UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Administrative Assistant
- Administrative Assistant I
Abby Long is the administrative assistant I for the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College. She is a recent graduate of Texas Woman's University where she earned a bachelor's degree in psychology. She is passionate about socioemotional functioning and completed her honors capstone on how parents socialize emotions in children facing social and emotional hardships.
Education: BS, Texas Woman's University
Job Titles:
- Program Specialist
- Program Specialist With the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College
Aurora Becerra is a program specialist with the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College. She is currently working toward a Master of Public Affairs from the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences. She is a graduate of Southern Methodist University, earning a Master of Education, and Smith College, earning a bachelor's degree in Latin American studies and theater. She is a former academic support coordinator for the School of Interdisciplinary Studies at The University of Texas at Dallas, and recipient of the 2022 Diversity Leadership Award. She was also an assistant director in global programs at SMU Cox School of Business, where she traveled the globe with BBA, MBA and EMBA students.
Education: MEd, Southern Methodist University
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director for the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College
- Assistant Director, Terry Scholars Program, Clark Summer Research Program
Cassie Cure is an assistant director for the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College. She also heads Liberal Arts Honors, the Worsfold Grant and Book Club. Cure earned a bachelor's in creative writing from Lycoming College and a master's in higher education administration from Sam Houston State University. She was previously the administrative program specialist for a business honors program at Texas Christian University and the study abroad coordinator at Sam Houston State University.
Education: MA, Sam Houston State University
Job Titles:
- Lecturer
- Associate Professor of Instruction
Dr. Christina Thompson is a lecturer in chemistry with Collegium V. She obtained her PhD in chemistry from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she focused on synthetic organic chemistry and completed the first total synthesis of the natural product dykellic acid. From there she went to work at Abbott Laboratories, designing and developing new drugs for schizophrenia. Thompson teaches introductory organic chemistry lecture and lab, and works in Dr. Ronald Smaldone's research lab developing new materials for energy storage. She is also part of a team at UT Dallas that developed Polycraft World, a mod for the popular game Minecraft, designed to teach polymer chemistry and energy science through enhanced game play.
Education: PhD, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Dr. Neetha Devdas
Assistant Professor of Instruction
Job Titles:
- Member of the Faculty & Staff
- Dean of the Hobson Wildenthal
- Dean of the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College / Professor of Biological Sciences
- Education
Donal Skinner is dean of the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College and professor of biology. He received his PhD from the University of Cambridge, England, followed by postdoctoral fellowships at Cambridge and the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, France. His research focused on the mechanisms driving hormone secretion by the brain, especially that of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). He is passionate about facilitating undergraduate research and study abroad opportunities. See Donal Skinner's full profile
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean and Clinical Professor of Government and Politics
- Associate Director of Collegium V
Dr. Douglas C. Dow is the associate director of Collegium V, and clinical professor of government and politics. He also heads the Office of Distinguished Scholarships, recruiting and advising students applying for nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships. Dow teaches courses in political theory, American politics and Texas government, Constitutional law and history, ethics and technology, and film and politics. His research interests include the history of political thought and language, human rights, and jurisprudence.
Education: PhD, Johns Hopkins University
Job Titles:
- Senior Lecturer
- Associate Professor of Instruction
- Education
Dr. Eva LaDow is a senior lecturer in neuroscience with Collegium V. She did her PhD at the University of California, San Francisco, focusing on neuronal signal transduction and synaptic plasticity. During her postdoctoral fellowship at the Gladstone Institutes of Neurological Disease, she performed a high content analysis drug-repurposing screen to find potential therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). LaDow teaches courses related to neurobiology, including Cellular Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Instruction
- Education
is an assistant professor of Instruction in psychology with Collegium V. She earned a bachelor's in speech-language pathology and audiology from UT Dallas in 2001 and received her PhD in counseling psychology from Texas Woman's University. Her past research includes topics related to sexual violence and acculturation issues among South Asian Americans. Clinical interests include trauma psychology and multicultural counseling. She is also a lecturer with the Archer Center in Washington, D.C., and is responsible for creating and implementing mental health initiatives for the Honors College. Devdas typically offers Introduction to Psychology, Abnormal Psychology and Readings Courses on rotation.
Education: PhD, Texas Woman's University
Job Titles:
- Professor of Computer Science
- Professor of Computer Science at the University of Texas
Dr. Ravi Prakash is a professor of computer science at The University of Texas at Dallas. His areas of teaching and research include wireless and sensor networking, mobile computing and distributed computing. He is the recipient of multiple research grants from federal agencies and industry including the NSF CAREER award and the NSF Major Research Infrastructure award. He has served the technical and university community in his roles as an editor of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Transactions on Mobile Computing, as the president of the IEEE Dallas section, and as speaker of the faculty on the UT Dallas Academic Senate.
Education: PhD, Ohio State University
Eva LaDow
Associate Professor of Instruction
Job Titles:
- Program Specialist
- Program Specialist for the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College
Josh Kreuter is a program specialist for the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College. He is currently studying criminal justice through Southern New Hampshire University. Prior to UT Dallas, he was the associate director of Admissions at Bishop Lynch High School in Dallas and assistant varsity volleyball coach. He assisted the team in winning five state championships.
Job Titles:
- Program Specialist With the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College
Lindsey Boeshans is a program specialist with the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College. She is a graduate of Texas A&M University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in sociology. She is a former academic support coordinator for the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at The University of Texas at Dallas and recipient of the 2019 CARE Award.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Faculty & Staff
Job Titles:
- Business Manager
- Business Manager for the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College
Philip Talbert is the Business Manager for the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College. He is a graduate from the University of Texas at Arlington, where he earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics and with additional studies in business and accounting. Philip has previously worked in public accounting as an auditor and has diverse experience in providing business services to support educational initiatives.
Education: BA, University of Texas at Arlington
Job Titles:
- Program Specialist
- Program Specialist With the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College
Ryan Wasilewski is a program specialist with the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College. He is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, where he earned a Master of Education in educational leadership & policy, and Presbyterian College, where he earned a bachelor's degree in sociology with minors in biology and gender studies. He is a former residential life coordinator within University Housing at The University of Texas at Dallas. Ryan has also worked in residential life at various institutions across Texas and assisted with academic advising at UT Austin within the School of Undergraduate Studies.
Education: MEd, The University of Texas at Austin
Job Titles:
- Director of the Terry Scholars Program
- Director, Terry Scholars Program
Sheila Kelly is the director of the Terry Scholars Program. She has worked in the UT Dallas Honors College since 2013. Prior to this, she served for 10 years as the director of student affairs for Dallas International School, a private French school. Kelly received a bachelor's in English literature from Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana. She also holds a Master of Public Affairs from The University of Texas at Dallas.
Education: MPA, The University of Texas at Dallas
Job Titles:
- Program Specialist
- Program Specialist With the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College
Stacey Moran is a program specialist with the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College. She is a graduate of the University of Central Arkansas, where she earned a master's degree in higher education administration, and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where she earned a bachelor's degree in psychology with a minor in sociology. She is a former academic advisor II for the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at The University of Texas at Dallas. She was also an academic support coordinator for the Department of Bioengineering at UT Dallas.
Education: MS, University of Central Arkansas
Job Titles:
- Financial Services Manager
- the Financial Services Manager
Steven Hawker is the financial services manager in the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College. He is a graduate from the University of North Texas, where he earned a bachelor's in geography with an emphasis in geology and national parks. He previously worked in the UT Dallas Office of the Registrar for five years.
Education: BS, University of North Texas
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Director
- Assistant Dean / Senior Director, National Merit Scholars Program, Collegium V Honors and Liberal Arts Honors
Valerie Brunell is the assistant dean and director of the National Merit Scholars Program, the Collegium V Honors Program and the Liberal Arts Honors Programs. Prior to joining UT Dallas in 2006, she worked at Binghamton University. She graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a master's in chemistry.
Education: MS, University of California, Irvine
Job Titles:
- Associate Director for the National Merit Scholars Program
- Associate Director, National Merit Scholars Program, Clark Summer Research Program
Wendi Kavanaugh is the associate director for the National Merit Scholars Program. She received a bachelor's in radio and television from Texas A&M University-Commerce. She has a master's in humanities, aesthetic studies, and a Master of Fine Arts in arts and technology from The University of Texas at Dallas. She is the former membership outreach manager for the Dallas Museum of Art.
Education: MFA, The University of Texas at Dallas