facebook

Michelle Salazar Pérez

Dr. Michelle Salazar Pérez is the Velma E. Schmidt Endowed Chair for Early Childhood Education & Professor of Early Childhood Studies at the University of North Texas. She uses women of color feminisms to inform her community collaborations, research, and pedagogy. These perspectives not only critically orient her work, but they also foreground the urgency to re-envision the field to support culturally sustaining praxis and programs for minoritized young children. Dr. Pérez’s past and current scholarship addresses early childhood policy reform, historical and contemporary constructions of childhood/s, teacher education, and critical qualitative methodologies. Her work has been published in Teachers College RecordContemporary Issues in Early ChildhoodEquity & Excellence in Education, the Journal of Early Childhood Teacher EducationQualitative Inquiry, and Review of Research in Education. She has co-edited several special issues and books, including The SAGE Handbook of Global Childhoods.   Dr. Pérez earned her Ph.D. from Arizona State University and her master's and undergraduate degrees from Texas A&M University in College Station. Prior to her appointment at the University of North Texas, she was a tenured Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education at The University of Texas at Austin and New Mexico State University.

Kyoung Jin Kim

Kyoung Jin Kim, Ph. D., is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education and Administration. She received a Ph. D. in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prior to joining UNT, she was an assistant professor at Arkansas State University, Ball State University, and Wheelock College. In addition, she was a Clinical Assistant Professor at Boston University. Her teaching in higher education has a wide range of both undergraduate and graduate courses including child development, principles of early childhood education, foundations in communication and collaboration with families, professionals, and communities, teaching, and curriculum in diverse early childhood settings, practicum courses, action research, nurturing children’s social competence, environmental processes, and assessment, learning with/from children, advanced studies in early childhood education, and documenting young children’s learning and development.  

All of her teaching experiences inspired her research. Providing a high-quality program for young children is her central interest. She researched program quality in education, teacher evaluation, teacher efficacy in working with diverse families, and professional development to assess teacher quality. Curriculum-wise, she examined many effective programs on different instructional approaches on diverse subject matters such as math, science, art, and critical literacy. Lastly, as diversity is another streamline of her research, she examined racial diversity through role-playing as well as reflected on her own experience as an immigrant mother and teacher educator focusing on diversity and working with immigrant children and families. Her scholarly works have been published in journals such as the International Journal of Early Childhood, Journal of Research in Early Childhood, Journal of Research in Early Childhood, Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, Early Childhood Development and Care, and Early Childhood Education.

Kevin Rogers

Dr. Kevin Rogers recently retired as Superintendent of Lewisville ISD where he worked for 36 years – as classroom teacher, campus principal, assistant superintendent, Chief Operations Officer to Superintendent.  His goal was to provide new opportunities for students and teachers. Examples include new Elementary and Middle School STEM academies, PreK Discovery Academies, a Collegiate Academy at The Colony High School, and the creation of new Student Assistance Counselors.

Dr. Rogers believes school districts benefit from utilizing voices across the district, internal and external, to develop the district’s vision. He developed numerous community, staff, and student advisory groups to seek input and feedback. Under his leadership, the district launched its Four Cornerstones - Student Learning, Student Experience, Community Engagement, and Resource Stewardship which underscored his commitment to real innovation and limitless opportunity for students. His passion has always been to serve – especially students. 

He earned his Bachelor’s degree from North Texas State University (UNT), Master’s degree from TWU and doctorate from UNT.  In 2010, UNT named Rogers the Outstanding Doctoral Student in Educational Administration. Additional awards include Texas Computer Education Association’s State Administrator of the Year, as well as National PTA Lifetime Achievement Award (2015), Town of Flower Mound’s Citizen of the Year (2016), and Lewisville Citizen of the Year (2021). 

Dr. Rogers remains a strong voice for public education with local and regional superintendents.  He participated in important networks such as Future Ready Superintendent Learning Network and North Texas Visioning Consortium while also belonging to state-wide organizations like Fast Growth Schools and Texas Association of School Administrators.

 

 

 

Holly M. Hutchins

As Vice Provost for Faculty Success, Holly M. Hutchins is responsible for providing strategic leadership to ensure transparent and equitable faulty-related academic policies, effective communication processes, diverse and inclusive learning opportunities, and prestigious faculty awards and recognition processes and events. Vice Provost Hutchins supports UNT’s diverse faculty resource groups, oversees faculty mentoring and developmental grants and initiatives, and leadership fellow programs within academic affairs. She coordinates with other academic affairs units to address faculty human resource issues and provides counsel on developing healthy, just, and sustainable workplace climates. Vice Provost Hutchins’ academic background is in human resource development where her focus has been on training transfer and faculty talent development. She is a proud UNT alumna and completed her Ph.D. in 2004.

Before returning to UNT as Vice Provost, she was professor and department chair at the University of Houston. Spanning her 17 years at UH, Vice Provost Hutchins garnered $4M in funded grants, published over 40 peer-reviewed articles in national and international journals, and has been featured in global media outlets such as NPR, the BBC, Psychology Today, and The Guardian for her work on imposter phenomenon among higher education faculty. Vice Provost Hutchins supports UNT’s HSI and MSI mission by leading and supporting efforts to attract, retain, and advance a thriving and diverse faculty community.

Leslie Jones

Leslie Jones is a Clinical Professor and Co-Director of the Center for Play Therapy at the University of North Texas. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor and a Registered Play Therapist. Leslie teaches courses in play therapy, child appraisal, and clinical courses. Leslie has over 25 years of play therapy experience including teaching masters level courses, supervising counselors in training, and working with families and children in both community agency and school settings.

Kimberlee Flatt

Kimberlee Flatt

Dr. Kimberlee Flatt is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She has 20+ years supporting individuals and families impacted by Autism. Dr. Flatt specializes in the treatment of behaviors associated with High-Functioning Autism including social skills and repetitive behaviors. While at KFAC, she and her team support adolescents and adults with ASD towards increased independence and successful transitions to post-secondary life.

Natalya Ann Lindo

Natalya A. Lindo, PhD, LPC is a Professor and Department Chair at the University of North Texas with 15 years of experience as a researcher and clinician with specialized training in working with children and families, diverse and at-risk populations. Dr. Lindo’s primary research areas are School-based Play Therapy, Child Parent Relationship Therapy, Teacher Child Relationship Building and Career Development across the lifespan. Consistent with this research agenda, Dr. Lindo regularly conducts action-research projects in the public schools related to Child Parent Relationship Therapy and Teacher Child Relationship Building. Most recently Dr. Lindo developed the Child and Adolescent Career Construction Interview aimed at improving self-concept, occupational identity and career adaptability. With a focus on capacity building, Dr. Lindo collaborates with administrators and school counselors to develop school-wide mental health initiatives targeting children who are at risk for school failure.

Pages