Educational Psychology Department Chair
Biography
Sharon Nichols, Ph.D.
Professor and Department Chair
Educational Psychology Faculty
Biography
Felicia Castro-Villarreal is a Professor of School Psychology in the Department of Educational Psychology. Dr.Castro-Villarreal was born and raised in Robstown, Texas, home of the Cotton Pickers. She is the daughter of the legendary Coach Steve Castro. She received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Texas at San Antonio and earned a Master of Science degree in Clinical Psychology from St. Mary’s University. Dr. Castro-Villarreal earned a Ph.D. in School Psychology from Oklahoma State University and completed her doctoral internship with the APA-accredited Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Psychological Services Department. Dr. Castro-Villarreal specializes and has research interests in multicultural assessment and practice and consultation with school staff. She currently holds licensure as a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP) and is currently working toward becoming a Licensed Psychologist.
Felicia Castro-Villarreal, Ph.D.
Professor
Biography
John L. Davis is an Associate Professor in the School Psychology Program, Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Dr. Davis received a B.A. in Psychology from University of Texas at Austin, an M.A. in School Psychology from Texas State University and a Doctoral Degree in School Psychology from Texas A&M at College Station.
Dr. Davis has been fortunate to experience the profession of School Psychology as both a researcher and practitioner. He has had the opportunity to participate in a wide range of professional activities related to the practice of School Psychology. This broad set of experiences has helped him to gain a pragmatic understanding of the direct practice of School Psychology
Currently, Dr. Davis’s research goals to fit within a broad vision of School Psychology as a discipline that encompasses academic, cognitive, social, emotional and cultural dimensions of educating children within school settings. To this end, his general research focus falls under the heading of investigating effective intervention practices for children in schools. This includes both direct implementation of intervention strategies and evaluation of intervention approaches through meta-analysis.
John Davis, Ph.D.Associate Professor
Biography
Norma Guerra, Ph.D.
Professor
Biography
Dr. Hart is an Assistant Professor in the School Psychology Program at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She received her doctoral degree from the University of South Carolina in 2023, after completing an assessment-focused clinical internship at the Florida State University Multidisciplinary Center. Her research focuses on empowering and supporting youth from or in low-resource environments. For example, her work seeks to build youths’ capacity and motivation for positive change, such as through designing interventions to increase critical consciousness and through expanding and strengthening services based in Motivational Interviewing. She is interested in growing the impact and reach of evidence-based, non-traditional service provision, such as through equipping and training youth mentors (i.e., paraprofessional providers) in skills often used by professional helpers.
Assistant Professor
Biography
Michael Karcher, Ph.D.
Professor and Associate Dean for Research
Biography
Marie Kirkpatrick, Ph.D.
Biography
Ashley Labay is a Clinical Associate Professor of Educational Psychology in the Behavior Analysis program. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA). She received her Master of Arts degree in Education from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a concentration in applied behavior analysis (ABA). She has experience managing in a clinical setting, supervising interns and Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs), and collaborating with schools. She has participated in multiple grants with UTSA providing services to families with varied needs and supervising teachers in their classroom setting. She specializes in severe challenging behavior, parent training, supervision, and telehealth.
Ashley Labay, Ph.D.
Biography
Han Bum Lee is an Assistant Professor of Research at the Department of Educational Psychology and Director of Quantitative Research at the Urban Education Institute (https://uei.utsa.edu/). Dr. Lee has research interests in understanding and evaluating the effectiveness of macro-level public policy and innovative experimental programs implemented to improve human capital, labor productivity, and economic self-sufficiency. He draws on his decades of experience studying impact evaluation in various fields of study, including secondary and postsecondary success, adult job training (City of San Antonio’s Ready to Work Program), federal housing assistance (Federal Moving to Work Demonstration), and agricultural education and extension service programs in Bangladesh, Sierra Leone, and Malawi. He received his bachelor’s degree in Economics and earned a Ph.D. in Applied Economics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Han Bum Lee, Ph.D.
Biography
Hannah MacNaul, Ph.D.
Biography
Associate Professor
Behavior Analysis
Biography
Humberto Pena is an Assistant Professor of Research in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He earned his Master’s in Special Education (emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis) at UTSA and a Doctorate in Educational Psychology with a concentration in Special Education at Texas A&M University. Dr. Pena’s work centers on closing the employment gap for young adults with autism, intellectual disabilities, and other developmental disabilities. Specifically, he examines ways of teaching social skills often seen in competitive integrated employment with the end goal to promote inclusion and employment. Dr. Pena’s work also looks at Applied Behavior Analytic interventions aimed at decreasing maladaptive behaviors and improving social-communication skills in children with autism.
Biography
Jeremy Sullivan, Ph.D.
Professor
Biography
Ian Thacker is an Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at San Antonio. His research examines teaching, learning, and teacher education in STEM. Specifically, he pursues three strands of research focused on: (1) mathematical skills that can be leveraged to support conceptual change about scientific topics, (2) the use of innovative technology for STEM teaching and learning, and (3) teacher beliefs and biases that contribute to gender- and race-based achievement gaps in STEM. Ian earned B.A. degrees in Mathematics and Physics, a M.A. in Mathematics and Science Education, a M.S. in Statistics, and earned his Ph.D. in Urban Education Policy with a concentration in Educational Psychology from the University of Southern California. Prior to earning his Ph.D., Ian spent ten years teaching mathematics and physics to culturally and linguistically diverse students in Colorado and California. He has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals, including first-authored publications in the Journal of Educational Psychology and Research in Mathematics Education.
Biography
Victor Villarreal, Ph.D.
Professor
Emeritus
Nancy Martin, Ph.D.
Professor Emerita
Patricia McGee, Ph.D.
Associate Professor Emerita
Carolyn Orange, Ph.D.
Professor Emerita
Paul Schutz, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
College of Education and Human Development
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Phone: 210-458-4370 | education@utsa.edu