We are thrilled to welcome seven faculty members to the IU School of Education starting this semester. They bring expertise in many areas, including financial management for schools, STEM interests in children and the process and outcome of psychotherapy. We look forward to their future contributions to students and research.

Day Greenberg

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY

Day Greenberg joins the School of Education as an Assistant Professor of Learning Sciences in the Department of Instructional Systems Technology. Greenberg researches justice-oriented youth learning and development in STEM outside of school, with a particular focus on museums and science centers, community organizations, summer programs and youth media. Her approach to research centers design-based, critical ethnographic and participatory approaches and methods. Greenberg earned her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology from Michigan State University. 

Maryellen Brunson McClain Verdoes

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, COUNSELING AND EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

Maryellen Brunson McClain Verdoes joins the School of Education as an Associate Professor in Counseling and Educational Psychology. Her research interests include autism and neurodevelopmental disabilities, psychological and psychoeducational assessment, health disparities and culturally responsive identification practices, interprofessional and interagency collaboration and training issues in school psychology and allied professions. McClain Verdoes earned her Ph.D. in School Psychology minoring in Counseling Psychology and Inquiry Methodology from Indiana University. 

Michele Moore

CLINICAL ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP & POLICY STUDIES

Michele Moore joins the School of Education as a Clinical Assistant Professor within the Department of Educational Leadership. Her expertise is in financial management for schools, understanding and working in declining enrollment and updating curriculum and student programs to the demands of the 21st century. Prior to joining our faculty, she served as superintendent of Indiana School Districts for over five years (MSD Martinsville & Shelby Eastern), as well as two years as Executive Director and CFO at Central Indiana Educational Service Center. She earned her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Curriculum from Indiana University. 

Kelli Paul

ASSISTANT RESEARCH SCIENTIST, CENTER FOR RESEARCH ON LEARNING & TECHNOLOGY

Kelli Paul joins the School of Education as an Assistant Research Scientist at the Center for Research on Learning and Technology (CRLT). Prior to her role as an Assistant Research Scientist, she served as a Postdoctoral Research Associate here at the School of Education in Science Education. Her research focuses on the development of STEM interests, identity and career aspirations in children and adolescents. Paul earned her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology specializing in Inquiry Methodology from Indiana University. 

Andrés Pérez-Rojas 

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, COUNSELING AND EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

Andrés Pérez-Rojas joins the School of Education as an Associate Professor in the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology. His primary research interests include the process and outcome of psychotherapy, with a particular focus on the understanding, measurement, and impact of therapists’ cultural comfort and other reactions (e.g., countertransference), as well as different aspects of the therapeutic relationship. A secondary area of research includes college counseling and mental health, with emphasis on the experiences of historically marginalized college students, including Latinx and international students. Pérez-Rojas' research on these topics has spanned a variety of approaches, including quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods designs. He earned his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Lauren Ray

CLINICAL ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION

Lauren Ray received her Ph.D. in educational leadership from Saint Louis University. Prior to joining the faculty at Indiana University, Ray served as an Emphasis Area Coordinator and Associate Teaching Professor in Early Childhood Education. Ray was the director of an early childhood program in Richmond, California and worked for the International Child Resource Institute in Berkeley. As a teacher educator, Ray supports a pedagogy of developing teachers that (1) values the individual agency and capacity of all children; (2) critically examines, through a social justice lens, classroom spaces, curricula, community contexts and media; (3) understands teaching of young children as an intellectual and scholarly pursuit.

Vivek Vellanki

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, COUNSELING & EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

Vivek Vellanki joins the School of Education as an Assistant Professor in Counseling and Educational Psychology and Curriculum & Instruction. His scholarly and artistic works explore how photography is adopted as method, theory and practice within the field of education. His most recent collaborative work, The Passport Photo Project, examines the contradictions between state-imposed restrictions on migrant identity and the plurality of their lives. Prior to his role as Assistant Professor, he served as a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Center for Research on Race and Ethnicity in Society here at IU. Vellanki earned his Ph.D. in Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education from Michigan State University.