Notes:

DR. ALEXANDER recently completed her Ph.D. at Michigan State University in Kinesiology, with a concentration in Adapted Physical Education.  Her research examines the development of the social skills of students with physical disabilities.  Her dissertation focused on young adult Special Olympics athletes participating in the Social Skills and Sports Program.  Dr. Alexander has published several articles and presented numerous professional papers in her field.

DR. SCOTT comes to the Exercise Science and Physical Education Department at MSU having been on the faculty at New Jersey City University since completing her Ph.D. in Kinesiology at Temple University in 2005.  Since 2001, she has also been a consultant for the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, serving as an academic coach in the Play It Smart program for high school athletes.  Her scholarship focuses on multiculturalism and gender in health, sport, and physical education—in particular, racial and athletic identity of African Americans and women.  Dr. Scott has published a number of articles and presented numerous professional papers in her field.

DR. HAYES has been a Senior Program Officer and Leadership Development Facilitator with New Visions for Public Schools.  In that capacity, she has worked closely with seven small public schools in NYC.  Her research agenda includes continuing to examine urban public school reforms.  In her dissertation, completed in 2006, she examined the educational experiences of youth at Rikers Island.  Dr. Hayes is co-editor of three books and author of several book chapters.

DR. LEVITT joins the faculty in Counselor Education having been a faculty member at Ohio University for six years.  At OU, Dr. Levitt served as the coordinator for the Counselor Education program and chaired several dissertation committees.  She has played leadership roles in local, state, and national professional organizations.  Thus, she brings considerable experience to the Counselor Education at Montclair State and will play an important role in the recently approved Ph.D. program.  Her primary research interests center on eating disorders and body image.  Dr. Levitt has published several articles and presented numerous professional papers in her field.

DR. PUIG recently completed her Ed.D. in Curriculum and Teaching with a Concentration in Early Childhood Special Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.  In addition to being an instructor at Teachers College for several years, she has been the program coordinator of the Columbia University Early Head Start Program and an Early Childhood Bilingual Special Educator for New York City Early Intervention.  She is pursuing two lines of research—one examines the needs and sources of support of new professionals in early childhood education and the other explores how the cultural and linguistic resources of Spanish-speaking families are integrated into early childhood education programs.  Dr. Puig has several articles under review and has presented numerous professional papers in her field.

Notes:

DR. SHEELY has recently completed her Ph.D. in Counselor Education at the University of North Texas, Denton (UNTD).  She has been a middle school counselor and was the Training and Professional Development Coordinator and then the Assistant Director of the Center for Play Therapy at UNTD.  Her dissertation examined child-parent relationship therapy with Black American families, and she plans to continue to pursue research on multicultural applications of school-based play services and counseling interventions.  Dr. Sheely has a number of articles in press and has presented numerous professional papers in her field.

 

DR. SHIN joins the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Literacy Education Department from Monmouth University, where she has been on the faculty since completing her Ed.D. in Early Childhood Education at Teachers College in 2005.  She has been a pre-school teacher and worked in various capacities at the Teachers College Center for Infants and Parents.  Her research focuses on reflective practice in teacher preparation, the preparation of infant caregivers, and the promotion of culturally relevant practices in early care.  Dr. Shin has published several articles and presented numerous professional papers in her field.

 

Notes:

DR. SPENCER is joining the Literacy faculty in the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Literacy Education Department.  She has had substantial experience in public schools, having been the Director of Literacy Initiatives for District 79 in New York City for the past year and a Literacy Staff Developer in NYC from 2003 to 2006.  She was also the Lower School Reading Coordinator in the Little Red Schoolhouse in NYC from 2004 to 2006.  Previously, she served as a Reading Specialist in an elementary school in Raleigh, NC.  Her research has examined the social nature of literacy learning in diverse urban public schools.  Dr. Spencer has published a book chapter and has presented several professional papers in her field.