Meet Our New Faculty and Staff 2024-25
Dana Abbott is a professor of practice in the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology’s Division of Special Education and Department of Literacy Teaching and Learning. Prior to joining UAlbany, Dr. Abbott was a member of the Department of Literacy and Special Education at The College of Saint Rose since 2004.
Cecilia Bibbò is a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Educational Policy & Leadership. Her research interests include accreditation policies and procedures, comparative higher education, and international cooperation aimed at improving educational quality on a global scale.
Lori Bruner is an assistant professor in the Department of Literacy Teaching and Learning. Broadly, her research explores how texts (both printed and digital) can support early literacy development, with a particular interest in how digital media can support children’s vocabulary learning.
Mary DePascale is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology’s Division of Educational Psychology and Methodology. Her research focuses on understanding and promoting children’s math cognition and development, including the roles of caregiver-child interactions, play-based activities, and informal learning opportunities for early math development.
Michael Johnson is the director of school leadership in the Department of Educational Policy & Leadership. In addition to recruiting professionals to enter the school building and school district leadership preparation programs, he has extensive experience teaching graduate level courses in the SBL and SDL programs.
Haley Muir Knox is a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology’s Division of Special Education. Her research focuses on promoting equity in postsecondary transition planning and increasing access to effective strategies and resources related to acquiring skills necessary for the transition to adult life for individuals with disabilities.
Joelle Mann is director of teacher preparation. Joelle previously served as assistant director of field experience, partnering with local schools to place preservice teachers in their field sites. She entered higher education after a career in secondary education.
Heta-Maria Miller is a professor of practice in the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology’s Division of Educational Psychology and Methodology. Prior to joining UAlbany, she spent 26 years at The College of Saint Rose, teaching a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate Educational Psychology courses.
Olivia Pounds is teacher preparation coordinator. Olivia previously served as manager of research, creative, and community-based projects, overseeing post-award grant funds and coordinating related activities. She is also a member of the SOE's communications team.
Meghan Rees is the academic advisor for the School of Education's undergraduate teacher preparation programs. Meghan is a graduate of the School of Education and is committed to helping students navigate their pathways to careers in education.
Kirstin Seaman is an administrative assistant in the School of Education supporting the academic departments and the Pathways Into Education (PIE) Center. Prior to joining the SOE in April, she worked in the university’s office of human resources for the last 5 years.
Yaqi Shen is an assistant professor in the Department of Literacy Teaching and Learning. As a former English language learner and English teacher, Dr. Shen is interested in biliteracy development, literacy assessment, and classroom-based reading intervention. She aims to conduct studies to inform classroom instructional practices to improve the reading development of children from diverse first language backgrounds.
Scott Storm is an assistant professor in the Department of Literacy Teaching and Learning. He is a former high school teacher with 15 years of experience designing, founding, and sustaining urban public schools. Dr. Storm researches the social and cultural construction of schooling, adolescence, and literacies particularly as they relate to aesthetics and social justice.
Melanie Wilcox is an associate professor in the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology’s Division of Counseling Psychology. Her research focuses on culturally and structurally responsive mental health care, racial and socioeconomic inequity in higher education, and racial and social justice broadly.