UC's CECH welcomes 14 new faculty members for the 2025-26 academic year

Lori Foote, photo/provided

Lori Foote, Assistant Professor-Educator

Lori Foote is a former elementary teacher turned educational researcher at CECH, with research primarily focued in two areas. First, she investigated the ways successful schools provided math instruction and support in the state of Ohio to upper elementary students. Second, she has examined and written about research methods, particularly the use of case study within mixed methods projects. She brings these two passions together as she shifts into the role of assistant professor-educator for CECH. She is teaching Statistics and Introduction to Research Methodology this year, as well as serving as program coordinator for the Educational Studies master's program. When she is not teaching, Lori enjoys gardening and cooking, bike riding and hiking, and spending time with her family.

Kierstin Giunco, photo/provided

Kierstin Giunco, Assistant Professor

Giunco is an elementary literacy researcher and teacher educator committed to practitioner inquiry and teacher agency. Her research leverages qualitative methods within long-term partnerships to explore how PK-8 educators make sense of their context and develop their agency in adapting curricular materials to support and affirm all learners. Giunco's teaching of a sixth-grade advocacy-focused literacy unit in Boston, Massachusetts, which informed her research on students' developing literate identities, earned her recognition on the International Literacy Association's "30 Under 30" list. She brings experience in teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in literacy, curriculum studies, educational philosophy, teacher inquiry and social studies. Giunco is teaching ELEM4016 (Literacy Assessment, Instruction, and Intervention) this fall and collaborating with students, teachers and schools around UC. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and traveling.

Laura Kelley, photo/provided

Laura Kelley, Instructor - Educator

Kelley has worked in education since 2008, including as a classroom teacher with infants, preschoolers and elementary students, and in nonprofit and advocacy organizations. She holds a bachelor's degree from DePauw University, a Master of Arts in teaching from Marian University, and graduated from UC's Educational Studies PhD program in 2018. Since then, she has worked in teacher education and professional development, supporting both novice and experienced educators to provide high-quality language and learning opportunities for young children. She has always believed that baby brains are magic and is thrilled to be back focusing on the birth-to-five range - and she's even more excited to be doing it back at UC. When she is not teaching, Laura is probably spending time with her husband, Andy; wrangling their almost-two-year old, Henry; or baking banana bread. This fall, she is teaching ECE 1005 (Learning ECE Online) and ECE 4025 (Language Development in Young Children).

Ross Nunamaker, photo/provided

Ross "Chad" Nunamaker, Instructor - Educator

Nunamaker has worked in the early childhood field since 2004, including nearly a decade at a high-quality early care and education center as a classroom teacher and administrator. He has worked in parent and teacher education since 2009 and in higher education since 2017. He holds a bachelor's degree in early childhood education from Wright State University, a master's degree in early childhood leadership and advocacy from the University of Dayton and a certificate in early education leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education; he is also a PhD candidate specializing in early childhood education at Concordia University Chicago. His work is rooted in supporting high-quality adult-child interactions, advocating for the early childhood workforce, and building systems that strengthen infant and early childhood mental health and early childhood educator preparation. This fall, he is teaching CI 1001 (Educational Technology) and ECE 4055 (Infant and Toddler Practicum). In his free time, he enjoys reading, building websites and tinkering with technology.

Natalie Bunch, photo/provided

Natalie Bunch, Assistant Professor

A Georgia native, Bunch earned her B.A. in public relations and a sports media certificate at the University of Georgia. She continued her studies at Georgia State University, earning her master's in sport administration while working in sports information. She completed her PhD in kinisiology and health with a concentration in sports administration in the spring of 2025 from Georgia State University. This fall she is teaching SPAD 4041 (Sport Law) and 2040 (Ethical Issues in Sport). One of her personal goals is to run a half marathon in every state. So far she has completed 15 states!

Nicholas Lindgren, photo/provided

Nicolas Lindgren, Assistant Professor

Lindgren (PhD, BCBA) is an assistant professor in the Behavior Analysis Program at UC. This fall he is teaching the Behavioral Research Methods course. Lindgren earned his bachelor's in psychology and master's in applied behavior analysis from California State University, Northridge. He recently graduated from Utah State University where he earned his doctorate degree in disability disciplines. He is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and a Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA) in the state of Utah. His research interests include evaluating the effectiveness of skill acquisition programs for young learners with autism; training staff and caregivers to implement behavior analytic interventions; and determining efficacious teaching practices within behavior analysis. His clinical expertise includes providing behavior analytic services and supervision to preschool-aged children with autism and their staff. He has peer-reviewed publications in a variety of behavior analytic journals and has presented at local, regional and national conferences.

Yuima Mizutani, photo/provided

Yuima Mizutani, Assistant Professor

Mizutani is licensed to practice in Missouri (LPC) and Illinois (LCPC). She is also a National Certified Counselor (NCC) with an emphasis in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC). She received her bachelor's degree in psychology from J.F. Oberlin University in Japan, her master's in clinical mental health counseling from the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL), and her doctorate in counselor education and supervision (CACREP) from UMSL. Mizutani is teaching CNSL 7021 (Counseling Techniques) and CNSL 7020 (Counseling Theories) in the fall 2025 semester. She loves birds and currently lives with a 10-year-old cockatiel.

Katy Wheeler, photo/provided

Katy Wheeler, Assistant Professor

Wheeler (PhD, BCBA, LSSP) joins CECH as an assistant professor of behavior analysis specializing in school-based consultation and collaborative practices to support students with diverse behavioral and academic needs. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), school psychologist and certified therapist in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). Wheeler focuses on building capacity among educators through evidence-based interventions, practical coaching and data-driven decision-making. She is passionate about advancing practices that improve student outcomes and strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration, and her research focuses on behavioral consultation in schools, PCIT and nervous-system level supports to promote emotion regulation in autistic individuals. This semester, Wheeler is teaching ABA II and Ethics for Behavioral Practice and Research. Outside of work, she enjoys reading fiction, playing with her cats and watching documentaries.

A. Lamont Williams, photo/provided

A. Lamont Williams, Assistant Professor

Williams is an assistant professor of sport administration at UC. Before joining the Sport Administration program faculty at UC, Williams was an assistant professor and researcher at San Jose State University. Williams received his PhD in sport management from the College of Education at Florida State University and currently teaches graduate-level sport administration classes. Williams specializes in research such as critical studies, athlete activism, legal discourse and fashion. Williams is also a writer, consultant, tech advisor, board member and strategist (Savant Siempre, LLC), as well as the Founder/CEO of Siempre Sports - a workforce development company centered on standardizing sports front offices through online education. In his first semester at UC, Williams is teaching graduate-level Sport and the Social Context (SPAD 7012) in sport administration.

Monyae Williamson-Gourley, photo/provided

Monyae Williamson-Gourley,
Assistant Professor-Educator

Williamson-Gourley (she/her) earned her PhD in sport management from Florida State University in the summer of 2025. Before pursuing her doctorate, she worked in college athletics as a communications director and sport administrator. For 10-plus years, she excitedly shared the stories of student-athletes, coaches and administrators through various mediums, including feature writing, social media and graphic design.

Her academic training and teaching interests are in sport sociology. She is teaching Diversity in Sport Organizations and Strategic Athletic Marketing and Communications this fall.

Kealy Wohlgemuth, photo/provided

Kealey Wohlgemuth, Assistant Professor-Educator

Wohlgemuth completed both her undergraduate and master's degrees in exercise and sport science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Recently, she completed her doctoral degree at Texas Tech University in exercise physiology. She is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association as well as a Certified Sports Nutritionist through the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN - CISSN). Kealey's research interests include neuromuscular performance, skeletal muscle imaging and resistance training within special populations (i.e., aging, tactical). She taught EXSC 3031 (Exercise Physiology) over the summer and is teaching EXSC 4130 (Kinesiology) in the fall.

Renkai Ma, photo/provided

Renkai Ma, Assistant Professor

Renkai Ma joined the School of Information Technology in the fall of 2025 after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt University. He earned his PhD in Informatics from The Pennsylvania State University, where his research focused on human-computer interaction, social computing, and trust and safety. Renkai investigates how to design and sustain safe and trustworthy online platforms and advanced technologies, with a focus on protecting at-risk users such as social media content creators, video game players, and children/families. He welcomes conversations about the challenges and opportunities of ensuring online safety in the age of advanced technologies like AI and Large Language Models (LLMs). Drawing on his tech industry experience as a UX researcher at companies like Meta and SiriusXM, he is excited to contribute to the School of IT's mission of developing innovative, data-driven solutions for real-world needs. This fall, he will be teaching Network Game Development and Games for Learning & Simulation. Outside of his academic work, he enjoys skiing, listening to music and finding great food.

Emrah Uğurlu, photo/provided

Emrah Uğurlu, Assistant Professor-Educator

Uğurlu earned his PhD in 2016, preceded by two master's degrees - one in Electronic Engineering and another in Computer Engineering. His professional background spans both industry and academia, with hands-on experience in software development, systems integration and system-level testing in complex environments, including on-ground and in-flight systems. Uğurlu's research and teaching interests are primarily in cybersecurity and related domains, including information security, threat intelligence, network and system administration, security automation and orchestration and cloud computing. He also has a strong interest in software application development, optimization algorithms, and advanced topics in computational electromagnetics. This fall he is teaching IT 1080C (Computer Networking). Outside of work, Uğurlu enjoys exploring local events and hiking with friends.

The College of Education, Criminal Justice, Human Services and Information Technology is committed to the pursuit of discovery and excellence in research, teaching and service that addresses real world challenges and opportunities to create positive social change. The nationally renowned college includes four academic schools - School of Education, School of Criminal Justice, School of Human Services and School of Information Technology - operating under the common mission to affect communities in positive ways.