Graduate Student Profiles

Our graduate programs attract the best and brightest in their fields and many of our students go on to have successful careers in academia, education and health. We encourage you to explore their profiles and learn more about their accomplishments.

Results for: Educational Leadership & Policy
 
 

Preston Achilike

Educational Leadership & Policy

Cheryl L Alexander

Educational Leadership & Policy

Evelyn  Ambriz

Evelyn Ambriz

Educational Leadership & PolicySocial Reproduction, Race, Equity, Diversity, Higher Education

Priscilla S Aquino Garza

Priscilla S Aquino Garza

Educational Leadership & PolicyPriscilla Aquino Garza is a doctoral student in the Policy and Planning in the Department of Education Leadership and Policy at the University of Texas College of Education. Her research interests include teacher preparation, selection, placement, teacher labor markets, diversification of teacher workforce, culturally responsive pedagogy, and various school-based programs that support success in low-income Latinx and African-American students in public schools. She is currently a member of a research team led by Dr. Jennifer...

Megan Arenas-Goossen

Megan Arenas-Goossen

Educational Leadership & Policy

Andrea A Arispe

Educational Leadership & Policy

Elizabeth  Aritonang

Elizabeth Aritonang

Educational Leadership & PolicyElizabeth Aritonang is a doctoral student in the Education Policy and Planning Program at The University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests include education finance, school climate, state level education policies and governance. Proudly from Queens, New York, she obtained a BA in English and MS in Education Administration and Policy Studies from SUNY Albany. Elizabeth is a product of the Educational Opportunities Program, a college access program serving economic and historically disadvantaged...

Temesghen Asmerom

Educational Leadership & Policy

Savneet Bains

Savneet Bains

Educational Leadership & PolicyIdentifying the challenges faced by students while navigating their college journey and the impact it has on their career development, specifically for first-generation college learners and students of color. Savneet wishes to formulate learning strategies to reduce attrition and increase graduation rates, thereby leading to a student-centric pedagogy.

Argelia Barrera

Educational Leadership & Policy

Marion E Baughman

Educational Leadership & Policy

Bethany D Bell

Bethany D Bell

Educational Leadership & PolicyBethany Bell (she/her) is a doctoral student interested in research that focuses on strategic enrollment management (SEM) practices and organizational structure, examining student barriers to degree pathways, and the registrar’s role across the higher education landscape. She earned her bachelor’s in criminal justice with a minor in psychology from Sam Houston State University and her Master of Public Administration from Texas State University. Bethany has worked in higher education for over fifteen years in...

Brandon Besses

Educational Leadership & Policy

Rachel W Boggs

Rachel W Boggs

Educational Leadership & PolicyRachel Boggs is a doctoral student in the Education Policy and Planning Program at The University of Texas at Austin. She holds a B.A. in Political Science and M.Ed. in Elementary Education from The University of Notre Dame. Experiences as an elementary school teacher informed her perspective on the challenges communities face when addressing educational inequity and increasing opportunities for all children. Rachel is interested in how social contexts influence education and how policy can...

Victoria R Boykins

Educational Leadership & Policy

Kamil Q Brown

Kamil Q Brown

Educational Leadership & Policy| Social politics of college access | race-consciousness educational equity | organizational change in higher education | admissions and enrollment management

Shawntal Z Brown

Shawntal Z Brown

Educational Leadership & PolicyShawntal Z. Brown (she/her/hers) is a part-time doctoral student in the Higher Education in Leadership Program at UT Austin. She anticipates that her research will focus on analyzing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at universities and colleges. She is interested in the conceptual framework of diversity dishonesty as she inquires if universities are adequately supporting DEI initiatives. Currently, she is a senior outreach coordinator for Inclusive Campus Support in the Division of Diversity and Community...

Rebecca A Buckalew

Educational Leadership & Policy

Christina Bui

Christina Bui

Educational Leadership & Policy
M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Policy, expected 2025Christina Bui is a first-year Master's student in the Program for Higher Education Leadership at UT Austin. She is also a full-time employee on campus, serving as the Program Coordinator for PACE, an award-winning co-enrollment and first-year success program. In her work, she teaches multiple seminars a year, plans large programmatic events, leads a team of peer mentors, and advises. Christina is interested in first-year student engagement, low-income and first-generation student experiences, curriculum development, and...

Abby E Burke

Educational Leadership & Policy

Bernice Calderon

Educational Leadership & Policy

Mary L Cantu-Garcia

Educational Leadership & Policy

Eva E Casas

Educational Leadership & Policy

Juliana T Castillo

Educational Leadership & Policy

Joel D Castro

Educational Leadership & Policy

Krysta E Chacon

Educational Leadership & Policy

Avani Chhaya

Avani Chhaya

Educational Leadership & PolicyAvani Chhaya is a Master’s student in Educational Leadership and Policy. Her research interests center around issues of equity, particularly with low-income and second-generation student populations. In the fall of 2017, Avani was selected as a Policy Fellow with Leadership for Educational Equity. Avani brings a background teaching English Language Arts to fifth and sixth graders in New Orleans. She attended The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she obtained her English and secondary education...

Vivian A Cigarroa

Educational Leadership & Policy

Kimberly  Clarida

Kimberly Clarida

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Education Leadership and Policy, expected 2024Her research interests revolve around educational equity and policy, racial equity with school leadership experiences, and the historical and sociocultural contexts of educational opportunities for Black and Brown students.

Sarah Simi Cohen

Sarah Simi Cohen

Educational Leadership & PolicySarah Simi Cohen is a first-generation, low-income, queer doctoral student in Higher Education Leadership and Policy. Originally from Boston, MA, they graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Sociology from Suffolk University. Sarah continued their studies at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education, receiving an M.S.Ed in Education, Culture, and Society and a certificate in Women and Gender Studies. While obtaining their master’s, they became an integral founder of multiple emerging student...

Rachel G Cohen-Ford

Educational Leadership & Policy

Julianna M Collado

Educational Leadership & Policy

Meagan R Conoley

Educational Leadership & Policy

Meagan Conoley

Educational Leadership & Policy

Karly  Conroy

Karly Conroy

Educational Leadership & PolicyKarly Conroy is a doctoral student in the Education Policy and Planning program. Her research interests focus on special education policy. More specifically, her interests gear towards the process through which children are identified as having a need for special education services, appropriate placement, and the impact of parent participation for students who are identified as having an emotional disturbance, i.e. anxiety, depression, or withdrawal. Currently, she is working as a Graduate Research Assistant on...

Natosha F Daniels

Natosha F Daniels

Educational Leadership & PolicyNatosha's research interests are rooted in collective grassroots organizing and Black parent movements that shift power structures in the education system. Additionally, she is interested in the intersection of capitalism and racial equity in public education.

William J Davies

William J Davies

Educational Leadership & PolicyWill Davies earned a B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy from Boston University and a M. Ed. in Education Policy and Planning (EPP) from the University of Texas at Austin. Following four years teaching English as a foreign language in South America, Will spent five years working as a (Spanish/English) bilingual elementary classroom teacher and three more as a campus literacy specialist in Central Texas public schools. Since 2018 he has worked with Breakthrough Central...

Daniel Dawer

Daniel Dawer

Educational Leadership & PolicyResearch interests include neoliberal education reform, K-12 school organizational conditions, accountability, school choice, teacher working conditions, community-driven school improvement

Andrew J Dewalt

Educational Leadership & Policy

Emily Donaldson

Educational Leadership & Policy

Elizabeth Doyle

Educational Leadership & Policy

Steven Drake

Educational Leadership & Policy

La Kesha Q Drinks

Educational Leadership & Policy

Abigail Emerson

Educational Leadership & PolicyAbigail Emerson is a second year master’s student in Education Policy and Planning. Her research interests include holistic accountability measures, protection for the arts in education, and equitable special education practices. Abigail serves as a graduate assistant for two groups on campus: the Sanger Learning Center and the Longhorn Wellness Network. She is passionate about effective, joyful education systems, and uses her skills in teaching, research, and communication to incorporate this passion into her academic...

Ulili R Emore

Ulili R Emore

Educational Leadership & PolicyRacial disparities in student loan debt at the graduate-school level and its impact on the socioeconomic futures of Black students

Manuel P Esquivel

Educational Leadership & Policy

Margarito Estrada, Jr

Educational Leadership & Policy

Catherine A Flores

Educational Leadership & Policy

Reyna M Flores

Reyna M Flores

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy, expected 2024Her research interests include students from migrant farmworker backgrounds, students from the borderland region of the Rio Grande Valley, and Latina/o/x student success.

Anthony  Fowlkes

Anthony Fowlkes

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership, expected 2025Anthony Fowlkes is a Ph.D. student in the Program in Higher Education Leadership at UT Austin. He also works in a full-time capacity as the Moody College of Communication's first Senior Data Analyst. Anthony's primary research interests are related to students who work while learning. Particularly, Anthony is interested in understanding how working affects students' learning and relates to their post-collegiate outcomes. Prior to his time at UT Austin, Anthony worked as an Assessment Analyst for...

Jennifer T Garcia

Educational Leadership & Policy

Jose A Garza, Jr

Educational Leadership & Policy

Rebecca Gavillet

Educational Leadership & Policy

Danielle Geraci Thoma

Danielle Geraci Thoma

Educational Leadership & PolicyDanielle Geraci Thoma is the director of graduate recruitment and student support initiatives in the Graduate School at the University of Texas at Austin. In her role, she oversees university-wide graduate student recruitment, orientation and convocation. Danielle earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and received her master’s in education in educational leadership and policy in 2020 from UT Austin. Danielle has worked in higher education for over 18 years with expertise in...

Jillian H Gillie

Educational Leadership & Policy

Jennifer Gonzalez

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Education Leadership and Policy, expected 2024Jennifer Gonzalez is a doctoral student in the Education Policy and Planning (EPP) program at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests include critical approaches to bilingual education, the implementation of special education programs for English learner students, dyslexia instruction, and culturally responsive pedagogy.

Lloyd W Graham

Educational Leadership & Policy

Garrett C Groves

Educational Leadership & Policy

Tiffany Guridy

Educational Leadership & Policy
M.Ed. in Higher Education Leadership, expected 2019Tiffany’s research interest focuses on the experiences of Afro-Latinxs students in higher education.

Mike Gutierrez

Mike Gutierrez

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy - Program in Higher Education Leadership, expected 2023Mike earned both a B.A. in Psychology in 2013 and an M.Ed. in College and University Student Personnel Administration (CUSPA) in 2015 from the University of Texas at Austin. His professional career started in the College of Natural Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin as an associate academic advisor with the Texas Interdisciplinary Scholars office where he advised students from across Texas many who were first-generation, students of color and part of the...

Eric  Hale

Eric Hale

Educational Leadership & Policy
M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Policy, expected 2023Eric Hale is a masters student in the Educational Policy and Planning program at the University of Texas at Austin. He received a B.A in Elementary Education from Elon University and a certification in Teaching English as a Foreign Language from Via Lingua in Florence, Italy. He has spent 10 years teaching in schools all over the world. As part of his masters program, Eric researched topics related to: restorative justice practices in schools; charter...

August Hamilton

Educational Leadership & Policy

Shannon Harner

Educational Leadership & Policy

Torri D Hart

Torri D Hart

Educational Leadership & PolicyHigh-stakes testing, public school funding, economic policy, state funding and accountability policies

Michael Hartsfield

Educational Leadership & Policy

Emilee Haskell

Educational Leadership & Policy

Judson Hayden

Educational Leadership & Policy

Alison L Hecker

Educational Leadership & Policy

Alison Hecker

Educational Leadership & Policy

Myra Hernandez

Educational Leadership & Policy

Daniela Hernandez

Educational Leadership & Policy

Lesley Hernandez Silva

Lesley Hernandez Silva

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy, expected 2025Community Cultural Wealth, Equity & Access for Latino/a/x College Students, Latino/a/x Student Success, Asset Based Approaches to Latino/a/x Experiences in Higher Education

Shanley M Hicks

Educational Leadership & PolicyShanley is passionate about best practices in early childhood literacy, prioritizing social-emotional learning, and creating an equitable public education system in which diverse identities and needs are welcomed, valued, and served.

Shannon L Hickson

Shannon L Hickson

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy, expected 2025My research interests include but are not limited to factors impacting the African American experience in higher education - specifically related to career outcomes, workforce readiness, alumni engagement, and giving/philanthropy.

Lauren A Hollander

Educational Leadership & Policy

Kaire J Hopson Onajobi

Educational Leadership & Policy

Jeremy D Horne

Jeremy D Horne

Educational Leadership & PolicyJeremy Horne is a doctoral candidate at the University of Texas at Austin in the Department of Education Policy and Planning. His research examines the intersection of (anti-)blackness and the racial politics of education. Jeremy particularly situates his education research within the liminal space of black studies, from which he explores how the politics of being (i.e., onto-politics) maintain racially stratified notions of humanity in schools. Placing this human antagonism at the center of his...

Tiffany N Hughes

Tiffany N Hughes

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership, expected 2023Tiffany’s research and professional interests include elevating the narratives of students on the margins and examining individual and institutional practices that cultivate diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments for underrepresented and minoritized populations at institutions of higher education, especially institutions of medical education. She is keenly interested in the qualitative exploration of the experiences of minoritized students and the practices that help them foster academic and career success and those that help to sustain students’ mental...

Edgardo Irizarry Arroyo

Educational Leadership & Policy

Lebon D James, III

Lebon D James, III

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy, expected 2022His research examines the role of principals, K-12 educational leadership preparation, and school improvement.

Durrell Jameson-Barnes

Educational Leadership & Policy

Justin Jaskowiak

Educational Leadership & PolicyJustin's research interest is on student staff selection processes and applicant experiences across aspects of identities.

William Jones

Educational Leadership & Policy

Cecelia Jordan

Educational Leadership & PolicyCecelia Jordan is a doctoral student in the Education Policy and Planning Program at the University of Texas at Austin. With over a decade of experience integrating culturally sustaining pedagogy and restorative justice practices with students of all ages, Jordan merges circle, song, writing, and oral storytelling to create transformative experiences amongst Black and Indigenous organizers and leaders of color who are on the frontlines of today’s fights for justice. Jordan's work as a researcher,...

Melanie A Kepic

Educational Leadership & Policy

Melanie Kepic

Educational Leadership & Policy

Noor  Khalayleh

Noor Khalayleh

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership, expected 2026Noor Khalayleh is a doctoral student in the Program of Higher Education and Leadership within the Educational Leadership and Policy department at the University of Texas at Austin. She currently works as a Graduate Research Assistant under the leadership of Dr. Liliana Garces. Noor has a B.A. in Psychology from Youngstown State University and a M.A. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from The Ohio State University. As a Muslim Arab-American, Noor's research interests largely...

Vickie L Kight

Educational Leadership & Policy

Johanna E Kim

Educational Leadership & Policy

Andrew B Kim

Educational Leadership & Policy

Miranda N Larralde

Educational Leadership & Policy

Tamra Lawson Webb

Educational Leadership & Policy

Desiree V Le

Educational Leadership & Policy

Robert F Leary

Educational Leadership & PolicyRobert Leary currently serves as the Assistant Director for Student Conduct and Academic Integrity in the Office of the Dean of Students, where he manages residence life and Title IX case referrals. In this role, Robert provides educational and reflective opportunities to students going through the student conduct process. Robert’s prior professional experience includes working in residence life at The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New York University Abu Dhabi, an international branch...

Meghan D Lehr

Educational Leadership & Policy

Mallory  Lineberger

Mallory Lineberger

Educational Leadership & PolicyMallory Lineberger is currently a doctoral student in Educational Policy and Planning at The University of Texas at Austin, where she leverages research in creation of policies that center educational equity and justice for systematically marginalized groups. Her research interests focus on the race and gender power dynamics of policy making around school censorship and decolonizing curriculum. Mallory’s interest in K-12 education policy is rooted in her fourteen years of experience as an educator. After spending...

Armando  Lizarraga

Armando Lizarraga

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership, expected 2025Community colleges, transfer students, student support services, advising, access programs, fem/mentoring, and postsecondary education programs in correctional facilities

Lizeth  Lizarraga

Lizeth Lizarraga

Educational Leadership & PolicyLizeth's research interests focus on issues of educational equity and opportunity for culturally and linguistically diverse students in K-12. She is particularly interested in Latinx family access, collaboration, and advocacy within the special education system. In addition, she is interested in developing decolonial curriculum in partnership with local school district teachers.

Diana  Long

Diana Long

Educational Leadership & PolicyLatinx education, education reform, gentrification of schools, dual language education, policy evaluation, immigrant rights.

Erin Long

Educational Leadership & PolicyErin Long is a doctoral student in the Higher Education Leadership program. Her research interests include effective learning strategies in the residential halls, how different types of structures effect the student experience, and residential curricular approach. She has earned multiple degrees including a B.A. from Winthrop University in history and political science, a M.P.A. from the University of Delaware with a concentration in non-profit administration, and a M.A. from the University of North Carolina at...

Jennifer Love

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership, expected 2024Jennifer is interested in policy and process design and change management processes within higher education environments. Jennifer's research interests include student financial policies, mentorship, and stranded credits.

Kyle L Maddry

Educational Leadership & Policy

Alejandro (Trae) Madrigal, III

Educational Leadership & PolicyTrae's primary research interests include students’ experiences of schooling and the nature of family decision-making within the school choice process. He is particularly interested in understanding the ways students and families experience and make meaning of marketized and market-influenced educational spaces. Trae is also interested in the history of and alternatives to high-stakes testing, such as the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) exam. His approach to research centers disproportionate negative impacts of...

Raul Maldonado

Educational Leadership & Policy

Rebecca N Marcus

Educational Leadership & Policy

Valeria Martin

Educational Leadership & Policy

Anthony Martinez

Educational Leadership & Policy

Gabriel  Martinez

Gabriel Martinez

Educational Leadership & PolicyGabriel Martinez is a second year masters student in the Education Policy and Planning program in the Department of Education Leadership and Policy. His research interests include reviewing the socio-economic factors that impact particularly young Latino men within the educational pipeline, as well as the effects of community organizing and mentorship. During his masters program, Gabriel worked as a Graduate Assistant for Project MALES (Mentoring to Achieve Latino Educational Success) a research based initiative focused...

Chioma Mba

Educational Leadership & Policy

Quinn McCall

Educational Leadership & PolicyQuinn McCall is a master’s student in the Education Policy and Planning program within the Department of Education at The University of Texas at Austin. His research interests include mathematics education, standardized testing, and issues related to teacher wellbeing. Currently working as a lobbying intern at the Texas Classroom Teachers Association, Quinn meets with legislators and their staff to advise on the potential effects of draft legislation and how best to modify it to best...

Yulanda L McCarty-Harris

Educational Leadership & Policy

Lauren C McKenzie

Lauren C McKenzie

Educational Leadership & PolicyLauren is a doctoral student at the University of Texas in the Educational Leadership and Policy Department. Her research interest exists in the intersection of education and family policy. She seeks to critically examine school choice in early childhood education through an equity lens, cross-racial parent-teacher relationships, and how parents’ experiences shape their perceptions of school. She is currently exploring how families navigate kindergarten school entry and how their experiences are shaped by their sociocultural...

Julio J Mena Bernal

Educational Leadership & Policy
M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Policy, expected 2023Julio is a second-year Masters student in the Education Policy and Planning Program at The University of Texas at Austin. His research interests include the usage of critical frameworks and methodologies, race and ethnic relations, and critical education policy to examine the social, cultural, and economic conditions that affect the educational opportunity and attainment of historically underserved populations. Julio currently serves as a Mentoring Site Coordinator and Research Assistant for Project MALES (Mentoring to Achieve...

Erik Menera

Educational Leadership & Policy

Lindsay Metcalf

Educational Leadership & Policy

Patricia M Micks

Educational Leadership & Policy

Hadiza S Mohammed

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy, expected 2022Hadiza Mohammed is a doctoral student in the Education Policy and Planning Program at the University of Texas at Austin. She has a B.A. in History from Brown University and a Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences degree, focusing in History from The University of Chicago. During her time at The University of Chicago, she worked as a Teacher’s Assistant in the Chicago Public Schools. Her time as a Teacher's Assistant inspired her...

Kendra  Montejos Edwards

Kendra Montejos Edwards

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Education Leadership and Policy, expected 2022The various factors in the p-16 system that impact the access to higher education for Latinx students. The educational experiences and policies regarding undocumented students.

Alicia A Moreno

Alicia A Moreno

Educational Leadership & PolicyHer research interests seek to understand how undergraduate and graduate Latinx students experience racialization, identity formation, and sense of belonging. She also seeks to understand how Latinx students resist structural oppressions and challenge institutional inequities. Additionally, she is interested in how systemic inequities impact historically underrepresented groups’ access and persistence throughout the educational pipeline.

Colleen E Morgan

Educational Leadership & Policy

Dillon Muhly-Alexander

Educational Leadership & PolicyDillon Muhly-Alexander is a doctoral student in the Educational Policy and Planning program at the University of Texas at Austin. Dillon’s research interests are situated at the intersection between education and economic development in rural and natural resource extractive economies. Born and raised in West Virginia, Dillon graduated summa cum laude from West Virginia University with a B.A. in International Studies in 2017. As a Fulbright Scholar in Timor-Leste, Dillon taught at the secondary and...

Nicole Ngaosi

Educational Leadership & PolicyNicole Ngaosi is a doctoral student in the Program in Higher Education Leadership at the University of Texas (UT) at Austin. She is a Graduate Research Assistant under the supervision of Dr. Liliana Garces and is an inaugural recipient of the College of Education Graduate Student Equity Fellowship. Ngaosi’s research interests focus on understanding the role of institutional partnerships to yield long-term social justice priorities at universities. Through case studies, she utilizes a combination of...

Vinh T Nguyen

Educational Leadership & Policy

Monica  Obregon

Monica Obregon

Educational Leadership & Policy
M.Ed. in Education Leadership and Policy, expected 2023Monica Obregon is a graduate student in the M.Ed. Education Policy and Planning program in the Education Policy and Leadership department. She works as a graduate research assistant for the Second Year Experience program. In the past, she has interned at various organizations conducting survey research, literature reviews, and collecting and analyzing data for assessment reports. She was most recently a Southern Education Leadership Initiative Fellow through the Southern Education Foundation based in Atlanta, Georgia....

Kait Ogden

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Education Leadership and Policy, expected 2024As Kait continues to define her specific research interest, she is currently interested in how organizations as racialized structures influence how BIPOC leaders leverage agency in regards to systemic equity work.

Hannah C Orth

Hannah C Orth

Educational Leadership & Policy

Shelly L Osten

Educational Leadership & Policy

Ian P Overman

Educational Leadership & Policy

Kimberly  Pack

Kimberly Pack

Educational Leadership & PolicyImpacts of postsecondary educational policies on student access and outcomes; community college pathways; socioeconomic and class inequities; quantitative methodologies

Daniela P Padilla

Educational Leadership & Policy

Seonggyeong Park

Educational Leadership & Policy

Julie M Parker

Educational Leadership & Policy
M.Ed. in Education Policy and Planning, expected 2023My area of interest centers on the experience of parents as they navigate the special education processes, the evaluation of school inclusionary practices, and understanding the outcome disparity of students with disabilities. My recent proposal's focus is on Dyslexia policy in Texas, the resulting inequity in services and students classification of IDEA or Section 504.

Ashika L Parker

Ashika L Parker

Educational Leadership & Policy
M.Ed. in Educational Policy and Planning, expected 2023Ashika Ganguly is a Master's student in the Educational Policy and Planning program in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy. Her research interests include access to advanced curriculum and higher education for underserved students, teacher recruitment and retention, and customized schooling within a public school setting. Ashika is a former 5th grade teacher and also earned her Bachelor's in elementary education from UT Austin. Ashika has policy experience in early childhood education and childcare,...

Sarah Parkhurst

Educational Leadership & Policy

Alex  Patlan

Alex Patlan

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership, expected 2026Alex is a first-generation, gay, Latino doctoral student in the Program in Higher Education Leadership (PHEL). After serving with Advise TX (an AmeriCorps program), Alex knew he needed to be on the higher-education side to retain and graduate students. As a graduate student at Texas State University, Alex received the Graduate Assistant of the Year Award. He currently works as the Senior Program Coordinator for UT for Me – Powered by Dell Scholars, a program...

Wanda B Paul

Educational Leadership & Policy

Jackie Pedota

Jackie Pedota

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy, expected 2024Racial Equity across the P-20 pipeline, Institutionalization of Diversity Initiatives, Student Activism, University Counterspaces, Campus Cultural/Identity Centers, Oral History, Participatory Action Research

Lorenzo F Pena

Educational Leadership & Policy

Gloria Pena-Spener

Educational Leadership & Policy

Michaela  Pernetti

Michaela Pernetti

Educational Leadership & PolicyMichaela is a doctoral student in the Educational Policy and Planning (EPP) program whose research interest is attaining greater educational equity in PK-12 public schools. She plans to examine how education policies and school-based programs can improve the outcomes of historically disadvantaged students or those with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Michaela has a BA in Political Science and English from Santa Clara University and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago. She...

Jose Andres Pineda Alanis

Educational Leadership & PolicyAndres Pineda is originally from Monterrey, Mexico. He is pursuing an M.Ed. in Leadership and Policy at the University of Texas at Austin and holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from Tecnologico de Monterrey. Andres is the Co-Founder of WER Mexico, the first and largest inclusive educational robotics competition in Mexico. He has also designed and implemented STEM labs in rural public schools in Mexico, reaching over 950k + students. Additionally, Andres is part of...

Austin Pryor

Educational Leadership & Policy

Aaron C Pyle

Educational Leadership & Policy

Kim  Ralph

Kim Ralph

Educational Leadership & Policyteacher retention, education finance, equity, teacher professional development, advocacy

Catherine E Ramirez

Educational Leadership & PolicyCatherine Ramirez is a doctoral student and research assistant in the Program in Higher Education Leadership at The University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests include educational access and equity for former foster care youth in higher education, campus support programs for former foster care youth, and issues of graduate student labor. Catherine earned her MA in English from Kansas State University where she specialized in cultural studies. Before coming to UT, Catherine was a...

Javier Ramirez

Javier Ramirez

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership, expected 2026Coming from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Javier Ramirez (Javi; he/him) is a doctoral student at the University of Texas at Austin in the Program in Higher Education Leadership (PHEL) and a graduate research assistant with Project MALES. His research broadly examines how state and federal policy impacts the educational experiences for low-wealth and first-generation college students. He also examines LGBTQ+, masculinity, and socioeconomic issues within Fraternity and Sorority Life. His research incorporates critical paradigms such as queer...

Bita  Razavi-Maleki

Bita Razavi-Maleki

Educational Leadership & Policy1) English Learner and Immigrant Student Populations 2) First Generation College Students 3) Students with Disabilities 4) College Readiness and Transition to Postsecondary Education 5) Equity in K-12 Education Policy and Practices

Michael Reid Jr

Michael Reid Jr

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Planning, expected 2025Examines federal and state education policy implementation and politics with an emphasis on systems change and equity and K-12 public education as a public good in a post-COVID-19 world.

Tabitha Reynolds

Educational Leadership & Policy

Lesley  Rivas

Lesley Rivas

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Education Policy and Planning, expected 2026Lesley Rivas López is a doctoral student in the Education Policy and Planning program in the Department of Education Leadership and Policy. Her research interests include ethnic studies, the educational access and attainment of Latinx students across the K-20 pipeline, and educational equity for underserved students through policy reform and the building of culturally-responsive support models. Lesley currently serves as a Graduate Research Assistant for Project MALES (Mentoring to Achieve Latino Educational Success), a research-based...

Gabriel  Rodríguez Lemus, Jr

Gabriel Rodríguez Lemus, Jr

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership, expected 2024Gabriel Rodríguez Lemus, Jr. (he/él) research area focuses on three main areas:(1) Latinx/o Boys & Men, specifically Queer & Trans* Latinx/o Students, (2) Latinx/a/o Doctoral Students, and (3) Qualitative Research Methods, specifically Visual & Arts-Based Methodologies.

Sandra E Rojas

Educational Leadership & Policy

Katelyn  Rood

Katelyn Rood

Educational Leadership & Policy

Hilary N Routon

Hilary N Routon

Educational Leadership & PolicyHilary is a part-time master's student in the Program in Higher Education Leadership. She also works full-time as the custom program manager at University Extension at TEXAS Extended Campus, where she collaborates with over 25 different on-campus units to provide unique programming to diverse populations of students. She has been at the university since August 2014 and TEXAS Extended Campus since December 2015. Before joining UT, Hilary worked at a trilingual language school in Austin,...

Alexandra Ryan

Educational Leadership & Policy

Wonsun Ryu

Educational Leadership & Policy

Veronica Saenz

Educational Leadership & Policy

Mark S Samuel

Educational Leadership & Policy

Ruben J Sarinana

Educational Leadership & Policy

Yacine A Sarr

Educational Leadership & Policy

Chrystal Schnick

Educational Leadership & Policy

Sarah Shields

Educational Leadership & Policy

Lauren M Shook

Lauren M Shook

Educational Leadership & PolicyLauren Shook is a Ph.D. student in Education Policy and Planning at the University of Texas Austin. Her research interests center on how educational systems provide access and preserve advantage for students differently based on race, gender, and socioeconomic status. She is particularly interested in examining college access and success through a critical lens and exploring how institutional affirmation of identity affects student outcomes. She hopes to contribute to scholarship, teaching, and service which makes...

Jessica E Silva

Educational Leadership & Policy

Rebekah Skelton

Rebekah Skelton

Educational Leadership & PolicyRebekah's policy interests include the intersection of public education and prison abolition; school climate and disciplinary practices; and redesigning school curriculum as a means to improve student engagement and school culture, and to divest from carceral practices in schools.

Taylor Smith

Educational Leadership & Policy

Ashley Smith

Educational Leadership & Policy

Gerard E Smithwrick

Gerard E Smithwrick

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership, expected 2026Gerard E. Smithwrick is a New Jersey native and currently, a doctoral student in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy pursuing his Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership at The University of Texas at Austin. He earned his Bachelor's degree in History from Kean University, followed by earning his Master's degree (M.S.) in Higher Education Administration from Barry University. Scholastically, Gerard is interested in researching the development of leadership and involvement in Black students at...

Gerard E Smithwrick

Gerard E Smithwrick

Educational Leadership & PolicyGerard E. Smithwrick (he/him/his) is a New Jersey native and a doctoral student in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy’s Ph.D. Program in Higher Education Leadership at The University of Texas at Austin. He earned his Bachelor's degree in History from Kean University, and his Master's degree (M.S.) in Higher Education Administration from Barry University. Scholastically, Gerard is interested in researching the development of leadership and involvement in Black students at predominantly white institutions...

Janet Solis Rodriguez

Educational Leadership & Policy

Jinane Sounny-Slitine

Jinane Sounny-Slitine

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership and Policy, expected 2023Arab student experiences, sense of belonging, academic advising, equitable policy making, social justice, and critical theories.

Jennifer L Spears

Educational Leadership & Policy

Natalie Spitzer

Educational Leadership & PolicyNatalie Spitzer is a doctoral student in the Education Policy and Planning program at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests center around the intersection of climate change and education, examining the effects of natural disasters on under-resourced school and systems, increasing the knowledge exchange between researchers and school administrators in order to advance and support practice, and school-community resiliency in the face of disaster. Natalie's career in education started as an early childhood...

Amy D Stewart

Educational Leadership & Policy

Brinn C Strenger

Educational Leadership & Policy

Tasneem Sultana

Educational Leadership & PolicyTasneem is a doctoral student in the Program in Higher Education Leadership at UT Austin. Her research examines how life events and policy changes affect student outcomes, and their implications for intergenerational mobility. Her experience as a lecturer at a University in Bangladesh served as an eye opening experience of the wide preparation gap among students despite having equivalent degrees. Consequently, she aspires to work in the higher education sector with a goal of making...

Amna K Syed

Educational Leadership & Policy

Jewel Talbert

Educational Leadership & Policy

Mari Tamez Myers

Educational Leadership & Policy

M. Yvonne Taylor

M. Yvonne Taylor

Educational Leadership & PolicyCritical Org Theory Higher Education Women and Gender Studies Qualitative Methods, particularly critical ethnographic and narrative methods Public Scholarship Equitable Instructional Design

Jacqueline R Tellez-Jack

Educational Leadership & Policy

Tyra  Timm

Tyra Timm

Educational Leadership & PolicyTyra Timm is a doctoral student in the Education Policy and Planning Program (EPP) at the University of Texas at Austin. Tyra's research interests are largely shaped by her experiences growing up in South Africa and then pursuing degrees in higher education in the United States of America. She is interested in understanding how race, gender and socioeconomic disparities affect educational outcomes in K-12 education, and exploring the ways that social identity affects student's perceptions...

Grayson D Toperzer

Educational Leadership & Policy

Edgar Manuel  Torres

Edgar Manuel Torres

Educational Leadership & PolicyEdgar Torres is a doctoral student at the University of Texas at Austin. His research interests lie within the inequities that exist among special populations, more specifically, English learners within the public school finance context. During the 2015 legislative session, Torres worked for Texas State Representative Mary E. Gonzalez as a lead education policy fellow. He focused on school finance policy and assisted the representative in drafting multiple bills relating to ELs, standardized assessments, and...

Dana Tottenham

Dana Tottenham

Educational Leadership & PolicyDana Tottenham is a doctoral student in the Executive Ed.D. Program in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. She is an international educator whose professional areas of interest include the intersections of applied anthropology, education, and global mobility. Her research involves reframing international education as social justice work and developing critical consciousness for study abroad alumni. Dana is the Product Director for Academic Innovation in the Office of the Provost at Emory University in...

Andrew Trumpler

Educational Leadership & Policy

Tuff Tuff

Educational Leadership & Policy

Maria Del Carmen Unda

Educational Leadership & PolicyMaría Del Carmen Unda (she/her/ella) is a first-generation Mexican/Xicanx doctoral student in the Education Policy and Planning program at the University of Texas at Austin. Currently, she works as a Fellow with the National Latino Education Research and Policy Project (NLERAPP) under the tutelage of Dr. Angela Valenzuela. Her research examines teachers of color, issues of equity and opportunity pertaining specifically to Latinx students in the K-12 education system, and qualitative methodology. Before beginning her...

Vallery Valle

Educational Leadership & Policy

Mario A Villa

Mario A Villa

Educational Leadership & PolicyMario's research interests include student financial literacy, policy around Title IV funding, higher education finance, enrollment management, Title IX, masculinity and the developmental journey of college men and the current political volatility/public perception of higher education. His aspiration is to be a scholar-practitioner where he hopes his research informs policy development to allocate federal, state, and university funding to establish mandated financial wellness centers and financial planners to serve higher education students amidst the student...

Monica H Vu

Educational Leadership & Policy

Kimberly D Waltmon

Educational Leadership & Policy

Jennifer L Wang

Educational Leadership & Policy

Del J Watson

Educational Leadership & Policy

Evan  Weinstein

Evan Weinstein

Educational Leadership & Policy
M.Ed. in Education Policy and Planning, expected 2023His expertise and interests are pertaining to many areas of broad education policy, which include topics in higher education and special education. He is interested in student development in higher education, accessibility services at the university level, accessible resources within public school as well, and how standardized testing overall impacts students with disabilities. He is passionate about ensuring students of all backgrounds are successful in their journeys and have the resources to lead them where...

Priscilla W White

Educational Leadership & Policy

Olivia C White

Educational Leadership & Policy

Carly  Williams

Carly Williams

Educational Leadership & PolicyCarly Williams is a master's student in the Higher Education Leadership program. Since graduating with her bachelor's degree from The University of Texas at Austin, she has worked for her alma mater as a member of the Office of Admissions' Access & Inclusion team. Her interests include enrollment management, student success initiatives, and international education.

Janee R Wilson

Educational Leadership & Policy

Janeva Wilson

Educational Leadership & Policy

James Wiser

James Wiser

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership, expected 2023James Wiser is the Dean of Library Services & Educational Technology at Abilene Christian University (ACU) in Abilene, Texas. A member of the Executive EdD in Higher Education Leadership 2021 cohort, his research interests are academic libraries, scholarly communication, bibliometrics, qualitative methods, and higher education management. Prior to his current position at ACU, he held librarian or library-related positions at the Community College League of California, SAGE Publishing, SCELC, Pepperdine University, and General Motors.

Jeffrey A Witthuhn

Educational Leadership & Policy

Greg  Worthington

Greg Worthington

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Planning, expected 2021Generally, Greg's research interests include the nexus of education policy, urban policy, and community development, and Xicana/o/x studies. Specifically, his research focuses specifically on the effects of market-based educational reforms on public schools and a developing a narrative of the poverty, struggle, and accomplishment of Xicana/o/x and Latina/o/x peoples in San Antonio, Texas. His research experience also involves the effect of economic revitalization programs on education in impoverished contexts, the sociological and educational effects of...

Jennifer C Zamora

Educational Leadership & Policy

Delina Zapata

Educational Leadership & Policy

Alicia Zapata

Educational Leadership & Policy