Photo caption: First row (left to right): Olivia Boorom, Kelsey Wells, Haley Ault, Elise Ji Young Choe and Kenia Cruz; second row (left to right): Lily An, Nicholas Swim, Yanru Chen, Shreeya Deshmukh and Megan Mowbray.
The College of Education & Human Development welcomes several new faculty members for the 2025-2026 academic year – faculty whose research, teaching and service make significant contributions to the college and its students.
“We are fortunate again this year to welcome 10 new faculty scholars from some of the most well-respected universities and programs in the country,” said Paul Alberto, dean of the college. “We’re excited to see them share their ideas and talents in service of our students.”
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Olivia Boorom is an assistant professor and certified speech-language pathologist who earned her doctorate in speech-language pathology at the University of Kansas in 2025. Her research focuses on accurately measuring and improving early language and social communication skills in individuals with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Kelsey Wells is a clinical instructor who earned her master’s degree in speech and hearing sciences at Indiana University in 2011. She is currently completing her clinical doctorate in speech-language pathology at Valdosta State University with a focus in dysphagia and dementia. She also specializes in providing teletherapy for school-aged children with speech sound, language and fluency disorders.
Department of Counseling and Psychological Services
Haley Ault is an assistant professor who earned her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her research centers on promoting effectiveness and equity in counseling practice through three core areas: a.) enhancing school counselor leadership identity and advocacy, b.) supporting underserved student populations and c.) advancing assessment and evaluation practices in counselor education. Ault holds professional memberships in the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling, the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision and the American School Counselor Association.
Elise Ji Young Choe is an assistant professor who earned her doctorate in counseling psychology from Georgia State University in 2021 and joins the college from The Albert & Jessie Danielsen Institute at Boston University. Her research interests include how virtues and strengths may promote resilience in individuals and groups. Choe is also interested in deconstruction and reconstruction of psychological theories, models and constructs from a critical, post-colonial lens. Additionally, she has examined psychotherapy processes and ways to help clinicians personally flourish to enhance their professional work.
Kenia Cruz is an assistant professor who earned her Ph.D. in School and Clinical Child Psychology at The University of Texas at Austin in 2025. Her research focuses on prevention and intervention strategies in early childhood, particularly with culturally and linguistically minoritized and economically marginalized preschool-aged children. Additionally, she is interested in examining the role of school psychologists in early childhood settings. She has published her research in several journals, including the Journal of School Psychology, School Psychology Review and Psychology in the Schools.
Department of Educational Policy Studies
Lily An is an assistant professor of quantitative methodology who earned her doctorate in education policy and program evaluation at Harvard University in 2025. Her research interests include educational measurement, program evaluation and accountability policies. She has published in journals such as Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice and Review of Educational Research.
Department of Kinesiology and Health
Nicholas Swim is a clinical assistant professor who earned his doctorate in educational leadership and organizational behavior with a focus in sport administration from the University of Louisville in 2023. His research focuses on sociocultural aspects of sport, with a focus on how sports shape individual experiences, attitudes, perceptions and biases. He has taught classes in multiple areas, including Intro to Sport Administration, Sport Governance and Policy, Sport Sales and Sponsorship, Content Creation in Sport, Ethics and Sport Communication.
Department of Learning Sciences
Yanru Chen is an assistant professor of autism who earned her Ph.D. in Intellectual Disability and Autism at Columbia University in 2021. She completed her postdoctoral training and was a research assistant professor at the Center for Autism Research Excellence at Boston University. She has over a decade of experience working with autistic children and their families in both research and school settings as a board certified behavior analyst and a trained and reliable autism diagnostic observation schedule clinician. Her research focuses on executive function, language development and social communication and engagement in autistic children, including those who are minimally verbal. She has published across several top-tier autism journals, including Autism Research and the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
Shreeya Deshmukh is an assistant professor who earned her doctorate in applied behavior analysis at the University of South Florida. Her research focuses on applications of behavioral interventions to improve athletic performance in dancers and other athletes and to promote physical activity in children and adults with autism spectrum disorder. She has published in several journals, including the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice and the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.
Megan Mowbray is a limited-term clinical assistant professor who earned her doctorate in special education at Georgia State University in 2024. Her teaching background includes working with elementary students with high-incidence disabilities, with a focus on social-emotional development and academic achievement. Her research interests center on the development and delivery of professional development programs in reading and mathematics for educators who serve students with disabilities. She teaches courses in the dyslexia endorsement program and provides mentorship to students in both applied behavior analysis and teacher preparation programs.