CECH welcomes 25 new faculty members to the University of Cincinnati

Amy Bacevich, Assistant Professor-Educator

Amy Bacevich is teaching courses in the elementary program, including Assessment for Young Children and Foundations in Early Childhood Education. She received a PhD at University of Michigan and has expertise in developing practice-based teacher education curriculum and designing clinical experiences. Most recently, Bacevich was a clinical faculty member and elementary program facilitator at Northern Kentucky University. 

In her personal time, she is still working on being a genius at Wordle.

Joanna Batt, Assitant Professor

Joanna Batt (she/her) is deeply passionate about the relationship of history teaching and social justice. Informed and inspired by her time as a high school teacher in Buffalo, New York, Batt studies secondary social studies education with an emphasis on race, gender and sexuality. She researches via feminist methods how critical history teaching and multimodal curricula centered in students’ lives can support educational equity and student agency. Her work can be found in peer-reviewed journals such as Social Education and Middle Level Learning; books such as Mindful Social Studies: Frameworks for Social Emotional Learning and Critically Engaged Citizens; and in popular media on the intersections of history, teaching and culture such as Not Even Past. Batt received her Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Notre Dame, her Master of Education in language and literacy from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and her PhD from the University of Texas at Austin, where she was a Donald D. Harrington Fellow.

She has been a journalist in Chicago; taught U.S. history for seven years; has moderated racial literacy book clubs for middle schoolers in Buffalo and Austin; and has great difficulty passing a good bakery without walking inside — especially if they have almond or pistachio croissants.

Deanna Herbers, Instructor-Educator

Deanna Herbers is an Instructor-Educator in the American Sign Language and Deaf Studies program. She has over eight years of experience teaching ASL and deaf studies, focusing on creating immersive signing environments without the use of interpreters. After teaching at UC as an adjunct for six years, she took on a role at the Hearing, Speech, and Deaf Center as a Deaf Advocate/Program Coordinator. Realizing her passion for ASL education, Herbers returned to the classroom in 2022 as a visiting instructor. This semester, she is teaching all Beginning One courses.

Currently, Herbers is pursuing a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction while balancing work and personal life. With her two children also attending UC, she's reconnecting with her roots by visiting her home state of Louisiana and supporting her high school-aged niece, who competes in rodeos at the national level. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, and traveling whenever possible. 

Kathryn Hicks, Assistant Professor-Educator

Katie Hicks is a former international educator who works with teacher candidates in the Elementary Education program. Hicks has over 15 years of experience in higher education, teaches elementary literacy and DEI courses, and facilitates study abroad and international teaching opportunities. For the past five years, she has served on School of Education staff, supporting programs with data collection and accreditation needs. Hicks holds a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and a master's in teaching (MAT) from the University of Virginia. She is currently a doctoral candidate in her final year of the Leadership and Learning in Organizations program at Vanderbilt University. 

Hicks is a proud mom to four busy kids, and her oldest is a new Bearcat.

Kate Kennedy, Assistant Professor

Kate Kennedy, PhD, (pronouns she/her) is a K-12 education policy and leadership scholar, with expertise in organizational behavior, care and social-emotional well-being, school districts and school choice. Kennedy utilizes qualitative methods to examine pressing education issues related to equity politics and change. She completed her PhD in Urban Education Policy at the University of Southern California and was working as a policy researcher at RAND before joining the faculty at UC. Prior to that, she was a middle school teacher in the Los Angeles Unified and Worthington City School Districts, as well as a non-profit director. Her research has been published in "Educational Policy," "The Journal of Educational Change" and "Teachers College Record," among others. This semester, Kennedy is teaching two courses: Policy Issues in Teaching and Learning, and Translating Research to Practice.

Kennedy is the mother of three children, and she enjoys spending time with her family outdoors in her tiny vintage camper named Sadie.

Elsheika Pennerman, Assistant Professor-Educator and Principal Licensure Program Coordinator

Elsheika Pennerman, PhD, is an award-winning educator with more than a decade of experience in K-12 education as a teacher, teacher-leader and researcher. She previously served as an assistant professor, educator and co-op adviser in UC's College of Cooperative Education and Professional Students (CCPS). Her scholarly work centers students' experiences in learning spaces. She uses theoretical lenses attentive to race, intersectional identities, positioning and placemaking to examine school practices, structures, systems and policies. In her new roles, Pennerman is especially excited to connect her research to practice through curriculum work and efforts toward creating K-12 classrooms and schools that afford students equitable opportunities and inclusive experiences. Pennerman is proud to be an alum of UC's CECH where she attained a PhD in Educational Studies. She graduated from Northern Kentucky University with a Master of Arts in Education and Teacher as a Leader Endorsement, and The University of The Bahamas with a Bachelor of Education and Secondary Mathematics Teacher Certification. This semester Pennerman will be teaching Instructional Supervision, Principal Internship I and Principal Internship II.

Jessie Huff, Assistant Professor 

Jessie Huff earned her PhD at Arizona State University in 2020 and was an assistant professor in the School of Criminology & Criminal Justice at the University of Nebraska Omaha prior to joining UC. Her research focuses on policing and program evaluation. She is a National Institute of Justice Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science (NIJ LEADS) Academic who has partnered with police agencies across the U.S. to evaluate programs, including violence reduction strategies, gun crime investigations, use of force training and body-worn cameras. She is currently teaching Police Effectiveness.

Outside of work, Huff loves any excuse to get outside — hiking, biking, skiing, scuba diving, pickleball, you name it!

Ráchael Powers, Associate Professor

Ráchael Powers received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology/Sociology from the University of Alabama in Huntsville (2005), her Master of Arts in Criminology from the University of Maryland (2008) and her PhD in Criminal Justice from the University at Albany (2012). She joins UC from the University of South Florida where she was a faculty member in the Department of Criminology since 2012. Her main research interests lie in the areas of violent victimization, with a focus on gender-based violence (IPV, sexual assault), hate crime and bystander behavior. This semester she is teaching an undergraduate class on Women and Crime where students are learning about women as victims, offenders and criminal justice professionals.

Powers has two dogs, Sid and Roark, who have never seen snow before, so send along any tips for getting them through their first winter!

Gretchen Schmidt, Assistant Professor-Educator

With over two decades of experience in higher education, Gretchen Schmidt is dedicated to empowering both traditional and non-traditional learners to discover their passions and achieve their goals. Since 2000, she has worked with diverse student bodies, fostering an inclusive environment that celebrates various skills, abilities and cultural backgrounds. Academically, she holds a Juris Doctor (JD), a Master of Science in Criminal Justice, and an MBA, complementing her practical experience in the field. In the field of Criminal Justice, she worked in the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office and the Erie County Prosecutor’s Office, where she gained invaluable insights. At the Sheriff’s Office, she was involved in background investigations, legal research with inmates, policy manual development and training of deputies. Her role at the Prosecutor’s Office allowed her to work second chair on significant criminal cases. Throughout her career, she has been committed to service within the university community, contributing to various committees, including the College Curriculum Committee and the Academic Integrity Council. Schmidt's dedication to academic excellence and student success drives her passion for education.  

Matt Chatlaong, Assistant Professor

Matt Chatlaong is an Assistant Professor in Exercise Science, researching cardiovascular and metabolic function, endurance performance, blood flow restriction training and cycling. He is excited to be part of the Exercise Science program at UC, and this fall he is teaching Exercise Physiology. He and his family are from Northern California, where he studied Exercise Science (Bachelor of Science and Master of Science) at California State University, Sacramento. He then completed his doctoral studies in health and kinesiology at the University of Mississippi (go Rebels!).

When not on campus, you can find Chatlaong and his wife, Shannon, with their 1-year-old son enjoying bike rides on the Little Miami trail, visiting the Cincinnati Zoo and hunting down a good Bavarian pretzel.

Hanyun Li, Assistant Professor

Hanyun Li (she/her/hers) is an assistant professor, school counseling program track coordinator in the School of Human Services at CECH. She earned her PhD in Counseling at the George Washington University in May 2024, and Master of Education in School Counseling at the University of Virginia in May 2018. She is also a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Washington, D.C. She enjoys working with younger children using Child-Centered Play Therapy and Child-Parent Relationship Therapy with their caregivers. She has a wide range of experiences working with children, teens, emerging adults, couples and families using Person-Centered and Experiential Therapy. Above all, Li is an advocate for the school counseling profession and promoting multicultural and social justice counseling competencies of counselors working with underrepresented populations, including but not limited to international students, immigrants, autistic, and LGBTQIA+ clients, families and communities. She is teaching School Counseling Leadership & Comprehensive Program Implementation in the fall 2024 semester.

Li also plays piano (but only a few pieces) and likes to pretend that she's a master pianist.

Rawle Ragoonath, Assistant Professor-Educator 

Rawle Ragoonath is joining the UC community after earning three degrees from the University of South Carolina. His calling to serve others led to a Bachelor of Arts in Experimental Psychology, Education Specialist degree in Counselor Education (with a specialization in Clinical Mental Health), and a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision. His time between degrees was spent providing in-home family therapy to court-involved clients, mobile crisis counseling, college counseling and applied behavior analysis to children on the autism spectrum. These roles and the individuals Ragoonath met through them imbued a value for advocacy and informed a decision to impart learning through educating the next generation of counselors.

Cincinnati is brimming with the music, hiking and outstanding food that fill Ragoonath's hours between classrooms and research meetings.

Rachael Rexroat, Assistant Professor–Educator

Rachael Rexroat (Master of Science) joined the sport administration program in the fall of 2024. Prior to joining the faculty, Rexroat worked in collegiate coaching, teaching and administration, most recently as assistant men’s and women’s cross county and track and field coach, primary instructor of Sport Management, and Assistant Director of NCAA Compliance at Bluefield State University (NCAA Division II) in Bluefield, West Virginia. She also was an assistant track and field coach at Lees McRae College (NCAA Division II) in Banner Elk, North Carolina, and Brescia University (NAIA) in Owensboro, Kentucky. She has taught courses in sports management, health and physical education at Appalachian State University, Lees-McRae College and Kentucky Wesleyan College. Before starting in college coaching and teaching, Rexroat worked as a College Admission Counselor and in the fitness-centered nonprofit industry sector at YMCAs as an assistant health wellness director and athletic coordinator. Rexroat earned a master of science degree in Sports Administration from Marshall University and a double-major bachelor of arts degree in physical education and health education from Glenville State University. This semester she is teaching Introduction to Sport Administration, two sections of  Sport Management and Principles of Sport Coaching.

In her free time, Rexroat loves discovering new coffee shops and parks around Cincinnati with her daughter, spouse and miniature Dachshund, Eeyore. 

Julia Villarreal, Assistant Professor

Julia Villarreal (PhD, Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Licensed Psychologist, she/her) is excited to be back at the University of Cincinnati as the new assistant professor within the School Psychology graduate program. She earned her PhD from the University of Cincinnati’s School Psychology program in 2023 and attended Kalamazoo College for her undergraduate career — earning degrees in psychology and theater arts. Villarreal’s research interests include evidence-based mental and behavioral health interventions for minoritized student populations. Villarreal is teaching the School-Based Behavioral Counseling and Mental Health Interventions course this semester. ​

Mary Wynn, Assistant Professor-Educator

Mary Wynn, PhD, NCC, teaches counselor education and acts as a school counseling field placement coordinator at UC. She earned a PhD in Counselor Education and a master’s in counseling with dual concentrations in clinical mental health and school counseling from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She has clinical experience counseling law students, undergraduates and students with intellectual and developmental disabilities; trauma and crisis counseling for survivors of domestic violence; play therapy; and school counseling in elementary and high school. Wynn's research interests are wellness, spirituality, interdisciplinary research and advocacy. Wellness is one of her favorite research topics, and she recently completed a wellness-focused dissertation, Exploring Rural Appalachian LGBTQ+ Wellness: Conceptualizing Through the IS-WEL Wellness Lens and Narrative Inquiry.

William Akotam Agangiba, Assistant Professor-Educator

William Akotam Agangiba (PhD) is a researcher, an educator, a practical thinker and an innovative-minded individual with 14 years of university teaching and research experience in Computer Science and Information Technology. He started his teaching and research career as an Assistant Lecturer in the Computer Science and Engineering Department at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa, Ghana in 2010. He rose to the rank of lecturer in 2014 before attaining the rank of Senior Lecturer in 2019. In August 2023, he joined UC's School of Information Technology as a visiting assistant professor.

Agangiba holds a PhD in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa, Ghana and Master of Science and Bachelor of Science degrees in Information Systems and Technologies from Tver State Technical University, Tver, Russia. He is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE) and a professional member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), Ghana. He is also a member of the International Association of Engineers. He has authored more than 20 peer reviewed scientific articles in reputable journals and international conference proceedings. He is teaching Human Computer Interaction (and Usability), Advanced Storage Technologies and Fundamentals of Web Development in fall 2024

Islam Elkabani, Assistant Professor-Educator

Islam Elkabani received his PhD in Computer Science from New Mexico State University (NMSU) in 2006. During his time at NMSU, he was actively involved in both research and teaching, contributing significantly to the Knowledge Representation, Logic, and Advanced Programming (KLAP) laboratory. After earning his doctorate, Elkabani returned to Egypt, where he became an assistant professor of computer science at the Faculty of Science, Alexandria University. He took on adjunct faculty roles at Beirut Arab University in Lebanon, where he served from 2009 to 2020, and at Alamein International University in Egypt from 2022 to 2024. Elkabani researches artificial intelligence applications, knowledge representation, natural language processing and machine learning. He has co-authored over 30 research articles published in prestigious journals and conference proceedings and held significant academic administrative positions. He served as the executive director of the Computer & IT Unit at the Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, from 2007 to 2009. More recently, he was the program coordinator of the Software Industry and Multimedia program at the Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, from 2020 to 2022. This semester, Elkabani is teaching Fundamentals of Web Development, Contemporary Programming, Management in IT and Enterprise Applications Development.

Elkabani has a passion for reading, swimming and traveling. He enjoys exploring new destinations, immersing himself in different cultures, and connecting with people from diverse backgrounds.

Rob Grace, Assistant Professor 

Rob Grace specializes in the areas of crisis informatics, and risk and crisis communication. Specifically, Grace focuses on the sociotechnical design of emergency communications systems that support situational awareness, coordination, and decision-making among citizens and first responders. He received his PhD in Informatics from Pennsylvania State University and serves as the current president of the Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (ISCRAM) Association. For the fall 2024 semester, Grace is teaching IT Research Methods and Foundations of Human-centered Design.

Outside of work, he enjoys running, reading and relearning how to skateboard. 

Nur Imtiazul Haque, Visiting Assistant Professor

Nur Imtiazul Haque holds a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering and an Master of Science in Computer Engineering from Florida International University. His academic journey began in Bangladesh, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Khulna University of Engineering and Technology and started his career as a lecturer at Daffodil International University. Driven by a passion for cybersecurity, Haque joined FIU's Analytics for Cyber Defense lab, focusing on the security and dependability analysis of safety-critical cyber-physical systems (CPSs) using formal methods, machine learning, and mathematical optimization to safeguard critical infrastructures from cyber-physical threats. During his PhD, he contributed to NSF and DOE projects, published several peer-reviewed papers, and patented a cybersecurity tool. His work was honored with the Best Paper Award at the IEEE/IFIP International Conference on Dependable Systems and Networks (DSN) in 2023. Haque also served as the publication chair for the International Workshop on Artificial Intelligence and Industrial Internet-of-Things Security (AIOTS) in 2023. As a dedicated member of IEEE and the IEEE Communications Society, he continues to advance the field of CPS security research. This semester, Haque is teaching Computer Networking.

Outside of academics, Haque enjoys walking in nature, and he aspires to run a marathon one day.

Isaac Kofi Nti, Assistant Professor

Isaac Kofi Nti is an accomplished academic and researcher with a robust background in information technology, computer science, applied machine learning and cybersecurity. At UC he plays a pivotal role as co-lead of the Information Technology Analytics Center (ITAC). Nti earned his PhD in Computer Science from the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) in Ghana, where he developed expertise in applied machine learning, cybersecurity, data analytics and visualization, and energy system modeling. He also has Master of Science in information technology, Bachelor of Science in computer science and a higher national diploma in electrical and electronic engineering. Prior to joining UC, Nti amassed over 16 years of teaching experience in Ghana. His research contributions are significant, with over 60 published papers in highly respected peer-reviewed journals. In the fall 2024 semester, he is teaching courses in information security and assurance, fundamentals of information technology, and IT capstone project for masters.

In addition to his academic and professional achievements, Nti is multilingual, fluent in English, Twi and Fanti. Outside the classroom, he is passionate about mentoring students and integrating his rich cultural heritage into his teaching methodologies.

Basheer Qolomany, Assistant Professor

Basheer Qolomany received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Computer Science from the University of Mosul, Iraq, in 2008 and 2011, respectively. He later earned his PhD and a second master’s en route to the PhD in Computer Science from Western Michigan University (WMU), Kalamazoo, Michigan, in 2018. With over 13 years of academic experience across institutions in and outside the U.S., including roles at the University of Nebraska, Kennesaw State University, Western Michigan University, and the University of Duhok,  Qolomany's research focuses on interdisciplinary studies at the intersection of network science, evolutionary computation and artificial intelligence. He is particularly interested in leveraging AI technologies to advance smart services, cybersecurity and population health. This fall 2024 semester, he will be teaching Data-Driven Cybersecurity.

Originally from Iraq, Qolomany is passionate about integrating large, heterogeneous data streams from diverse sources to solve complex problems in health care and beyond.

Wesley Reed, Assistant Professor-Educator

Wesley Reed is a 2022 graduate of UC's Accelerated BSIT+MSIT program who previously contributed his expertise as an adjunct instructor for the School of IT and served as a research associate and technical lead at UC's IT Solutions Center, where he mentored co-op students in real-world projects and client interactions. Reed is an active member of the UC Alumni Band, continuing his connection with the university's vibrant community.

Beyond his professional and academic commitments, Reed is deeply engaged in community outreach. He plays a pivotal role as the lead programming and controls mentor for a community-based FIRST Robotics Team, which has achieved notable success, including an invitation to the prestigious 2023 World Championship.