About the Presenters
Khaldoun Almousily, Ph.D., is the Program Coordinator for Arabic language and a faculty member of the Middle East and Islamic Studies Program. He has been teaching Arabic language and translation studies in Kentucky for eight years. His efforts led to the building of the first Arabic major and minor programs in the state—at Western Kentucky University where he taught from 2010 to 2015. He is currently working on building the Arabic program at UofL. Since his employment at University of Louisville in 2015, Khaldoun was awarded the UofL Diversity Champion Award 2017 and the United States President’s Volunteer Service Award 2016, 2017, and 2018. This is his second time to be nominated for the Faculty Favorites Award. Khaldoun has extensive knowledge and experience in translation and interpreting in the U.S. and abroad. He has interpreted at a large number of regional and international conferences working for the government, the United Nations, and private sectors in the field of human rights and refugee protection programs. He serves as a Middle East consultant for Warren County Public Schools and Greater Clark County Schools. He is a certified court interpreter in nine states and helps the Administrative Office of the Courts at the state and federal levels.
Jennifer Anderson, Ph.D., is the Program Director of the Teaching Innovation Learning Lab (TILL) at the Delphi Center for Teaching and Learning. She joined the Delphi Center in May 2017 after working as an assistant professor of political science at Tennessee Tech University (TTU) for six years. Jennifer was the 2016 recipient of TTU’s Outstanding Teaching Award in General Education. In her current role, she fosters UofL classroom teaching innovation through coordinating and delivering professional development programs at the TILL.
Lee W. Bewley, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Healthcare Management at the College of Education and Human Development and School of Public Health and Information Sciences. His research and teaching interests include leadership development, strategic management, and health administration. Lee is a retired Army combat veteran and he is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). He was formerly an Associate Dean and Program Director at the Army-Baylor University MHA-MBA program. Currently, Lee is the President-Elect of the Kentucky Chapter of ACHE. He earned a B.A. in Economics and Business from Virginia Military Institute, a MHA from Baylor University, and Ph.D. from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Adrienne Bratcher, Ph.D., received a Ph.D. and M.S. in Physiology and Biophysics from the University of Louisville, and a B.S. in Chemistry from Tennessee State University. She teaches undergraduate and graduate Anatomy and Physiology courses. Her previous research interests included microvascular responsiveness to various vasoactive agents associated with the development of hypertension and diabetes. Adrienne’s outstanding advising, mentoring, and teaching has been recognized through the following accolades: UofL Athletics Mentor of the Year, UofL “Top 9” Faculty Favorite, and UofL Provost Award for Exemplary Advising.
Mary Brydon-Miller, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, Evaluation, and Organizational Development in the College of Education and Human Development. She is a participatory action researcher who conducts work in both school and community settings. She is the editor, with David Coghlan, of the SAGE Encyclopedia of Action Research and recently completed work on Ethics in Participatory Research for Health and Social Well-Being: Cases and Commentaries with her colleague Sarah Banks from Durham University in the United Kingdom. She is currently working with middle-school students from around the world to better understand the impacts of climate change.
Ray Chastain, Ph.D., is a faculty member in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. He has been teaching math and physics for more than ten years at both the high school and college level. In addition to his teaching, Raymond is also engaged in physics education research, particularly in investigating the factors that lead to student success in the introductory physics sequence.
Diane Chlebowy, Ph.D., RN, a tenured Associate Professor, has been at UofL since August 2007. She is currently the Director of the Master’s Entry into Professional Nursing and MSN Programs at the School of Nursing. Throughout her academic career, she has taught various undergraduate and graduate nursing courses. Dr. Chlebowy has modified courses to become hybrid courses comprised of both face-to-face and online instructional components. In addition, she has developed and taught numerous online nursing courses. She participated in a faculty panel discussion during the Delphi U Online Teaching course in 2018 and enjoys mentoring new faculty as they teach online courses.
Rudy Clark, Ph.D., RN, has worked in the medical profession for over 24 years, and she has concentrated the last several years of her career toward nursing education. Rudy has worked as a mental health technician in an inpatient psychiatric unit, a rape crisis counselor victim advocate, a critical care nurse, a nurse in an acute adult inpatient psychiatric unit, and an ER nurse. She has taught both in the classroom and in clinical settings, and has experience in varied nursing educational programs. Her outreach work with Scarlet Hope has deepened her understanding of victim advocacy. Rudy aspires to help her students understand the role of human trafficking on both the survivors’ physical and mental well-being.
Shantel Crosby, Ph.D., LCSW, is an Assistant Professor in the Kent School of Social Work where she provides both online and face-to-face instruction in the Kent School’s MSSW program. She completed Delphi U and the Seminar on Teaching for New Faculty, which is co-sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the Delphi Center. Dr. Crosby’s on-going research is interdisciplinary, focused on wellbeing and adverse childhood experiences among youth who are court-involved or at risk of court-involvement—particularly among youth of color. She focuses on trauma and behavioral/emotional health among this population and explores trauma-informed responses to maladaptive youth behaviors.
Denise Cumberland, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Education Leadership, Evaluation and Organizational Development in the College of Education and Human Development. Her research and teaching interests include organizational development, workplace and information ethics, organizational analysis, and franchising. As a former corporate marketing strategist, Denise continues to innovate at UofL. She received a “Top 4” Faculty Favorite Award for 2015-2016.
Henry Cunningham, Ph.D. is Director of Community Engagement at the University of Louisville. He works on all aspects of community engagement including policy development, data collection and assessment, faculty development, and community partnership among others. He has extensive background in international and community development. He currently teaches a community-based learning course, enabling students to engage with the immigrant populations. He has published articles and book chapters on community engagement and is working on his first book to be published in 2019.
Gail DePuy, Ph.D., is serving as interim dean of Speed School. Prior to her new appointment she served as the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs and a Professor of Industrial Engineering at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky. Her research focus lies in the areas of production planning, healthcare engineering, and operations research. She received her Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from The Georgia Institute of Technology, her M.S.I.E. with a concentration in Human Factors from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and her B.S. in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina State University. Dr. DePuy has authored over 80 technical papers and has served as Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator on over 1.3 million dollars of funded research. Dr. DePuy is a professional engineer and a member of the Institute of Industrial Engineers, Institute of Operations Research and Management Science, and American Society for Engineering Education.
Russell Farmer, M.D., is an Assistant Professor of Colon and Rectal Surgery at the University of Louisville. He instructs students across all levels of medical education, from high-schoolers to post-graduate MDs. He has received multiple teaching awards from UofL’s Department of Surgery and School of Medicine and has served on national committees governing medical education, including the ACGME.
Zachary W. Goldman, Ph.D, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Management. In a review published in Communication Education (2017), Zac was recognized as one of the most prolific scholars in the field of communication (Top 1%) from 2012 to 2016. He joined the College of Business in Fall 2018 and primarily teaches business communication courses while continuing to research learning and communication in classrooms and professional organizations. Zac earned his Ph.D. in Instructional Communication from West Virginia University where he also earned a Graduate Certificate in Teaching.
Aimee Greene, M.S., is Assistant Director of Instructional Design and Technology at the Delphi Center for Teaching and Learning. She has a B.S. in Special Education and an M.S. in Instructional Technology, both from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. As a member of the Delphi Center’s staff, Aimee combines her previous instructional design, project management and facilitation experience to oversee the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of web-based instruction. Aimee also has experience in face-to-face and online course delivery facilitation as a faculty member in the Education Department at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and an adjunct instructor for UofL’s College of Education and Human Development.
Meg Hancock, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Sport Administration and Chair of the Health & Sport Sciences (HSS) Department. In her current role, Meg teaches courses on athletics in higher education, sport management and leadership, and student services in college athletics. Meg’s research interests include leadership, career development, and gender diversity in the sport industry. She is a five-time Faculty Favorite nominee and a two-time nominee for the Provost’s Award for Exemplary Director of Graduate Studies.
Katie Harman, Ph.D., received her doctoral training from UofL in the Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology. In addition to her graduate training, Dr. Harman also conducted an international collaborative study at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Her pre-clinical research has largely focused on understanding the progression of both autonomic and locomotor dysfunction following central nervous system injury and disease. She teaches Human Biomechanics and the laboratories for Anatomy and Physiology. This year, Dr. Harman was recognized as a “Top 5 Faculty Favorite.”.
Theresa C. Hayden, Ph.D., MSSW, completed a doctorate in social work from the Kent School of Social Work, earned two master degrees (Social Work from the Kent School and Religious Education from Fordham University), and a bachelor in psychology from Brescia University. She has been a professor in the Department of Criminal Justice since 2005. Her research and teaching interests include human trafficking, generational family violence, research methods, and statistical analysis. In addition, she has presented on human trafficking at international, state, and local conferences. She is board chair of the non-profit People Against Trafficking Humans (PATH) Coalition of Kentucky and is actively engaged with community awareness on the crime of human trafficking.
Lora Haynes, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. She is the co-founder and director of the Resilient Families Project (RFP). Since 2011, RFP has provided educational and community-building experiences to strengthen families and promote resilience and mindfulness in families experiencing homelessness, and women in drug and alcohol recovery. Dr. Haynes’ teaching, service, and research interests center on family risk, resilience, mindfulness, and happiness. Her broad area of specialization is applied developmental and social/cognitive psychology. Dr. Haynes joined the faculty at UofL in 2004. For nine years prior, she taught in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Northern Colorado.
Julie Hohmann, M.Ed., has been at UofL since 2004. She earned her M.Ed. then began working with REACH (Resources for Academic Achievement). Julie is currently the Assistant Director for the Learning Resource Center where students seek academic support for many 100, 200, and 300-level courses. She has a strong interest in helping students develop critical thinking skills and emotional intelligence. She has published and presented on these topics at numerous conferences and continues to broaden her knowledge in each area to help nudge students towards success in college and later in the workplace.
David Johnson, Ph.D., is a Louisville native and a three-time graduate of UofL. After completing his doctorate in the summer of 2015, he transitioned from a graduate assistantship to a faculty position in the Department of Health Management and System Sciences at the School of Public Health and Information Sciences, now serving as an Assistant Professor. He helped design and launch the undergraduate program in public health in 2014, where he continues to teach several courses. David has a passion for innovative pedagogy and public health education, particularly with undergraduates, as a means to impact population health through public health workforce development.
Saundra Kimberlain is an Academic Counselor, Senior/Success Coach for the B.S. in Organizational Leadership & Learning, Healthcare Leadership. Mrs. Kimberlain supports online Competency-Based Education (CBE), called Flex Pace, and Term-Based, called Set Pace, students as an advisor, enrollment manager, institutional resource navigator, and academic coach. In addition, she acts as a liaison between departments, faculty, and students. In her two years at UofL, she was nominated for the 2017-2018 Provost’s Award for Exemplary Advising and received the 2017 Metroversity Outstanding Staff Member Who Supports Adult Learning award. Mrs. Kimberlain has been in higher education for more than 16 years, and for 10 of those years her primary focus has been in advising and academic counseling. She obtained a Master of Arts in Education in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Western Kentucky University and a Master of Arts in Communication from Morehead State University.
Keith B. Lyle, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. He received his B.S. in psychology from Indiana University and his Ph.D. in psychology from Yale University. Dr. Lyle’s primary research interests are in memory, attention, and personality.
Sheron Mark, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Science Education in the College of Education and Human Development. Her research is focused on supporting the increased representation, active participation, and empowerment of non-dominant populations in STEM by understanding and promoting diverse and non-traditional means of STEM engagement, STEM identity development, and STEM career development, as well as supporting pre-service and in-service teachers in developing and enacting culturally-responsive pedagogical strategies.
Larry Michalczyk, MSSW, currently serves as full-time Teaching Faculty at the graduate level in the Kent School of Social Work where he teaches traditional and online policy classes and works with students in internships. Larry is currently working with a team to develop a Specialization in Social Work Leadership, Management, and Supervision. Prior to his teaching appointment, Larry worked for 35 years in state government and nonprofits.
Heather Mitchell, Ph.D., is the BSN traditional program director and assistant professor of Nursing in the School of Nursing. Her interests include critical care, cardiovascular nursing, and medical-surgical nursing. Among the courses she teaches are Adult Health Nursing and the School of Nursing Capstone. She has earned the Faculty Favorite award regularly since joining the faculty in 2011. In 2014-2015 she was named among the “Top4” Faculty Favorites.
Heidi Neal, M.A., is the Director of Enrollment Management and Student Success for the JB Speed School of Engineering at University of Louisville where she oversees the admissions, advising, student engagement, co-op and career services offices. Over the past 11 years, Heidi’s career has focused on bringing together Academic and Student Affairs to create an atmosphere for strong recruitment and retention. Since joining the Speed School Academic and Student Affairs team, Heidi's accomplishments include recruiting the largest freshmen classes in history, increasing retention and graduation numbers and national recognition for a new at-risk bridge program. In addition, the Office of Student Success was recognized in 2018 as an INSIGHT into diversity inspiring STEM program. Heidi holds a MA in Sociology and is currently pursuing her doctorate in Educational Leadership and Organizational Development with a focus on higher administration.
Gerard Rabalais, M.D., M.H.A., has been a Pediatric Infectious Physician with UofL since 1987. His leadership roles in the University have included Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics (2004-2016), Acting CEO of University of Louisville Physicians, Inc. (2016-2018), and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs at the School of Medicine (2015-2019). He has a strong interest in leadership development that resulted in the creation of the Leadership and Innovation in Academic Medicine (LIAM) course in which emotional intelligence is a core component of that program’s leading yourself modules.
Patricia A. S. Ralston, Ph.D., is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Engineering Fundamentals at the Speed School of Engineering. She teaches undergraduate engineering mathematics and performs educational research on the effective use of technology in engineering education, the incorporation of critical thinking in undergraduate engineering education, and retention of engineering students. She leads an active educational research group whose goal is to foster active interdisciplinary research which investigates learning and motivation to promote retention and student success in engineering.
Christy Rich, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry. She teaches both lectures and labs, primarily in organic chemistry and spectroscopy. Her research interests are in STEM Education. She most recently served as Principal Investigator on a $2 million NSF grant called PRIMES (Partnership for Retention Improvement in Mathematics, Engineering, and Science). One strand of PRIMES developed and implemented an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UTA) program in A&S; and Speed. PRIMES has been sustained by the College of Arts and Sciences and she continues to direct the program for UTAs in Chemistry, Geosciences, Mathematics, and Physics. She is often a Faculty Favorite nominee and twice has been awarded a “Top” Faculty Favorite. For 15 years she also served as Director of Undergraduate Advising for Chemistry.
Staci Saner, M.Ed., is the Director of Faculty Development at the School of Medicine. Saner is currently pursuing her doctorate in Health Professions Education and teaches courses in the Health Professions Education (HPE) Certificate program that was developed in conjunction with the School of Medicine and College of Education and Human Development.
Richard Slawsky teaches a number of courses in the Department of Communication, including Business and Professional Speaking, Newswriting, and Digital Journalism. He worked as a business journalist for many years in New Orleans and Louisville, and currently does custom writing for technology companies, focusing on the kiosk and digital signage industries. Richard was a latecomer to the world of teaching, completing his bachelor’s and master’s degrees over the past 10 years thanks largely to the online courses offered at UofL. He has modified several face-to-face courses for delivery in an online format and has developed several online courses currently being offered via UofL’s Department of Communication.
Montray Smith, MSN, MPH, RN, is an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing. She joined the department in 2010 and teaches in the undergraduate and graduate programs. She has a strong interest in health disparities and community engagement. She is also a nurse with the National Disaster Medical System responding to national disaster events. She is currently working on her doctorate in nursing science and she has recently been accepted as a Health and Social Justice Scholar. Her area of research is focused on disaster management with vulnerable populations. Montray has received numerous awards at the school of nursing including the 2016 Marcia J. Hern Teaching Award, 2016 and 2015 Community Engagement Award, and the 2015 Ruth R. Voignier Award for Teaching.
Jeffrey C. Sun, Ph.D., J.D., MBA, is a Professor of higher education at the College of Education and Human Development. He researches and writes in the area of higher education law, and his teaching centers around law, policy, and organizational analyses. He has taught previously at NYU, Columbia, and the University of North Dakota. Dr. Sun received a BBA and MBA from Loyola Marymount University, a law degree from the Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University, and an M.Phil. and a Ph.D. from Columbia University.
Angela B. Taylor, Ph.D., is Assistant Provost for Student Affairs and Assistant Dean of Students. In this role, she has oversight of student conduct, care, crisis, advocacy, and compliant procedures and processes. She chairs the Student Care Team and serves as a resource to faculty and staff when dealing with difficult student situations. Dr. Taylor serves as the University’s Deputy Title IX Coordinator for students. She has also held an adjunct faculty role in the College of Education and Human Development where she teaches the College Student SubCulture course.
Shelly Thomas, Ed.D., is Assistant Department Chair and Associate Professor in Social Studies Education. Her primary teaching areas are cross-cultural competence, transdisciplinary social justice approaches to challenges in education, and social and cultural context of learning. She received the President’s Exemplary Multicultural Teaching Award from the University of Louisville in 2013.
Matt Trzaskus, M.A., is a Graduate Assistant and PhD candidate, Curriculum and Instruction, and Science teacher at Seneca High School. Formerly a forensic scientist for the Kentucky State Police, Matt Trzaskus, brings his real-world experiences to teach high school science for JCPS. Matt has partnered with Dr. Sheron Mark and aided her research of the connections between sport and STEM. He earned his Baccalaureate degree in Biological Sciences from Clemson University. Then, after earning his Masters of Arts in Teaching from the University of Louisville he has decided to continue his education and is in the process of earning a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on equitable learning in the science classroom.
Aesha L. Uqdah, PsyD, HSPP, is a licensed clinical psychologist and the Director of UofL’s Counseling Center. She has also held adjunct faculty status at UofL and Spalding University where she has taught courses related to the clinical applications of multicultural psychology. Dr. Uqdah is responsible for all program areas and activities of the Counseling Center, and her clinical interests include multicultural/diversity issues, LGBTQ concerns, anxiety and depression, health psychology, and stress management. She currently serves as the Chair of the Student Affairs Diversity Committee and the co-advisor for the UofL chapter of Active Minds.
Deborah Yoder-Himes, Ph.D., has served as an Assistant Professor in Biology since 2013. Deborah teaches the upper division Biology elective, General Microbiology, while also running an active microbiology research lab with 12 research personnel. In 2018, she became Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Biology. Deborah received her undergraduate degree from Purdue University in 2000. She then received her Ph.D. in microbiology and molecular genetics from Michigan State University (2005). Afer receiving her Ph.D., she went on to receive her first Postdoc at Michigan State University in microbial ecology (2005-2008), and her second Postdoc at Harvard Medical School in microbial pathogenesis (2009-2012).