Our Faculty
Justin Benna, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Family Life Center (FLC) 216
(701) 231-5930
justin.benna@ndsu.edu
Areas of Specialization: PK-12 School Leadership; Social and Political Contexts of Schools; Educator Development and Professional Learning
Education: PhD, Education, University of New Hampshire, 2018
Dean Bresciani, Ph.D.
University Distinguished Professor
Family Life Center (FLC) 210
(701) 231-7211
dean.bresciani@ndsu.edu
Areas of Specialization: Higher Education Finance; Higher Education Administration; Student Affairs Administration
Education: PhD, Higher Education FInance, University of Arizona, 1996
Laura S. Dahl, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Family Life Center (FLC) 210B
laura.s.dahl@ndsu.edu
Areas of Specialization: College Student Learning and Development; Institutional Effectiveness in Higher Education and Student Affairs; Collegiate Bystander Intervention; Educational Measurement through Rasch Modeling
Education: Ph.D., Higher Education and Student Affairs, The Ohio State University, 2019
Liza Gilblom, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Family Life Center (FLC) 210D
elizabeth.gilblom@ndsu.edu
Areas of Specialization: Geographic Information Systems; Privatization in Education; Equity in Education; Critical Social Theory
Education: Ph.D., Urban Education, Cleveland State University, 2017
Brent Hill, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Family Life Center (FLC) 210K
(701) 231-8664
Brent.Hill@ndsu.edu
Areas of Specialization: Monte Carlo Simulations; Educational and Psychological Measurement; Learning Theory; Structural Equation Modeling; Q Methodology; Time Series Analysis
Education: Ph.D., Oklahoma State University, 2011
Hollie Mackey, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Family Life Center (FLC) 210K
(701) 231-5775
Hollie.Mackey@ndsu.edu
Areas of specialization: Indigenous theory and methodology, critical policy analysis, self-determination in education, ethical leadership, and education law
Education: Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University, 2010
Cailen O’Shea, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Family Life Center (FLC) 216
cailen.oshea@ndsu.edu
Areas of Specialization: School Transformation, Innovation for Equitable Education, PK-12 School Leadership, Quantitative Methods
Education: Ph.D. Educational Leadership and Higher Education, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2020
Laura Parson, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Family Life Center (FLC) 210H
laura.parson@ndsu.edu
Areas of Specialization: Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (SoTL); Women in Higher Education; Women in STEM; Ethnographic and Discourse Methods of Inquiry
Education: Ph.D., Teaching and Learning (Higher Education), University of North Dakota, 2016
Chris Ray, Ph.D.
Professor & Head, School of Education
Family Life Center (FLC) 210F
(701) 231-7104
Chris.Ray@ndsu.edu
Areas of Specialization: Institutional Effectiveness; Learning Outcomes Assessment; Instrument Development; Moral Development and Education; College Student Development
Education: Ph.D., Educational Psychology, Oklahoma State University, 2007
Nathan Wood, Ph.D.
Associate Professor & Program Coordinator
Family Life Center 210G
(701) 231-9771
Nathan.Wood@ndsu.edu
Research Interests: Socio-cultural Issues in Education; Identity Development; Preparation of Educational Researchers
Education: Ph.D., Curriculum & Instruction/Science Education, University of Minnesota, 2006
Affiliated & Part-Time Academic Faculty
- Erika Beseler Thompson, Ph.D., Director of the Academic Support Center, Minnesota State University Moorhead
- Jeff Boyer, Ph.D., Director of Assessment and Accreditation, North Dakota State University
- Laura Oster-Aaland, Ph.D., Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, North Dakota State University
- Miriam Tobola, Ed.D., Director of Innovation & Learning at Breckenridge Public Schools
- Jane Vangsness Frisch, Ph.D., Vice President for Student Affairs at North Dakota State College of Science