Syracuse University’s Falk College is pleased to welcome 14 new staff members who have joined Falk College in the past academic year: Peter Ashworth, Social Work Internship Placement Coordinator; Rebecca Berard, Marriage and Family Therapy Internship Placement Coordinator; Jennifer Coughlin, Social Work Program Manager; Kim Fudge, Admissions Operations Coordinator; RoQueHarmon, Exercise Science Internship Placement Coordinator; Chandice Haste-Jackson, Associate Dean of Student Services; Kara Hughes, Social Work Administrative Assistant; Timothy Lamey, Exercise Science Internship Placement Coordinator; Matt Michael, Communications Manager; Kim Mura, Human Development and Family Science Office Coordinator; Matthew Murphy, Nutrition and Food Studies Procurement Specialist; Beth Perez, Sport Management Internship Placement Coordinator; Ian Richardson, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions, and; Tyler Sliker, Marriage and Family Therapy Clinic Director.
In addition, Falk College is pleased to announce 12 new faculty appointments:
- Exercise Science – Kylie Harmon, Kristen Konkol;
- Human Development and Family Science – Ashleigh Jones;
- Marriage and Family Therapy – Tristan Martin, Tracey Reichert Schimpff;
- Nutrition and Food Studies – Naomi Shanguhyia;
- School of Social Work – Nadaya Brantley, Ting Guan, Joseph Smith, Aviva Vincent;
- Sport Management – Lindsey Darvin, Jason Maddox, Adrian Simion
Kylie Harmon
Assistant Professor, Exercise Science
Kylie Harmon joins the Department of Exercise Science as an assistant professor. Her position is part of the Aging, Behavioral Health, and Neuroscience research cluster.
Prior to joining Syracuse University, Harmon was a graduate research assistant at the University of Central Florida (UCF) within the School of Kinesiology and Physical Therapy. There, she taught undergraduate kinesiology classes in exercise science, assessment techniques, and health and wellness. While at UCF, she also served as the research coordinator of the Neuromuscular Plasticity Laboratory within the Institute of Exercise Physiology and Rehabilitation Science. During her M.S. studies, she was the Human Performance Laboratory director within the Department of Kinesiology at California State University, Fullerton.
Harmon’s research focuses on understanding the neuromuscular adaptations that occur in response to aging, immobilization/disuse, fatigue, and strength training, with an emphasis on both changes in motor unit behavior and alterations in the corticospinal pathway. She is particularly interested in how to best preserve muscular strength during periods when resistance training is not feasible, such as during illness, injury, or immobilization.
During her doctoral studies, Harmon was awarded a Richard Tucker Gerontology Applied Research Grant from the University of Central Florida Learning Institute for Elders (LIFE) Group to support her research in older adults. To support her dissertation project, Harmon was awarded the University of Central Florida Graduate Dean’s Completion Fellowship.
Harmon was named recipient of the University of Central Florida Division of Kinesiology Doctoral Scholar Award and Graduate Writing Award supported by the American Kinesiology Association. She is an active member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and was awarded both the NSCA Foundation’s Women’s Scholarship and Challenge Scholarship.
Harmon earned a Ph.D. in education, exercise physiology track, from the University of Central Florida in 2022, preceded by a M.S. in kinesiology from California State University, Fullerton, in 2016, and a B.A. in Russian studies from Binghamton University in 2013. She is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
Kristen Konkol
Associate Teaching Professor, Exercise Science
Kristin Konkol is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Exercise Science. She teaches courses such as structural kinesiology for performance enhancement and injury prevention, structural kinesiology, scientific principles of conditioning, and concepts of fitness. She also runs the internship and experience credits for the department.
She joined Falk College as an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Exercise Science in Fall 2020. Prior to joining Falk College in 2020, the Department of Exercise Science was positioned within Syracuse University’s School of Education, where Konkol has served as Assistant Professor since 2018, and formerly as part-time faculty. Previously, Konkol was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Performance, Exercise Science/ Physiology at the Minnesota State University, Mankato, where she taught courses such as individualized exercise, aerobic conditioning, and concepts of fitness, among others. She also held an adjunct faculty position there, as well as coaching positions at the Gustavus Adolphus College.
At the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal in South Africa, Konkol held several titles, including lecturer, lab instructor, manager in the Human Performance Laboratory, and performance specialist for professional athletes. Konkol’s research interests include sport specific training; speed, agility, and quickness training; athletic performance testing; strength and conditioning; exercise immunology; and global perspectives in human performance. Konkol’s work is published in the Cardiovascular Journal of Africa, Sport Sciences for Health, Children, Sports and Exercise Medicine Open Journal, and International Journal of Exercise Science.
Konkol currently serves at Syracuse University as the I-Move Program Coordinator and Dance Minor Coordinator. From 2004 to 2006, she served as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer in Guyana and South America. Konlol is a Certified Performance Enhancement Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Konkol earned her Ph.D. in Sports Science from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa in 2013.
She earned an M.A. in Kinesiology with an Exercise Physiology emphasis and a graduate minor in Complementary and Alternative Therapy and Healing Practices. She earned her B.S. in Exercise Science with a Cardiac Rehabilitation emphasis from the University of Toledo, where she was a Division I collegiate basketball athlete.
Ashleigh Jones
Assistant Teaching Professor, Human Development and Family Science
Ashleigh Jones joins the Department of Human Development and Family Science as an assistant teaching professor. She teaches classes in human sexuality and intimate relationships.
Jones has over 10 years of teaching experience and has taught courses across various subjects spanning multiple disciplines at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. As an educator, Ashleigh takes immense pride in creating an informative and engaging classroom environment in which students are encouraged to control their own learning experience. Dr. Jones leverages her extensive teaching experience with novel teaching pedagogies to create an immersive and collaborative teaching environment to help future scholars and practitioners apply theory to practice. Recent courses she has taught include families in crisis, cross-cultural research, adolescents and their families, mental health, and human sexuality.
Prior to joining Syracuse University, Jones was an instructor at Texas Tech University in 2020 in the Departments of Human Development and Family Sciences and Community, Family, and Addiction Sciences. Prior to Texas Tech, while completing her graduate degrees, she served as an instructor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, teaching courses for the Department of Community Health from 2010-2017.
In addition, Jones worked as an academic coach with Disabilities Resource Education Services at the University of Illinois from 2012-2017. In this role, she worked directly with students and conducted needs assessments; offered career counseling; and created, implemented, and facilitated several skill-based workshops and trainings for students, staff, and faculty across the university campus.
Jones earned a Ph.D. in 2019, an M.S. in 2011, and a B.S. (with honors) in 2008, all from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Tristan Martin
Assistant Teaching Professor, Marriage and Family Therapy
Tristan Martin joins the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy as an assistant teaching professor. He teaches classes in family therapy, including sexual issues for the helping professional.
Prior to Fall 2022, Martin was an adjunct instructor both in Marriage and Family Therapy and Human Development and Family Science at Syracuse University.
Martin’s research focuses on transgender sexuality with the intersections of relational and erotic diversity. He has presented at multiple national conferences and contributed to publications in the field of family therapy and transgender issues, including the “Handbook of LGBTQ-Affirmative Couple and Family Therapy” and “Sexual and Relationship Therapy.”
Martin was a recipient of the Summer Dissertation Fellowship at Syracuse University in 2019 for his dissertation “Transgender Congruence and Sexual Satisfaction in Trans Masculine Adults: The Role of Affirmative Sexual Partners.”
Martin is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and AASECT-certified Sex Therapist. His clinical work focuses on providing support for the LGBTQ community, with specialization in supporting gender transition for youth and adults.
Martin earned a Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Syracuse University in 2020, a Certificate of Advanced Study in Sex Therapy from the University of Wisconsin-Stout in 2020, a master’s degree in family therapy from Mercer University in 2016, and a B.A. (with honors) in 2014 from Huntingdon College.
Tracey Reichert Schimpff
Associate Teaching Professor, Marriage and Family Therapy
Tracey Reichert Schimpff is an associate teaching professor in the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy. She teaches supervision in marriage and family therapy for doctoral students and practicum courses for the master’s program.
Reichert Schimpff has been the director of clinical services for Marriage and Family Therapy since 2013 and served as the clinic supervisor from 2008 to 2013. Prior to working at Syracuse University, Reichert Schimpff was the director of family services at The Salvation Army in Syracuse. She held several clinical and administrative roles in the non-profit organization from 1998 to 2008.
Reichert Schimpff’s focus has been on child welfare and the treatment of trauma. Her research explored therapists’ experiences of trauma and the role of compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction. She is also interested in developing community collaborations to increase access to mental health care.
She has collaborated on scholarly articles and grants in the areas of community violence, trauma, and maternal mental health.
Reichert Schimpff has served as chair of the Supervisor Committee, Clinic Committee, Handbook Committee and Clinical Readiness Committee in the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy. She also provides supervision mentorship to supervisor candidates in the Central New York area.
Reichert Schimpff earned a Ph.D. from Syracuse University in 2019 and an M.A. from SU in 1996. She received a B.S. from LeMoyne College in 1993. Reichert Schimpff is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Clinical Fellow of AAMFT, and an Approved Supervisor.
Naomi Shanguhyia
Associate Teaching Professor, Nutrition and Food Studies
Naomi Shanguhyia joins Nutrition and Food Studies as an associate teaching professor. She teaches classes in contemporary food issues, global food politics, and oversees the undergraduate and graduate practicums.
Prior to joining Falk College, Shanguhyia was the associate director of the Renée Crown University Honors Program, where from 2019 to 2022 she oversaw the program’s curriculum and day-to-day operations and taught a course on food security in Africa. She was also a part-time instructor in the Geography and the Environment Department in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, where she taught a class on geographies of hunger, and a faculty affiliate in the international relations program. From 2012 to 2014, Shanguhyia was a lecturer in the Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability at SUNY Oneonta, where she taught courses in introductory geography, food, society and environment, and gender geography. In 2014, Shanguhyia joined the College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University as a post-doctoral faculty fellow and taught writing-intensive seminars focusing on the themes of food, society, gender, and environment.
Shanguhyia’s research focuses on the global and local processes that intersect to shape food, nutrition, and health outcomes among communities in Africa south of the Sahara. Her dissertation research, which was funded by an NSF DDRI grant, examined the impact of environmental and economic change on food and livelihood security among rural communities in western Kenya. Her previous work, which is published in Human Geography: A Radical Journal, analyzed the politics of chronic hunger in arid and semi-arid areas in northern Kenya. She has presented her work at the annual conferences of the American Association of Geographers (AAG) and the Association for the Study of Food & Society (ASFS), the Cornell University International Studies Summer Institute Workshop, and other forums.
Shanguhyia holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in geography from West Virginia University and a B.Ed. and M.Ed. from Kenyatta University, Kenya.
Nadaya Brantley
Assistant Teaching Professor, Social Work
Nadaya Brantley joined the School of Social Work as an assistant teaching professor in Spring 2022. She teaches courses in introductory social work and social welfare policy and serves as the baccalaureate of social work program director.
She joined Syracuse University as a member of the field office in January 2011 as an internship placement coordinator and previously served as the assistant director of BSSW field education in Falk College, School of Social Work Field Education Office. She is a New York State Licensed Master Social Worker. Her practice areas include work with adolescents, developmental disabilities, mental health, and incarcerated populations.
As a systems thinker, she believes that, in the words of Bell Hooks, “there must exist a paradigm, a practical model for social change that includes an understanding of ways to transform consciousness that are linked to efforts to transform structures.” Brantley’s research interests include exploring intersectional identities and educational equity in higher education through a critical race theory lens.
Brantley serves on several department committees and as an advisor for several student organizations, including SU-NAACP, SU-Special Olympics of New York, Social Worker’s United, and the Juvenile Urban Mentoring Program (J.U.M.P. Nation).
She received a bachelor’s degree in social work and a master’s of social work (M.S.W.) degree from Syracuse University. She is currently a doctoral student in the Cultural Foundations of Education in the Syracuse University School of Education.
Ting Guan
Assistant Professor, Social Work
Ting Guan joins the School of Social Work as an assistant professor. She will teach courses on foundations of social work research.
Prior to joining Syracuse University, Guan was a Ph.D. candidate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work, where she also served as a research assistant, working with faculty in the School of Social Work, School of Nursing, and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center on federally funded work related to integrated health care and cancer care. Guan has over eight years of clinical experience in hospital settings as a medical social worker in China.
Guan’s research focuses on developing and evaluating family-based psychosocial interventions to improve cancer patient and caregiver quality of life through collaborative and interdisciplinary social work practice in healthcare settings. She has published over 20 peer-reviewed articles in academic journals, including Psycho-Oncology, Supportive Care in Cancer, Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, Social Work in Health Care, and Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research.
Guan’s dissertation research was supported by a Royster Dissertation Completion Fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2021.
Her work has been recognized and funded by the Association of Oncology Social Work, Society for Social Work and Research, and Association of American Medical Colleges. In 2015, Guan was awarded China’s Most Dedicated Social Worker Award, a prestigious national award for social work practitioners.
Guan earned a Ph.D. in social work in 2022 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work, a master’s degree in social welfare in 2009 from Peking University, and a bachelor’s degree in social work in 2006 from China Youth University for Political Studies.
Joseph Smith
Associate Teaching Professor, School of Social Work
Joseph Smith joined the School of Social Work as an associate teaching professor in Spring 2022 and serves as the college online MSW program liaison. He teaches classes in applied research in social work, psychopathology, and alcohol and other drugs in social work practice.
Prior to his full-time faculty appointment at Syracuse University, Smith served as an adjunct faculty member in both the BSSW and MSW programs since 2010. He was heavily involved in online curriculum development and teaching in various content areas. Additionally, Smith comes to this position following 25 years of administrative and teaching experience as Department Chair of Chemical Dependency Counseling and Human Services at SUNY Tompkins Cortland Community College.
Smith has practiced as a licensed clinical social worker and Master CASAC in a wide range of social work settings, including adult psychiatric inpatient, substance abuse outpatient and residential, and children’s psychiatric outpatient programs. Smith has interests in trauma-informed and evidence-based strategies, psychodynamic interventions, and culturally responsive practice.
His research interests focus on the areas of mental health and student success, substance use on college campuses, and academic achievement and job placement with underrepresented and minority college students. Smith’s work has been supported by a Perkins Grant from Assertive Community Intervention and Guided Pathways aimed at providing intrusive and structured supports for undergraduate students experiencing academic difficulties; a New York State OASAS College Environmental Prevention Grant aimed at preventing/reducing underage alcohol and drug use on college campuses; and an ALANA Scholarship Grant from the Park Foundation aimed at increasing educational opportunities and job placement for underrepresented and minority students.
Smith has previously served as an MSW Research/Thesis Advisor at Smith College School for Social Work in Northampton, Massachusetts. He also consults and work with NYS OASAS as a statewide trainer in the areas of ethics, cultural competency, and clinical supervision.
Smith earned a Ph.D. in social work from Smith College School for Social Work in 2006, a master’s of social work (M.S.W.) degree from Syracuse University, and a B.S. in psychology from Utica College.
Aviva Vincent
Assistant Teaching Professor, School of Social Work
Aviva Vincent joins the School of Social Work as an assistant teaching professor. She teaches classes in the online master of social work (M.S.W.) degree program.
Prior to joining Syracuse University, Vincent was the program director at Fieldstone Farm Therapeutic Riding Center, a premiere accredited PATH Intl. facility in Ohio. She was also an adjunct at the University of Connecticut and Case Western Reserve University. She is an instructor of animal-assisted interventions at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in its Veterinary Social Work Certificate Program and has served as the program’s community engagement coordinator. Vincent is co-owner of the only Veterinary Social Work private practice in Northeast Ohio, Healing Paws LLC.
Vincent’s research focuses on the bi-directional physiological impact of human-animal interaction. She has published over 15 peer-reviewed publications, of which she is the first author of nine. She is also a contributor to The Comprehensive Guide to Interdisciplinary Veterinary Social Work; Integrating Horses into Healing; The Handbook on Human Animal Interactions, Interventions, and Anthrozoology; and Career Paths in Human-Animal Interaction for Social and Behavioral Scientists.
Vincent recently concluded a study as a co-investigator, Reining in Anxiety, which tested a 10-week manualized CBT-based curricula in adaptive riding sessions. Vincent has also completed research exploring the impact of equine assisted services toward the promotion of mindfulness for veterans. Currently, she is leading a local pilot of the Man O’War Project, a curriculum developed in partnership with Columbia University and PATH Intl. Subsequent research has been supported by the Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research (Spit Camp, 2017). Later in 2017, Vincent was a recipient of an inaugural fellowship to the Animals and Society Institute for pre-doctoral candidates.
Vincent was awarded a Doctoral Program Research Fellowship from 2015-19 from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. During her tenure, she received the Phi Beta Kappa Research Award (2018), Dr. Dorothy Pijan Student Leadership Award (2018), and Verhosek Fund Award (2016). Prior to her doctoral career, Vincent received the Next Generation Leadership Award (30 under 30) in 2014 from the National Afterschool Association. Vincent is president of the International Association of Veterinary Social Work, board of trustee member for PATH Intl., and an advisory member for the Center for Human Animal Interaction Research and Education at The Ohio State University.
Vincent earned a Ph.D. in 2019 from Case Western Reserve University in social welfare with a concentration in veterinary social work, including a Veterinary Social Work Certificate from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 2017. Vincent is a Licensed Social Worker in the state of Ohio and has completed specialized training as a Certified Therapeutic Riding instructor (2016), Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning (2019), and Equine Services for Heroes (2018). She has also completed Green Dot Bystander Training (2018), Sustained Dialogue (2018), LGBTQ+ Safe Zone Training (2015), and the Institute For Social Change and Harwood Institute (2012). She earned a master of social work degree in community organizing in 2011, and a B.A. from University of Massachusetts at Amherst in social thought and political economy in 2007. In her undergraduate studies she also completed a semester abroad at the University of Limerick.
Lindsey Darvin
Assistant Professor, Sport Management
Lindsey Darvin joins the Department of Sport Management as an assistant professor. She will teach classes in research methods and race, gender, and society in sport.
Prior to joining Syracuse University, Darvin was an assistant professor from 2018-22 at the State University of New York College at Cortland, where she taught sport ethics, athlete development, and administration of sport.
Darvin’s research centers around the themes of sport industry and esport industry gender equity, with a particular focus on seeking to combat the underrepresentation of women leaders and women and girl participants at the intercollegiate and professional levels of sport and esport competition. She has published in refereed journals across a variety of academic segments in the areas of management, sociology, vocational behavior, organizational behavior, communications, and sustainability science. Her research has been featured across a variety of media platforms, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, New York Daily News, Inside Higher Education, and SB Nation. Darvin was co-editor of a special issue in the Journal of Athlete Development and Experience (JADE), released March 2022, that focused on NCAA Division III athlete wellbeing and experience. Recently, Darvin served as an author of the Women’s Sport Foundation 2022 collaborative report, “50 Years of Title IX: We’re Not Done Yet.”
Subsequent research has been supported by SUNY Faculty Research Program awards in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Professor Darvin serves on the editorial board of several peer-referred journals, including the Sport Management Education Journal (SMEJ), the Journal of Athlete Development and Experience (JADE), and the Journal of Electronic Gaming and Esports (JEGE). Darvin is a member of the Dell Technologies Research Collective and the North American Society of Sport Management, and she serves on the steering committee for the PNC Bank Pittsburgh Knights women in esport group. In Spring 2019, Darvin created and advised the first women in sport management group on the campus of SUNY Cortland.
Darvin earned a Ph.D. in sport management in 2018 from the University of Florida, an M.S. in sport management in 2014 from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and a B.A. in political science in 2012 from Bryn Mawr College.
Jason Maddox
Assistant Professor, Sport Analytics
Jason Maddox joined the Department of Sport Management as an assistant professor in Spring 2022. He teaches sport data analysis and R for sport analytics.
Prior to joining Syracuse University, Maddox was a student at Baylor University earning his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D., all in statistical science. While a doctoral candidate, he taught introduction to statistics courses and focused research on sport analytics. Maddox also served in the front office of the San Diego Padres as a research and development intern during the summer of 2019.
Maddox’s research focus is on sports data analysis in R, using methods such as regression, machine learning, and Bayesian analysis. His dissertation was focused on creating in-game win probability models for basketball and football.
Maddox earned a Ph.D. in 2022, an M.S. in 2018, and a B.S. in 2016, all in statistical science from Baylor University.
Adrian Simion
Instructor, Sport Analytics
Adrian Simion joins the Department of Sport Management as an instructor. He teaches classes on python programming for web scraping and statistical analysis.
Prior to joining Syracuse University, Simion was a graduate student at Wayne State University from 2017 to 2022, pursuing his Ph.D. in economics with a focus in econometrics. He taught principles of microeconomics and macroeconomics, intermediate macroeconomics, and intermediate econometrics during his time there. He was also a research assistant working on sport management research projects.
Simion’s research is in applied econometrics and sport management. His thesis is on external imbalances and their ability in predicting future exchange rate movements. His sport-related research has been on the impact of college football on the surrounding lodging industry, and the NCAA transfer portal and its impact on the welfare of transferring athletes.
Simion was awarded the Nancy S. Barrett Endowed Prize in Applied Economics in 2021 for his thesis work.
Simion is a Ph.D. candidate in economics at Wayne State University. He earned a M.A. in economics from Wayne State University in 2022 and earned a B.A. in mathematics from Michigan State University in 2016.