SCCJ Graduates Making News

H. Daniel Butler, Ph.D. (pictured), and Starr Solomon, Ph.D., were featured in the November 2021 issue of the Crime and Justice Research Alliance Newsletter. Their research with colleagues examines the effects length of time served and in-prison experiences have on individuals' perceptions of fairness and procedural justice. Butler is a 2017 doctoral program graduate.

Jill Fort is currently the associate vice president of the Newman University in Wichita, Kansas. Fort is a 2007 doctoral program graduate.

She was named interim vice president for academic affairs at Newman University in June 2021. Read more.

She was named dean of the School of Business at Newman University in Fall 2020 and was interviewed for an article on how the link between the business world and criminal justice is natural. Read more.

Patty Gadea is working full time with Lutheran Family Services after completing an internship there during her final semester of undergraduate studies in fall 2021. Her position as a case manager will have her engaging with new LFS clients by doing intakes to determine what resources they need to be connected with. She says, "If criminology and criminal justice is your passion, taking part in an internship puts you that much closer toward your mission."

Brett Garland, Ph.D., is now director of the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Missouri State University. Garland is a 2007 doctoral program graduate.

Ben Gibbs, Ph.D., is now department chair at Ball State, in Muncie, Indiana. Gibbs is a 2012 doctoral program graduate.

Richard Hartley, Ph.D., is now department chair, Criminology and Criminal Justice, at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Hartley is a 2005 doctoral program graduate.

Ni (Phil) He, Ph.D., was named UNO's next Senior Vice Chancellor. We are elated to have a UNO SCCJ alumnus leading our campus. The selection of Professor He as UNO's chief academic officer follows a national search led by a 12-person search committee chaired by CPACS Dean John Bartle. He officially begins his new role in January 2023. He is a 1997 doctoral program graduate.

Michael Loutzenhiser, Jr. (middle) has had an incredibly busy 2024 and the year is not yet over. He graduated from UNO with a bachelor of science degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice on May 17, 2024. A 19-year veteran of law enforcement, Michael retired from the Scottsbluff Police Department on August 11, 2024. He moved to Omaha and on August 30, 2024, he was sworn in as an officer for the University of Nebraska Police Department. Michael was joined at the swearing-in by his wife, Elizabeth Loutzenhiser (right), and his mother-in-law, Judi Leibrock (left), who is also a UNO alumna. Additionally, he is currently pursuing a master's degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice at UNO. Michael is also a proud veteran of the United States Air Force.

Sean Maddan, Ph.D., is Associate Provost and Professor at Texas A&M International University. Maddan is a 2005 doctoral program graduate.

Elizabeth Maier, Ph.D., has been appointed dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Central Oklahoma. Maier is a 2006 doctoral program graduate.

William McCarty, Ph.D., is Director of Undergraduate Studies and Director of the Center for Research in Law and Justice in the Department of Criminology, Law and Justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). McCarty is a 2008 doctoral program graduate.

Todd Schmaderer, received the Special Achievement Award from the Metropolitan Chiefs Association for his 10 years of leaders as police chief of the Omaha Police Department. His tenure as chief is currently the third longest of all chiefs in the 79-member Major Cities Chiefs Association. The award was presented in October 2022.

Danielle Slakoff-McLaughlin, Ph.D., continues to knock it out of the park with her dissemination of important work through national media outlets. In June she spoke with employees at TIME magazine about her co-authoried research examining the missing white woman syndrome and how black, white, and Latina women and girl victims are differentially portrayed in crime news.

Slakoff received the 2022 Saltzman Award for Contribution to Practice from the American Society of Criminology Division of Women and Crime. Slakoff is a 2018 doctoral program graduate.

Starr Solomon, Ph.D. (pictured), and H. Daniel Butler, Ph.D., were featured in the November 2021 issue of the Crime and Justice Research Alliance Newsletter. Their research with colleagues examines the effects length of time served and in-prison experiences have on individuals' perceptions of fairness and procedural justice. Solomon is a 2018 doctoral program graduate.

John Sorick graduated from the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services SORT Academy. The Special Operations Response Team training prepared officers to respond to dangerous and emergency situations inside correctional faciltieis. Officer Sorick is one of severn corrections officers to successfully complete the course. Pictured on the right with Lt. Matthew Vandenboogard.

Tusty ten Bensel, Ph.D., is an Associate Dean in the College of Business, Health, and Human Services at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. ten Bensel is a 2012 doctoral program graduate.

Sherie Thomas was promoted to deputy chief of the Omaha Police Department in July 2022.

Thomas was featured in an October issue of Metro Magazine's Celebrating Women: Pathfinders article, which lighted five women in the Omaha metro area who make a difference in their community and positively impact the lives of those they encounter.

Thomas was recognized in 2019 as the recipient of SCCJ's Rising Star Award.

Bobby Vondrasek is with the USAF as a crytologic analyst and reporter and posted to the Omaha for a year. Vondrasek is a 2018 graduate of the SCCJ.

Eric Wodahl, Ph.D., is now department chair, Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology, at the University of Wyoming. Wodahl is a 2007 doctoral program graduate.