Faculty: Department of Education | Department of Education | The University of Vermont(title)

Our faculty share a deep commitment to inclusive education, culturally responsive instruction, community engagement, and global awareness. Learn more about our internationally recognized teaching, research, and service by visiting our faculty profiles.

Faculty Profiles

Melissa Kate Adams-Silva

Lecturer of American Sign Language

mkadams@uvm.edu

  • Language
  • Public Speaking
  • Team Mangament

Tracy Arámbula Turner

Associate Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration

Tracy.Turner@uvm.edu

  • Higher education
  • P-16 educational opportunity
  • Educational equity, access, and success
  • School discipline disparities
  • College counseling
  • Low-income, 1st generation, and students of color experiences

Kathleen Brinegar

Senior Lecturer of Middle Level Education • Program Coordinator, Middle Level Education • Program Coordinator, Curriculum and Instruction (MEd) • Program Coordinator, Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)

kathleen.brinegar@uvm.edu

  • Young adolescent identity development
  • Equitable/culturally responsive curriculum design
  • Disciplinary literacy
  • Middle grades organization and pedagogy
  • Inclusive pedagogies

Tricia Brown

Senior Lecturer of Education

Tricia.Brown@uvm.edu

  • Curriculum and Instruction
  • Educational technology
  • Place-based education
  • Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education
  • Teacher education
  • Universal design

Alexia Buono

Lecturer of Early Childhood Education

Alexia.Buono@uvm.edu

  • Dance education
  • Early childhood education
  • Teacher education
  • Arts (re)integration
  • Arts-based educational research
  • Liberatory pedagogy and curriculum design

Rebecca Callahan

Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies • Program Coordinator, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Doctoral Program • Program Coordinator, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Master's Program

Rebecca.Callahan@uvm.edu

  • Educational Policy
  • English Learner (EL) Education
  • Immigrant Students' Civic Development 
  • STEM Pathways
  • K-12 High School to College Transitions

Cee Carter

Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction

Cee.Carter@uvm.edu

  • Curriculum & Instruction
  • Teacher Education
  • Black Study
  • Educational Equity & Justice

Eliana Castro

Assistant Professor of Secondary Education and Curriculum and Instruction

eliana.castro@uvm.edu

  • Race and Racism
  • Teacher Education
  • Secondary Education
  • History/Social Studies Education
  • Curriculum and Instruction

Matt Chandler

Lecturer of Elementary Education • Program Coordinator, Elementary Education

matthew.chandler@uvm.edu

  • Classroom Management
  • STEM Education
  • Integrated Curriculum

Kelly Clark/Keefe

Professor of Education

Kelly.ClarkKeefe@uvm.edu

  • Body studies in educational contexts
  • Epistemic injustice
  • Feminist, critical and arts-based qualitative methodologies

Kate Cowles

Senior Lecturer of Early Childhood Education • Program Coordinator, Early Childhood Education

Katherine.Cowles@uvm.edu

  • Curriculum and Instruction
  • Critical pedagogy
  • Children’s participatory rights and civic engagement
  • Teacher education

Bryan Dague

Research Assistant Professor • Project Director, Think College Vermont • Project Director, Supported Employment

Bryan.Dague@uvm.edu

  • Inclusive employment for people with disabilities
  • Post-secondary education for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities
  • Sheltered workshop transformation to inclusive employment

Jessica DeMink-Carthew

Associate Professor of Middle Level Education

Jessica.DeMink-Carthew@uvm.edu

  • Social justice education
  • Middle grades education
  • Teacher advocacy
  • Teacher education

Jillian Donnelly

Senior Lecturer of American Sign Language

Jillian.Donnelly@uvm.edu

  • American Sign Language
  • Deaf culture

Elizabeth Fincher

Lecturer of Early Childhood Education

efincher@uvm.edu

  • Early Childhood and Elementary Literacy
  • English Learner Education
  • Qualitative Research Methods
  • Teacher Education

Bernice Garnett

Adam and Abigail Burack Family Green and Gold Associate Professor • Catamount Community Schools Collaborative Executive Director

bgarnett@uvm.edu

  • Community schools
  • School health
  • Public health
  • Mixed methods
  • Community based participatory research
  • Prevention science theory

Jason Garvey

Executive Director of the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment • Friedman-Hipps Green and Gold Associate Professor of Education

jcgarvey@uvm.edu

  • Queer and trans people in education
  • Survey design and quantitative methods
  • Higher education and student affairs administration

Justin D. Garwood

Professor • Program Coordinator of PhD in Social, Emotional and Behavioral Health and Inclusive Education (SHIE)

Justin.Garwood@uvm.edu

  • Classroom Management
  • Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
  • Quantitative Research Methodology
  • Single-Case Design Research
  • Teacher-Student Relationship Quality

Arby Ghemari

Lecturer of Education for Cultural and Linguistic Diversity

aghemari@uvm.edu

  • Educational leadership and policy
  • Educational technology
  • Plurilingual and multilingual education
  • ESL/ELL teacher training
  • Culturally and linguistically minoritized populations

Shana Haines

Professor of Special Education • Program Coordinator for PhD in Social, Emotional and Behavioral Health and Inclusive Education (SHIE)

shana.haines@uvm.edu

  • Family, school, and community collaboration
  • Inclusive practices in special education
  • Teacher preparation
  • Qualitative research

Juliet Halladay

Associate Professor of Education

Juliet.Halladay@uvm.edu

  • Assessment and evaluation
  • Curriculum and Instruction
  • English Language Learners
  • Reading education and literacy
  • Response to Intervention (RTI)
  • Teacher education

Brett J. Holt

Associate Professor • Program Coordinator, Coaching Minor

bjholt@uvm.edu

Jennifer Hurley

Associate Professor of Early Childhood Special Education

Jennifer.Hurley@uvm.edu

  • Cultural and linguistic diversity
  • Early Childhood Special Education
  • Early intervention
  • Homelessness and poverty

Sean Hurley

Associate Professor

Sean.Hurley@uvm.edu

  • Adult learning
  • Assessment and evaluation
  • Early childhood
  • Educational policy
  • Learning and cognition
  • Psychology
  • Research methods

Simon Jorgenson

Associate Professor of Elementary Education • Program Coordinator for Place-Based Education Undergraduate Certificate • Program Coordinator for Education for Sustainability Certificate of Graduate Studies

Simon.Jorgenson@uvm.edu

  • Curriculum and Instruction
  • Educational policy
  • History, philosophy and sociology of education
  • Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)

Jennifer Keller

Senior Lecturer of Secondary Education

jennifer.keller@uvm.edu

  • Nature Based Social Emotional Learning
  • Place Based Education
  • Project Based Learning
  • Culturally Stustaining Pedagogies
  • Science Teaching and Learning

Colby Kervick

Associate Professor of Special Education

Colby.Kervick@uvm.edu

  • Family-centered collaborative practice
  • Inclusive teaching practices
  • Restorative practices in schools

Kieran Killeen

Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies • Associate Dean for Graduate, Non-Degree and Research Programming

Kieran.Killeen@uvm.edu

  • Education finance
  • Economics of education
  • Teacher labor markets
  • Student mobility

Peter Knox

Research Assistant Professor

peter.knox@uvm.edu

  • Community Schools
  • Family-School-Community Partnerships
  • Rural Education
  • Education Policy

Nicholas Lalanne

Senior Lecturer of American Sign Language • Program Coordinator, American Sign Language Minor

Nicholas.Lalanne@uvm.edu

  • American Sign Language Education
  • Deaf Studies
  • Linquistics

Leon Lifschutz

Lecturer of Education

llifschu@uvm.edu

  • Coaching
  • Student Development
  • Leadership
  • Curriculum

Winnie Looby

Lecturer of Special Education • Program Coordinator of Disability Studies Certificate of Graduate Study

Winnie.Looby@uvm.edu

  • Disability studies
  • Early Childhood Special Education
  • Interdisciplinary collaboration

Lauren MacKillop

Senior Lecturer of Early Childhood Education

Lauren.MacKillop@uvm.edu

  • Early Childhood Education
  • Special Education
  • Community-Engaged Learning (Service-Learning)

Cris Mayo

Professor of Education • Program Coordinator, Interdisciplinary Studies in Education • Vice Chair, Department of Education

cris.mayo@uvm.edu

  • Philosophy of education
  • Gender and sexuality studies in education
  • Queer, transgender, and community-based pedagogies

Matthew S. McCluskey

Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

matthew.mccluskey@uvm.edu

  • Educational leadership
  • Charter schools and school choice
  • Teacher turnover and retention
  • Teacher working conditions
  • Critical policy analysis

Lori Meyer

Associate Professor of Special Education

Lori.Meyer@uvm.edu

  • University-Community Partnerships
  • Disability and Inclusion
  • Young Children’s Physical Development
  • Developmental Screening
  • Qualitative Methods

Maureen Neumann

Professor of Education

Maureen.Neumann@uvm.edu

  • Curriculum and Instruction
  • Gender studies
  • Leadership
  • Literacy and numeracy
  • Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)
  • Social justice
  • Teacher education

Kaitlin Northey

Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education

Kaitlin.Northey@uvm.edu

  • Early Childhood Education
  • Early Childhood Teacher Preparation
  • Leadership
  • Policy Implementation
  • Early Childhood Workforce

Summer Pennell

Lecturer of Education • Program Coordinator, Secondary Education Master of Arts in Teaching

summer.pennell@uvm.edu

  • Critical literacies
  • Young adult literature
  • Social justice education
  • Queer theory and pedagogy
  • Experiences of academic mothers

John S. Pirone

Assistant Professor of American Sign Language

jspirone@uvm.edu

  • American Sign Language
  • American Sign Language Education
  • Deaf Studies
  • Disability and Inclusion
  • Access and equity

Jennifer Prue

Senior Lecturer of Secondary Education • Program Coordinator, Secondary Education

Jennifer.Prue@uvm.edu

  • Adolescent development
  • Psychology
  • Teacher education

Cynthia Reyes

Professor of Education • Associate Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs

Cynthia.Reyes@uvm.edu

  • English learner (EL) Education
  • Immigrant Families and Literacy
  • Qualitative Research Methods
  • Teacher Education

Elsa Richter

Lecturer of Education for Cultural and Linguistic Diversity • Program Coordinator, Education for Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Minor • Grossman School of Business Lecturer (Part-Time)

Elsa.Richter@uvm.edu

  • TESOL
  • Intercultural communication
  • Second language acquisition
  • Educational policy

Melissa L. Rocco

Senior Lecturer of Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration • Program Coordinator, Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration

melissa.rocco@uvm.edu

  • Leadership Education and Development
  • Critical Perspectives of Leadership
  • Transformative Pedagogy and Curriculum Design
  • College Student Development
  • Organizational Assessment and Change

Katharine Shepherd

Dean, College of Education and Social Services • Levitt Family Green and Gold Professor

Katharine.Shepherd@uvm.edu

  • Collaboration and teaming
  • Families of children and adults with disabilities
  • Special education

Stacie Shields

Lecturer of Elementary Education Literacy/Reading

Stacie.Shields@uvm.edu

  • Curriculum and Instruction
  • Teacher education
  • Classroom management
  • Literacy and reading education

MaryEllen Simmons

Lecturer and Student Teaching Supervisor of Early Childhood, Elementary, and Middle Level Education

msimmons@uvm.edu

  • Literacy Education
  • Mathematics Education
  • Teacher Education
  • Trauma-Informed Practices in Teaching and Learning

Carmen Petrick Smith

Associate Professor of Mathematics Education

Carmen.Smith@uvm.edu

  • Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Learning
  • Teacher Education
  • Learning and Cognition
  • Technology and Learning

Tiffanie Spencer

Assistant Dean for Strategic Initiatives, Diversity and Engagement

Tiffanie.Spencer@uvm.edu

Brittney Janelle Staffieri

Lecturer of American Sign Language

Brittney.staffieri@uvm.edu

  • American Sign Language Education
  • Deaf Culture and History
  • Multicultural Education

Kristabel Stark

Assistant Professor of Special Education

Kristabel.Stark@uvm.edu

  • Teacher affect and emotion
  • Special educator working conditions
  • School leadership for special education

Jessica Strolin-Goltzman

Professor and University Scholar • Program Coordinator, Resiliency-Based Approaches Certificate of Graduate Study

Jessica.Strolin@uvm.edu

  • Addictions/substance abuse
  • Child and family welfare
  • Implementation research
  • Organizational development
  • Research methods
  • Social work practice
  • Trauma and resilience

Jesse Suter

Research Associate Professor and Director, Center on Disability and Community Inclusion (CDCI)

Jesse.Suter@uvm.edu

  • Wraparound process
  • Special education service delivery
  • Disability and inclusion
  • Interdisciplinary coordination
  • Mental health

Daniella Hall Sutherland

Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

daniella.sutherland@uvm.edu

  • Educational leadership
  • Education policy
  • Educational in/equity
  • Rural schools and communities
  • District leadership, school boards, and local control

Kelly Swindlehurst

Lecturer of Special Education • Program Coordinator of Special Education M.Ed. • Program Coordinator of Special Education B.S. and Minor

kelly.swindlehurst@uvm.edu

  • Special Education
  • Teacher Education

Regina Toolin

Associate Professor of STEM Education • Program Coordinator, Computer Science Education Minor • Co-Program Coordinator, Secondary Education Master of Arts in Teaching

Regina.Toolin@uvm.edu

  • STEM Education
  • Environmental Education
  • Project-based learning
  • Place-based Education
  • Teacher Professional Learning
  • Computer Science Education

Kimberly Vannest

Professor and University Scholar • Chair, Department of Education

Kimberly.Vannest@uvm.edu

  • Reliable measurement of treatment effects and effect size indices in single case research
  • Prevention and treatment of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD)
  • Supports for student and educator social, emotional and behavioral health

Leon Walls

Associate Professor of Education

Leon.Walls@uvm.edu

  • Curriculum and Instruction
  • Multiculturalism
  • Race and Racism
  • Science Education
  • Science of Sustainability
  • Teacher Education

Brittany "Brit" M. Williams

Assistant Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration

brittany.williams@uvm.edu

  • Black Women and Girls
  • Career, Supervision, and Workplace Issues
  • Education and Health
  • Social Class
  • Student and Identity Development Theory
  • Qualitative Research