New Faculty | Fall 2019

Welcome New Faculty!

This information was featured in our September 2019 EduGator Insider Newsletter.

Every fall a new chapter in the University of Florida’s story begins. At the College of Education, along with returning to our historic Norman Hall, we warmly welcomed 15 new faculty our EduGator community. Each brings with them a wealth of knowledge and new perspectives, adding expertise in the areas including: advanced learning technologies, counselor education, early childhood, educational leadership, educational psychology, higher education administration, math education, school psychology, special education, teacher education, and research evaluation and methodology. Brief bios of each are below.

Along with faculty who joined us last fall, this group represents the our ambition to attract top talent and to continuously improve the faculty to student ratio. We welcome these new faculty and look forward to filling additional open positions, as we continue working toward Building A Brighter Future.

Additional Open Positions

Counselor Education

Faculty Profile

Latoya Haynes-Thoby, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Degrees:
Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision – Pennsylvania State University
M.Ed. in Counselor Education – Pennsylvania State University
B.A. in English – Pennsylvania State University

Comes to UF from:
Pennsylvania State University Graduate Research Assistant

Research interests:
Trauma and resilience in diverse populations across the developmental lifespan

Paul Maxfield, Ph.D.

Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor

Degrees:
Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision – Kansas State University
M.S. in Counseling – Texas A & M University
B.A. in English Language and Literature – University of Windsor

Comes to UF from:
Counselor, Pawnee Mental Health Services in Kansas

Research interests:
Narrative therapy, creative approaches to therapy and counselor development

Faculty Profile

Elliott Woehler, Ph.D.

Clinical Assistant Professor

Degrees:
Ph.D. in Counseling – University of North Texas
M.A. in Counselor Education – University of Central Florida
B.A. in Psychology – Emory University

Comes to UF from:
University of North Texas Graduate Assistant

Research interests:
Relational depth in counseling

Educational Leadership

Faculty Profile

F. Chris Curran, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Degrees:
Ph.D. in Leadership and Policy Studies – Vanderbilt University
M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction – University of Mississippi
B.A. in Philosophy – University of Florida
B.S. in Biochemistry – University of Florida

Comes to UF from:
Assistant professor, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Research interests:
Educational policies and their implications for enhancing equity in education, particularly in school discipline/safety and early childhood education

Higher Education Administration

Faculty Profile

Benjamin Skinner, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Degrees:
Ph.D. in Leadership and Policy Studies – Vanderbilt University
M.A. in Humanities – University of Chicago
B.Mus. in Music and English – Vanderbilt University

Comes to UF from:
Research Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia

Research interests:
Higher education policy; students who attend broad access colleges and universities; online learning

Institute for Advanced Learning Technologies

Faculty Profile

Wanli Xing, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Degrees:
Ph.D. in Information Science and Learning Technologies – University of Missouri, Columbia
B.Ed. in Educational Technology – Jilin Normal University

Comes to UF from:
Assistant professor, Texas Tech University

Research interests:
Use of artificial intelligence and learning analytics to transform online and STEM learning; design and research of cutting-edge learning environments

Faculty Profile

Matthew Schmidt, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Degrees:
Ph.D. in Information Science and Learning Technologies – University of Missouri, Columbia
M.A. in German Language and Literature with a concentration in Computer-Assisted Language Learning – University of Missouri, Columbia
B.A. in German Language and Literature – Truman State University

Comes to UF from:
Associate professor of instructional design and technology, and Director for the Studio for Advanced Learning Technologies, University of Cincinnati.

Research interests:
Research and development of innovative educational courseware and computer software using design-based research approaches with a specific focus on individuals with disabilities and their caregivers

Math Education

Faculty Profile

Catherine Paolucci, Ed.D.

Assistant Professor

Degrees:
Ed.D. in Mathematics Education – Teachers College, Columbia University
M.A. in Mathematics Education – Teachers College, Columbia University
B.A. in Mathematics – Hartwick College

Comes to UF from:
AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow with NSF, and Affiliate Research Scientist with Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Research interests:
Program and policy development for mathematics teacher education

Research Evaluation and Methodology

Faculty Profile

Pengfei Zhao, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Degrees:
Ph.D. in Inquiry Methodology – Indiana University Bloomington
M.A. in Literary Theory – Beijing Normal University
B.A. in Chinese Language and Literature – Beijing Normal University

Comes to UF from:
Instructor and doctoral research consultant at Indiana University

Research interests:
Critical philosophic, social and methodological theories

Kakali Bhattacharya, Ph.D.

Professor

Degrees:
Ph.D. in Qualitative Inquiry Program, Research, Evaluation, Measurement, & Statistics (Educational Psychology) – University of Georgia
M.S. in Instructional Development – Southern Illinois University of Carbondale
B.S. in Psychology – McMaster University

Comes to UF from:
Associate Professor in Educational Leadership, Kansas State University

Research interests:
De/colonizing onto-epistemologies; transnational issues of demographics and socioeconomics in higher education; sociocultural approaches to qualitative inquiry and educational research

School Psychology

Faculty Profile

Kathrin (Katie) E. Maki, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Degrees:
Ph.D. in Educational (School) Psychology – University of Minnesota
M.Ed. in Special Education – Vanderbilt University
B.A. in Psychology and History – University of Michigan

Comes to UF from:
Assistant Professor, Ball State University

Research interests:
Academic interventions and data-based decision making within multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), and the identification of learning disabilities

School of Teaching and Learning

Faculty Profile

Lori Dassa, Ed.D.

Director of Clinical Experiences and Partnerships

Degrees:
Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction – Nova Southeastern University
M.S. in Early Childhood Education – Nova Southeastern University
B.S. in Elementary Education – York College of Pennsylvania

Comes to UF from:
Practicum Coordinator/Assistant Professor at FAU

Research interests:
The pipeline from teacher preparation to teacher retention

Special Education

Faculty Profile

Carla Schmidt, Ph.D.

Clinical Assistant Professor

Degrees:
Ph.D. in Behavior Disorders/Special Education – University of Missouri, Columbia
Master’s of Special Education in Autism Spectrum Disorders – University of Missouri, Columbia
Masters of Public Administration – University of Missouri, Columbia

Comes to UF from:
Assistant professor and director of research and impact innovation at the University of Cincinnati

Research interests:
Behavioral interventions based on applied behavior analysis for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Teachers, Schools and Society

Faculty Profile

Chonika Coleman-King, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Degrees:
Ph.D. in Teaching, Learning and Curriculum – University of Pennsylvania
M.Ed. in Education Policy and Leadership Studies – University of Maryland
B.S. in Elementary Education – Pennsylvania State University

Comes to UF from:
Assistant professor, University of Tennessee-Knoxville

Research interests:
The development of culturally responsive teachers; urban education; black immigrant identity, racialization, and socialization

Faculty Profile

Taryrn Brown, Ph.D.

Clinical Assistant Professor

Degrees:
Ph.D. in Educational Theory and Practice with an emphasis in Critical Studies – University of Georgia
M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration – University of North Carolina at Greensboro
B.A. in Media Studies and African American Studies – University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Comes to UF from:
Graduate Student Instructor, University of Georgia

Research interests:
Interpretive, normative, and critical perspectives of education in and outside of schools; emancipatory methodological approaches; issues of race, class, and gender

Welcome New Faculty!

Counselor Education

Latoya Haynes-Thoby, Ph.D.

Paul Maxfield, Ph.D.

Elliott Woehler, Ph.D.

Educational Leadership

F. Chris Curran, Ph.D.

Higher Education Administration

Benjamin Skinner, Ph.D.

Institute for Advanced Learning Technologies

Wanli Xing, Ph.D.

Matthew Schmidt, Ph.D.

Math Education

Catherine Paolucci, Ed.D.

Research Evaluation and Methodology

Pengfei Zhao, Ph.D.

Kakali Bhattacharya, Ph.D.

School Psychology

Kathrin (Katie) E. Maki, Ph.D.

School of Teaching and Learning

Lori Dassa, Ed.D.

Special Education

Carla Schmidt, Ph.D.

Teachers, Schools and Society

Chonika Coleman-King, Ph.D.

Taryrn Brown, Ph.D.

Resources

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