Faculty

Mary Francis Forcier  received her  B.A. in international relations and journalism from Lehigh University and her M.S. and Ph.D. in history and policy from Carnegie Mellon University.  She teaches the history of American higher education, and her research interests include gender issues in higher education and organizational learning in colleges and universities.

In her role as the director of the Colonial Academic Alliance, she facilitates collaborative programs among 12 universities: the University of Delaware, Drexel University, George Mason University, Georgia State University, Hofstra University, James Madison University, Northeastern University, Old Dominion University, Towson University, Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and the College of William and Mary.  The Alliance works with its member institutions in the areas of undergraduate research, international programs, assessment, university advancement, academic leadership development, and student affairs.

She has served in advancement roles at Bucknell University, Lehigh University, and Gettysburg College, and has also worked as a corporate historian and in independent primary and secondary education. She serves on the board of the Association for Consortium Leadership, a national organization of higher education professionals involved in multi-institutional collaboration.

Karen Gentemann, (PhD, University of Pittsburgh), is Associate Provost for Institutional Effectiveness.  Her research interests are in assessment in higher education as well as in survey research,  higher education opportunity for minority students, women in higher education, and community organizing.

Toby Jenkins earned a PhD in Educational Theory & Policy/Social Foundations of Education from Penn State University. She also has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Public Relations from the Honors College at the University of South Carolina and a Masters in College Student Personnel Services from the University of Maryland, College Park.  Her research and professional interests focus on how culture is used as a politic of social survival among communities of color; the utility of non-traditional knowledge production; and the cultural arts as a tool of social resistance. Most recently, Jenkins served as Director of the Paul Robeson Cultural Center at Penn State University. At Penn State, she spent five years implementing a bold strategic vision for the cultural center which included the creation of a programming framework to guide the creation and delivery of programs and services, significant fundraising efforts resulting in $50,000 of raised funds each year, the creation of new staff positions, intentional student outreach efforts, facility enhancements, and critical administrative policy changes. Prior to Penn State, Jenkins spent six years at the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP) where she worked within Academic Affairs as Assistant Director of the Nyumburu Cultural Center and as a Program Manager within the College of Education conducting research assessment and creating outreach programs in the Institute for Urban and Minority Education. At UMCP, Dr. Jenkins also worked in Fraternity & Sorority Life as a House Director and in Student Activities as a Program Board Advisor. Her past professional experience as a student affairs staff member with Semester at Sea as well as her individual research projects and studies have taken her to Greece, Spain, Norway, Italy, Morocco, Egypt, Russia, Belgium, Turkey, South Africa, Senegal, England, Costa Rica, Jamaica, and Trinidad. Additionally, she worked with students from over 40 countries as the resident life director for the Johns Hopkins University Office of Summer Programs. Prior to joining the higher education field, Jenkins worked for Momentum, IMC as an event marketing account executive and Oscar Mayer foods as a media spokesperson.

Mark A. Kidd, (PhD, University of Mississippi), is Associate Dean, Northern Virginia Community College, Manassas Campus.   Research Interests: College Student Development, Student Success, Student Services.

Anne M. Kuhta, (D. A. George Mason University) Professor of English, Northern Virginia Community College, Manassas Campus, has twenty-five years experience in instructional design and adult learning theory. She was named Virginia Teacher of the Year, receiving a Commonwealth of Virginia Commendation. During over twenty years experience in community college teaching and administration, Anne has served as a professor, Assistant Division Dean, and Acting Division Dean.  Since 2001, she has designed and taught distance education courses, applying her knowledge of adult learning styles to the asynchronous learning environment. Her experience in higher education includes teaching and training for the U.S. Army at Ft. Belvoir, VA; the National Defense University's Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies at Ft. McNair, Washington, DC; and the Marine Corps University and War College at Quantico, VA. Her research interests include adult learning styles, community college teaching and classroom assessment techniques, and 20th century American literature.

Jaime Lester, Assistant Professor of Higher Education, George Mason University. holds a Ph.D. and M.Ed. in higher education from the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. Lester also holds a dual B.A. from the University of Michigan in English and Women’s studies. Prior to George Mason University, she was an assistant professor and Co-Director of the Research Center for Community College Inquiry in the Department of Leadership and Counseling at Old Dominion University from 2006-2008. Dr. Lester maintains an active research agenda that examines gender equity in higher education; retention and transfer of community college students; socialization of women and minority faculty; and leadership. She has published articles in the Community College Journal of Research and Practice, Community College Review, Journal of Higher Education, Liberal Education, National Women’s Studies Association Journal, Review of Higher Education, and NEA: Thought & Action. She serves on the editorial board of Community College Review. Dr. Lester has three books on gendered perspectives in community colleges, family-friendly policies in higher education, and ways to restructure higher education to promote collaboration. Currently, she is completing a book on grassroots leadership and change in higher education.

Nance Lucas,  (PhD, University of Maryland), Affiliate Faculty, is the Associate Dean and Associate Professor of New Century College at George Mason University.   Her teaching and scholarship interests focus on ethics and leadership.  Nance is the co-author of Exploring Leadership: For College Students Who Want To Make A Difference (1st and 2nd editions) and contributing author of Leadership Reconsidered and The Social Change Model of Leadership Development.  She co-founded the National Leadership Symposium and the National Clearinghouse for Leadership Programs.

Star Muir is an Associate Professor of Communication in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences; research interests include Technostress, Information Overload, Instructional
Technology, and Environmental Communication.

John O’Connor (PhD, University of Virginia) is a Professor in GMU’s New Century College and Higher Education Program.  Research Interests include Learning Communities, integrative learning, community-based learning and civic engagement.  John is former Vice Provost for University Computing and Information Services and founding Dean of New Century College.

Julie Owen    (PhD, University of Maryland) is an Assistant Professor of Leadership Studies at New Century College, George Mason University, where she teaches courses on leadership theory, social change, and civic action. Owen has fifteen years of professional experience in the field of leadership development and is a frequent consultant and speaker on topics related to leadership, service-learning, and organizational change. She is the author of two monographs for the National Clearinghouse for Leadership Programs and is co-editor of the Handbook for Leadership Educators. She is active on several research teams, including the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership (MSL), an annual study of student leadership at over 100 colleges and universities, and the Leadership Identity Development project (LID). Owen is an eight-time associate with the National Leadership Symposium and received the K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award in 2005. She has assumed leadership roles in numerous professional associations including the International Leadership Association (ILA), ACPA, NASPA, and the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS).
 
Owen received her B.A. degree (1993) in psychology and English from the College of William and Mary, and her M. Ed. (1996) in College Student Personnel Administration from James Madison University. She holds a certificate of non-profit administration from Duke University (2000) and received her PhD (2008) in College Personnel Administration at the University of Maryland, College Park, with a concentration in leadership development.

L. Earle Reybold (PhD, University of Georgia), Associate Professor, College of Education and Human Development. I teach qualitative research methods, ethics in higher education, and theories of adult learning and development. My research interests include faculty roles and responsibilities, professional ethics and epistemology, interdisciplinary, and qualitative research applications. I have published data-based articles in the Journal of College Student Development, Innovative Higher Education, Journal of the Professoriate, Journal of Career Development, Journal of Adult Development, International Journal of Lifelong Education, and other journals. Before I began my Ph.D. in adult education, I served as a research associate at the James M. Cox Center for International Mass Communications Training and Research (UGA). While there, I co-edited two books, including Revolutions for Freedom: The Mass Media in Eastern and Central Europe and The Post-Communist Press in Eastern and Central Europe: New Studies. Also, I developed and taught workshops for international journalists who were developing free press systems in their countries. My other international research projects include thesis and dissertation projects conducted in Malaysia. I have organized multiple qualitative evaluations of statewide and institutional programs with the Georgia Department of Education and the Occupational Research Group at The University of Georgia, and I continue a strong collaborative relationship with community and government partners. My research agenda continues to study faculty preparation and development across the career, particularly in relation to socialization, mentoring, and professional conflict; and my research continues to develop a vision for ethical communities of practice in higher education. I welcome questions and comments about any of these issues.

Todd Rose (PhD, University of Southern Mississippi) joined George Mason University in April 2010 as Associate Dean in University Life.  He provides leadership and supervision for the departments of Orientation and Family Programs and Services, The Office of Student Involvement, and the Office of Student Media.  He also serves as the University Life liaison with the Women and Genders Studies Center.  Todd has worked in higher education for over 20 years at a variety of institutions.  His previous experiences were at Baldwin-Wallace College (OH), Emory University (GA), and Millsaps College (MS).  His primary research interests are the areas of student development and engagement, and collaborative relationships in and among universities.  He has a BBA in Finance (with a minor in Economics) from Southern Methodist University, an MBA from Baldwin-Wallace College, and  a PhD in Educational Leadership and Research from  the University of Southern Mississippi.

Prior to his career in higher education, Todd worked in the commercial lending division of a bank in Nashville, TN.

Victoria N. Salmon, (D.A., George Mason University), Associate Professor and Assistant Dean, Graduate Studies, College of Visual and Performing Arts. Research Interests: Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Writing Across the Curriculum, Graduate Level Research and Writing

Kelly Schrum, (PhD, Johns Hopkins University) Director of Education Projects, Center for History and New Media; Co-director of National History Education Clearinghouse; Associate Professor of Higher Education.  Kelly is the author of Some Wore Bobby Sox: The Emergence of Teenage Girls' Culture, 1920-1950.Other publications include U.S. History Matters: A Student Guide to History Online and World History Matters: A Student Guide to History Online. Schrum has worked extensively in the areas of 20th-century American culture, new media, and professional development.  Research interests include teaching and learning, online learning, digital humanities, and history education.

Linda Schwartzstein, (JD, University of Michigan; PhD, George Mason University), Adjunct Faculty, is a Professor of Law and Vice Provost for Academic Affairs.

Lesley Smith, (PhD), University of Oxford) Associate Professor, New Century College; Editor, invention, a national electronic journal of creative thinking about the scholarship of learning and teaching.  Research interests: students' historical, emotional, and psychological access to technology-enriched learning.

Dr. Anthony Tardd (Ed.D. Virginia Tech.) is Emeritus Provost of the Loudoun Campus of Northern Virginia Community College.  He has over 37 years of experience as a community college administrator and faculty member.  He served as provost of two NOVA campuses and opened four of its off-site centers.  Dr. Tardd has been a community college dean of student development, an instructional dean, director of student benefits and support services, counselor, and faculty member.  Dr. Tardd has worked with both the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Middle States Association as either chair or team member of more than 30 reaffirmation of accreditation committees.  He has also been the recipient of both DOE and NSF grants.  Dr. Tardd’s research interests include: The Community College, Student Success, Learning Communities, and Regional Accreditation.    

Dennis Webster, (PhD, University of Maryland), Associate Dean, University Life.

Mary Zamon has a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration  from George Mason, BS and MS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Webster University. Before becoming an educator, she worked for the Agency for International Development. Mary has been in education for almost 30 years, teaching at every level- pre K-12 through doctoral students. She was also Director of Training for the Peace Corps in the Czech Republic and taught history in the Fairfax system, at NVCC, and Marymount University. Mary was also a learning specialist in Marymount's learning center. at George Mason she was Director of Undergraduate Academic Programs in the GMU's College of Arts and Sciences, and is now Associate Director of Institutional Assessment. Her interests include self-renewing higher education processes, faculty development, teaching, and research includes educational uses of portfolios, and assessment and student  learning outcomes. When frees time allows , she works with the Occoquan Watertrail League for stewardship of the nearby watertrail, goes kayaking, and reads anything that she can!