Congratulations!
2018 Cohort
Phani Duggirala, Ed.D.
B.S., 1990, Andhra University, India
M.S., 1993, Osmania University, India
M.A.T., 2011, Mercer University
Dissertation: Examining the Effect of the Think-Aloud Instructional Strategy on ELL Student Performance in
Middle School Mathematics Classrooms
Chair: Dr. Pier A. Junor Clarke
Pam Liu, Ed.D.
B.A., 2011, Duke University
M.Ed., 2016, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Dissertation: Is Race a Criteria?: A Case Study on Algebra I Teachers’ Conceptualizations of Equity In Track Recommendations
Chair: Dr. Pier A. Junor Clarke
Lawrence Duane Robinson, Ed.D.
B.M., 1996, DePaul University
M.S., 2000, National-Louis University
M.Ed., 2005, Saint Xavier University
Dissertation: The Impact of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy on the Continued Participation of African American
Male Chorus Students in a Chorus Classroom
Chair: Dr. Chantee Earl
Amy Noel Sery, Ed.D.
B.F.A., 2005, Georgia State University
M.Ed., 2010, Lesley University
Dissertation: Navigating Chaos and Taking Risks: An Art Teacher’s Experience Through A/r/tography …and a Pandemic
Chair: Dr. Melanie Davenport
2017 Cohort
Cletis Geraldine Kenya Allen, Ed.D.
B.A., 2011, Emory University
M.Ed., 2013, Georgia State University
Ed.S., 2015, Mercer University
Dissertation: A Document Analysis of the Presence and Relationships Between Schwab’s Four Commonplaces in a
Literacy Curriculum That’s Adopted in High-Needs Schools
Chair: Dr. Diane Truscott
LaToya Morgan Byrd, Ed.D.
B.S.E., 2011, Georgia State University
M.Ed., 2014, Georgia State University
Dissertation: Teacher’s Narratives: Navigating Culturally Responsive Teaching in Upper Elementary Mathematics
Classrooms
Chair: Dr. Shonda Lemons-Smith
Danielle Corrine Floody, Ed.D.
B.S., 2010, Georgia State University
M.S., 2013, Georgia State University
Dissertation: Teacher Mentor and Mentee Stories: Mentorship as Opportunity for Teachers’ Professional Capital
and Cultural Proficiency Development
Chair: Dr. Caroline C. Sullivan
Rebecca Lane Eswine, Ed.D.
B.S., 2012, Georgia State University
M.Ed., 2013, Georgia State University
Dissertation: Stories from the Bridge: Special Education Teachers’ Experiences with Inclusion and High-Quality
Instruction for Students with Severe Disabilities
Chair: Dr. DaShaunda Patterson
James Kennedy Mead, Ed.D.
B.S., 2015, Georgia State University
M.Ed., 2016, Mercer University
Dissertation: Teachers’ Experiences Incorporating Students’ Funds of Knowledge into Scripted Curricula
Chair: Dr. Cathy Amanti
Corey Williams, Ed.D.
B.S., 2007, Georgia State University
M.A.T., 2011, Georgia State University
Dissertation: The Effect of the College Board AP Registration Process on African American Students’
Participation Rates on AP Exams
Chair: Dr. Pier A. Junor Clarke
2016 Cohort
Darline Douangvilay, Ed.D.
B.S., 2010, Union University
M.Ed., 2015, Trevecca Nazarene University
Dissertation: “Kids Can Change the World”: An Action Research of Latinx English Language Learner Students’ Experiences in Culturally Relevant Morning Meetings
Chair: Dr. Sue Kasun
Adrian Denise Dunmeyer, Ed.D.
B.A., 2010, Savannah State University
M.A.T., 2014, Clayton State University
Dissertation: Sista-to-Sista: Black Women Teachers (Re)Examining Their Experiences with Stereotypes and Oppression in Secondary Schools
Chair: Dr. Gholnecsar Muhammad
Sonia Michelle Howard, Ed.D.
B.S., 2010, Georgia Institute of Technology
M.A.T., 2012, Georgia State University
Dissertation: “I Can Overcome That:” Counterstories of Black Secondary Science Teachers’ Positional Identities
Chair: Dr. Natalie King
Hafeez Mohamedali Merchant, Ed.D.
M.A., 2012, Institute of Ismaili Studies, London
M.T., 2012, Institute of Education, London
Dissertation: Becoming Mentors: Mentor Praxis and Self-Directed Development
Chair: Dr. Caroline C. Sullivan
Kamaria Rehema Shauri-Webb, Ed.D.
B.A., 2004, University of Pennsylvania
M.A.T., 2006, Emory University
Dissertation: Your Tracks are Showing: Understanding the Experiences of Black Girls in a Middle School with Racialized Tracking
Chair: Dr. Michelle Zoss
Alyse Haliburton Showers, Ed.D.
B.S., 2011, Georgia State University
M.Ed., 2012, Georgia State University
Dissertation: Cognitive Dissonance and Special Education Teachers: Examining Instructional Decisions in a
High-States Testing Era
Chair: Dr. Diane Truscott
2015 Cohort
Margaret W. Dantzler, Ed.D.
B.A., 2012, University of Florida
MAT, 2014, Georgia State University
Dissertation: How it Lives in Me is the Work: A Mother and Daughter’s Critical Collaborative Autoethnography Navigating and Deconstructing White Fragility
Chair: Dr. Teresa Fisher-Ari
Jennifer Kathleen Henderson, Ed.D.
B.S., 1992, Florida State University
M.S., 1997, Regis University
Ed.S., 2010, Lincoln Memorial University
Dissertation: Shifting Professional Dialogue: Engaging Algebra I Teachers in Research-Based Professional
Development
Chair: Dr. Pier Junor Clarke
Julie McFaddin, Ed.D.
B.A., 1998, Clemson University
M.A., 2007, Kennesaw State University
Dissertation: Cognitive Dissonance and Teachers: When Beliefs and Mandates Collide
Chair: Dr. Lynn Hart
Hannah H. Oldham, Ed.D.
B.S.Ed., 2007, University of Georgia
B.A., 2007, University of Georgia
M.Ed., 2015, Georgia State University
Dissertation: Mathematics Self-Efficacy in High School Students and the Effects of Interim Goal Setting: How Goals and Efficacy are Linked in the Self-Efficacy Goal Spectrum
Chair: Dr. Pier A. Junor Clarke
Erica Marie Hicks Pendleton, Ed.D.
B.S., 2003, Temple University
M.S., 2012, Central Michigan University
Dissertation: Art Talk/Creative Talk Time (C.T.T.): A Framework for Using Student-Teacher Conversation as an Instructional Tool
Chair: Dr. Melanie Davenport
Mariana Stone, Ed.D.
B.S., 1998, Universidad Nacional de La Pampa
M.A., 2001, University of Florida
Ed.D., 2018, Georgia State University
Dissertation: The Effects of Autonomy-Based Instruction on Motivation to Learn and Academic Performance
Chair: Dr. Gary Bingham
2014 Inaugural Cohort
Akua Appiagyei, Ed.D.
B.A., 2004, Rutgers University
M.Ed., 2009, Georgia State University
Dissertation: The Manifestation of the African-Centered Educational Philosophy in the Pedagogical Practices of an Elementary Education Science Teacher
Chair: Dr. Janice Fournillier
Felicia Baiden, Ed.D.
B.S., 2007, Georgia State University
M.Ed., 2011, Georgia State University
Dissertation: Critical Conversations: A Social Justice-Driven Professional Learning Community
Chair: Dr. Caroline C. Sullivan
Geoffrey Francis Clement, Ed.D.
B.S., 1983, Emory University
M.Ed., 1987, Georgia State University
Dissertation: Exploring the influence of the Singapore Modeling Method on Prospective Elementary Teachers in a University Mathematics Course
Chair: Dr. Susan Swars Auslander
Nicola Ann-Marie Gayle, Ed.D.
B.S., 2006, University of the West Indies
M.Ed., 2012, Georgia State University
Dissertation: An Examination of Pre-K Co-Teachers’ Perceptions and Self-Efficacy in their Present Co-Teaching Experiences
Chair: Dr. Diane Truscott
Sharhonda Tanishia Davies, Ed.D.
B.A., 2006, Spelman College
M.A., 2007, New York University
Ed.S., 2011, Mercer University
Dissertation: Understanding African-American In-Service Teachers’ Perceptions of African- American Students Who are Homeless
Chair: Dr. Chantee L. Earl
Frank W. Jones III, Ed.D.
B.B.A., 1986, University of Mississippi
M.A., 1999, University of Colorado at Denver
M.Ed., 2007, Georgia State University
Ed.S., 2012, Georgia State University
Dissertation: Perceptual Lesson Planning in Middle School Social Studies: An Application of Deweyian Aesthetics
Chair: Dr. Joseph Feinberg
Andrea Kiel, Ed.D.
B.S., 1990, Florida A&M University
M.Ed., 2001, Georgia State University
Dissertation: Handling the Past: Using a Specialized Curriculum to Facilitate Narration of Racial Identities
Chair: Dr. Rhina Fernandes Williams
Kimberley Samantha Latchman, Ed.D.
B.A., 2004, Spelman College
M.Ed., 2009, Georgia State University
Dissertation: Investigating Teachers’ Perspectives of How English Language Learners are Supported Through Communication: An Exploratory Case Study in the Mathematics Classroom
Chair: Dr. Iman Chahine
Lewis Aaron Mullins, Ed.D.
B.A., 1995, Brigham Young University
M.A.T., 2002, Grand Canyon University
Dissertation: Personalized Texts and Second Language Reading: A Study in Self-Efficacy
Chair: Dr. Sue Kasun
Siri Marie Olson, Ed.D.
B.A., 1984, St. Olaf College
M.A.T., 1987, Boston College
Dissertation: Special Education Teacher Retention in Small Schools
Chair: Dr. DaShaunda Patterson
Natasha Nicola Ramsay-Jordan, Ed.D.
B.S., 2003, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
M.A.T., 2009, Kennesaw State University
Dissertation: Examining the Integration and Use of Culturally Responsive Mathematics Pedagogy in Preservice Teachers Reflections and Practice: Implications for Black Children
Chair: Dr. Pier Junor Clarke
Andrew Bryant Spires, Ed.D.
B.S., 2000, University of Georgia
M.Ed., 2003, Georgia College and State University
Ed.S., 2006, University of Georgia
Dissertation: Who’s in Your Classroom? A Narrative Inquiry of High School Students’ Experiences with Caring Instruction and Mathematical Struggles
Chair: Dr. Caroline C. Sullivan
Justin Juan Spurley, Ed.D.
B.A., 2010, Middlebury College
M.A.T., 2012, Georgia State University
Ed.S., 2014, University of West Georgia
Dissertation: A Phenomenographic Analysis of Urban Secondary Science Teachers’ Understandings of Nature of Science and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy
Chair: Dr. Renee Schwartz
Lisa Elaine Stone, Ed.D.
B.A., 1989, Clemson University
M.Ed., 2001, Piedmont College
Dissertation: Open Eyes, Open Minds: A Collaborative Inquiry into the Use of Electronic Books in the Elementary Reading Classroom
Chair: Dr. Teri Holbrook
Todd Williams Wass, Ed.D.
B.A., 2003, The University of the South
M.Ed., 2012, Georgia State University
Dissertation: Students’ Experiences of Design Thinking and Distributed Scaffolding in a Middle School Social Studies Classroom
Chair: Dr. Caroline C. Sullivan
Demetria Rene Wilson, Ed.D.
B.A., 1992, Georgia State University
M.A.T., 2011, Georgia State University
Dissertation: The Effect of Adaptive Learning Software in Mathematics on the Achievement of Sixth-Grade Black Males at a Title I School
Chair: Dr. Pier A. Junor Clarke
