Kelly Gomez-Johnson

Biography

Kelly Gomez Johnson is an assistant professor of STEM Education at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Her teaching and research focus on effective and equitable K-16 STEM teaching, learning and leadership practices, particularly in mathematics. Her collaborative work and leadership on internal and external projects have attracted nearly $4 million dollars in funding since 2016. These student-centered projects investigate active teaching and learning communities in college mathematics, multi-layered support mechanisms for underrepresented students in STEM, and scholarship programs to recruitment, develop and retain highly qualified STEM teachers.She teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in Teacher Education, provides mentorship to students across campus, and collaborates with community organizations to provide access and support to students, staff, and faculty. Her philosophy as an educator is to serve and empower others in relevant learning experiences and opportunities that enrich their lives.

Teaching Interests

Along with teaching a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses at UNO, Dr. Gomez Johnson enjoys mentoring undergraduate students, especially first generation or historically excluded students in STEM. She also collaborates on curriculum and course initiatives across campus, the state of Nebraska and nationally through various organizations (e.g., MOEC, AMTE, MTEP, NATM, NCTM).Specifically, Dr. Gomez Johnson's primary teaching responsibilities include: Planning for Effective Teaching- General Methods, Methods of Teaching Secondary Mathematics, STEM Integration in Today's Classrooms, Curriculum Planning and Instruction in STEM, Data-Driven Decision Making for Educators. In 2020, she was awarded the an Alumni Teaching Award representing the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences. Most recently, she was recognized by the Office of Academic Affairs at UNO with the 2021 Excellence in Teaching Award.

Research Interests

Dr. Gomez Johnson serves as an educational researcher on various National Science Foundation (NSF) grants including as the Principal Investigator (PI) for the NebraskaMath Omaha Noyce grant aimed at increasing the number and quality of dual-degree mathematics teachers serving in high needs schools. She also serves as a CoPI on an NSF S-STEM grant supporting underrepresented students in STEM fields with mentoring, research experiences and professional development as well as CoPI on an NSF IUSE grant focused on a network of regional communities of practice working to promote, support, and sustain active learning and inquiry teaching practices in college mathematics classrooms.Specifically, Dr. Gomez Johnson's primary research areas include:Mathematics Education K-16 (preservice teacher preparation & inservice teacher training & practice) STEM Education Equity & Access Instructional Coaching and Mentoring Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices Instructional Leadership Professional Development In 2020, Dr. Gomez Johnson was recognized by her Teacher Education Department colleagues with the TED Outstanding Researcher Award.

Service Summary

Dr. Gomez Johnson helps to lead UNO's WiSTEM Pro^2 organization. The organization is dedicated to the promotion and professional development of women in STEM fields. In 2021, she led a campus-wide Peer Mentoring Mini-grant initiative supporting faculty and staff across every college in collaborative initiatives to improve personal and professional performance and job satisfaction. She serves on the UNO STEM Leadership committee as well as the STEM Council for the STEM TRAIL Center. For the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, Dr. Gomez Johnson previously served as the Dual Enrollment Liaison to 12 Omaha- area high schools partnerships. She continues to support teachers and students through curriculum development and school-based presentations and professional development. She serves on the Undergraduate (BRIDGES) and Secondary Graduate committees for the Teacher Education Department. She is also highly engaged with education professionals throughout the Omaha-metro area community and state through MOEC, UNO field experiences, and mathematics education and general teacher preparation initiatives. Most recently, she was asked to serve on the University of Nebraska System's Online Education Innovation Task Force.

Awards and Honors

2021 UNO Excellence in Teaching Award, Teaching - 2021

2020 University-wide Department Teaching Award , Teaching - 2020

2020 Outstanding Researcher Award, Scholarship/Research - 2021

2020 UNO Alumni Outstanding Teaching Award (AOTA) recipient, Teaching - 2020

New Investigator Fellow Award Nomination, Scholarship/Research - 2018

Education

EDD, University of Nebraska -Omaha, Omaha, NE, Educational Leadership, Educational Administration, 2017

MA, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln,NE, Master of Art in Teaching-Mathematics, Mathematics, 2011

MS, University of Nebraska-Omaha, Omaha,NE, Secondary Education, Improvement of Instruction, 2007

BS, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, Secondary Education, Mathematics, 2006

Selected Publications

Gomez Johnson, Kelly, Jakopovic, Paula, von Renesse, Christine. 2021. Supporting teaching and learning reform in college mathematics: Finding value in communities of practice , Journal for STEM Education Research. .

Jakopovic, Paula, Gomez Johnson, Kelly. 2021. Beyond traditional teacher preparation: Value-add experiences for preservice secondary mathematics teachers. , Mathematics Teacher Education and Development, 23, 1.

Karabon, Anne, Gomez Johnson, Kelly. 2020. Conceptualizing culture: How preservice teachers in the rural Midwest confront subjectivities. , Teacher Education Quarterly.

Gomez Johnson, Kelly, Jakopovic, Paula. 2020. What's the Value? Measuring Value in Complex Social Learning Environments with PreService Mathematics Teachers, Proceedings of the Ninth Annual Mathematics Teacher Education Partnership Conference , 2020, 63-66.

Gomez Johnson, Kelly, Nebesniak, Amy, Johnson, Kelly. District-University Collaborations to Support Reform-Based Mathematics Curriculum Implementation, The Journal of Mathematics Education at Teachers College (JMETC), 10, 1, 17-20.

Externally Funded Research

NebraskaMATH Omaha Noyce Partnership, National Science Foundation, Federal, 11/01/2014 - 10/31/2020

NebraskaMATH Omaha Noyce: Phase2, National Science Foundation, Federal, 10/01/2019 - 09/30/2024

IBL Communities, National Science Foundation, Federal, 10/01/2019 - 09/30/2022

S-STEM EMPLOYEE, National Science Foundation, Federal, 10/01/2019 - 09/30/2024

IBL Communities, National Science Foundation, Federal, 10/01/2019 - 09/30/2022

Department, College, and University

WiSTEM Pro^2 President, Committee Chair, Lead UNO's WiSTEM Pro^2 organization through campus and community partnerships, campus networking, development of programming events, and communication and interaction with committee chairs. , 08/01/2017 - 08/31/2017

Nebraska State-Wide Math Teacher Preparation Meeting, Task Force Member, State organizations including K-12 partners, community colleges, colleges, and universities come together to discuss mathematics teacher preparation and how the new AMTE standards might direct a common vision., 10/01/2017 - 10/31/2017

TED Secondary Graduate Committee, Committee Member, 01/01/2016 - 01/31/2016

Professional

Engagement Scholarship Consortium, Reviewer, Conference Paper, Served as a reviewer for the Engagement Scholarship Conference held in Omaha, Nebraska., 03/01/2016 - 03/31/2016

Media Contributions

Magazine, Midlands Business Journal, Contributed to the article "Underrepresentation still prevalent within STEM, financial services fields", 11/24/2017

Consulting

Academic, Omaha, NE, 03/01/2018

Academic, Omaha, NE, 09/01/2016