strong foundation in both education and technology, having earned Bachelor s degrees in Computer Science and Music Education. Ms. Miller brings a unique perspective to the Technology Services office, and her experience as a public school teacher prior to diving into IT will bring valuable insight to serving the technology needs of faculty and staff. JENNIFER PRICHARD Research Associate, Center for Research and Evaluation on Education and Human Services (CREEHS) B.S. Carnegie Mellon University M.A. University of Maryland, Baltimore County Ph.D. University of Maryland, Baltimore County DR. PRICHARD is a community psychologist with a background in evaluation and applied research. Prior to coming to the Center for Research and Evaluation on Education and Human Services (CREEHS), she was a research associate at Carson Research Consulting in Baltimore, MD, where she led various projects for governmental agencies and non-profits. These included a study of the transition to evidence-based home visiting programs for at-risk pregnant women and an evaluation of a school-based program in Baltimore City. She holds a Ph.D. in Community Psychology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), where she specialized in juvenile crime research with an emphasis on the interplay of race and crime. NICOLETTE SALERNO Program Assistant, Ph.D. Program in Teacher Education & Teacher Development Ed.D. Rutgers University DR. SALERNO joins the Teacher Education and Teacher Development Ph.D. program with over 20 years experience teaching psychology, counseling, and higher education administration. She has held administrative positons in judicial affairs, sexual assault services, career services and undergraduate advisement, and has worked on program evaluation for grants in victim services and programs for intellectually disabled students. She has an Ed.D. degree from Rutgers University.
TAMMY SAMUELS Assistant Dean MS. SAMUELS joins MSU from Duke University s Career Center, where she was Assistant Director of Graduate Student Services. With over 15 years experience in higher education, Ms. Samuels brings a breadth of knowledge in student development, human resources, budget management, and data analysis. At the College of Education and Human Services, Ms. Samuels will support the College s initiatives in student academic and professional achievement, enrollment management, and administration. ALEXANDRA THELIN Web Content Manager, CEHS Technology Services & Facilities Operations B.A. Montclair State University M.A. Fashion Institute of Technology Prior to becoming the Web Content Manager for the College of Education and Human Services, Ms. Thelin previously worked in MSU Office of University Communications: Web Services. She recently received an Honorable Mention from the MarCom Awards for the Montclair Magazine Microsite, and has previously earned an Award of Distinction from the Communicator Awards for her video project, "Monday Morning View," which she filmed, edited and produced. Alexandra also is an adjunct professor in the Fashion Studies Department in the College of the Arts. Her work, "Conservation treatment and re-creation of an eighteenth century calash bonnet" describes the history and conservation process of this eighteenth century headgear and is published by the Fashion Institute of Technology.