We are pleased to announce several leadership updates at the College of Community Innovation and Education. With extensive experience as leaders in research, teaching and collaboration, we look forward to working with them in their new roles.
Charles "Chuck" Dziuban, Ph.D.
Coordinator, Rosen Foundation Educational Initiative
Charles "Chuck" Dziuban will serve UCF and the college as the new coordinator for the Rosen Foundation Educational Initiative starting this summer. In this position, he will build on over twenty years of research, support and leadership he has given to the development, implementation and replication of the Rosen Foundation's success with Tangelo Park educational programs. Dziuban will examine the program model and identify strengths and areas for improvement in a second setting: the Rosen Preschool, which is adjacent to Orange County Public Schools Academic Center for Excellence in the Parramore neighborhood. UCF’s first Pegasus Professor, Dziuban has been honored by the Sloan Consortium for Most Outstanding Achievement in Online Learning in 2005 and was named Sloan-C Fellow in 2007. UCF later created the Chuck D. Dziuban Award for Excellence in Online Teaching, which honors faculty members who had a strong, positive impact on online teaching and learning. In 2017, he received UCF’s first Collective Excellence award to acknowledge and honor his efforts in strengthening the university's connection and support for the Tangelo Park Program. At that time, he became the university representative to the Rosen Foundation’s Tangelo Park and Parramore Programs. The college is delighted to welcome this innovative researcher who will help facilitate the collaboration between UCF Downtown and the Rosen Preschool, while he continues to serve the main campus and other locations throughout the community.
Doug Goodman, Ph.D.
Director, School of Public Administration
Doug Goodman will serve as the new director of the School of Public Administration starting on August 1. Prior to joining the college, he was professor of public and nonprofit management in the School of Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences at The University of Texas at Dallas. There for 10 years, he also served as the program head and director for the Master of Public Affairs. Prior to his work in Texas, Goodman taught in the Political Science and Public Administration Department at Mississippi State University, where he was also an inaugural fellow at the John C. Stennis Institute of Government and Community Development. He received outstanding professor awards from both universities, directed numerous dissertations and served on more than a dozen dissertation committees. In addition, he also served as chair of the Section on Personnel and Labor Relations at the American Society for Public Administration. Goodman received his doctoral degree in political science from The University of Utah. His current research interests include public human resource management, organization behavior, state and local government, sustainability and public budgeting. Along with research published in lead public administration journals and serving on lead journal editorial boards, he co-edited two books including Texas: Yesterday and Today — Readings in Texas Politics and Public Policy and Contested Landscape: The Politics of Wilderness in Utah and the West. Prior to working in academia, Goodman served as a police officer in Arizona.
Florencio “Eloy” Hernandez, D.Sc.
Associate Dean, Research and Innovation
Florencio “Eloy” Hernandez will serve as the college’s new associate dean for research and innovation starting on July 1. Hernandez joined the college in Fall 2019 from the UCF College of Sciences to serve as interim associate dean for research. Since then, Hernandez met with college stakeholders to better understand their needs and developed a vision to become the most transformative college in the region, creating nontraditional interdisciplinary research teams and advancing groundbreaking ideas with social impact. In many ways, Hernandez has realized this vision by reigniting the college research council, which serves as a communication channel between college faculty and the administration, helping to develop a compelling vision for research programs and policies. He also created the Faculty Hub and 18’ LED Talks to promote interdisciplinary research through synergistic collaboration. In addition, Hernandez served as a liaison between the college and the university’s research office, committed to creating increased and better opportunities for college faculty. Along with a continuation of these goals, Hernandez strives to provide a safe, diverse and inclusive space for faculty to develop disruptive ideas that could ultimately challenge the status quo of academia, promote scholarship and directly impact communities. He originally came to UCF as a visiting research scientist from the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research. After rising to the rank of professor of chemistry, Hernandez embarked on a journey to become an academic leader and serve the community. To achieve this goal, he completed his master's degree in business administration and participated in several university leadership initiatives, including the Academic Leadership Academy, the Chairs and Directors Excellence Program and the Provost Faculty Fellow Program. He also provided extensive service as a reviewer to the National Science Foundation.
Su-I Hou, Dr.P.H.
Interim Chair, Department of Health Management and Informatics
Su-I Hou will serve as interim chair for the Department of Health Management and Informatics starting on August 8. As a professor of health management and informatics, she brings extensive public health research experience and expertise in mixed methods research, program evaluation and community-based participatory research. She has focused on aging-in-community programs and models promoting healthy aging, and community and worksite strategies to promote early detection and prevention of selected cancers and HIV/AIDS. Hou is currently a Fulbright Specialist (2019-2023) and recently received a Fulbright Specialist grant to conduct mixed-methods research workshops at Ben-Gurion University in Israel. She also received UCF’s 2019-2020 Research Incentive Award and Teaching Incentive Award. Hou served as health-track coordinator for the college’s interdisciplinary doctoral program in public affairs, and is founding director of the UCF Taiwan Study Abroad Program on Asian Culture, Healthcare and Aging Society. Prior to academia, Hou gained practical and administrative experience in healthcare and community settings, serving as founding director of the Community Health Department at a major teaching hospital in Taiwan. Active in Chinese-American communities, she served as president for the Chinese-American Academic and Professional Association in Southeastern United States, and continues to serve on the executive board. Hou is often invited by governmental agencies, major national universities, and industrial partners in Taiwan and China to give keynotes and offer training workshops. She has published over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles, presented over 200 papers at national and international conferences, and given over 60 invited international presentations, workshops or seminars.
David Mealor, Ph.D.
Special Assignment on University and Community Impact
David Mealor will join the college on August 8 as a new member of our faculty, assigned to the Dean’s Office to engage in investigating the impact on communities of university service and research. He is joining us from UCF Connect, where he has been serving as associate vice president of UCF Altamonte Springs and UCF Sanford/Lake Mary. He was awarded the U.S. Army Commendation Medal, elected to the Florida House of Representatives and currently serves as Lake Mary’s mayor. He earned his doctoral degree in educational and school psychology from University of Georgia. Mealor developed and directed the nationally accredited school psychology program and served as department chair and associate dean. He was on the Florida Committee for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and served as director of the first formal university and school district partnership with UCF and Seminole county. In addition, Mealor was a consultant to 10 school districts and two state departments of education. An advocate for higher education and economic development, Mealor was appointed to the Florida Research Consortium and the Florida Digital Divide Council. Active in a variety of political, educational and community activities, Mealor was honored by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, Florida Student Association, Florida Children’s Home Society, Florida League of Cities, Seminole County Mental Health Services and Florida’s Special Olympics.
Janice Seabrooks-Blackmore, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Florida Center for Students with Unique Abilities
Janice Seabrooks-Blackmore started her position as executive director for the Florida Center for Students with Unique Abilities on March 8. A native of Jacksonville, she started out as a classroom teacher for students with varying exceptionalities. To expand her professional knowledge and skills, Seabrooks-Blackmore became a middle school counselor. With a growing interest in academia and teaching in higher education, she completed her doctorate at Florida State University in special education, focused on community transitions and specific learning disabilities. She worked with states across the country to assist districts in identifying evidence-based strategies to improve the transition for students with disabilities into post-secondary education and employment opportunities. In her position at the center, Seabrooks-Blackmore helps existing and new programs meet requirements to attain Florida post-secondary comprehensive transition program status, which ultimately provides students with disabilities a learning experience that provides employable credentials upon graduation. She brings years and a range of experience to the center, including leadership, community partnerships, and collaboration with colleagues and families in P-16 settings. She also serves as co-director for the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition, funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Seabrooks-Blackmore’s primary research interests include transition of youth with disabilities to post-school settings, particularly postsecondary education, along with equitable access and self-determination. Much of her work stems from instructional strategies and collaborative interactions that support empowering others to attain their goals.