Faculty & Staff

Dr. Brooke Kandel serves as Dean and Professor in the College of Education at Butler University, where she collaborates with colleagues and community partners to expand and diversify the Indiana educator pipeline, to prepare excellent educators and advocates to serve youth and communities, and to ensure every student can thrive. Previously, Brooke has worked as an immigrant advocate in the court system, an ESL and bilingual K-12 and adult educator, and a Senior Research Associate at the State of Texas Education Research Center. She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Texas A&M University, and her scholarly interests include culturally and linguistically sustaining practices, school-family-community engagement, ESL teacher professional development, and teacher leadership. Brooke’s scholarship has been published in books and journals including Multicultural Education, Theory into Practice, Educational Forum, and The Oxford Encyclopedia of Global Perspectives on Teacher Education.  She is a Fellow of the Desmond Tutu Center for Peace, Reconciliation, and Global Justice.  Brooke is most energized when she is collaborating with and learning from children, youth, and educators.

Kelli J. Esteves, Ed.D., is a professor of special education and the associate dean for the College of Education at Butler University. She holds a B.A. in learning disabilities, an M.A. in teaching children with visual impairments, and an Ed.D. in special education. Her research focuses on inclusive practices within K-12 educational settings and multi-tiered systems of support for students. She has consulted with numerous schools and is a frequent presenter for professional organizations such as the Council for Exceptional Children and the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE). In her role as a global coordinator for the College of Education, she works with school partners around the world to develop intercultural connections among educators and students. Under her leadership, Butler’s College of Education received the AACTE Best Practice Award in Support of Global and International Perspectives for its Global Network for Teacher Preparation program. Prior to her time at Butler, Dr. Esteves was the director of the Learning Disabilities program at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She was also a special education teacher and literacy specialist in the K–12 public school system. Dr. Esteves is the coauthor of RTI Success: Proven Tools and Strategies for Schools and Classrooms and RTI in Middle School Classrooms.

Selected books and articles:

Social Imagination Project: Fostering Empathy in Pre-Service Teachers by Reading Children’s Books Featuring Characters Who Have Disabilities (2021), Journal of Teacher Action Research, article co-authored with Shelly Furuness

Art and Exceptionality: Addressing Art Fear and Fear of Difference in an Introductory Art Course (2021), Canadian Review of Art Education: Research and Issues, 48:1, 38-52, article co-authored with Arthur Hochman 

RTI Success: Proven Tools and Strategies for Schools and Classrooms – Revised and Updated Edition (2019), Free Spirit Publishing Inc., book co-authored with Elizabeth Whitten and Alice Woodrow

Fostering Global Perspectives with Children’s Literature (2018), Kappa Delta Pi Record, 54:2, 72-77

RTI in Middle School Classrooms: Proven Tools and Strategies (2014), Free Spirit Publishing Inc., book co-authored with Elizabeth Whitten

La réponse àl’intervention: Un modèle efficace de différenciation (2012), Chenelière Éducation, book co-authored with Elizabeth Whitten and Alice Woodrow, translated by D.Demers (Original work published in 2009)

Audiobooks for Students with Reading Disabilities (2011), Reading Horizons Journal, article co-authored with Elizabeth Whitten

https://works.bepress.com/kelli-esteves/ 

Classes:

Introduction to Special Education

Developmental Theory and Application in Education

Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Learning

Special Education Law

Collaboration and Consultation with Stakeholders

Assessment in Special Education

Art and Exceptionality 

Mindfulness in Everyday Living

Education/Degrees:

Hope College, BA in Learning Disabilities

Western Michigan University, MA in Teaching Children with Visual Impairments

Western Michigan University, EdD in Special Education

Michigan Elementary Professional Teaching Certificate

Specialized Endorsements in Learning Disabilities & Visual Impairments

Teaching Certification from the Mindfulness Institute for Emerging Adults 

Dr. Abel currently serves as Associate Dean of Graduate and Adult Learning Programs in the College of Education.  He first joined the faculty as Assistant Professor in 2013, obtained tenure and promotion to the rank of Associate Professor in spring 2019, and served as Chair of COE Graduate Learning & Teaching Teams and Director of the MS in School Counseling program from 2019 to 2024.  Prior to starting at Butler, Dr. Abel worked as a professional school counselor at the elementary and high school levels, and he earned an EdD in Counselor Education and Supervision from Minnesota State University – Mankato in 2013 following completion of his dissertation titled, Academic Resilience in African American & Latina(o) High School Students: A Study of GPA, Emotional Intelligence, & Perceptions of Discrimination.  Dr. Abel is interested in teaching and research that supports the effectiveness of school counselors, including the efficacy of specific interventions, the use of data and evidence-based approaches, and strategies to build comprehensive school counseling programs.  Dr. Abel is also active on many university committees and workgroups and has a keen interest in expanding graduate studies within COE and across the university.  

Angela Mager serves as the Assistant Dean and Senior Lecturer in Butler University’s College ofEducation. With over thirty years of experience in education, she has served as a teacher, nonprofit director, consultant, teacher educator, and is both a National Board Certified Counselor and a Certified Youth and Childcare Professional.

Working with professionals to create optimal conditions for career fulfillment as well as capacity building in the field of education are areas of interest in her professional life. She contributed to the book The Power of Teacher Leaders, has developed an online educator wellness course and presents frequently at national conferences.  Angela is also the Chair of the Indianapolis Public Library Foundation Board of Directors. 

Susan R. Adams, Ph.D. is Professor of Education in the College of Education. Dr. Adams’ teaching responsibilities in the Butler University College of Education regularly include teaching educational foundations, introduction to secondary education (ED227), multicultural education (ED398/ED497), ESL methods (ED498), and graduate courses. She is currently the COE Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. 

A former urban secondary ESL teacher and instructional coach, Dr. Adams’ research and professional interests include race, critical pedagogies, equitable access to the curriculum and to academic success for all students and transformative adult learning. She is an experienced critical friendship coach and facilitator with the School Reform Initiative, a Teacher Consultant with the National Writing Project, and a site leader of the Hoosier Writing Project. 

Dr. Adams’ publications are included in Theory into Practice, English Journal, SAGE Sociology of Education, EBSCO Research Starters, The Brock Education Journal, Writing and Pedagogy, AILACTE Journal, Critical Literacy: Theories and Practices, and The New Educator. Dr. Adams and her co-author, Jamie Buffington-Adams, Ph.D. published their book, Race and Pedagogy: Creating Collaboration for Teacher Transformations, Lexington Books, an imprint of Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, as part of Roland W. Mitchell and Kenneth J. Fasching-Varner’s series, Race and Education.

Dr. Adams was selected for the 2012 ATE-I Anne Patterson Paper Award for her scholarly paper, “Whiten Up! An Autobiographical Exploration of the Impact of White ESL Teachers’ Race, Privilege and Positionality on English Language Learners in K-12 Schools” and was chosen for the 2014 Association of Liberal Arts Colleges of Teacher of Education (AILACTE) Scholar Award. In 2015, Dr. Adams and her colleague, Dr. Brooke Kandel-Cisco were awarded a Desmond Tutu Fellowship and was selected as a 2016 Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) Clincal Fellow. She also served as Butler University Co-Faculty Development Fellow with Dr. Elizabeth Mix (2013-2014) and with Dr. Jane Gervasio (2014-2015). To visit Dr. Adams’ Digital Commons Scholarly Works page, please click here.

Office hours are arranged by requesting an appointment through email: sradams@butler.edu 

An academic staff member since November 2015, Amy received a Master’s Degree in Effective Teaching and Leadership from the College of Education where she completed a thesis researching university staff’s need for professional development. In July 2022, she accepted her current position in the College of Education, leading staff and managing external placements for COE students. She also teaches a course for the Well Being (WB) area of the University’s Core Curriculum called Mindfulness in Everyday Life. Her contemplative training is based in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Interpersonal Mindfulness, and is a certified Mindfulness Institute for Emerging Adults teacher. 

Katie Brooks is a Professor of Education at Butler University.  She is a former English as a Second Language teacher in Indianapolis Public Schools and earned her doctorate from Kansas State University in curriculum and instruction with a specialization in academic and language instruction for second language learners.  Her research focuses on teacher transformation to promote equitable outcomes for English Language Learning (ELL) students and engaging K-12 ELL students and their parents as co-researchers in participatory research projects. Her most recent publications focus on the development of teacher agency for supporting ELL students and family engagement.  She has delivered more than 400 presentations at conferences and workshops at the local,national, and international levels. Her work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals including Theory Into Practice, Multicultural Education, and American Secondary Education.

Dr. Brian Dinkins serves as assistant professor at Butler University, where he serves as director of the Experiential Program for Preparing School Principals (EPPSP). Brian is a 2007 graduate of Butler’s educational administration program. He is in his twenty-third year in education and has served as turnaround principal in four high-poverty schools, including traditional, charter, and private schools. He has committed his life and work to serving children, educators, families, and communities in need.

Ryan Flessner is a Professor of Teacher Education. He holds a B.S. in Elementary Education from Butler University, a M.A. in Curriculum and Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Teacher Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Ryan has taught grades 2-8 in Indianapolis, New York City, and Madison, Wisconsin. His primary teaching and research interests include elementary mathematics, teacher education, practitioner inquiry, and issues of equity, diversity, and social justice. He provides professional development for P-12 teachers across the state and Midwest. 

Dr. Flessner has co-edited four books: Equity through Action Research, Agency in Teacher Education, The Power of Clinical Preparation in Teacher Education: Embedding Teacher Preparation within P-12 School Contexts, and Case Studies of Clinical Preparation in Teacher Education: An Examination of Three Teacher Preparation Partnerships. 

Articles written or co-written by Dr. Flessner have appeared in journals such as Action in Teacher Education, Action Research Journal, Educational Action Research, Indiana Mathematics Teacher, Science & Children, Science Education International, Teachers College Record, Teaching Education, The Educational Forum, and The New Educator. 

Chapters Ryan has authored or co-authored have appeared in Teacher Education and the Struggle for Social Justice; The Routledge International Handbook of Critical Education; Critical Education: Major Themes in Education; A Year of Inquiry: A Collection for Elementary Educators; Practitioner Research in Teacher Education: Theory and Best Practices; Exemplary Science for Building Interest in STEM Careers; Sociology of Education; Breaking the Mold of Classroom Management: What Educators Should Know and Do to Enable Student Success; SAGE Handbook of Research in Teacher Education; (Participatory) Action Research: Principles, Approaches and Applications; Building Upon Inspirations and Aspirations with Hope, Courage, and Strength: Teacher Educators’ Commitment to Today’s Teachers and Tomorrow’s Leaders; Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education; and Project-Based Learning in Elementary Classrooms: Making Mathematics Come Alive. 

Ryan also worked with the Indiana Department of Education, the Partnership for Inquiry Learning, and Courtney Flessner to create 54 videos to assist K-8 teachers better understand the developmental progressions related to state standards as well as sound instructional and assessment practices at each grade level. The videos can be accessed here: https://partnershipforinquirylearning.org/standards/

Monique S. Harris is a former special educator and licensed reading specialist who has taught for twenty years, serving in
various grades and classroom settings. Dr. Harris earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a concentration in Literature at San Francisco State University, then continued her education at the University of San Francisco, earning her Educational Specialist credential in Moderate Disabilities. Dr. Harris then went on to earn a master’s degree at Simmons University in Language and Literacy. Her educational pursuits led her to Florida State University and the Florida Center for Reading Research, where she received a competitive fellowship from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). Dr. Harris also holds a Graduate Certificate in Dyslexia from the University of Florida Literacy Institute. Her research interests include identifying effective reading instruction and interventions for older student populations, and implementation science as a tool to improve educational equity.  

Dr. Keller began his counselor education career at Butler University in 1997. His leadership assisted in getting initial national accreditation (CACREP) for the school counseling program in 1998, and continued re-accreditation up through 2021. The school counseling program has been recognized with the NCACES Innovative Program Award, and is a nationally known top tier program. Professionally, Dr. Keller has served as the President of the Indiana School Counseling Association, ASCA delegate member, NBCC Board of Directors, and has chaired site teams for CACREP accreditation at 20+ different universities. He has received several awards, including the College of Education Richard Guyer Professor of Education and the Indiana Exemplary Counselor Educator of the Year. He currently is the Director of the School Counseling Program and along with his colleagues, presents at state/national conferences, conducts research, and actively contributes to the counseling profession.

Kat is thrilled to join the Butler team after 10 years working in K-12 education. She has a degree in Sociology and Political Science from Ball State University.

Ashley Mack-Jackson is a Lecturer in the College of Education. Previously, she served as an Assistant Professor and Assistant Department Chair of English, Humanities, and World Languages for the Central Indiana region of Ivy Tech Community College.

Ms. Mack-Jackson co-founded and currently serves as the co-CEO of Word As Bond, Inc. (Word), an organization that provides free creative writing education to youth across central Indiana, and in 2018 she was awarded a Poetry Foundation grant to support her work with Word’s young writers. Because of her commitment to promoting and celebrating the literary arts in Indiana, she has been invited by organizations like the Indiana Writers Center, Indiana Humanities, and Heartland Society of Women Writers to speak and facilitate writing workshops for a diverse array of audiences throughout Indiana, the Midwest, and beyond. She also serves as an Editorial Assistant for The Indianapolis Review.

Deeply invested in giving back to the educational communities that have shaped her professional life, she currently serves as the president of the IUPUI University Library Community Board and a member of the Ball State University School of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Executive Advisory Council. Her writing has appeared in Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora, The Indianapolis Anthology, Callaloo: A Journal of African Diaspora Arts and Letters, Drumvoices Revue, and elsewhere.

Primary Role: administrative support for graduate & adult learning programs, including admissions processes, COE graduate course scheduling, room assignments, adjunct hires, and communication with stakeholders  

Marketing and Graduate Programs Coordinator

Dr. Brandie Oliver is an Associate Professor in the School Counseling Program at Butler University. Prior to her current role, she worked as a middle school counselor but also has experience at the elementary and high school levels. Brandie sees her role as a resource and support for Professional School Counselors as well as an advocate and source of positive change for all students, parents, and educators.  She presents at state, regional, and national conferences, and provides professional development to educators, and collaborates with other educational fields to emphasize the importance of working across disciplines for compelling and long-term change. Her specific areas of interest include the development of comprehensive school counseling programs, school culture and restorative practices, culturally responsive practices, suicide prevention/intervention, and implementing social-emotional learning within an MTSS framework. Dr. Oliver is dedicated to the training and professional development of all educators that strive to be change agents in PK-12 education.

Dr. Oliver has also served families at Brooke’s Place for Grieving Young People as a support group facilitator for grieving teens and as an individual grief counselor in the Therapy Services program. She is involved both at the national and state level, serving on the Evidence-Based School Counseling Advisory Board, the Indiana School Counselor Association Board, and served on the Presidential Advisory Board for the American Counseling Association.

Have you ever inflated a life-sized blue whale in a school parking lot? Talked with astronauts in real-time aboard the International Space Station with 200 third graders? Led science and social studies explorations with one thousand fourth graders around the track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway? If you’ve had class with Dr. Catherine Hagerman Pangan – most likely you have!

Dr. Pangan is a Professor in the College of Education. She is honored to work with first-years through graduate students and many community partners around the city. Her work focuses on science and social studies methods, teacher leadership and innovation, and pre-service teaching. She is also an Innovation Fellow for Butler’s Transformation Lab.

She also has a unique role as a “Faculty-in-Residence and lives with 630 sophomores in Fairview House with her family. Dr. Pangan contributes as a columnist in The Teacher Advocate magazine as “Dr. P.” and has written curriculum for teachers for exhibits at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. She wrote a children’s book titled“No Peanuts for Me!” about her son’s peanut allergy. She also authored chapters for “The Power of Teacher Leaders” and “Connecting Children to Nature” and advised on a student-led publication “The Gifts of Indiana.” She serves as president of the Board of Trustees for Sycamore School. Formerly, Dr. Pangan was an elementary teacher in St. Louis, MO and Indiana. She traded in her “golden apple” teaching award for the Big Apple and helped start the NewTeacher Academy at Columbia University and worked with teachers in Harlem and Brooklyn. She received her B.S. in Elementary Education, Master’s in Educational Administration at Butler University, an endorsement in Gifted Education, and a doctorate in Curriculum and Teaching with an emphasis on policy and education law. Dr. Pangan has been working in education for over 25 years.

Dr. Tom Parry is the Kinesiology Program Director in the College of Education. His Ph.D. is in Human Performance from Indiana University, and he also holds an M.S. double major in Motor Skill Learning & Ergonomics, and a B.Sc. in Sport Science and Coaching. 

He teaches a number of courses within the Kinesiology major, including KIN 127, KIN 253, KIN 261, KIN 321, KIN 322, KIN 326, KIN432. 

His research interests are centered on the application of kinesiology theory and concepts to practitioner-based settings such as therapy, coaching and strength & conditioning. His expertise is in skill acquisition, sport psychology and coaching and regularly publishes research in these areas.

Katy Somerfield (she/her) joined the Butler College of Education team in January 2024 as Data Management and Accreditation Administrator. She brings a unique set of skills and perspective to the analysis and communication of data, holding both a Master of Information Management (Data Analytics) and Master of Social Work (School Social Work). Katy calls herself a data storyteller and holistic support advocate who believes in using information to improve outcomes for our students. She is originally from the Chicagoland area and spends her free time spoiling her two rescue dogs. 

Dr. Karlin James Tichenor believes in positively impacting the lives of others, namely marginalized communities, in social emotional and psychological wellness. He was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana where he graduated from Pike High School. He received his undergraduate degree in 2009 from Denison University in Communication Arts with a minor in Psychology as a scholar-athlete. During his tenure at Denison University, he founded the Boys to Men Mentoring Program in a local school district as a partnership with the University. He received his Master of the Arts degree, with a specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy from Michigan State University in 2011 and his doctorate in Human Development and Family Studies with a specialization in Couple and Family Therapy in 2016. 

Dr. Tichenor is a clinical scholar. As a researcher, he has investigated the Promoting Academic Success Program (PAS) for minority males and the efficacy of this program on the matriculation of these students from high school and post-secondary education. He has also worked with the FirstSchools Intervention which is a project focusing on diminishing the ethnic/racial achievement gap between majority and minority youth through the development of partnerships between program staff, families, and schools in the context of Michigan. As well, he is a two-term minority fellow through the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Minority Fellowship Program, where he completed two quantitative studies on how at-risk minority males talk about themselves, their lives, and the influence of contextual factors on relationship maintenance for African American couples. He is also a King Chavez Parks (KCP) Future Faculty Fellow for the State of Michigan and Michigan State University. His dissertation focus was a study entitled “The Sociohistorical Influences on Coupling: The barriers to Developing and Maintaining a Healthy, Rewarding Relationship for African American Couples.”  In addition to his work mentioned above, Dr. Tichenor has been involved in a wide range of other activities through University Outreach and Engagement, the McNair program, and 4H.

Over the years, Dr. Tichenor has worked in the Lansing School District in Lansing, Michigan as the developer and Director of the Behavior Intervention Monitor Program, as a Student Services Specialist, and the Director of Project Prevent— a federally funded grant to increase school-based and community-based mental health services for students and families. Additionally, he has performed as the director of the Academic Intergenerational Mentoring Program (AIM High) through the City of Lansing and the Department of University Outreach and Engagement at Michigan State University, the Coordinator of the Culturally Responsive Positive Behavior Intervention Support (CRPBIS) initiative, the Director of the Student Support Specialist Program, the Executive Director and Associate Superintendent for the Lansing School District, a Fixed Term Assistant Professor at Michigan State University in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, and an Adjunct Professor at Siena Heights University in the Mental Health Counseling Program. 

Most recently, in 2019, Dr. Tichenor embarked on a new mission within his hometown of Indianapolis. He was previously the Director of Social Emotional Health at the Indiana Youth Institute until 2021 and is now the founder and CEO of Karlin J & Associates consulting firm, a Professor at Butler University, and an Adjunct Professor at Abilene Christian University – Dallas, and the senior partner and co-founder of Family Links, a social services agency. He is the loving father to a daughter, Kaiden Marie Tichenor, and the proud husband to Mrs. Stephanie Tichenor. He believes in the benefit of community collaboration, the power of education and positive role models for youth development, and the importance of family unity.  

Professor Williams is a professional educator whose career started teaching middle school language arts in Ft. Worth, TX. She went on to teach high school English in Oklahoma City, OK before finding her first higher education position as an adjunct instructor at Mountain View College, Dallas, TX. There she worked to help developmental writing students find their voice in academic writing. She has since taught freshman composition, technical writing, and writing within the sciences at the college-level. In addition to a BA in English and African American Studies, as well as a secondary education certification, she holds an MA in Secondary Administration, a graduate certificate in Composition, and an MA in English.