James E. Alford, Jr. is an Associate Professor and Director of the Higher Education Administration Program in Leadership Studies at William Paterson University. He has done extensive research on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, closely examining the historical trends and movements that have led to their overall development. Dr. Alford's scholarly publications include works on leadership, student activism, and alumni involvement at historically Black institutions. As a graduate of a Historically Black University, he has dedicated himself to bringing about awareness and understanding of these institutions and the significant role they have undertaken and are still undertaking in preparing African Americans for success.
As the Director of the Higher Education Administration Program, Dr. Alford is committed to preparing and training highly competent professionals in the field of educational leadership. Serving as the Program’s first Director, he has chosen to use his platform to build much needed bridges between faculty, staff, and students as a way to create a culturally sensitive community that values educational excellence while simultaneously bringing attention to the ongoing plight of those who have been historically and systematically oppressed. Prior to joining the faculty at William Paterson, Dr. Alford served 14 years as a higher education administrator.
Dr. Alford received his B.A. in Business Administration from Dillard University in New Orleans, LA, an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Higher Education Administration from the University of New Orleans, an M.Phil. from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in History and Education from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Heejung An, Ed.D., is a Professor and Director of the M. Ed in Curriculum & Learning Program with a concentration of STEM / STEAM Education in the Department of Educational Leadership and Professional Studies. She has also been the project director of the Inclusive Arts Integration grant program ($500,000) funded by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation (2017-2023). Its overarching goal is to provide professional development and resources for partner schools to provide equitable access to arts integration learning experiences for all students. In addition, she was the project director of the Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad (2013-2015) grant program ($85,000), entitled "Exploring Korea’s History, Culture, and Education System through Experiential Learning," funded by the U.S. Department of Education. She has also provided extensive professional learning opportunities on educational technology-related topics to New Jersey in-service teachers through the Annual Educational Technology Conference she founded in 2010.
Dr. An has published 3 edited books and her work has appeared in various refereed journals and book chapters. Her work centers on the intersection of cognition and instructional technologies, STEM/STEAM education, curriculum design, assessment and evaluation, digital leadership, digital equity, and the effective and sustainable design and delivery of online professional development and professional learning.
Dr. An served as a co-chair for the STEM Innovation SIG at the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE) (2021-2023) and received Outstanding Paper Awards there in 2006 and 2021. Dr. An received her B.S. in Biology and Science Education from Ewha Womans University, Seoul, an M.A. in Educational Communication and Technology from New York University, and an Ed.D. in Instructional Technology and Media, Department of Mathematics, Science, and Technology from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Stephen C. Betts, PhD, is a Professor of Management at William Paterson University and is proud to teach in the Doctor of Education in Leadership program. He has a BS in Industrial Engineering and an MS in Management Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and an MBA and PhD in Management from Rutgers University. Currently he teaches Human Resource Management in the EdD program and the Experiential Capstone, Crisis Management and Human Resource Management in the MBA program. He received the Academy of Educational Leadership's Award for Innovative and Creative Teaching.
He is an active researcher with over fifty journal articles, six book chapters, eighty-five published proceedings and over a hundred-forty conference presentations. Three times he was awarded the 'Bright Idea Award' for best journal publication among New Jersey business faculty. Dr. Betts is a founding member and Fellow of the Institute For Global Business Research. His research interests include Leadership, Social Entrepreneurship, Small Business Management/Entrepreneurship, Experiential Learning, Positive Organizational Studies, Human Resource Management, Crisis Management, Multiple Jobholding, The ADA and Decision Making.
Before turning to academia full-time, Dr.Betts worked with several consulting firms participating in live industrial sociodramas and facilitating group exercises in such subject areas as Building Strength Through Diversity, Work/ Home Family Balance, Burnout, The Maturing Worker, Sexism and Racism in the Workplace, Managerial Coaching, Organizational Transition, Teambuilding, Downsizing/ Outplacement, Sexual Harassment and Gender Communication.
Samuel Fancera, EdD joined the faculty in the Department of Educational Leadership and Professional Studies in 2017 as Assistant Professor and Educational Leadership Program Director. Prior to joining the faculty at William Paterson University, Dr. Fancera spent 16 years in NJ's public schools - nine years as a principal, two years as a high school supervisor, and five years as a secondary science teacher. An accomplished writer and presenter on school leadership, Dr. Fancera has recently presented on the impact of COVID-19 on school closures and the use of technology on professional development.
He is certified as a School Administrator, Principal, Supervisor, Teacher of Physical Science and Teacher of Biological Science in the State of New Jersey. Dr. Fancera's scholarship is focused on school leadership for professional development & learning, positive psychology in schools, the utility of state-level data for school leaders, and leadership preparation. He holds a BA in Biology from Kean University, MS in Exercise and Sport Science from the University of Arizona, and M.Ed. and Ed.D. in Educational Theory, Policy, and Administration from Rutgers University.
Elizabeth A. Harkins (Monaco) (she/her/disabled), Ed.D., is a former special education administrator, classroom teacher, and family advocate. She has worked with autistic students and students with developmental disabilities in a variety of settings. Trained in Intergroup Relations, she is now an assistant professor of Disability Studies and Special Education in the Department of Special Education, Professional Counseling, and Disability Studies at William Paterson University. Dr. Harkins also serves as the program director of the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Advanced Master’s program. Dr. Harkins' current scholarship is focused on social justice in special education, specifically intersectional pedagogy, and sociocultural sustainability and disability studies in education. Rooted in Black feminist theory and culturally relevant pedagogy, Dr. Harkins' work examines the awareness and effects of multiple, intersecting sociocultural markers across special education communities, policies, and pedagogy.Dr. Harkins is on the Fulbright Specialist Roster and has served multiple roles on the Board of Directors for the Council for Exceptional Children’s (CEC) Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities (DADD). Currently, she is on the presidential line for DADD. Dr. Harkins also serves on the Publications Committee for CEC. She earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership and Supervision from American International College. She holds two MEds in Special Education from Lesley University, and a BA in Comparative Literature from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Michelle Hinkle, PhD is a counselor educator and professor in the Professional Counseling Program at William Paterson University. Dr. Hinkle is also a Licensed Professional Counselor and Approved Clinical Supervisor. Her clinical experiences are in mental health counseling, and she has worked with clients across the lifespan in the capacity of individual and family counseling.
She has also provided consultation services to public schools and collaborated closely with school counselors, and she continues to deliver professional development to teachers, administrators, and counselors. Dr. Hinkle’s areas of scholarly interest are in counselor education and pedagogy; incorporating creative arts in counseling, supervision, and teaching; and counselor professional identity. She has co-authored peer-reviewed manuscripts, book chapters, and a book covering these topics and others, as well as presented in these areas at the state and national level.
Dr. Hinkle holds leadership positions in the counseling field and is currently the Associate Editor of the Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision and President of the North Atlantic Region Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (NARACES). Dr. Hinkle earned a BS in Human Development and Family Studies at Colorado State University, MA in Counseling at East Tennessee State University, and PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision at Kent State University.
Dr. Gihan (Gigi) Mohamad, MLIS, EdD [Program Director], became part of the Educational Leadership Department at William Paterson University in 2019 as an Assistant Professor and in 2023 as the Program Director for the EdD Leadership program. Before her tenure at WP, she dedicated 19 years to public education in New Jersey, splitting her time between public and school librarianship. She holds certifications as a School Library Media Specialist and Supervisor, solidifying her expertise in the field.
Dr. Mohamad loves sharing her insights on the transformative power of educational technology. Recently, she's been excited about exploring the ways AI is changing the face of education, a topic she's presented on multiple occasions. Dr. Mohamad’s research focuses on educational technology and the application of theories such as the Universal Design for Learning framework and Systems Thinking on education and how cross-discipline collaboration can yield richer educational outcomes.
As the director of the EdD Leadership program, Dr. Mohamad is fully invested in cultivating an atmosphere where future leaders can flourish and make their mark.
Dr. Mohamad holds a BA in Communication from Cairo University, an MLIS in Library and Information Science from Rutgers University, and an Ed.D. in Educational Technology Leadership from New Jersey City University.
Geraldine Mongillo, PhD [Department Chair] is professor of literacy at William Paterson University and has been the chair of the Department of Educational Leadership and Professional Studies for over 10 years. She has been the project director and co-director of the Leaders as Learners $3.2M United States Department of Education grant that trained and prepared diverse future school leaders, and the Turnaround Partnerships $1.9M (USDOE) grant that created a pipeline of effective school leaders.
Research interests include membership in an International Research Network associated with the World Educational Research Association (WERA) whose focus is studying effective teachers’ communicative strategies when instructing linguistically diverse learners. Several recent publications resulted from these collaborative interests as well as presenting our results at an invitational symposium in Japan (2019) and in Spain (2021).
Other research interests include the preparation of reading professionals as teacher leaders and the cultivation of teacher and school leaders. As chair she has worked on several leadership initiatives, most recently the creation of a Teacher Leader Certificate program. Dr. Mongillo earned her doctorate in Language, Literacy, and Learning from Fordham University, her MS in Education from the College of Staten Island, and her BA in English Literature from Queens College, City University of New York.
Robert Seal, EdD is professor of Educational Leadership and Professional Studies at William Paterson University. For thirty years, Dr. Seal has served in various administrative roles in public and private institutions in New Jersey. Most recently at William Paterson University, he served as Chief of Staff to the President and Board of Trustees for nine years and as Executive Assistant to the Provost for thirteen years, with a dual appointment in the College of Education.
Dr. Seal is the coauthor of several manuscripts on the changing American faculty, and he coauthored and was principal investigator for several grants for the study of teaching and learning in higher education, most recently around degree completion programs.
His current research interests lie in the politics of decision-making among executive leaders, particularly in times of significant societal and political change, and the changing role of higher education in American society. Dr. Seal holds undergraduate and graduate degrees (A.B., Music; M.Ed., Administration and Supervision; Ed.S., Ed.D., Higher Education) from the College of William and Mary in Virginia.
Danielle Wallace, PhD joined the faculty at William Paterson University in 2012. Her current appointment is Associate Professor of Africana-World Studies in the Department of Community and Social Justice Studies.
Dr. Wallace serves as the coordinator of the Social Justice Project, a resource for faculty teaching courses on race, gender, and sexuality. Dr. Wallace’s research interests include the Black family, gender and sexual politics in the Black community, the gender socialization of Black men and women and the socio-political roots of Africana Studies.
Dr. Wallace’s current scholarship and publications is focused on Black student activism and Black male/female relationships, especially the dating, marriage and mate selection ideals of Black men and women. Dr. Wallace holds a BA in Black Studies from the State University of New York College at New Paltz, and MA and Ph.D. in African American Studies from Temple University.
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