We are pleased to introduce nine new faculty members who have joined the College of Community Innovation and Education. Each brings a wealth of experience and knowledge that will help unleash potential within our students and positively impact the communities we serve. Learn more about their professional backgrounds and what research interests they bring to the college.
Kristen Bjork, Ph.D.
Job Title and Unit: Lecturer in the Department of Counselor Education and School Psychology
Terminal Degree: Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Specialties: Identifying and supporting students with learning disabilities, applying current neuroscience research to educational practices, and connecting our youngest learners with effective early interventions.
Before UCF: Bjork started out as a middle school special education science teacher before beginning her work as a school psychologist in 2012. Throughout her career, she has worked with students in preschool through high school.
Nadiya Boyce-Rosen, Ph.D.
Job Title and Unit: Assistant professor in the Department of Counselor Education and School Psychology
Terminal Degree: Ph.D. in Counseling from Florida Atlantic University
Specialties: Boyce’s primary research interests include social determinants of health within school and clinical counseling practice, microaffirmations and cultural humility. She has written articles on topics related to microaffirmations and social determinants of health.
Before UCF: She completed her master's degree in professional counseling and school counseling from the University of West Georgia and her bachelor's degree in psychology and business administration from Florida State University. Boyce has also served on the Executive and Governing Councils of the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES).
Jessica Camara, ‘19Ed.D.
Job Title and Unit: Lecturer in the School of Teacher Education
Terminal Degree: Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Central Florida
Specialties: During her doctoral studies at UCF, Camara pursued interests in researching teacher preparation programs and scientific learning principles. She investigated the inclusion of science of reading and science of learning principles in the courses of elementary education programs in the State University System of Florida. Her expertise and interests continue to focus on equipping pre-service teachers with pedagogical knowledge and understanding of scientific learning principles to improve learning outcomes for students across all content areas.
Before UCF: Prior to initially joining UCF in September 2023, Camara was an elementary English language arts program specialist for Orange County Public Schools from 2019 to 2021, as well as an assistant principal in Title I schools from 2021 to 2023. During her time as a program specialist, Camara supported the development and writing of ELA curricular resource materials for kindergarten through fifth grade, including distance-learning curriculum and professional development focused on literacy instruction. As an instructional school leader, she aimed to build teacher capacity by strengthening their content knowledge, pedagogical decision-making skills, and delivery of standards-based instruction.
Denisse Córdova Montes, J.D.
Job Title and Unit: Assistant Professor in the Department of Legal Studies
Terminal Degree: J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School
Specialties: Córdova Montes is an award-winning human rights advocate and educator. Her work focuses on human rights approaches to food system inequities, state and local implementation of human rights, and the role of social movements in shaping human rights norms and discourse.
Before UCF: From 2019 to 2024, she was a lecturer-in-law at the University of Miami School of Law and served as acting associate director of its Human Rights Clinic. At the Human Rights Clinic, Córdova Montes taught and supervised law students in cutting-edge human rights litigation and advocacy at the local, regional and international levels. Before joining the University of Miami School of Law, Córdova Montes was based in Germany from 2012 to 2018, where she worked at FIAN International, an international human rights organization that promotes and defends the right to food. Before that, she worked on public health and human rights approaches to address HIV/AIDS at the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in Geneva, Switzerland. She also conducted research on access to reproductive health services by low-income immigrant women in Massachusetts, and she represented immigrants in U.S. immigration proceedings in Florida and Pennsylvania. She currently serves on the board of FIAN International and is a co-founder of the National Right to Food Community of Practice.
Romeo Lavarias, Ph.D.
Job Title and Unit: Lecturer in the School of Public Administration
Terminal Degree: Doctorate in Public Administration (DPA) from Nova Southeastern University
Specialties: Emergency management, ethics and public administration
Before UCF: Romeo Lavarias recently retired as the emergency manager for the City of Miramar, Florida, working there since 2016. He started as the emergency management coordinator (2002) for Miramar, was promoted to Miramar’s public information officer (2007-2014), then as the public works operations administrator (2014-2016). He graduated from the Advanced and Executive Academies at FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI) and has taught ‘ethics and emergency management’ at the Executive Academy. He earned his Florida Professional Emergency Manager (FPEM) designation from the Florida Emergency Preparedness Association (FEPA) and the Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) designation from the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM).
Meiqing Li, Ph.D., AICP
Job Title and Unit: Assistant Professor in the School of Public Administration
Terminal Degree: Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from University of California, Berkeley
Specialties: Her research explores the intersection of sustainable mobility, built environment, travel behavior and the planning process. She experiments mixed method approaches with AI applications to understand planning in a global context.
Before UCF: She worked as a transportation planner in the San Francisco Bay Area. Li is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.
Yinglin Ma, Ph.D.
Job Title and Unit: Assistant Professor in the School of Public Administration
Terminal Degree: Ph.D. in Public Policy and Management from The Ohio State University
Specialties: Her research examines the individual, managerial and contextual factors that influence volunteer learning and self-efficacy development, particularly in public and nonprofit community-service volunteering programs. She also studies nonprofits' strategy, mission and change. Her recent research has been published in Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Nonprofit Management and Leadership, and Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership, and Governance.
Before UCF: She served as an assistant professor at Eastern Kentucky University.
Jae Park, Ph.D.
Job Title and Unit: Assistant Professor in the School of Global Health Management and Informatics
Terminal Degree: Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from University of Florida
Specialties: Park’s scholarly pursuits are centered at the nexus of machine learning and healthcare, where he delves into comprehending healthcare systems through a lens of data. With a keen focus on optimizing the operational dynamics of healthcare systems and enhancing health outcomes, his research orbits around two pivotal themes in healthcare: the investigation of treatment effects and the prediction of health outcomes.
Before UCF: Before joining UCF, he served as a principal researcher within the Healthcare Initiative at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Eunsil Yoo, Ph.D.
Job Title and Unit: Lecturer in the School of Public Administration
Terminal Degree: Ph.D. in Public Administration from the Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg
Specialties: Yoo’s research focuses on collaborative processes and networks among diverse organizations and communities for social justice policymaking and social program implementation. She is also interested in research and practice on building inclusive and collaborative organizational cultures within organizations.
Before UCF: After receiving her doctorate in public administration from Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg, she served as a visiting assistant professor in the public policy leadership program at the University of Mississippi. At both universities, she taught core courses in public policy and public administration, including the nonprofit sector. She has practical experience working with non-governmental organizations in South Korea and abroad in the areas of civic education and conflict management, and she has broadened her experience by participating in nonprofit activities in various roles in the U.S.