Diane Ryndak
Chair, Department of
Specialized Education Services
Dr. Ryndak joined the UNCG Faculty as
Professor and Chair of the Department of Specialized Education Services after
19 years at the University of Florida. Her national and international
work and service focus on teacher preparation, doctoral studies, and
sustainable systemic school reform, all that facilitate meeting the complex
educational needs of students with significant intellectual and other
disabilities in general education classes by education teams. Dr. Ryndak has
served multiple terms on the Executive Board for TASH: Equity, Opportunity, and
Inclusion for People with Disabilities; is an on the editorial boards for
several peer-reviewed journals; and has completed a Fulbright Research Award
related to inclusive education in Poland, where she returns annually to work
with Polish colleagues at universities and in the schools.Jill Chouinard
Assistant
Professor, Educational Research Methodology
Dr. Chouinard received her Ph.D. in
organizational studies and evaluation from the University of Ottawa in 2010.
Her main interests are in cross-cultural/culturally response evaluation,
qualitative research and participatory research and evaluation. Given her
interest in utilizing evaluation as a leverage for social change, her research
also focuses on the relationship between evaluation and public policy.Carrie Wachter Morris
Associate Professor, Counseling and
Educational Development
Dr. Wachter Morris is joining the UNCG
Faculty as Associate Professor and Coordinator of the School Counseling track
of the Department of Counseling and Educational Development after 9 years at
Purdue University. Her research focuses on two primary areas: crisis prevention
and intervention and teaching and learning in counselor education. Dr. Wachter
Morris is the president elect of the Association for Assessment and Research in
Counseling, a past president of president of the Indiana School Counselor Association,
and serves of the editorial board of Counselor Education and Supervision. Symphony Oxendine
Visiting
Lecturer, Department of Teacher Education and Higher Education
Symphony Oxendine,
Cherokee/Mississippi Choctaw, is a Visiting Lecturer in Higher Education. Her
interest and excitement to teach comes from a desire to inspire future higher
education professionals with the knowledge base to provide developmental
opportunities and communicate in ways that are inclusive of the backgrounds,
demographics, and life experiences of the diverse students with whom they will
work. Symphony’s research interests include critical awareness of the
social and institutional issues that affect the educational performance and
institutional support of American Indians and other underrepresented groups,
graduate preparation programs, cultural identity development, student
involvement and its impact on retention, leadership development, policy, and
political processes within post-secondary education institutions. She is
currently a doctoral candidate working on her dissertation in Educational
Studies with a concentration in Higher Education at UNCG where she also
received her Masters of Education in Higher Education Administration.