Search Committee for the Dean of the College of Education

Michael Pagano
Search Committee Chair
Dean and Professor
Urban Planning and Public Affairs
Director, Government Finance Research Center
mapagano@uic.edu

Michael A. Pagano is Dean of UIC’s College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs, Director of the Government Finance Research Center,  professor of public administration, former co-editor of Urban Affairs Review (2001-14), and elected fellow (2006) of the National Academy of Public Administration.  He has published eleven books, including Metropolitan Resilience in a Time of Economic Turmoil, Terra Incognita, Cityscapes and Capital, and The Dynamics of Federalism, and over 100 publications on urban finance, capital budgeting, federalism, infrastructure, urban development and fiscal policy.  His BA in Latin American Studies is from the Pennsylvania State University and he has a PhD in Government from the University of Texas at Austin.
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Lionel Allen
Clinical Assistant Professor
Educational Psychology and Special Education
Education
lallen5@uic.edu

Alejandra Cantero
Business Administrative Associate
Educational Psychology and Special Education
Education
acante2@uic.edu

Alejandra “Alex” Cantero is the Business Administrative Associate for the Educational Psychology and Special Education departments in the College of Education.  She received her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and later her M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction – Instructional Leadership from the University of Illinois at Chicago.  She has a deep commitment to mentoring and supporting marginalized urban students, in particular first generation students, with a positive college experience.  Having worked in the College of Education for more than 10 years, she serves on various committees and panels on campus.  She has received two awards from UIC: The Award of Merit (2014) and the Janet Watkins Service Award (2019).

Docoteau Irby
Associate Professor
Educational Policy Studies
Education
irbyd@uic.edu

Decoteau Irby is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Policy Studies where he teaches and advises in the College’s Urban Education Leadership program area. He researches equity-focused school leadership as a lever to improve Black children’s academic and socio-emotional experiences and outcomes.

Norma Lopez-Reyna
Chair and Associate Professor
Special Education
Education
nlr@uic.edu

Norma Lopez-Reyna specializes in assessment and instruction of students with disabilities and who are English Language Learners, in parental involvement in their children’s learning, and bilingual special education teacher education. She is director of the UIC Education Assessment Clinic , which provides services for children aged 5-18 who are experiencing learning difficulties. Lopez-Reyna directed the Monarch Center, which provided grantsmanship and program improvement & development services to special education faculty at HBCUs and minority institutions of higher learning.

Daniel Maggin
Associate Professor
Special Education
Interim Associate Dean for Research
Education
dmaggin@uic.edu

Daniel Maggin is an associate professor in special education at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). He currently serves as the interim associate dean of research for the College of Education at UIC. His research and teaching addresses focuses on students with and at risk for developing emotional and behavioral disorders. Specifically, Dr. Maggin’s research focuses on three areas including (a) the use of systematic review and meta-analysis to assist with the identification of effective, school-based instructional and management practices; (b) the training of school personnel to use a continuum of empirically supported assessment and intervention methods to develop individualized educational programs for students with disabilities; and (c) the development and application of methods for promoting the use of research and evidence in schools to assist school personnel better support the individualized needs of students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Dr. Maggin has received more than $7 million in funding from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES).

Catherine Main
Senior Clinical Lecturer
Educational Psychology
cmain@uic.edu

Catherine Main has nearly three decades of work on behalf of young children and their families in the state of Illinois. Her work in the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) has included innovative and responsive program development and coordination in Early Childhood Education. Main designed and developed a Blended Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education program and an Early Childhood Alternative Licensure program. Both programs were the first of their kind approved by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and both reflect a focused, much needed response to specific demands for early childhood teachers in Chicago. She is a recipient of the 2019 UIC Award for Excellence in Teaching.  As the Principal Investigator (PI) on the recently awarded Department of Education (DOE) grant, The Chicago Early Childhood Preparation and Pathway (CECPP) Partnership, she is currently leading a research team to enhance and expand the UIC Early Childhood Alternative Licensure program.  She regularly presents her work at national conferences and as an invited speaker at local conferences and is past-President of the Illinois Association for Early Childhood Teacher Educators (ILAECTE) and a member of the board for Chicago Youth Centers.

Ayesha Qazi
Doctoral Candidate
Curriculum and Instruction
Education
aqazi5@uic.edu

Ayesha Tasneem Qazi is a doctoral candidate in the Mathematics & Science Education Ph.D. program at UIC’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Her prior degrees were also completed at UIC (B.S. in Biological Sciences in 2016 and MEd in Science Education in 2017). Ayesha teaches AP Environmental Science and Honors Biology at a Chicago public school, where she also serves on the Culture and Climate Committee. In 2020, she was appointed to the position of Associate of Science & Education at the Field Museum and currently serves on its Science & Education Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Task Force. A Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Chicago Environmental Educators non-profit organization, she supports a network of over 200 educators addressing environmental and climate injustices and redefining environmental education in partnership with community organizations. She is a member of the UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy, the Chicago Teachers Union Climate Justice Committee, the Chicago Biodiversity Assessment Advisory Board, and the Environmental Literacy for Illinois Strategic Plan.

Aria Razfar
Professor
Curriculum and Instructions
Education
arazfar@uic.edu

Aria Razfar coordinates the Project ELMSA grant, preparing Chicago-area teachers to deliver culturally relevant instruction, while his personal research interests focus on the sociocultural dimensions of language and its meaning to human development.

Kathleen Sheridan
Chair and Associate Professor
Educational Psychology
Education
ksherid9@uic.edu

Kathleen M. Sheridan is an associate professor in the department of Educational Psychology. She is also the chair of the Educational Psychology department and program coordinator for the Human Development and Learning program. Dr. Sheridan received her PhD in Child and Family Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her MA from Washington University in St. Louis. Her research interests include early STEM literacy and professional development for early childhood educators, online learning and course development in higher education, and teacher presence in online courses. Sheridan has been published in leading academic journals, delivered keynote speeches, and has presented her work at workshops and at regional, national and international conferences.

Elise Wilson
Doctoral Programs Advisor
Office of Student Services
Education
elise@uic.edu

Elise Wilson, MDiv, is Doctoral Programs Advisor in the College of Education, Office of Student Services (OSS), where she directs and coordinates activities related to admissions and program management.

She has worked in this position for more than 10 years.  However, Elise has served the College of Education for over 15 years; prior to joining OSS, she worked as Assistant to Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.  What she enjoys most about her current position is that it gives her the opportunity to facilitate students achieving their academic dreams and goals.  Elise received her undergraduate degree in Social Studies from Roosevelt University, her Master of Arts in Counseling and Human Services, from Roosevelt University and her Master of Divinity from Chicago Theological Seminary.