The Faculty in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Claire E. Abernathy (2015), Associate Professor of Political Science; Ph.D., Vanderbilt University; M.A., Ohio State University; B.A., Furman University: Social Studies Education Concentration advisor, American political institutions, congressional politics, public policy, interest groups, representation, voting. 

Theodore Alter (2016), Associate Professor of Social Work; Ph.D., MSW, Yeshiva University, Wurzweiler School of Social Work; B.S., New York Institute of Technology: aging, dementia, life cycle, health care, chronic illness and disability, end-of-life, medical/social work ethics. 

James Mac Avery (2006), Professor of Political Science; Ph.D., M.A., University of Kentucky; B.A., San Francisco State University: American public opinion, political behavior, economic and political inequality, race, and representation. 

Lauren Marie Balasco (2017), Associate Professor of Political Science; Ph.D., M.A. University of Delaware; B.A. Randolph-Macon Woman’s College: Comparative politics, rule of law, political transitions, transitional justice, human rights. 

Robert J. Barney (2010), Associate Professor of Social Work; Ph.D., University of Louisville; MSW, University of Kentucky; B.A., Asbury University: international social work, family and community development, cultural competence, HIV/AIDS, research practice, human rights, disasters. 

Terrilyn Battle (2020), Assistant Professor of Counseling; Ph.D., North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University; M.S., Winston Salem State University; B.A., LCMHC (NC), LPC (NJ), and NCC, East Carolina University: Impostor phenomenon, mentorship, rehabilitation counseling, vocational counseling, underrepresented populations, cultural immersion and multiculturalism. 

Mark E. Berg (2008), Associate Professor of Psychology; Ph.D., University of Canterbury (New Zealand); M.S., B.S., Brigham Young University: perceptual category learning, experimental analysis of behavior, history of psychology, motivation, comparative cognition. 

Jess Bonnan-White (2012), Professor of Criminal Justice; Ph.D., University of Iowa; M.A., Northern Illinois University; B.A., Washington University in St. Louis: homeland security, comparative security studies, emergency management, conflict resolution, humanitarian assistance, human security, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, research methods, service-learning and community engagement pedagogy.   

John Bulevich (2011), Associate Professor of Psychology; Ph.D., M.A., Washington University, B.S., University of Washington: metacognition, eyewitness memory, aging.

David C. Burdick (1984), Professor Emeritus of Psychology; Ph.D., M.A., University of Notre Dame; B.A., Alfred University: adult development and aging, technology and aging, intergenerational relationships, applied gerontology, mental health and aging, environmental psychology. 

Deeanna M. Button (2012), Professor of Criminal Justice; Ph.D., University of Delaware; M.A., B.S., Old Dominion University: social inequality, violence/victimization, gender and sexuality, LGBTQ youth and resiliency, criminology, research methods and statistics. 

Guia Calicdan-Apostle (2011), Associate Professor of Social Work; DSW, University of Pennsylvania; MSSW, Asian Social Institute; BSSW, Philippine Women’s University: clinical social work practice, cultural competence, international social work, spirituality in mental health, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, cognitive behavior therapy and Philippine culture and history. 

David L. Carr (1992), Provost Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Political Science; Ph.D., State University of New York at Binghamton; M.A., B.A., San Diego State University: comparative politics, political development, comparative public policy, research methods and statistics. 

Nicole Cantoni (2023), Assistant Professor of Social Work; PhD., University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; MSW, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, B.S., University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; animal-assisted interventions, mental health treatment stigma, simulations for social work education, diversity, equity, & inclusion, intersectionality theory. 

Merydawilda Colón (2001), Professor of Social Work; Ph.D., M. Phil., The City University of New York; MSW, Rutgers, The State University; B.A., Universidad de Puerto Rico: LSW, social work practice, hospice (grief, death and dying), acculturation and attitudes of Latinos towards hospice, Latinos and community outreach, social work with diverse groups. 

Oliver Cooke (2005), Associate Professor of Economics; Ph.D., University of Massachusetts, Amherst; B.A., Trinity College: Urban/regional Economics, Economic History, Economy, Economics, and Economics. 

Lisa E. Cox (1999), Professor of Social Work; Ph.D., MSW, Virginia Commonwealth University; B.A., Bridgewater College: LCSW, clinical social work practice, psychopathology, health care, HIV/AIDS clinical trials research, guided autobiography, gerontology, spirituality, social work licensure and regulations, and the influence of social support on medication adherence. 

William Dineen (2022), Teaching Specialist of Criminal Justice; M.A.S., Fairleigh Dickinson; B.A. John Jay College of Criminal Justice; New Jersey State Police Academy: crime scene investigation, bloodstain pattern analysis, homicide investigation, criminal investigation, interview and interrogation techniques, resilience in policing, the criminal justice system, and corrections. 

Shawn R. Donaldson (1980), Associate Professor Emerita of Sociology; Ph.D., Rutgers, The State University: M.A., B.A., University of Pennsylvania: race/class/gender, sociology of law, medical sociology, demography, South African studies. 

Joshua D. Duntley (2006), Honors Program Director; Associate Professor of Criminal Justice; Ph.D., University of Texas; M.A., B.A., State University of New York at Plattsburgh: evolutionary psychology, forensic psychology homicide, stalking, victim psychology, individual differences. 

Betsy Erbaugh (2013), Associate Professor of Sociology; Ph.D., M.A., University of New Mexico; M.A., University of Notre Dame; B.A., Tufts University: reproductive and sexual health, gender, race, class, sexuality, social movements, violence, research methods. 

Diane S. Falk (1996), Professor Emerita of Social Work; Ph.D., Rutgers, The State University: MSW, University of Pennsylvania; M.A., B.A., University of Chicago: LCSW, Social work practice, program development and administration, child welfare, mental health practice and policy, human rights, international social work. 

Christine V. Ferri (2005), Associate Professor of Psychology; Ph.D., M.A., Duke University; B.A., Rutgers University: geropsychology, psychopathology, psychotherapy, positive psychology, statistical methods. 

Jessica Fleck (2006), Professor of Psychology; Ph.D., Temple University: cognitive neuroscience, research in the behavioral and neural underpinnings of problem-solving and creativity, age-related cognitive decline, and neural predictors of cognitive decline and dementia. 

Deborah M. Figart (1995), Distinguished Professor Emerita of Economics; Ph.D., The American University; B.A., Wheaton College, Norton, Mass.:  work and pay issues, economic well-being, economics of gender and race/ethnicity, labor unions and labor management relations, public banks, casinos and gaming, gig economy, public policy. 

Christine A. Gayda-Chelder (2010), Associate Professor of Psychology; Ph.D., Drexel University: clinical neuropsychology, traumatic brain injury, early detection of dementia, caregiver burden, health psychology, sex crimes. 

G. Reza Ghorashi (1981), Professor Emeritus of Economics; Ph.D., Fordham University; M.A., University of Oklahoma; B.Sc., University of Shiraz: international trade and international finance, microeconomics, political economy. 

Helana Girgis (2019), Associate Professor of Psychology; Ph.D., University of Arkansas; B.A., University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill: developmental and lifespan psychology, research methods, cognitive development, conceptual development of foods, moral development, and cross-cultural research.     

Sonia V. Gonsalves (1990), Professor Emerita of Psychology and Board of Trustees Member; Ph.D., M.Ed., Temple University; Diploma in Education, B.A. (honors) Chemistry and Applied Chemistry, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica: educational psychology, statistics, research methods, psychological and educational testing, experimental psychology, adolescence, learning, diversity issues. 

Arleen Caballero Gonzalez (1986), Associate Professor of Criminal Justice; J.D., Rutgers University Law School, Camden; B.A., Stockton University: criminal law; criminal procedure, legal research, fourteenth amendment, victimology, race/class/gender, Puerto Rican studies, Latin Caribbean studies. 

Laurie Greene (1989), Professor Emerita of Anthropology; Ph.D., M.A., Tulane University; B.A., University of Pennsylvania: language and culture, Latin American and Caribbean cultures, anthropology of the body, yoga and popular culture, gender, sexuality and the body, drag culture, social activism, ethnographic field methods. 

Syeda T. Hadi (2022), Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice; Ph.D., M.A., University of Hawaii at Manoa; B.A., Independent University, Bangladesh: International feminist criminology, criminalization and victimization of women and girls globally, reproductive and human rights, migrant women and detention, intersectionality perspective, criminological theory, critical criminology, data analysis. 

Zan Haggerty (2025) Assistant Professor of Social Work, DSW, MSW, Rutgers University; BA, George Washington University: gender affirming mental and medical health, anti-oppressive clinical practice and programs, emerging adult mental health and suicidality. 

Robert E. Helsabeck (1971), Professor Emeritus of Sociology; Ph.D., M.S., M.A., Indiana University; B.A., Culver-Stockton College: social psychology, research methods, religion, conflict. 

Robin Hernandez-Mekonnen (2013), Professor of Social Work, Ph.D., MSW, University of Pennsylvania; B.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison: social work with children and families, impacting social and child welfare system reform via research and policy, abolition, trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), immigration and child migration. 

Bobbi Hornbeck (2020), Teaching Specialist of Anthropology; Ph.D., M.A., SUNY, University at Buffalo; B.A., Stockton University: artic archaeology, landscape, monumentality, materiality, identity, social memory, human impacts, complexity. 

Janice O. Joseph (1989), Distinguished Professor of Criminal Justice; Ph.D., M.A., York University; B.A., University of West Indies:  victimology, violence against women, juvenile justice, delinquency, minorities and crime, corrections. 

Katherine Kafonek (2023), Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice; Ph.D., University of Delaware; M.S., University of Baltimore; B.S., Pennsylvania State University: feminist criminology, critical criminology, victimization and victim services, gender-based violence, violence prevention, qualitative methods.

Zornitsa Kalibatseva (2015), Associate Professor of Psychology, Ph.D., M.A., Michigan State University; B.A., Kenyon College: clinical psychology, cross-cultural psychology, assessment, depression, cultural competency, race, ethnicity, acculturation. 

Colleen Kase (2022), Assistant Professor of Psychology; Ph.D., M.S., University of Maryland; B.A., University of Pennsylvania: counseling psychology, stigma, sexual minority mental health, eating disorders, statistical and research methods. 

Nazia Kazi (2014), Professor of Anthropology; Ph.D., CUNY Graduate Center; M.S.W., Columbia University; B.A., Northwestern University: race, immigration, inequality, Islamophobia, social theory. 

Rachel S. Kirzner (2015), Associate Professor of Social Work; PhD, Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, MSW, B.A., University of Pennsylvania; LCSW, urban poverty, neighborhood effects, public benefits, self-determination theory, scholarship of teaching. 

Melaku Lakew (1982), Professor Emeritus of Economics; Ph.D., M.A., University of California at Riverside; B.A., University of California at Berkeley: monetary theory, history of economic thought, comparative economic systems, economic development. 

Barbara LeClair (2023), Teaching Specialist of Criminal Justice, M.A.S., Drexel University; B.A., Immaculata University: medico-legal death investigations, criminalistic and forensic science, forensic pathology and autopsies, crime scene investigation, forensic photography, the criminal justice system. 

Elinor Lerner (1979), Professor Emerita of Sociology; Ph.D., University of California at Berkeley; M.A., Humboldt State College; M.A., University of Rochester; B.A., Reed College: political sociology, sociology of women, deviance, sexuality, popular culture, human/animal relations. 

David Lester (1971), Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Ph.D., M.A., Brandeis University; Ph.D., M.A., B.A., Cambridge University: abnormal psychology, psychological statistics, personality, psychological testing, theories of counseling. 

Marissa P. Levy (2004), Dean of the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Professor of Criminal Justice; Ph.D., M.A., Rutgers, The State University; B.A., Stockton University: environmental criminology with emphasis on spatial analysis of crime (crime mapping and crime prevention), evaluations and statistics. 

Maya A. Lewis (2010), Associate Professor of Social Work, Ph.D., University of Maryland (Baltimore); MSW, Washington University, George Warren Brown School of Social Work; B.A., Spelman College: human behavior, research methods, social work practice with individuals, groups, and communities, adolescent mental health, minority health, health disparities, cultural competence. 

Ruibin Lu (2018), Associate Professor of Criminal Justice; Ph.D., M.A. Washington State University; B. Law, Nankai University, Tianjin, China: specialty courts, U.S. judicial system, drug and alcohol use, community corrections, policy evaluation, comparative criminal justice.  

Jennifer A. Lyke (2001), Professor of Psychology; Ph.D., Temple University; B.S., University of Pennsylvania: theories of counseling, group psychotherapy, field placements, statistics. 

Manish Madan (2013), Associate Professor of Criminal Justice; Ph.D., Michigan State University; M.S., Memorial University, Newfoundland Canada; M.S., University of Delhi, Delhi India; B.Sc. (Hons.), University of Delhi, Delhi, India: international and comparative research, gender policy, sexual harassment, sexual assault, victimization, media, policing, research methods, statistics. 

Mariam Majd (2018), Associate Professor of Economics; Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Amherst; B.A., Stockton University: international finance, money and banking, political economy, econometrics. 

Sara Martino (2005), Professor of Counseling; Ph.D., Temple University; M.A., Boston College; B.A., West Chester University; LPC, NCC: counseling psychology, illness-related stress disorders, female aggression, self-mutilation, superwoman ideal, gender group identity, eating disorders, marriage and family therapy. 

Sunny Mathew (2021), Assistant Professor of Social Work; Ph.D., Fordham University; MSW, Mangalore University; LLB., Bangalore University: Asian American parenting, social support and childrearing practices, social disadvantage and health disparity, social capital and community development; dialectical behavior therapy and life worth living.  

William J. McKnight III (2017), Teaching Specialist of Criminal Justice; M.S., Saint Joseph’s University; B.A. Stockton University; Certified Public Manager, The State of New Jersey; FBI National Academy 162nd Session, Quantico Virginia: police leadership, policing, the criminal justice system, homeland security, risk management and mitigation, business continuity. 

Jean Mercer (1974), Professor Emerita of Psychology; Ph.D., Brandeis University; A.B., Occidental College: developmental psychology, early childhood, infancy, perception, history and systems. 

William M. Miley (1972), Professor Emeritus of Psychology; Ph.D., M.A., Temple University; B.A., State University of New York at Buffalo: health psychology, mind/body interactions, abnormal psychology. 

Loretta Mooney (2019), Associate Professor of Social Work; Ph.D., LSW; Widener University; MSW, University of Maryland at Baltimore; BSW, LaSalle University: suicidology; mental health management and recovery; civil commitment and coercive practices; rational suicide; support for psychological pain. 

Richard F. Mulvihill (2011), Tenured Instructor of Criminal Justice; M.Sc., Nova Southeastern University; B.A., Stockton University, FBI National Academy 174th Session, Quantico Virginia; New Jersey State Police Academy: police, corrections and public safety policy and administration, criminal justice technology, emergency and disaster management. 

Ellen Mutari (1999), Professor Emerita of Economics; Ph.D., American University; B.A., Swarthmore College:  labor market and employment policies, job quality, gender, race, and class, economic inequality, contemporary political economy. 

Linda Williamson Nelson (1981), Professor Emerita of Anthropology and Africana Studies; Ph.D., Rutgers, The State University; M.A., New York University; B.A., Long Island University: anthropological linguistics, cultural anthropology, gender and culture, field methods, contemporary African American literature, African American vernacular English, African American culture. 

Jacqueline Pope, Professor Emerita of Political Science; Ph.D.; Columbia University: public administration, public policy, metro politics, Africana studies. 

Justin Ostrofsky (2013), Professor of Psychology; Ph.D., The Graduate Center of the City University of New York; B.A., Stockton University: Perception, attention and memory-based processes supporting the ability to realistically draw objects from observation, statistics, research methods and cognitive psychology. 

Siavash Radpour (2022), Assistant Professor of Economics; Ph.D., The New School, New York; M.A. University of Groningen, the Netherlands and Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary; B.Sc., Iran University of Science and Technology, Iran: Economics of aging, labor Economics, and political economy. 

Michael S. Rodriguez (2006), Professor of Political Science and Campus Liaison, Washington Internship program;  Ph.D., Temple University;  M.A., University of Texas, Austin;  B.A., Princeton University: race and politics, politics of immigration

Joseph Rubenstein (1972), Professor Emeritus of Anthropology; Ph.D., M.A., New School for Social Research; B.A., Hunter College: religion and ritual, anthropological theory, ethnicity, food and culture, anthropological photography, research methods, community engagement. 

Nusret M. Sahin (2018), Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice; Ph.D., M.A., Rutgers, The State University; M.A., John Jay College of Criminal Justice; M.A., B.A., Turkish National Police Academy, Ankara, Turkey; B.A., Anadolu University, Eskisehir, Turkey: police legitimacy and procedural justice, police-citizen encounters, police technology, terrorism, statistics, crime mapping and crime analysis.

Erin Sappio (2019), Associate Professor of Counseling; Ph.D., M.Ed., Temple University; B.A., Fairfield University; NCSP; Licensed Psychologist: Interprofessional Education; Counselor Education Pedagogy, School Psychology.   

Kimberley R. Schanz (2017), Associate Professor of Criminal Justice; Ph.D., CUNY Graduate Center; M.A., John Jay College of Criminal Justice; B.A., Providence College: the influence of media on CJS-related perceptions (e.g. the CSI effect), behavioral crime scene analysis in sexual assaults, and forensic psychology. 

Nordia Scott (2019), Assistant Professor of Psychology; Ph.D., M.A., Michigan State University (East Lansing, Michigan); B.A., Hofstra University: Ecological Community Psychology, race and racism, academic resilience, risk and protective factors, privilege and oppression, systems perspectives, social change. 

G. William Sensiba (1974), Professor Emeritus of Political Science; Ph.D.; Yale University: methodology, political personality and behavior, political sociology, comparative politics. 

Elizabeth Shobe (1998), Professor of Psychology; Ph.D., University of Toledo; B.A., Stockton University: introduction to psychology, cognition, learning, statistics, experimental psychology, evolution and behavior, behavioral neuroscience, research interests include independence and collaboration of the cerebral hemispheres. 

Rupendra Simlot (1998), Associate Professor Emeritus of Criminal Justice; Ph.D., University of Rajasthan; MBA, University of Rhode Island: Forensic science, crime scene investigation, high tech investigation, criminal justice management, police and their issues, and international culture. 

Allison N. Sinanan (2007), Professor of Social Work; Ph.D., Fordham University; MSW, Adelphi University; B.A., Hunter College, The City University of New York: sexual abuse recurrence in minority children, oppression of children and families of color, social work practice with individuals and groups, race, ethnicity and diversity issues, and diversity challenges in predominately white institutions. 

Amy Yingyi Situ-Liu (1992), Associate Professor of Criminal Justice; Ph.D., M.A., Indiana University of Pennsylvania; B.A., Jilin University: spouse abuse and victimology, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, applied criminology, environmental crime, comparative crime control and prevention. 

Elyssa Smith (2019), Assistant Professor of Counseling; Ph.D., University of Wyoming; Ed.S., Rider University; M.S., Syracuse University; B.A., University of Colorado; LPC, RPT, NCC, ACS: Psychodynamic theory and practice, Play Therapy, reflexivity in the counseling and psychotherapy process, clinical supervision, qualitative research methodology (arts-based and post-structural inquiry). 

 Franklin O. Smith (1973), Professor Emeritus of Sociology; Ed.D., University of Massachusetts at Amherst; M.Ed., Springfield College; B.A., Hampton Institute: Family, Sociology of Education, Sociology of Sports, Acting, Public Oratory. 

Marcello Spinella (1999), Professor of Psychology; Ph.D., City University of New York; M.A., Queens College,  City University of New York; B.A., Fairleigh Dickinson University: physiological psychology, positive psychology, mindfulness, clinical neuropsychology, psychometrics, psychopharmacology, herbal medicines, executive functions, addiction. 

Marcia R. Steinbock (1989), Professor Emerita of Criminal Justice; J.D., Rutgers University School of Law, Camden; MSW,  State University of New York at Albany; BFA, Boston University: judicial systems, prisoners’ rights, psychology and law, Jewish women. 

Connie M. Tang (2005), Professor of Psychology; Ph.D., M.S., University of Wyoming, Laramie; MSW, Washington University, St. Louis; B.A., Zhongshan University, Guangzhou, P.R. China: child and adolescent development, children and the law, social relationships and adolescent behavior, childhood studies.  

Christine Tartaro (2000), Distinguished Professor of Criminal Justice; Ph.D., M.A., Rutgers, The State University;  B.A., The College of New Jersey: corrections, research methods and statistics, suicide in correctional facilities, mental illness, program evaluation, reentry. 

Ramya Vijaya (2004), Professor of Economics; Ph.D., The American University; B.A., Bombay University, India: feminist political economy, international and development economics. 

Keith B. Williams (1998), Professor of Psychology; Ph.D., M.A., University of Minnesota; B.A., Macalester College: educational psychology, social psychology, psychology of individual differences, educational testing and measurement, teacher education and teacher training. 

Linda J. Wharton (2001), Professor Emerita of Political Science; J.D., Rutgers University School of Law; B.A., Bryn Mawr College: constitutional law, judicial politics, feminist theory, women and politics, public policy, social movements. 

John H. White (1992), Professor of Psychology; Ph.D., M.Ed., B.A., The University of North Texas: forensic neuropsychology, serial murder, sex crimes, violent crimes, police psychology, forensic psychology,  criminal investigative analysis (profiling). 

Hannah Wolfe (2024), Assistant Professor of Psychology; Ph.D., Northeastern University: geropsychology, aging, emotion regulation, eye-tracking, acceptance, positive psychology. 

Kate Worley (2025), Assistant Professor of Counseling; Ph.D., LPC (PA), LPC-MHSP (TN), RPT, Trevecca Nazarene University: play therapy, first-generation counseling students, mental health needs of the LGBTQ+ population. 

Kaite Yang (2015), Associate Professor of Psychology; Ph.D., M.A., Princeton University; B.A., Dartmouth College: social psychology, personality and individual differences, lifespan gender disparities, meta-analysis and multi-level modeling. 

Ian Zapcic (2024), Assistant Professor of Social Work; Ph.D., The Ohio State University; MSW, Rutgers University; BA, Ramapo College of New Jersey: social work research and practice with communication technology; dating and relationship violence; human development and technology; identity development. 

Tina M. Zappile (2012), Associate Professor of Political Science; Ph.D., M.A., University of Nebraska-Lincoln; M.A., B.A., University of Nevada, Las Vegas: Model United Nations advisor, international relations, global economic governance, international law, international financial institutions, economic development and international trade and finance.