The American University School of Education is pleased to continue its expansion with these new and promoted faculty and staff into its antiracist community. Acting Co-Deans fill the role until August 1, 2024 when Dean Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy returns from her sabattical. Read more about the Acting Co-Deans here.

Acting Co-Deans

Dr. Corbin Campbell, Acting Co-Dean and Professor

Dr. Campbell has served as the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Associate Professor in the School of Education. Read more about her Acting Co-Dean role here. Her research, funded by the Spencer Foundation and the National Academy of Education, examines three interrelated streams: college teaching in diverse institutional contexts, assessments of higher education quality, and the organizational environments that support faculty in thriving in their careers. Prior to coming to American, Dr. Campbell was Associate Professor in the Higher and Postsecondary Education Program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Campbell’s research has been published in several top-tier journals, such as the Journal of Higher Education, Research in Higher Education, Review of Higher Education, and Teachers College Record. Her work has been highlighted in news venues, such as Inside Higher Education, the Wall Street Journal, NPR, and the New York Times. Dr. Campbell received her PhD in Education Policy from the University of Maryland, her MA in Higher Education and Student Affairs from The Ohio State University, and her BA in Psychology from the University of Virginia.

Dr. Rodney Hopson, Acting Co-Dean and Professor

Rodney Hopson, PhD, previously SOE's Scholar in Residence, is now Acting Co-Dean and Professor. Read more about his Acting Co-Dean role here. Previously at the University of Illinois he served as a Professor of Evaluation in the Department of Educational Psychology, College of Education, with appointments in the Department of Educational Policy and Organizational Leadership and the Center of African Studies, where he was part of the inaugural University of Illinois System Distinguished Faculty Recruitment Program. He received his doctorate from the Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, with major concentrations in educational evaluation, anthropology, and policy, and sociolinguistics. He was awarded a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH) postdoctoral fellowship at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University. Hopson is an American Educational Research Association (AERA) Fellow, and has affiliated previously in the Faculty of Education, University of Namibia as a Fulbright Scholar and the Centre of African Studies, Cambridge University (UK). Currently he is affiliated with the School of Health, Victoria University-Wellington (Aotearoa New Zealand), is Editor of the Studies in Educational Ethnography Book Series, Emerald Publishers, and Co-Editor of Educational Policy as/in Practice: Critical Cultural Studies, Information Age Book Series. Hopson’s cumulative work is driven by quests to: a) understand the role of language as a harbinger of social and educational change, especially in post-apartheid and postcolonial nation states that wrestle with the tensions and opportunities of democracy and freedom; and b), emphasize the transformative possibility of developing mechanisms that promote educational and social equity through the development of communities of practice in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary ways to broaden participation, inclusion, and diversity for those often forgotten and underserved in schools, community, social systems, and the larger society.

New Faculty and Staff

Emilia "Mily" Cancino Esponda, Graduate Recruitment and Onboarding Coordinator

Simone Davison, Professorial Lecturer, Teacher Education Program, City Teaching Alliance (CTA, formerly Urban Teachers)

Professor Simone Davison is passionate about math, education, and bringing engaging and authentic learning experiences to children. As a Clinical Faculty member and Instructional Coach, in partnership with AU & City Teaching Alliance, these passions are used to impact and uplift new service teachers as they work for children within urban communities. It is always about strengthening outcomes for kids. She has been an educator at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels as a teacher and leader. She has attained a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Angelo State University; she also has earned bachelor’s and associate degrees in education. All this leads back to the aforementioned passions that she holds for the world of education and the desired impact that she strives for.

Dr. Antonio Ellis, Senior Professorial Lecturer EdD and Teacher Education (SELD) Programs

Antonio L. Ellis is a native of Charleston, South Carolina. He has served as an inclusion teacher, central office executive administrator, and school building administrator with the District of Columbia Public Schools. In addition to his work in K-12 settings, Dr. Ellis served as an adjunct professor in the College of Charleston Teacher Education Department, Howard University School of Education Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, and assistant professor in the special education program at Radford University. His passion is advocating on behalf of persons with disabilities, with a special emphasis on African American males who are speech impaired. Dr. Ellis’ research interests include social equity, pastoral care, pastoral ethics, educational leadership, curriculum and instruction, multicultural education, critical race theory, disability studies, and special education leadership.

Dr. Vera Felicetti, Visiting Scholar in Residence

Vera Felicetti is also Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Maryland - College Park - with the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development scholarship (2015). She earned her PhD in education at Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS) with a doctoral internship at the University of Texas at Austin - with a National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CAPES) scholarship (2011). She won the Honorable Mention for the Doctoral Thesis in the Area of Education for the best Brazilian dissertation defended in 2011, given by CAPES. Master's Degree in Education in Science and Mathematics from PUCRS (2007). She is currently a professor at the Graduate Course in Language Sciences at the Catholic University of Pernambuco in Brazil and a member of the Evaluation Follow-up Technical Committee (CTAA) of the Higher Education National Evaluation System (2020-2021) for the Brazilian Ministry of Education and a Visiting Professor at the Universidad del Atlántico – Colombia. She is an international evaluator of doctoral theses at Annamalai University - India and LaSalle - Bogotá. She has experience in elementary school, high school, higher education and graduate school. She leads the GERES Network – Group of Studies Related to Students.

Catrish Griffin, Professorial Lecturer, City Teaching Alliance

Dr. Lillian Hartmann, Senior Professorial Lecturer, Teacher Education Program, CTA

Lillian Hartmann is Senior Professorial Lecturer at American University in the City Teaching Alliance Masters/ Dallas-Fort Worth. She previously served as the leadership development director for the Teaching Trust, a program that builds and empowers leaders in urban schools. In that role, she coached school administrators and educational teams. She holds a doctorate in curriculum instruction and linguistics from the University of North Texas and a masters in English as a second language and reading from Texas Wesleyan University. Hartmann has extensive teaching and coaching experience in varied K-12 educational institutions and in higher education. An ardent advocate of educational equity, she works to help fledgling teachers provide culturally responsive pedagogies to promote and nurture their students to their fullest potential. 

Dr. Marla Hunter Hooper, Professorial Lecturer, City Teaching Alliance

Tori Jackson, Graduate Program Coordinator, EdD program

Tori Jackson joined SOE's EdD Team as the Graduate Program Coordinator in May 2023. Originally from Indianapolis, IN, Tori has called Washington, DC, home on and off for the past 12 years. Tori has a BA from The George Washington University in International Affairs with a minor in Sociocultural Anthropology and is pursuing her MA in SOE's International Training and Education Program (ITEP). Tori joins the EdD team from her most recent position at AU's School of International Service (SIS), where she worked as a Program Coordinator for three graduate programs. Outside of work, Tori enjoys traveling, hosting friends, and spending time with her family.

Kathleen Kennedy, Professorial Lecturer, Teacher Education Program, CTA

Kathleen Kennedy joined City Teaching Alliance after more than a decade of work in education. She was a member of the Teacher Task Force to Develop Professional Teaching Standards with the Office of the State Superintendent of Education in Washington, DC. She has also worked with the DC Public Charter School Board on early childhood education issues. She has facilitated classroom observations and critiques through the Center for Cognitive Coaching. She also taught in the early childhood department of Two Rivers Public Charter School, in Washington DC. There, she led committees reviewing early childhood curriculum and assessing 21st century skills. She is passionate about giving students hands-on, authentic learning experiences that bring learning to life. She was a nominee for the Expeditionary Learning Klingenstein Teaching Award and the Washington Post’s Agnes Myer Outstanding Teacher Award. She is also the recipient of the 2019-20 Excellence in Teaching Award for Urban Teachers DC and Johns Hopkins School of Education. Kathleen received her BS from Pennsylvania State University. She earned her MEd from Lesley University. She is committed to CTA’s vision to serve children through effective, passionate teachers. She teaches in Washington, DC and loves the way our coursework balances theory with practical application in the classroom.

Patrice LaHair, Professorial Lecturer, City Teaching Alliance 

Patrice LaHair serves as a Clinical Faculty Member for City Teaching Alliance (formerly Urban Teachers) in Baltimore, Maryland. Prior to joining the CTA team in 2021, she taught for eleven years in Baltimore City Public Schools. During her time in the classroom, Patrice wrote curriculum for middle and high school, coached and instructed early career teachers, facilitated PD at the district level, and built partnerships with local theaters. She is passionate about supporting Secondary ELA teachers and helping them create nurturing, responsive, engaging, and rigorous classroom communities. Patrice holds a BA in Political Science and English from Skidmore College and a MA in Teaching in Secondary English from Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Peling Li, Senior Professorial Lecturer, Teacher Education Program, CTA

Peling Li is a Clinical Faculty with City Teaching Alliance. As part of that role, she is a Senior Lecturer at American University and teaches graduate courses in special education and elementary education. She also coaches new teachers with the program. Prior to this role, Peling was the Director of Special Education at a charter school in Washington DC and. She has also taught and served in leadership positions while working in London and New York. Peling graduated from New York University with a BA in Elementary and Special Education and Psychology. She then attended Teachers College, Columbia University for her master’s degree and earned her EdD at Johns Hopkins University with a focus in Special Education.

Dr. Shasha Lowe-Anderson, Senior Professorial Lecturer, City Teaching Alliance

Dr. Anderson is an educator whose experience spans more than twenty years. She has taught and served as a teacher leader in Prince George's and Montgomery County, Maryland.  Her last role in K-12 education was as a middle-school administrator.  Dr. Anderson has a deep commitment to social justice and antiracism and works to support educators in delivering equitable instruction. Dr. Anderson is originally from Jamaica and often visits family there.  In her free time, she enjoys reading for pleasure and making memories with her family, which includes two sons and three bonus daughters. 

Dr. Eric Macias, Professorial Lecturer, EdD Program

Eric Macias is an interdisciplinary scholar whose work focuses on minoritized and illegalized youth who have been pushed-out of the educational pipeline. Dr. Macias’ research and work often lay at the intersection of migration and education. He is also interested in topics such as urban education, anti-racist education, race and ethnicity, critical ethnography, alternative education, critical pedagogy, Latinx studies, and youth studies. Dr. Macias received his PhD from the University at Albany (SUNY). His dissertation research focused on undocumented immigrant youth who left school and their challenges of navigating different illegalities and creating a sense of belonging despite their criminalization.

Dr. Moya Malcom, Postdoctoral Fellow for Student Success, SOE and CPRS

Moya Malcolm has over 15 years of experience serving ethnically diverse middle- and high-school students and families in the Washington, DC, area. During these years, Malcolm worked as a middle school counselor in Montgomery County, MD, before transitioning to the University of Maryland (UMD) where she worked with Pre-College Programs (Upward Bound) and College Park Scholars. Dr. Malcolm earned her Master of Education in school counseling from UMD and a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Howard University in Washington, DC. She earned her doctorate in student affairs from UMD. Her research interests include college access for low-income/first-generation students, immigrant youth, and students of color; school–community–university partnerships that strengthen the K–16 educational pipeline; and supporting minoritized students in higher education through asset-based programming.

Almosa Pirela, Graduate Program Coordinator, Teacher Education Program, CTA

Before joining the SOE, Almosa Pirela worked for three years as a kindergarten teacher at Creative Minds International Public Charter School. She holds an MS in Elementary Education from John's Hopkins University. Almosa is an alum of City Year (Memphis) and City Teaching Alliance (DC), formerly known as Urban Teachers.

Rebecca Stoyanova, Professorial Lecturer, City Teaching Alliance

Alexes M. Terry, Director of Clinical Faculty and Senior Professorial Lecturer Teacher Education Program, CTA

Alexes M. Terry is a Senior Professorial Lecturer and Director of Clinical Faculty with the American University School of Education. She is a passionate educator with over a decade of experience in education. She possesses a Bachelor's degree in History, an MA in History, and an MEd in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Urban Education. Currently, she is pursuing her Doctorate of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Texas A&M University. Her research interests include urban education, culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy and teacher efficacy and wellness. She is the author of the book Real Love: Strategies for Reaching Students When They See No Way Out and the founder of TwistED Teaching Educational Consulting Company, where she strives to "twist" the way teaching and learning happens in urban schools by building educators’ capacity to cultivate and sustain culturally responsive learning environments.

Dr. Bridget Trogden, Dean of Undergraduate Education and Academic Student Services, Professor

Dr. Trogden is a Professor in the School of Education. Dean Trogden has been a principal investigator (PI) or co-PI on multiple grant-funded initiatives to improve undergraduate education, particularly for general education curricula, STEM educational excellence, and improving equitable degree pipelines in US higher ed. She writes on undergraduate education topics ranging from liberal arts education to professional skill learning outcomes to faculty development and is a frequent speaker and consultant on pedagogical design. Dean Trogden received her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Illinois, where her research focused on studying the estrogen receptor and its roles in breast cancer, hormone replacement therapy, and osteoporosis. She also earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry with a minor in music performance from Transylvania University in Kentucky. She previously worked at Mercer University in Georgia as a professor, first-year seminar director, and engaged learning QEP director and at Clemson University in South Carolina as an associate dean in undergraduate education and professor in the department of engineering and science education. She was a Georgia Governor's Teaching Fellow in 2013, received he 2021 Standout faculty Award from the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge for her work in improving the faculty role in nonpartisan voter engagement, and was honored with the 2023 Order of the Tiger Award from Clemson’s Undergraduate Student Senate for her dedication to the institutional values of honesty, integrity and respect.

Dr. Kenjus Watson, Assistant Professor, EdD Program

Kenjus Watson (he/him) is a father, partner, brother, uncle and son who is passionate about reaching back to grounded wisdom, seeding into present challenges, and bridging towards more loving and sustainable futures. As a new Assistant Professor in Urban Education at American University, he teaches courses in the EdD Educational Policy and Leadership Program and is excited to collaborate across the School of Education. Watson also works alongside community responsive projects as research lead, educator, and co-founder of the Institute for Regenerative Futures in the College of Education at San Jose State University. His interdisciplinary research has focused on the biopsychosocial impact of everyday anti-blackness and colonization (i.e., racial microaggressions) on Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color, as well as the promise of school abolition, re-Indigenization, and apocalyptic education to bring about healing and wellness for people and the planet. Kenjus earned his PhD in Education with an emphasis in Race and Ethnic Studies at UCLA.

Promotions

Dr. kecia hayes, Acting Director of Faculty Development

Dr. hayes, Senior Professorial Lecturer in SOE, has been a champion of antiracist k-12 leadership and praxis across a variety of organizational settings in New York City for more than two decades. Most recently, she led two community-focused organizations at Columbia University including the Double Discovery Center where she transformed the organization's approach to college access and support for low-income and first-generation community youth; and the Raising Educational Achievement Coalition in Harlem where she was the founding Director and chief architect of Teachers College's university-assisted, community school initiative. While at Columbia, kecia also founded and co-chaired Columbia's Collaborative of Community Programs for Youth & Families to examine and extend the University's work as an anchor institution in Harlem. kecia was an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Montclair State University where she taught courses in leading school reform & improvement, community & school relations, research methods, and group dynamics. She also was a Leadership Development Facilitator/Senior Program Officer at New Visions for Public Schools where she provided intensive school improvement support for administrators and school teams at seven NYC public schools. She worked for the New York State Education Department to help with implementation of their Race to the Top initiative, with specific focus on building networks of data-driven learning within and across schools.

Dr. Carolyn Parker, Acting Director of Academic Programs

Dr. Parker is the Director of Graduate Teacher Education in the School of Education and Senior Professorial Lecturer. She began her career in science education as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala, where she helped develop interpretive trails in the Biotopo Chocón Machacas and taught environmental education. She earned an MA in science teaching and taught high school chemistry and biology in New York State and Miami, Florida. Dr. Parker earned her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Maryland College Park. Dr. Parker’s current research interests focus on issues of equity and access in STEM education and teacher education. Currently, Dr. Parker is the Principal Investigator of a National Science Foundation IUSE (Improving Undergraduate STEM Education) award. 

Dr. Jennifer L. Steele, Professor

Jennifer Steele was promoted to Professor in the School of Education at American University (AU), and she is an affiliate faculty member in AU's Department of Public Administration and Policy. Her research, which emphasizes quantitative methods that support causal inference, focuses on education policy and the economics of education at the P-12 and postsecondary levels. Her current research examines school-to-work transitions and the role of information access in students’ college-and-career readiness. Her work has been funded by the US Department of Education, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the American Council on Education, among others, and has appeared in outlets such as the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, American Educational Research Journal, and Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis.She holds a doctorate in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from Harvard University.

Dr. William N. Thomas IV, Director of EdD Program, Professorial Lecturer, and AUx Faculty Fellow

William Thomas was promoted to Director of the Policy and Leadership Doctoral (EdD) program. He joined the faculty in 2021 as a Professorial Lecturer in the EdD program. He has a BA in English from Morehouse College, a Master’s from the George Washington University, and an EdD from the University of Pennsylvania.
From 2012 to 2014 he was promoted to principal of the Community Academy Public Charter School’s Butler Global Campus. Recently, William served as the Director of Science for the Mastery Charter Schools of Philadelphia and Camden. Dr. Thomas has a particular research interest in Global Education, Culturally Responsive Teaching in STEM education and the experience of Black Male Teachers in various public-school systems. His doctoral studies unpacked the intersectionality of self-motivation, professional development and young males of color as it relates to teacher retention of Black men in public-schools.