New Faculty and Staff 2016

Brief Bios of our New Faculty and Staff in the College of Public Service - September, 2016

Please join me in welcoming our newest faculty and staff in the College of public Service. I know that those of you who have worked with me on the many Search and Screening Committees associated with the hiring of these individuals are well aware of the talents and credentials of the individuals who joined us in the last year or who are beginning with us this Fall. I want to extend my great appreciation to the individuals in our College and across the University who served on the Committees associated with these key positions. 

Interim Dean, College of Public Service

Beverly Alford, Ph.D., M.Ed., B.S., Assistant Professor, Urban Education

Beverly Alford holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education from Texas A&M University, a Master of education degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Early Childhood from the University of Houston, and Bachelor's degree in Health from Texas A&M University. Prior to joining us in the College of Public Service, Dr. Alford was an Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education at The University of Mississippi in Oxford. Her post-doctoral work included a position as Assistant Director of the Education Research Center at Texas A&M University. Dr. Alford's recent and in-press publications include: Using classroom observations to examine classroom instruction for ELLs in elementary school classrooms in the Journal of Bilingual Education Research and Instruction and Using systematic classroom observation to explore student engagement as a function of teacher's developmentally appropriate instructional practices in ethnically diverse pre-kindergarten through second grade classrooms in Early Childhood Education Journal. 

Franklin Allaire, Ph.D., M.Ed., B.S., Assistant Professor, Urban Education

Franklin Allaire holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Educational Foundations with an emphasis in Science Education from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, a Master of Education degree in Educational Foundations/Science Education from University of Hawai'i at Manoa, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Education with a concentration in Secondary Education, Science from Delaware Valley College. Prior to joining us in the College of Public Service, Dr. Allaire taught Biology and Chemistry at the Kalani High School in Honolulu. He is also the co-founder, state director and President of the Hawai'i State Science Olympiad. Dr. Allaire's research interests include the navigation of personal, cultural, and professional identities and content with overt and covert identity-based barriers to achieve success in science. Dr. Allaire's publications include: Person of interest: The machine, Gilles Deleuze, and a thousand plateaus of identity. in P.B. and R. Arp (Ed.), The Philosophy of J. Abrams and Navigating rough waters: Hawaiian science teacher's discuss identity, in Educational Perspectives. 

Nina Barbieri, Ph.D., M.S., B.A., Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice

Nina Barbieri holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Criminology from the University of Texas at Dallas, a Master of Science degree in Criminology from the University of Texas at Dallas, and a Bachelor's degree in Sociology - Criminal Justice form the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. Dr. Barbieri's research interests include understanding the effects and impacts of gender, race, and social class on criminality, as well as juvenile delinquency. Her recent publications include: Arrest as a way out: Understanding the needs of adult female sex trafficking victims identified by law enforcement: A research note in the Journal of Crime and Justice, Understanding school effects on student's willingness to report peer weapon carrying in Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, and A cross national assessment of media reactions and blame findings of student perpetrated school shooting in the American Journal of Criminal Justice. 

Nikea Bradford-McGee, B.S., Department Business Administrator II, Advising Center, Center for Public Service and Family Strengths/Institute for Community Research, College of Public Service, Urban Education

Nikea Bradford-McGee holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Houston. Prior to joining us in the College of Public Service, Ms. Bradford-McGee worked for the University of Houston in the Department of Political Science where she was a Financial Coordinator and for the Moore's School of Music at the University of Houston where she was the Office Coordinator. Ms. Bradford-McGee also brings experience from Rice University where she worked in Human Resources as a Services Coordinator and later, a Records Analyst. 

Stacey Bryant, B.A., Administrative Assistant III, College of Public Service

Stacey Bryant holds a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Houston-Downtown and an Associate of Arts degree in English from Del Mar College. Prior to joining us as the Administrative Assistant III for the College of Public Service, Ms. Bryant attained work experience in correspondence and communication, analysis, and event and project planning. Stacey Bryant has worked as an HR Assistant and Expatriate Administrator for ENI US Operating Company, Inc. in Houston, and as an Office Assistant at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi. 

Joyce Collins, B.B.A., Department Business Administrator II, Criminal Justice, Criminal Justice Training Center, Social Work

Joyce Collins holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Sam Houston State University. Prior to joining us in the College of Public Service, Ms. Collins worked for the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center as a Research Department and Cancer Prevention Department Administrator for the University of Houston as a College Business Administrator, and most recently, for the University of Texas Health Science Center as the Director of Management and Clinic Operations and as an Administrative Services Officer.