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Alicia Alonzo,
Assistant Professor (T&L/ Science Education)
Alicia Alonzo earned her B.S. in Engineering Physics at Cornell University , and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Applied Physics at California Institute of Technology (Caltech). She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Science Education at UC Berkeley and most recently worked as a research associate and lecturer at Stanford University .
Alonzo says there are many reasons why she is excited to join Iowa ’s Science Education team, but a major reason is because of her interest and background in science assessment. “The opportunity to collaborate with faculty in the Iowa Testing Programs is particularly important for my work,“ she said. “The University of Iowa seems to be a supportive place where I can develop as an educator and researcher.”
Kathleen Banks,
Assistant Professor
(P&Q/ Measurement and Statistics)
Kathleen Banks spent five years with the Milwaukee Public School District as a first-grade teacher, program implementer, and acting assistant principal. She received her Ph.D. in Urban Education with a focus in Research and Evaluation from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Banks says that there are a number of reasons why The University of Iowa continues to be an amazing place to have a career. “The educational measurement and statistics program is well respected and offers a number of resources,” she said. “My colleagues value my line of research and offer a friendly and supportive environment.”
Vicki Burketta, Clinical Associate Professor (T&L/Science Education)
Vicki Burketta has been an elementary mathematics resource specialist in the Iowa City schools for over two decades.
In addition to teaching the College’s middle school methods course, supervising student teachers, and facilitating student teaching seminar, Burketta is an instructional team member for a state-funded partnership grant with the UI and Grant Wood AEA, called SMARTS (Science and Mathematics Avenues to Renewed Teachers and Students). She also directs Think About It!, a mathematics tutorial service.
Burketta says she wants her pre-service teachers to enter the teaching profession with their eyes wide open—prepared to be the reflective change agents needed in mathematics education. “The University of Iowa is committed to preparing teachers for this challenge,” she said, “and I want to be a part of this forward-thinking program.”
John Dunkhase,
Clinical Associate Professor (T&L/Science Education)
John Dunkhase received a Ph.D. in Geochemistry from the Colorado School of Mines, and worked in Colorado for 10 years as an exploration geochemist, as well as a junior high school science and math teacher in New York .
Dunkhase moved to Iowa in 1986 to take a one-year sabbatical replacement job with every intention of moving back to Colorado . But he found the work he did at Iowa to be incredibly rewarding.
“The students and teachers were so nice and sincere, and so motivated to learn more science,” he said. “One thing led to another and here I am 20 years later.”
What excites him most about his position is the continued opportunity to help both pre-service and practicing teachers become better educators. “With that as a motivator—I become a better educator myself,” he said.
Noel Estrada-Hernandez, Assistant Professor (CRSD/Rehabilitation Counseling)
Noel Estrada-Hernandez, originally from Puerto Rico , worked two years as a rehabilitation counselor before completing his Ph.D. and work as a postdoctoral scholar at The University of Iowa.
Estrada-Hernandez chose to work at Iowa because of its reputation and resources. “The College of Education provides many opportunities to work with professionals considered pioneers, great researchers, educators, and role models in the field,” he said. “ Iowa certainly has given me many great opportunities, experiences, friends, and a home away from home.”
Malik S. Henfield, Assistant Professor (CRSD/School Counseling and Counselor Education)
Malik Henfield received a Ph.D. in School Counseling from The Ohio State University where he was named a Holmes Scholar. He has worked as a school counselor and as a mentor/learning specialist for at-risk student athletes.
Henfield says he chose to come to Iowa to combine school counseling with his research interests of working with gifted African Americans in K-16 educational settings. “The University of Iowa provides an opportunity that few universities in the country could provide,” Henfield said. “I have never been in a more supportive environment and I am proud to be a Hawkeye!”
Liz Hollingworth, Assistant Professor (EPLS/Educational Administration and Iowa Testing Programs)
Liz Hollingworth taught elementary and middle school for eight years before receiving her Ph.D. from The University of Iowa, and completing a post-doctoral research scholarship with Iowa Testing Programs. “No other university in the world has a testing program,” she said, “so this makes Iowa very special.”
Hollingworth accepted the unique opportunity to stay at Iowa in a faculty position with the Educational Policy and Leadership Studies Department bridging administration, assessment, and curriculum. She says the best part about staying at Iowa is that, “after five years in the College of Education , I think I can finally say that I can find my way around the Lindquist Center without getting lost!”
Mitch Kelly, Clinical Associate Professor Director of the Office of Graduate Teaching Excellence (P&Q/Educational Psychology)
Mitch Kelly has had a long history with The University of Iowa, where he earned his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D degrees. He taught high school social studies before joining the College’s staff, where he’s been teaching Teacher Education students since 1992. His exemplary teaching is not only appreciated by his students, but is also recognized with the University’s and state’s highest teaching awards.
Kelly now directs the College’s new Office of Graduate Teaching Excellence.
“As a three-time graduate of the UI, I feel at home and am proud to be a part of training new teachers for their careers,” Kelly said. “As the first director of the Office of Graduate Teaching Excellence, I look forward to working with graduate students to hone their teaching skills at the college level.”
Soonhye Park, Assistant Professor (T&L/Science Education)
Soonhye Park earned her Ph.D. in Science Education at the University of Georgia and has seven years teaching experience in public secondary schools.
With her teaching and research experience, she came to believe that teachers are central to the educational process. “I want to work in a university that values teacher education, and that is the primary reason that I chose The University of Iowa as my tenure home,” Park said. “The University of Iowa offers me the opportunity to pursue my academic and professional goals in a scholarly environment with a teaching philosophy that is compatible with my own.”
Bill Therrien, Assistant Professor (T&L/Special Education)
Bill Therrien obtained a Ph.D. in Special Education with a cognate area in Educational Psychology from Penn State University . For the past two years he worked as an assistant professor at Miami University . Prior to working in academia, he was a K-12 special educator.
Therrien says deciding to come to Iowa was a no-brainer. “The University of Iowa College of Education is one of the best in the country and it houses a well-respected Special Education program with internationally known faculty members,” he said. “I also fell in love with the town during my visit.”
Susannah Wood, Assistant Professor (CRSD/School Counseling)
Susannah Wood completed her Ph.D. in Counselor Education with a cognate in Gifted Education at the College of William & Mary, focusing on gifted adolescents’ experiences in school counseling. Her background includes working as a middle school counselor.
Wood says she has held Iowa in great esteem for its historically active school counseling roots and the University for its preparation of some of the finest educators and school counselors in the country.
“The University of Iowa ’s dedication to innovative research and superior scholarship is internationally known,” Wood said. “The new initiative to offer a master’s-level school counselor preparation program with an emphasis in gifted education provide a wide range of opportunities for teaching, scholarship, and research.”
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