College of Education and Human Development
CEHD Welcomes 13 New Faculty Members
August 24, 2015
Mark R. Ginsberg, dean of the College of Education and Human Development, announced this week the appointment of 13 new faculty members.
"It is my pleasure to welcome this outstanding group to the College of Education and Human Development," said Ginsberg. "I look forward to the experience, enthusiasm, and contributions each of them brings to the teaching, research, and service missions of the college."
The following members of the instructional, research, and administrative faculty are part of the college's two schools — the Graduate School of Education and the School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism — and are representative of six of the college's nine divisions.
Division of Advanced Professional Teacher Development and International Education
Director: Professor Beverly Shaklee
April Mattix Foster
April Mattix Foster joins the Graduate School of Education as a tenure-track assistant professor in the Teaching Culturally and Linguistically Diverse and Exceptional Learners program. She holds a PhD in Language, Literacy, and Culture and a master's degree in international affairs from the University of Pittsburgh, and she earned a master’s in teaching from Chatham University.
Mattix Foster has worked as a primary grade teacher at the International School of Amsterdam and the Anglo American School of Moscow as well as teaching elementary and secondary grades in the United States. She has taught graduate courses in international education at George Mason University since 2012.
Mattix Foster is a review panel member for the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program and a co-editor of Focus on Elementary and Activities in the Classroom for the Association of Childhood Education International. Childhood Education recently published her peer-reviewed article entitled "The Gender Journey in Picturebooks: A Look Back to Move Forward."
Division of Child, Family, and Community Engagement
Director: Professor Julie Kidd
Leslie La Croix
Leslie La Croix
Leslie La Croix joins the Graduate School of Education as an assistant professor in the Early Childhood Education program. She received her PhD in Education from George Mason University, with specializations in literacy and early childhood education. La Croix has a master's degree in curriculum and instruction from McDaniel College, and she received a bachelor's degree in psychology from James Madison University.
La Croix has been an adjunct faculty member at Mason since 2009. She was previously a first and third grade elementary school teacher.
She recently co-authored a peer-reviewed article that appeared in ejournal of Literacy and Social Responsibility called "Prekindergarten and Kindergarten Teachers in High-Poverty Schools Speak About Young Children’s Authoring (And We Need to Listen)."
Division of Elementary, Literacy, and Secondary Education
Director: Professor Elizabeth Sturtevant
Andrew Gilbert
Andrew Gilbert
Andrew Gilbert joins the Graduate School of Education as an associate professor in the Elementary Education program. He received a PhD in science education from New Mexico State University, a master's in science education from East Carolina University, and a bachelor's in geology from Virginia Tech. He worked as a science teacher in the Washington DC area before moving into teacher education.
Gilbert's research involves studying innovative approaches to pedagogy as well as utilizing critical science frameworks to inform equitable classroom practice.
Most recently, Gilbert was a program director of elementary education at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia. Previously, he was a member of the faculty at Evergreen State College and an associate professor at Kent State University.
Gilbert is the author of the 2013 book Courageous Pedagogy: Enacting Critical Science Education, and has published several journal articles and book chapters across a range of outlets.
Jennifer Hathaway
Jennifer Hathaway
Jennifer Hathaway joins the Graduate School of Education as an assistant professor in the Literacy and Reading program. She received a PhD from Vanderbilt University in Teaching & Learning with a concentration in Language, Literacy, and Culture, and received the Otto C. Bassler Award for Outstanding Research. Her master's degree and bachelor's degree are in elementary education from East Carolina University.
Hathaway was most recently an assistant professor of reading at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and also taught undergraduate teaching and literacy courses at Vanderbilt. She has held several leadership positions with the International Reading Association and is currently the chair of the Disabled Reader Special Interest Group and a proposal reviewer for the Literacy Research Association.
She is co-author of a book chapter in the International Handbook of Research on Children's Literacy, Learning and Culture and co-author of a forthcoming article in Reading Psychology called "Revisiting the Roles of Literacy Coaches: Does Reality Match Research?".
Division of Health and Human Performance
Director: Associate Professor Dominique Banville
Yahya Abdul-Qaadir
Yahya Abdul-Qaadir
Yahya Abdul-Qaadir joins the School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism as coordinator of the Physical Activity for Lifetime Wellness program and as an instructor. He received a master's degree in recreation administration from George Williams College of Aurora University and a bachelor's degree in sports and recreation management from Temple University.
He has been an adjunct faculty member for George Mason University since 2014 and is a Certified Park and Recreation Professional.
Abdul-Qaadir has wide ranging experience in recreation management, most recently as park manager for the Upton Hill Regional Park & Ocean Dunes Water Park. He also spent several years as a recreation specialist and instructor at U.S. Air Force and Navy bases in Japan.
Jason White
Jason White
Jason White joins the School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism as an assistant professor in the Kinesiology program. He received a PhD from Ohio University, concentrating in human physiology and muscle biology, higher education administration, and nutrition.
He also received a master's degree in sports physiology and a bachelor's degree in biological sciences from Ohio University.
White was most recently an assistant professor at Ohio University's School of Applied Health Sciences. He is the co-author of a recently published peer-reviewed article in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health called "The Physical Activity Energy Cost of the Latest Active Video Games in College Students." He also co-wrote a book chapter in National Strength and Conditioning Association Essentials of Personal Training. Human Kinetics.
Division of Special Education and disAbility Research
Director: Associate Professor Pamela Baker
Grace Francis
Grace Francis
Grace Francis joins the Graduate School of Education as assistant professor in the Special Education program. She received a PhD from the University of Kansas and her master's and bachelor's degrees from Webster University. Her areas of emphasis are full citizenship for individuals with low-incidence disabilities and family-disability support and policy.
Most recently, Francis was a faculty member and director of the SUCCEED program at the University of Missouri - St. Louis. Her research has focused on assessing the Family Employment Awareness Training program.
Francis most recently co-wrote a peer-reviewed article called "Understanding Barriers to Competitive Employment: A Family Perspective" for Inclusion.
Robin Moyher
Robin Moyher
Robin Moyher joins the Graduate School of Education as the assistant director of the Mason LIFE program. She has a master's degree in special education and a bachelor's degree in sociology from Old Dominion University.
Moyher is currently a doctoral student in the PhD in Education program at George Mason University, with a specialization in special education, and is a Virginia Licensed Behavior Analyst. She has has been a graduate research assistant for the Mason LIFE program since 2014 and has taught several courses as an adjunct instructor.
Moyher is the owner of Putting Together Puzzle Pieces consulting and co-founder of Adapted Tae Kwon Do at LeadbyExample Tae Kwon Do, and was previously a special education teacher for more than ten years. She has written, co-written, and edited several articles on autism and intellectual disabilities, most recently “Life Journey Through Autism: A Guide to Safety” for the Organization of Autism Research.
Sarah Nagro
Sarah Nagro
Sarah Nagro joins the Graduate School of Education as an assistant professor in the Special Education program. She received an EdD in special education from Johns Hopkins University. Her master's and bachelor's degrees are from D'Youville College.
Nagro was most recently a doctoral fellow and instructor in the department of special education at Johns Hopkins. Previously, she was a special education teacher and coordinator in Buffalo, New York.
Nagro's research interests are in teacher preparation in special education, particularly in developing teachers to educate students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms. She recently co-wrote a peer-reviewed article called "Evaluating the Evidence Base of Performance Feedback in Preservice Special Education Teacher Training," which appeared in Teacher Education and Special Education.
Rajiv Satsangi
Rajiv Satsangi
Rajiv Satsangi joins the Graduate School of Education as an assistant professor in the Special Education program. He holds a PhD in special education from Purdue University. He has a master's degree in special education from Marian University and a bachelor's in business management from Pennsylvania State University.
Satsangi's research interests are focused on mathematics instruction and assistive technology for students identified with high incidence disabilities. He was previously a secondary special education mathematics teacher in Indianapolis.
Satsangi recently co-wrote a peer-reviewed article in Learning Disability Quarterly called "Using Virtual Manipulative Instruction to Teach the Concepts of Area and Perimeter to Secondary Students With Learning Disabilities" as well as a book chapter called "Technologies for Students With Attention Deficit Disorder" for the Encyclopedia of Educational Technology.
Natalie Summerville
Natalie Summerville
Natalie Summerville joins the College of Education and Human Development as the curriculum and instruction mathematics coordinator for the Virginia Department of Education Training and Technical Assistance Center (TTAC) at George Mason University. She received a PhD in Education from Mason and a master's degree in secondary education from Old Dominion University. Her bachelor's degree in English is from Spelman College.
Summerville has been a special education teacher in the mathematics department at West Potomac High School since 2010. Previously she was a special education teacher in Spotsylvania County Public Schools and Stafford County Public Schools. She received a Mentor Teacher of the Year recognition in 2007.
Division of Sport, Recreation, and Tourism
Director: Professor Bob Baker
Paul Gilbert
Paul Gilbert
Paul Gilbert joins the School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism as executive-in-residence for the Recreation Management program. He holds a master's degree from George Mason University and a bachelor's degree from St. Andrews University, NC.
For a decade, Gilbert was the executive director of NOVA Parks (Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority), and helped grow its enterprise revenues by 70 percent and its parklands by nearly 20 percent. Previously he ran a land conservation nonprofit and worked in the private sector doing marketing and corporate acquisitions.
He has written two books, including High Performance Agencies: The Entrepreneurial Model for Public Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Organizations. Gilbert was a founding board member of both the Virginia Recycling Association and Virginia United Land Trusts. He is a board member and 2014-15 chairman of Visit Fairfax, Fairfax County’s destination marketing organization.
Office of Enrollment Marketing and Recruiting
Alexander Bodenham
Alexander Bodenham
Alexander Bodenham joins the College of Education and Human Development as chief marketing and recruitment officer.
Most recently, he was the director of graduate admissions at State University of New York, Maritime College where he developed and implemented a comprehensive recruitment and marketing plan and led a recruitment staff to achieve significant increases in graduate enrollment at the institution. Alex has held a number of other positions in recruitment and marketing over his career, including a successful tenure as the senior director of admissions at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, where he oversaw the launch of the Washington, D.C. campus, and experience as a higher education marketing and branding consultant.
Mr. Bodenham earned an MBA in marketing from Ohio University, where he also earned a bachelor's degree in vocal performance.
About CEHD
George Mason University's College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) includes two schools: the Graduate School of Education, one of the most comprehensive education schools in Virginia, and the School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism. CEHD offers a full range of courses, certificates, and degree programs on campus, online, and on site to more than 4,000 students each year. CEHD is fully accredited by NCATE and all licensure programs are approved by the Virginia Department of Education. George Mason University, located just outside of Washington, DC, is Virginia's largest public research university.
For additional information:
- CEHD Communications: cehdnews@gmu.edu
- Graduate School of Education: gse.gmu.edu
- School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism: rht.gmu.edu
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