Staff
Shannon Sampson
Clinical Assistant Professor
Evaluation Center Director
Department of Educational Policy Studies & Evaluation
205H Dickey Hall
shannon.sampson@nulluky.edu
Shannon Sampson, Ph.D., is Director for the Evaluation Center. Dr. Sampson’s doctorate is in Educational Policy and Evaluation with an emphasis in Assessment and Evaluation related to Foreign Language and English Language Learners. She worked in Fayette County Public Schools as a Spanish teacher and later a District-wide resource specialist for Foreign Language and English Language teachers. She has taught graduate courses in evaluation, measurement, research methods, quantitative methods, and foreign language pedagogy at the University of Kentucky and Georgetown College Graduate School. She has also provided professional development for teachers in Temuco, Chile, on the assessment of student learning. Dr. Sampson is a member of the graduate faculty in the Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation department in the College of Education.
Josh Parsons
Principal Research Coordinator
Evaluation Center
205J Dickey Hall
joshua.parsons@nulluky.edu
Josh Parsons is the Associate Director of the Evaluation Center. Josh received his Master of Arts in English Literature from Mississippi State University, and he earned his Master of Education in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies from Boston University while also working full time at Boston University in an academic administrative role. Before joining the Evaluation Center in 2017, Josh served as Director of Student Affairs at MCPHS University in Boston, managing division operations and finance. His professional experiences include assisting in university accreditation reviews, working as a full time lecturer, editing scientific journal articles and technical reports, managing curricular assessment, assisting in departmental strategic planning, and coordinating academic and administrative projects. His primary responsibilities include managing the Center, its projects, and the Center’s graduate research assistants. Josh is also a Ph.D. candidate in Higher Education at the University of Kentucky.
Candace Davis
Research Administrative Coordinator
Evaluation Center
Department of Educational Policy Studies & Evaluation
205 Dickey Hall
candice.davis@nulluky.edu
Candice Davis is an Evaluation Specialist for the Evaluation Center. Candice received her Master of Arts in Experimental Psychology from California State University, San Bernardino, and is currently completing her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology at the University of Kentucky. Before joining the Evaluation Center, Candice worked as a Research Methods Teaching Assistant for the Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation Department at the University of Kentucky. Candice also worked as a Teaching Assistant for the Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Department at the University of Kentucky. Her primary responsibilities include collecting quantitative and qualitative data, conducting analyses, writing reports, and providing guidance for graduate research assistants on their assigned projects.
Megan Combs
Program Coordinator
Evaluation Center
Department of Educational Policy Studies & Evaluation
205J Dickey Hall
megan.combs2@nulluky.edu
Megan Combs is the Project Manager at the Evaluation Center. Her responsibilities include financial oversight, operations, and logistics of the Center. She holds a Master of Public Administration and a Master of Science.
Graduate Research Assistants
Nan Li is a doctoral student in Quantitative and psychometric methods. She received a B.A. in Media Production from Harbin Normal University, a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Louisville, a M.S. in Accounting from the University of Kentucky, and a graduated certificate in Research Methods in Education (RMinE) from the University of Kentucky.
Yuyan Xia is a doctoral student in Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation at the University of Kentucky. She received her Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education here at UK in December 2018. She has experience working in K-12 education both in China and United States.
Kemi Kolawole is a doctoral student in Educational Policy studies and Evaluation. She received her Master of Education in Educational Evaluation, and Master of Science in Chemistry from the University of Ibadan. She is interested in using the Rasch model approach for developing measurement instruments in education.
Odunayo Omotilewa is a doctoral student in the Educational Policy studies and Evaluation Department at the University of Kentucky. She received her master’s degree in Research Methods in Education, University of Kentucky in 2022 and she earned her bachelor’s in psychology at Madonna University, Nigeria. Her research interests focus on improving learning among students and research on international students.
Former Students
Rui “Bruce” Jin
Jessie Hayden
Mike Moore
Chen Qiu
Advisory Board
The Advisory Board has actively supported the Evaluation Center from its founding in the fall of 2013. The Advisory Board is comprised of members from various College of Education departments and provides planning, oversight, and administrative and sustainability guidance.
Colin Shepley, PhD, Department of Early Childhood, Special education and Rehabilitation Counseling
Margaret Bausch, Ed.D., Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Student Success
Jonathan Thomas, Ed.D., Department of STEM Education
Joan Mazur, Ph.D., Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Sarah LaCour, PhD, Department of Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation
Lu Young, Ed.D., Department of Educational Leadership Studies