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Faculty, Staff, & Doctoral Students

People - EDL
Photo Contact Info
Justin Bathon
Justin Bathon
Associate Professor, Department Chair
Categories
Faculty
Location
111 Dickey Hall
Phone
(859) 321-4203
Email
justin.bathon@uky.edu
Lars Björk
Lars Björk
Professor
Categories
Faculty
Location
111D Dickey Hall
Phone
(859) 257-2450
Email
lbjor1@uky.edu
Maria Cahill
Maria Cahill
Associate Professor
Categories
Faculty
Location
355 Little Library Building
Phone
(859) 218-2293
Email
maria.cahill@uky.edu
Kristina Hains
Kristina Hains
Associate Professor & Extension Leadership Development Specialist
Categories
Faculty
Location
137 Taylor Education
Email
k.hains@uky.edu
Courtney McCord
Department Success Specialist
Categories
Staff
Location
111 Dickey Hall
Phone
(859) 257-8921
Email
courtney.mccord@uky.edu
Dr. Sylvia Mendez
Sylvia Mendez
Professor
Categories
Faculty
Location
Taylor Education Building, 134B
Phone
859-257-0614
Email
Sylvia.Mendez@uky.edu
John Nash
John Nash
Associate Professor
Categories
Faculty
Location
111 Dickey Hall
Phone
(859) 257-7845
Email
john.nash@uky.edu
Mary John O’Hair
Mary O’Hair
Professor
Categories
Faculty
Location
143B Taylor Education Building
Phone
(859) 257-8921
Email
mjohair@uky.edu
Karen Perry
Karen Perry
Clinical Assistant Professor
Categories
Faculty
Location
641 Maxwelton Ct.
Email
karen.perry@uky.edu
Amanda U. Potterton
Amanda Potterton
Associate Professor
Categories
Faculty
Location
111C Dickey Hall
Phone
(859) 323-7250
Email
amanda.potterton@uky.edu
Beth S. Rous
Beth Rous
Professor
Categories
Faculty
Location
136C Taylor Education Building
Phone
(859) 257-6389
Email
brous@uky.edu
Lu Young
Lu Young
Professor, Clinical Title Series
Categories
Faculty
Location
104C Taylor Education Building
Phone
(859) 257-8921
Email
lu.young@uky.edu

 

 

Doctoral Students

See a listing of EDL doctoral graduates and dissertation titles (1938-present).

Meet the Students

Carlos Aguilar

Carlos Aguilar

Carlos Aguilar is from Lexington, Ky., and is the District Emerging Multilingual/Bilinguals Instructor (ELL) at Fayette County Public Schools. Prior to beginning Ed.D. studies, Carlos earned a BA in Child and Family Studies from Berea College and a MA in Teaching from Dominican University. His research interests include diversity, equity, and inclusion, multilingual learners, historically marginalized populations, historically underserved populations, immigrant and refugee populations, and first-generation college students. Carlos chose the University of Kentucky due to the design of the program for working students, and also the reputation the graduate schools have locally. He enjoys playing guitar, watching anime, and mentoring youth in his free time. Carlos is one of few circle keepers in Kentucky with the National Compadres Network. He can speak multiple languages (Spanish, Portuguese, and English) and is working on his fourth language, Garifuna.
Tonya Bates

Tonya Bates

Tonya C. Bates is from Charlotte, NC, and is a Senior Lecturer at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Before beginning Ph.D. studies, Tonya earned a BA in Psychology, a BS in Biology, and a MS in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. As a first-generation college student, Tonya is interested broadly in STEM student success. More recently, she has been engaging in work around non-tenure track faculty, faculty learning communities, and leadership. She chose the PhD in Education Sciences, Educational Leadership Option for the flexibility and reputation of an online doctoral program at a flagship public institution. Outside work and school, Tonya enjoys traveling and visiting national and state parks. Fun fact is that she has earned 3 degrees from UNC Charlotte. She is excited to be on this journey for her PhD in Educational Leadership from the University of Kentucky!
Chris Brida

Chris Brida

Chris Brida is from Portland, OR, and is the Director of CTE & Pathways (AP/IB) at Portland Public Schools. Prior to beginning Ed.D. studies, Chris earned a BS in Business Administration with a Concentration in Management from Bryant University and a MS in Educational Leadership from Indiana University. Chris is interested in understanding the role of external partnerships in public education. As a dissertation focus, he is looking at the impact of culturally specific partnerships on students' sense of belonging. He was drawn to the three goals of the EDL program: I am not alone, the faculty has my back, and I know what to do next. Additionally, Chris was interested in a large flagship university with a significant research focus, and UK fit the bill perfectly. Most of his free time is occupied by his sweet daughter, Elle, but on the off chance that additional hours exist in the day, he fills them playing golf or hiking in the Pacific Northwest with his dog, Pretzel. He and his wife, Katie, love to travel. Chris was a Division 1 track and field athlete at Bryant University in Rhode Island.
Amy Cummings

Amy Cummings

Amy Cummings is from Charlotte, NC, and is the Title I and Dual Language Immersion Coordinator at Cabarrus County Schools. Before beginning Ed.D. studies, Amy earned a BA in History and Social Studies from Averett University and a MS in Educational Media Technology and Library Media from Radford University. Amy also completed an Education Specialist Ed.S. in Administration and Supervision from the University of Virginia. Amy's research interests involve professional learning, teacher efficacy, dual language immersion, and marginalized populations. She wanted to continue her graduate studies at an excellent research university but needed an online program. A colleague graduated from the University of Kentucky, so Amy looked at their programs and was extremely pleased when she learned about EDL. She enjoys traveling, cooking, reading, and hiking with her husband, John. 
Bonnie Fineman

Bonnie Fineman

Bonnie Fineman is from Windsor, CT, and is the Director of Secondary Curriculum at Windsor Public Schools. Prior to beginning Ph.D. studies, Bonnie earned a BA in English Literature from Rutgers University and a MS in English Literature and Secondary Education from Southern Connecticut State University. Bonnie also completed a Sixth-Year Program in Educational Administration at the University of Connecticut. Bonnie is interested in combining research in leadership, policy, and curriculum to understand central office leaders' styles in the context of a national educational-political ("edu-political") climate that is growing increasingly resistant to culturally, historically, and racially responsive curriculum. She is curious about the degree to which leadership styles in a resistant edu-political climate may vary by the self-identified race, gender identity, and sexual orientation of the leader. Her research also includes inquiry into the areas of crisis management, disinformation/misinformation, multicultural education, and mixed-methodology and its application in the social sciences. Bonnie was seeking geographic and intellectual diversity from what she already experienced by attending universities in the northeastern United States (northern NJ and CT). Before selecting UK, she reviewed the biographies of the students enrolled in the Leadership Studies program and found that they were demographically diverse and had research interests in areas similar to hers. The online components of the program were also very convenient. When not working on her scholarly pursuits, Bonnie has a consistent daily yoga practice to keep her fit and focused. She also enjoys rock climbing, walking in the woods, reading books about history, listening to 90s hip-hop, playing Settlers of Catan, learning from Masterclass, watching documentaries, and playing with her two young boys. Even Bonnie's closest friends may not know that her maternal grandmother lived to 104 and was a swimsuit and fur coat model in her younger years. She is also related to keyboardist Roy Bittan from Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and former Surgeon General of the United States Navy, James Zimble. 
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