Summer Institute Presenters

Jessica C. Murphy, PhD is the inaugural Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, Success, and Academic Innovation at Montclair State University in New Jersey. As Vice Provost, she is responsible for advancing undergraduate education, student success initiatives, and academic innovation strategies at Montclair State University while also supporting university-wide efforts to increase student sense of belonging. A strong belief in the transformative power of higher education guides Murphy’s work in student success.

Dr. Yanling Sun is the Associate Vice President of Instructional Technology and Design Services (ITDS). She provides strategic leadership and oversees all aspects of ITDS operations, including instructional design, instructional technology, and faculty development. With over 25 years of experience, Dr. Sun has led major initiatives such as the development of the OCIA instructional design model, faculty development programs in digital pedagogy, and a university-wide transition to a new learning management system. She holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in instructional design and technology.

Adam Mayer serves as the Director of Career and Academic Programming in University College at Montclair State University. He holds an M.A. in Counseling from Montclair State University, a B.A. in Psychology from Stockton University, and the Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF) certification through the National Career Development Association. Guided by a commitment to student success and expanding access to opportunity, Adam’s ongoing priorities include advancing personalized career exploration, strengthening workforce readiness, and empowering students through intentional engagement strategies. A Certified Professional Resume Writer with over 25 years of experience, he provides effective, results-driven career services to both on- and off-campus constituents.

Albert P. Antomattei is an Academic Program Coordinator for University College at Montclair State University. In this role, he coordinates academic and professional development programming initiatives for Montclair’s pre-major and B.A. in Liberal Studies student populations. Albert believes in the transformative power of a high-quality education, and that by intentionally harnessing advanced technology as a resource for academic and career planning, students can learn and explore opportunities like never before. As part of the University College team, he is passionate about developing innovative ways to extend Montclair State’s major- and career-exploration resources to pre-major and non-traditional students. Albert earned his B.A. at Columbia University and his M.B.A. at Montclair State University.

Dr. Daniel Jean serves as Associate Provost for Educational Opportunity and Success Programs at Montclair State University and has been featured twice on the cover of Diverse Issues in Higher Education and in the LA Times, NJ.com, PBS NewsHour, Black Enterprise, Ebony Magazine, the Hechinger Report, Diversity in Action, USA Today, Iowa Public Radio, and Miami WSRF 1580AM Radio. He is an adjunct college professor, the founder of PhinisheD/FinishEdD #WhoGotNext an online community for over 25,000 future doctors and has presented 700+ seminars/keynotes including for NASPA, ACPA, CSRDE, N-CORE, APLU, and NACADA, MIT, University of Maryland Baltimore County, University of Louisiana-Lafayette, Baruch College, The Fashion Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, University of South Florida, Western Kentucky University, Rutgers University, Meharry Medical College, and Clemson University.

Jackie Regan is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Writing Studies. She holds a PhD in Literacy from St. John’s University, a MA in Education from Fairfield University, a MA in English from Montclair State University. She worked for many years as both a writer, editor, and curriculum and content designer for Pearson Education. She has also taught high school in Newington, Connecticut and Paterson, New Jersey. She is the co-founder of Text Power Telling, a nonprofit organization that offers writing workshops and a creative arts magazine for sexual trauma survivors.

Sarah Ghoshal is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Writing Studies at Montclair State University, as well as a widely published author and blended/online learning specialist. She is also a business communications consultant and expert and an Associate Poetry Editor for Stirring: A Literary Magazine. She is currently working on a project about the effectiveness of spreadsheet use for collaboration and invention in the classroom, as well as building business writing and blended learning curriculum within the Department of Writing Studies.

Nate Huseman is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Writing Studies. He teaches first-year writing and courses in the Public and Professional Writing major including Workplace and Technical Writing. He is obsessed with all things curriculum and has developed multiple courses including Horror Literature, which is the current focus of his WRIT 106 course. When not teaching, you can find him spending time with his husband and three dogs, Moose, Oreo, and Link; playing video games; or indulging in way too much coffee.

Joe Yankus is an Instructional Designer on the ITDS team with about 10 years of experience in higher education. He collaborates with faculty to design courses for undergraduate and graduate programs, and enjoys ideating and facilitating various faculty development initiatives. Joe has a B.A. in Communication Studies & Sociology and a M.A. in Instructional Design & Technology, both from Seton Hall University. He is also a part-time faculty member at Rutgers University, where he teaches an undergraduate Public Speaking course.

Michele Rigolizzo is an Associate Professor at the Feliciano School of Business at Montclair State University. She researches the ways in which working adults are empowered to learn thorough the challenges they face in their everyday work. She has developed new models and methodologies to study how employees can learn to learn in dynamic business environments. She also brings her professional training background, along with deep expertise in adult learning, to help her students become better professionals and better learners.

Dr. Brenda Marshall is a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC) certified in Nursing Administration (NA-BC), as a Master Addiction Counselor (MAC) and a sensorimotor psychotherapist. She has earned a doctorate in Education from Columbia University in Behavior Science/Health Education, a Master’s of Science in Psychiatric Nursing from The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and a Master’s of Science in Policy and Health Management from the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University. As a Fulbright Scholar Specialist in Mental Health Dr. Marshall lived and taught psychiatric nursing in Malta. Dr. Marshall was the principal investigator on the US Department of Education’s Model Programs on College Campuses grant (2006-8), conducting research at Montclair State University related to reducing alcohol use by freshmen students, and investigating the relationships between attitude and behavior and parental engagement and student drinking behavior. More recently Dr. Marshall has had her research funded in the areas of evaluating outcomes of psychotherapy using fMRI imaging, investigating depression in parents of children with ASD, assessing the physical effects of depression on African Americans with diabetes and heart disease, and examining the impact of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Training on healthcare workers in a post pandemic world, MHFA training for nursing students,and MHFA training for teachers. She has authored four books, numerous chapters in psychiatric nursing text books and scores of articles. She is very excited to be returning to Montclair to join the excellent faculty at the School of Nursing.

Elliot Hu-Au, Ed.,D. is an Assistant Professor in Computer Science Education. As a joint appointee in the School of Computing and the College of Education and Engaged Learning, he researches the use and effects of innovative technologies in the field of education. His primary focus is on exploring immersive technologies like VR, AR, and MR for STEM education.

Anthony Reyes, B.S., is a Computer Science graduate from Montclair State University. As a CAHSI research assistant in both the Fall and Spring cohorts, he explored the use of virtual reality and gamification in education. He enjoys working with emerging technologies and is exploring how they can be applied in creative and impactful ways.

Siva Chandra Kakarlapudi, M.S., is a Research Assistant at the Hu-Au XR Lab, where he explores the role of immersive technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR) in enhancing STEM education. With a Master’s degree in Data Science from Montclair State University, he brings a strong analytical background to his work, combining quantitative research methods with a passion for innovative educational tools.

Jacob Bilek is the Research & Instruction Librarian for STEM at the Harry A. Sprague Library. He is the library liaison to Biology, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Mathematics, and the School of Nursing, and he specializes in topics related to critical information literacy and research methods.

Justin Savage is the Interim Head for Access Services and Resource Sharing at the Harry A. Sprague Library. He is the library liaison to the Kinesiology, Nutrition & Food Studies, Teaching & Learning, and Writing Studies departments, and also specializes in topics related to Open education and affordability.

Christina Katopodis, PhD, is Mellon Senior Research Associate at the City University of New York’s Humanities Alliance, currently pursuing research on the indispensable role of a humanities education. She is the former Associate Director of Transformative Learning in the Humanities and founder of Engaged & Ready, a project that empowers faculty with antiracist active learning tools to democratize their classrooms. She is the winner of the 2019 Diana Colbert Innovative Teaching Prize and the 2018 Dewey Digital Teaching Award. She has authored or co-authored articles published in Chronicle of Higher Ed, English Language Notes, ESQ: A Journal of Nineteenth-Century American Literature and Culture, Hybrid Pedagogy, Inside Higher Ed, ISLE: Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment, MLA’s Profession, Times Higher Ed, and Zeal: A Journal for the Liberal Arts. With Cathy N. Davidson, Katopodis is co-author of The New College Classroom (Harvard University Press, 2022), winner of AAC&U’s 2023 Frederic W. Ness Book Award.

Dr. AJ Kelton is the Program Manager for Curriculum and Enrollment Management in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Montclair State University, where he also teaches in the Classics & General Humanities and Anthropology Departments. His work centers on digital humanities, digital literacy, and the intersection of pedagogy with emerging technologies.

A passionate advocate for innovative education, Dr. Kelton’s research explores collaborative learning, reflective teaching practices, neurodivergent pedagogy, and the use of games and virtual worlds in academia. He has presented widely across the U.S. and internationally on these topics. As the Founder and Board Member of Emerging Learning Design (ELD) and Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Emerging Learning Design Journal, he fosters dialogue around the future of teaching and learning.

Sarah Ghoshal is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Writing Studies at Montclair State University, as well as a widely published author and blended/online learning specialist. She is also a business communications consultant and expert and an Associate Poetry Editor for Stirring: A Literary Magazine. She is currently working on a project about the effectiveness of spreadsheet use for collaboration and invention in the classroom, as well as building business writing and blended learning curriculum within the Department of Writing Studies.

Tara Campos (M.A., Educational Leadership, Saint Peter’s University) is the Program Administrator and Advisor for the nationally recognized Online Program for Educational Leadership. She was born and raised in New Jersey and earned her B.A. in Journalism from Rutgers University. Tara started her career at The Record newspaper as a news desk clerk and left as an award-winning staff writer. She later started a career as a high school English teacher, and eventually a K-12 school administrator — a collective 15 years of experience in New Jersey’s smallest and largest public school districts. Tara joined the Educational Leadership Department at Montclair State University in 2018. The Online Program she oversees has been ranked among the Top 15 nationwide and number one in New Jersey by US News & World Report for five years in a row. Tara also teaches online classes for the ELAD Online program.

Chantelle K. Wright, Ed.D., serves as the executive director for Experiential Education and Career Connections at Montclair State University. She has 17 years of experience in college career counseling, particularly with multi-ethnic and multi-generational populations. Dr. Wright holds a proven track record of success in increasing student internship engagement, developing innovative programs that address equity gaps, and securing grant funding to support student career outcomes. She has expertise in career development, program assessment, budget management, and staff supervision. Her scholarly interests include leadership development for women in higher education and career advising for marginalized populations. She enjoys collaborating with staff across institutions and supporting faculty in embedding career planning strategies into their classrooms.

Dr. Wright received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Morgan State University, her master’s in psychological counseling from Teachers College, Columbia University, and her doctorate of education in leadership for organizations from the University of Dayton.

Armine Khudinyan is a higher education professional with a focus on student career development and experiential learning. She currently serves as an Employment Success Specialist at Montclair State University, where she partners with employers to create job and internship opportunities for students. Armine plans and manages recruitment initiatives, including career and internship fairs, alumni-led mentorship programs and networking sessions, creating opportunities for students to explore careers and build their professional network. Before moving into higher education, Armine worked as a technical recruiter, which gives her a well-rounded understanding of both sides of the hiring process. She uses that experience to help employers connect with qualified students and develops programs that prepare students with the tools and platforms they need to be career-ready.

Jesica Hauser has worked at Montclair State University since 2017, beginning her higher education journey in the Graduate School. Since 2022, she has been part of the Office for Experiential Education and Career Connections, where she currently serves as the Career Engagement Coordinator. In this role, Jesica leads marketing, student engagement, and event coordination for high-impact career initiatives, including career fairs and student employee recognition. She also manages student content creators and oversees social media and newsletters to increase the visibility of career services. Jesica also supports partnerships both on and off campus, helping expand student access to experiential opportunities. She earned both her BA and MA from Montclair State University.

Crystal Tejada-Breton is a higher education professional with a focus on employer relations, student engagement, and equity-centered career development. She currently serves as an Employer Relations Specialist at Montclair State University, where she builds and maintains partnerships with employers to expand job, internship, and experiential learning opportunities for students. Crystal also assists in planning and execution of recruitment events from career fairs to alumni panels that connect students with professionals and meaningful career pathways.

Crystal is a double alumna of Montclair State University, earning her BA in Sociology and MA in Social Research and Analysis. As a former student worker in the Office of Graduate Admissions, she developed a strong foundation in higher education operations and student support. Additionally, through her role as a HOLA (Historia Oral de los Latinos y Archivo Digital) Fellow, she fostered inclusive storytelling and built meaningful relationships with community members to preserve Latino histories. These experiences have deepened Crystal’s commitment to improving the student experience and supporting equitable access to career development opportunities.

Abigail Hunte is a Senior Technology Trainer with over 15 years of experience providing technical training to adult learners in Corporate and Higher Education environments. She enjoys being part of the ITDS team and helping to serve the greater Montclair State community.

Dr. Catherine Keohane has a Ph.D. in English from Rutgers University. She has designed and taught upper- and lower-division literature, humanities, and composition courses, and has experience teaching in multiple modalities. She has presented on student engagement at MLA, and has developed open-educational resources that work to mitigate financial barriers to students’ success while also serving students’ sense of belongingness.

Dr. Dana Levitt is a professor and co-director for the graduate counseling program. She has been a counselor educator for more than a decade. Dr. Levitt is a past member of the American Counseling Association’s Ethics Committee and has served in several leadership roles. As part of her work with master’s and doctoral counseling students, Dr. Levitt is an advocate for critical reflection in the ethical decision-making process and working in the best interests of populations that counselors serve. In addition to ethics, Dr. Levitt has expertise in scholarship and teaching in counselor development, religious issues in counseling, gender issues, and body image/eating disorders.

Dr. Tammy Castro has a Ph.D. in Molecular Pathology and Immunology from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Currently, she serves as Professor of Biology at the Bloomfield campus and has over 20 years of experience teaching and mentoring undergraduate biology students of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. She is particularly interested in making undergraduate research experiences available to all students early in their college career and has mentored over 30 students carrying out independent research projects.

Pam Fallivene is a Lead Technology Trainer in the ITDS group and has been at Montclair State University for 22 years feeding her passion for teaching and helping others to improve their skills. She supports the campus community on Canvas as well as other teaching and learning technologies.

Nora McCook, PhD is a literacy studies scholar and writing professor at Bloomfield College of Montclair State University. She joined the Writing Program faculty in 2017 and has since taught and designed courses in- First Year Writing (WRT 102, 105, 106, and 109), Introduction to Professional & Technical Writing (WRT 205), Digital Media Writing (CAT/WRT 256), Oral History Writing (Stories of Newark; WRT 233), and Language, Diversity, and Power (WRT 233).

Professor McCook coordinates the Writing Intensive Program at BCMSU, leads ePortfolios, and co-leads Stories of Newark. [ePortfolio link]

Emily Douglas is a professor and chair of the Department of Social Work & Child Advocacy. Douglas joined the Montclair State faculty in fall 2020 coming from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, where she was also a full professor and department head. Her research focuses on the program and policy implications of issues that address child and family well-being, largely in the areas of family violence: fatal child maltreatment, under-represented victims of partner violence and help-seeking, children’s exposure to partner violence, corporal punishment, family disruption, and the connection between research and policy. Dr. Douglas is the author of 60+ peer-reviewed publications, 4 books, and she presents annually at domestic and international conferences. Dr. Douglas has spoken at the State Houses in Maine, Massachusetts, and Connecticut and provided invited testimony before a Congressionally-created committee focused on children’s deaths. In 2016-2017 she was a Congressional fellow in Washington, D.C., dually sponsored by the Society for Research in Child Development and the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology; during this time, she held a position in the U.S. Senate where she was the lead author on an investigation concerning for-profit foster care.

Fanny Lauby, Associate Professor, received a PhD in Political Science from the CUNY Graduate Center and a PhD in North American Studies from the Sorbonne Nouvelle (France). Her research focuses on the political incorporation of undocumented youths through state-level policies. She teaches courses in American politics and public policy, including American Government, the American Presidency, Congress, Political Parties, Public Policy Analysis, Research Methods, and US Immigration Policy. Her recent publications include articles in Politics & Policy, Mobilization, Social Movement Studies, and the Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics.

Jinxia He is a Lead Instructional Designer on the ITDS team. She received her Ph.D. with a specialization in Instructional System Design from the University of Central Florida. Her research interests focus on using instructional strategies in online teaching and learning, building online learning communities and team-based learning especially virtual teams, as well as integrating emerging technologies in education.

Dr. Steven Goss, Ed.D., is a clinical faculty member and chair of the Management and Technology program in the Division of Business Programs at NYU School of Professional Studies (NYU SPS). He joined NYU SPS after serving as the Dean of the School of Professional Studies at Manhattan University. Before Manhattan, he led several successful online initiatives at Teachers College, Columbia University, Bank Street College of Education, and New York University, including The Center for Faculty Innovations in Teaching and Learning at NYU Tandon School of Engineering. He has taught diverse student audiences, including K-12, undergraduate, and graduate students. His courses closely relate to his academic interests, including online education, technology innovation, and experiential learning. He has received awards from The Association for the Advancement of Education in Computing (AACE) and the Online Learning Consortium (OLC) for his research on learner-centered online education. Dr. Goss received his Ed.D. in Instructional Technology and Media from Teachers College, Columbia University. He has published a book on practices for transformative online teaching through Teachers College Press, titled Transforming Online Teaching in Higher Education, Essential Practices in Engagement, Inquiry, and Equity, with co-authors Dr. Robin Hummel and Laura Zadoff.

Dr. Wencang (Warren) Zhou is Professor of Management at the Feliciano School of Business at Montclair State University. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Organizational Behavior, Leadership, and Negotiation. He strives to integrate innovative teaching methods, including the use of AI-driven Custom GPTs, to enhance student engagement and foster the development of real-world soft skills. His primary research interests lie in the organizational behavior perspective of entrepreneurship, leadership, cross-cultural management, and meta-analysis, with a growing focus on the applications of AI technologies in management education. Prior to earning his Ph.D. in Management from the City University of New York, Dr. Zhou worked in the banking industry for seven years. He actively leverages this background to inform his teaching, research, and administrative leadership.

Qian (Lora) Yao is an Instructional Designer on the ITDS team. She works with faculty on different undergraduate and graduate online programs and she provides course design consultations for online, hybrid and face-to-face courses, as well as designs faculty development courses and workshops. Qian holds a M.A. in Public and Organizational Relations from Montclair State University.

Dr. Denis Sheeran is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Mathematics Department at Montclair State University, and is the author of two books for teachers, Instant Relevance, Using Today’s Experiences to Teach Tomorrow’s Lessons, and Hacking Mathematics: 10 Problems That Need Solving. He teaches pre-service math teachers as well as delivers mathematics professional development to teachers and administrators. He has presented at the national level, including engagements with NCTM/NCSM and at statewide professional development conferences in 20 states. Dr. Sheeran earned his Ed.D in Curriculum and Instruction, has a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership and a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics Education with a minor in Music. Prior to his current work with school districts he supervised mathematics departments in several school districts in NJ and taught high school math, from Algebra to Advanced Placement, for thirteen years at Lake Forest High School in Lake Forest, Illinois where he also coached the boys cross country and track & field teams. He lives in Sparta, NJ with his family.

Jeff Strickland is Director of Honors EDGE and Professor of History. His first book is Unequal Freedoms: Ethnicity, Race, and White Supremacy in Civil War–Era Charleston (University Press of Florida, 2015). His second book is All for Liberty: The Charleston Workhouse Slave Rebellion of 1849 (Cambridge University Press, 2021). He is currently writing The Reconstruction Era in United States History, 1861-1877 (in contract).

Jean Moreno-Lassalle is an Instructional Designer in the ITDS team at Montclair State University. He works primarily in assisting the Instructional Design team with course design and online program development. In addition to this, his responsibilities include training faculty members on Canvas, running workshops on educational technologies, co-managing the ITDS website, and designing visual projects for the group.

Dr. Jerise Fogel has taught as an Adjunct faculty member in the Classics & General Humanities Departments since 2006, and in the Montclair Honors Program. Publications include “Can Girls Be Friends?: Talking about Gender in Cicero’s De Amicitia” (Classical World 103.1 [Fall 2009] 77-87), “The Descent of Style in Cicero’s Brutus” (Scholia 16 [2007] 1-23), “Cosmopolitanism and the Colonizing Imagination in Ancient Rome” (Intertexts 2003 [7] 190f., and “Virtue, Consensus, and Authority without tradition: Cicero’s De Imperio Cn. Pompei” (African Journal of Rhetoric 14.1 [2022] 142-161. At Montclair, Jerise has taught courses on Greek and Roman Civilization (social history), Utopias (Honors), Women, Gender, and Sexuality, Greek Theater, Latin and more. For the past few years, Jerise’s main teaching focus has been on Humanities II (1400 on). Jerise is passionate about bringing awareness of global renaissances to students and colleagues alike.

Dr. William Colluci: “I used to have red hair, now not so much. My PhD is in Communication, Rutgers University, concentrating in organizational communication and mass communication. I have 25 years of information systems industry experience as well as at least 20 years teaching at this point. My main research interest is higher education teaching and learning, especially cognitive science approaches. I’ve also participated for many years in teaching and learning programs here at MSU. I teach now in the School of Business, currently Business Ethics and Spreadsheet Modeling. Besides all that, I have a Scottish Terrier named Marlowe who people tell me is a fine looking dog.”

Martina Santia (Ph.D., Louisiana State University) is an Assistant Professor of Political Communication in the Department of Political Science and Law and the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. Santia’s research spans interdisciplinary boundaries, lying at the intersection of communication and political science, with a focus on the effects of media messages on public attitudes and behaviors. Her work has appeared in Mass Communication & Society, Journal of Communication, The International Journal of Press/Politics, and Political Research Quarterly, among other academic journals. Prior to joining Montclair State University, Santia was a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.