The College of Community Innovation and Education is pleased to introduce the 14 new faculty members who have joined our college for the Fall 2023 semester. Each brings a wealth of experience and knowledge that will benefit both our students and the community at large. Learn more about their teaching backgrounds and what research interests they bring to the college.
Aline Zghayyar Abassian, Ph.D.
Lecturer
School of Teacher Education
Aline Zghayyar Abassian is a mathematics and mathematics teacher educator in the School of Teacher Education. She works with prospective and practicing mathematics teachers at all levels. She previously taught high school mathematics. Her teaching experience inspired her research focus of examining mathematical knowledge for teaching, as well as using mathematical modeling and technology to foster equitable learning of mathematical concepts for all students.
Amanda M. Olejarski, Ph.D.
Visiting Lecturer
School of Public Administration
Amanda M. Olejarski is a visiting instructor in the School of Public Administration, where she will teach courses in nonprofit management. She serves as editor-in-chief of Public Integrity. Her research interests center on normative policy implementation and ethical decision-making. She is the author of three books on ethics, including one titled “Empowering Public Administrators” to be published in late 2023. Her research has been published in the field’s top journals, including Public Administration Review, American Review of Public Administration, Administration and Society, Review of Public Personnel Administration and International Journal of Public Administration.
Caitlin Frawley, Ph.D.
Visiting Lecturer
Department of Counselor Education and School Psychology
Caitlin Frawley is a visiting lecturer for the Department of Counselor Education and School Psychology. She completed her doctorate in counselor education at UCF in Summer 2023. She is a licensed mental health counselor in the state of Florida. Her clinical experiences include counseling with children in the child welfare system and youth survivors of complex sexual abuse. Frawley’s primary research areas include attachment trauma, play therapy, physiological change mechanisms in play therapy, and trauma-informed youth counseling approaches. Her areas of expertise include play therapy, mental health counseling, counselor education and attachment trauma.
Christine Neubert, M.S.
Instructor
School of Global Health Management and Informatics
Christine Neubert is an instructor in the School of Global Health Management and Informatics. She received her master's degree in health information management at The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota, and is a registered health information administrator. While working in the healthcare field, she developed a passion for healthcare law and privacy and confidentiality issues. Neubert began teaching in 2017 at Indian River State College, specializing in online teaching and learning. She also holds an advanced certificate in effective college instruction from the Association of College and University Educators and the American Council on Education. .
Earlisha Whitfield, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
School of Teacher Education
Earlisha Whitfield is an assistant professor of reading education in the School of Teacher Education. She previously served as an adjunct professor at Louisiana State University and assistant professor of reading at McNeese State University. Throughout her career in academia, Whitfield has focused on guiding aspiring teachers and equipping them with essential literacy education skills. She has worked with both undergraduate and graduate students, providing them with valuable insights into teacher preparation and literacy education. She is the director of Call Me Mister, a program designed to recruit minority men to pursue careers in education. Her passion lies in serving underserved students, schools and communities. Prior to her tenure in higher education, she spent 17 years actively involved in the field and has served as a teacher, literacy specialist, director of instruction and school leader in public schools.
Gregory Meek, Ph.D.
Lecturer
Department of Counselor Education and School Psychology
Gregory Meek is a lecturer in the Department of Counselor Education and School Psychology. Meek received his bachelor’s degree in psychology and his master’s in counseling psychology from James Madison University. He received his doctorate in counselor education from the College of William & Mary. His professional and research interests include relational processes in families, gender and sexuality issues, as well as the integration of postmodern theory into the practice of counseling and counselor training.
Mercy Roberg, J.D.
Lecturer
Department of Legal Studies
Mercy Roberg is a lecturer in the Department of Legal Studies. She received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education and her master’s in education from the University of Florida. She also holds a Juris Doctor degree from Stetson University College of Law, which established a strong foundation for her legal career. She is a licensed attorney by the Florida Bar. Professionally, Roberg maintains a small boutique law firm specializing in education law and family matters.
Nicholas Paul, Ph.D.
Lecturer
Department of Criminal Justice
Nicholas Paul is a lecturer in the Department of Criminal Justice. Paul teaches courses on policing, crime in America, law and social control, and research methods and data analysis at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. His research interests include police strategy and effectiveness, drug enforcement and drug policy, and criminal justice theorizing. Some of his recent work has been published in Journal of Crime and Justice and Policing: An International Journal. Paul is a former deputy sheriff and has practical experience working in several specialty units including the problem-oriented policing squad, gang enforcement unit and SWAT team. He was also a military police officer in the United States Marine Corps.
Shamir Ratansi, Ph.D.
Lecturer
Department of Criminal Justice
Shamir Ratansi is a lecturer in the Department of Criminal Justice. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Calgary in Canada, majoring in sociology and criminal justice. Ratansi’s graduate studies include a master’s degree in criminal justice from UCF and a doctorate in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati. Ratansi’s dissertation focused on police handling of individuals with mental disorders. His primary research interests in the criminal justice field are policing, criminology, criminal justice administration and situational crime prevention. He also conducts research on research methodology and data analysis.
Soyoung Park, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
School of Teacher Education
Soyoung Park is an assistant professor in the School of Teacher Education. She received her doctorate in special education with a concentration in learning disabilities and behavior disorders from the University of Texas at Austin. She specializes in developing evidence-based mathematics interventions to identify effective instructional strategies for students with learning disabilities. Park also focuses on providing high-quality guidelines to both pre-service and in-service teachers with the goal of enhancing their expertise in data-based individualization for mathematics intervention.
Steve Haberlin, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Learning Sciences and Educational Research
Steve Haberlin is an assistant professor of curriculum and instruction in the Department of Learning Sciences and Educational Research. Haberlin’s research focuses on the implementation of mindfulness and meditation practices in K-12 and higher education settings. He received his master’s degree in gifted education and his doctorate in curriculum and instruction from the University of South Florida. Haberlin’s research centers on studying the use of brief meditation practices with higher-education students and working to advance understanding of how to facilitate these practices in the classroom.
Susan Catapano, Ed.D.
Lecturer
School of Teacher Education
Susan Catapano is a lecturer of early childhood education in the School of Teacher Education. She brings more than 30 years of experience as an early childhood director, educator and leader. Catapano has been a professor and department chair at several universities. She also has extensive global experiences as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Belize and a consultant to the Ministry of Education in Belize. She has led more than 300 students to Belize to work in schools and community agencies. Catapano is also a licensed elementary school media specialist and librarian.
Tonya Noldon-Randall, J.D.
Visiting Lecturer
Department of Legal Studies
Tonya Noldon-Randall joins the Department of Legal Studies as a visiting lecturer, where she will serve as the new head coach of the Moot Court team as well as the faculty advisor to the Legal Honor Society. Noldon-Randall is a licensed attorney in Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Ohio, as well as a member of the Federal Bar Association. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law and her bachelor’s degree in economics from Cornell University.
Xinyi Mao, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Educational Leadership and Higher Education
Xinyi Mao is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Higher Education. She earned her doctorate in educational leadership and policy analysis from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Mao's research centers on school leadership and improvement, where she examines how educational policies can foster equity and diversity for both educators and students. Her work has been published in reputable journals such as Educational Management Administration & Leadership, the International Journal of Educational Research, Asian Pacific Education Review, and the International Journal of Mathematics and Science Education. She also serves as a reviewer for various esteemed journals and national conferences.