Dec 05, 2025  
2025-2026 Graduate Catalog 
    
2025-2026 Graduate Catalog

Early Childhood, Multilingual, and Special Education Faculty


Chair 

Morgan, Joseph 

Professor; B.A., University of Illinois at Chicago; M.Ed., Ph.D. University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Rebel since 2012.

Graduate Coordinators 

Bengochea, Alain 

Associate Professor; B.A., University of Florida; M.S.Ed., Fordham University; Ph.D., University of Miami. Rebel since 2016.

Brown, Monica

Professor; B.A., University of Arkansas; M.Ed., Ph.D., University of Nevada Las Vegas. Rebel since 2014.

Van Ness, Heather 

Associate Professor in Residence; B.S., James Madison University; M.A., Old Dominion University; M.US., Old Dominion University; Ph.D., Arizona State University; Ed.S., University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Rebel since 2019.

Weglarz-Ward, Jenna

Associate Professor; B.S., Ed.M., Ph.D., University of Illinois. Rebel since 2016.

Graduate Faculty

Baker, Joshua

Professor; B.A., M.A., Marshall University; Ph.D. University of North Carolina, Charlotte. Rebel since 2012.

Bengochea, Alain 

Associate Professor; B.A., University of Florida; M.S.Ed., Fordham University; Ph.D., University of Miami. Rebel since 2016.

Brown, Nancy 

Senior Lecturer; B.S., M.Ed., Utah State University; Ed.S., University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Rebel since 1992.

Carcoba-Falomir, Gloria

Assistant Professor in Residence; B.B.A., Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico; M.B.A., Keller Graduate School of Business Management; M.Ed., Ph.D., Unversity of Nevada Las Vegas. Rebel since 2023.

Gerow, Stephanie

Associate Professor; B.S., Davidson College, M.Ed., Ph.D., Texas A&M University. Rebel since 2023.

Lory, Catharine

Assistant Professor; B.A., National Taiwan University; M.S.Ed., Purdue University; Ph.D., Purdue University. Rebel since 2022.

Morgan, Joseph 

Professor; B.A., University of Illinois at Chicago; M.Ed., Ph.D. University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Rebel since 2012.

Morris, Pricella

Assistant Professor; B.A., M.Ed., Ph.D., University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Rebel since 2023.

Pollard-Durodola, Sharolyn

Professor; A.B. Mount Holyoke College; M.A.T Columbia, M.S. University of New York, Ed.D. University of Houston. Rebel since 2015. 

Shea, Zhiling

Assistant Professor; B.S., Johnson & Wales University; M.P.P., Brandeis University; M.A. and Ph.D., University of California, Irvine. Rebel since 2025.

Slicker, Gerilyn

Assistant Professor; B.A., University of California, San Diego; M.Ed., University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Ph.D., University of Delaware. Rebel since 2022.

Smith, R. Alex

Assistant Professor; B. A., University of Mississippi; M.Ed., University of Georgia; Ph.D., University of Missouri-Columbia. Rebel since 2022.

Spies, Tracy

Professor; B. S., University of Houston; M.S., Sam Houston State University; Ph.D., Texas A & M University. Rebel since 2012.

Surrain, Sarah

Assistant Professor; B. A., Kalamazoo College; Ed.M., Harvard Graduate School of Education; Ph.D., Harvard University. Rebel since 2025.

Taylor, Jabari

Assistant Professor in Residence; B.S., Minot State University; M.A., Ashford University;  Psy.D., University of Arizona Global Campus. Rebel since 2024.

Van Ness, Heather 

Associate Professor in Residence; B.S., James Madison University; M.A., Old Dominion University; M.US., Old Dominion University; Ph.D., Arizona State University; Ed.S., University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Rebel since 2019.

Weglarz-Ward, Jenna

Associate Professor; B.S., Ed.M., Ph.D., University of Illinois. Rebel since 2016.

Yarczower, Melissa

Assistant Professor in Residence; B.A., Susquehanna University; M.Ed. and Ph.D., University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Rebel since 2025.