Faculty and Staff

I Am Goodrich

Imafedia Okhamafe, Ph.D.
(402) 554.3467 
iokhamaf@unomaha.edu
Dr. Okhamafe, Chair of the Goodrich Scholarship Program and Professor of Philosophy and English, holds a double Ph.D. He also had a postdoctoral literature fellowship at the University of Texas-Austin and a postdoctoral philosophy of cognitive neuroscience fellowship at the University of California-Berkeley. He teaches in Goodrich, the Department of Philosophy, and the Department of English. His teaching and research interests include the interrelationship of creative literature and the philosophy of science and mathematics. In addition to his essays in book anthologies such as Analecta Husserliana and Genealogy and Literature, his publications have appeared in such journals as Soundings: An Interdisciplinary Journal, Philosophy Today, Journal of the British Society for Phenomenology, Research in African Literatures, and UMOJA. His honors include the University of Nebraska at Omaha Excellence in Teaching Award. His current research includes creative mereology in the relation to the philosophy of mind/brain.

Barbara Hewins-Maroney, Ph.D.
(402) 554.4953 
bhewinsm@unomaha.edu
Dr. Hewins-Maroney is an associate professor in Urban Studies in the School of Public Administration and the Goodrich Scholarship Program where she teaches courses in public administration, urban studies, social problems, and life span development. Her research interests include health care disparities and urban health care issues, African American nineteenth and twentieth century social history, public social policy and medical humanities. Dr. Hewins-Maroney received a B.A. in Sociology and an M.A. in Urban Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, an M.A. in Public Administration from the University of New Mexico, and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dr. Hewins-Maroney has published articles in the Journal of Health and Human Services Administration, the Journal of Public Affairs Education, Public Administration Quarterly, and the Metropolitan Universities Journal. She serves on several community boards and was recently named a board member of the Humanities Nebraska Council.

Todd Richardson, Ph.D.
(402) 554.4027
toddrichardson@unomaha.edu
Dr. Todd Richardson is an associate professor in the Goodrich Scholarship Program. In addition to courses he teaches in Goodrich, which include Autobiographical Reading and Writing, Perspectives on USAmerican Culture, and English Composition, he also offers courses in American folklore and literature through UNO's English department. His current research interests include creative thinking and expression, especially as it relates to community, and Willa Cather--he is co-directing the 2018 Willa Cather Spring Conference in Red Cloud, Nebraska, which will commemorate the 100th anniversary of My Ántonia. Todd's writing has appeared in a variety of popular and academic publications, most notably The Journal of American Folklore, The Writer's Chronicle, and The Omaha Reader, and his co-authored book Implied Nowhere: Absence in Folklore is forthcoming from the University of Mississippi Press. He is the founder and editor of Louise Pound: A Folklore and Literature Miscellany. Increasingly, Todd is interested in raising awareness of loneliness as a public health issue, and he is seeking community partners to work with in this effort.

Troy Romero, Ph.D.
(402) 554.3466
tromero@unomaha.edu
Dr. Romero is an associate professor in the Goodrich Scholarship Program, where he teaches Autobiographical Reading and Writing, humanities, and Lifespan Development. He also teaches in the Psychology Department, where he earned his Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, and he is a faculty member of the Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS). His research interests include organizational justice, organizational diversity, identity development, stereotype threat, and intellectual/developmental disabilities such as autism.

Pamela J. Smith, Ph.D.
(402) 554.3463
pamelasmith@unomaha.edu
A professor in the Goodrich Scholarship Program, Dr. Smith teaches English Composition, humanities, women's studies and Perspectives on USAmerican Culture. A courtesy professor in the English Department, she also teaches seminars on Melting Pot American Immigrant/Ethnic literatures and Black Women Writers in Africa, America and the African diaspora. Her research interests include translations (three translated works published), Yoruba language and culture studies, women’s issues, Francophone and Anglophone African Literatures. She has won many grants and faculty awards, including Excellence in Teaching at UNO.

Daniel Wuebben, Ph.D.
(402) 554.2278
dwuebben@unomaha.edu  
Dr. Wuebben is an assistant professor in the Goodrich Scholarship Program where he teaches English Composition, Autobiographical Reading and Writing, and Perspectives on USAmerican Culture. Dr. Wuebben was born in Omaha, completed his undergraduate and graduate degrees at the City University of New York, and previously taught at the University of California Santa Barbara. His writing has appeared in MAKE: A literary Magazine, Basic writing e-Journal, and Victorian Literature and Culture. His current research examines the intersections between electric transmission networks and the rhetoric of electricity in American culture. 

Carol Epperson, BM
(402) 554.2274
cmepperson@unomaha.edu  
Carol is working as the Staff Assistant in the Goodrich Scholarship Program.  She has a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education and her interests include her family (six grandchildren), quilting, and of course, music.

Robia Qasimyar, BS 
(402) 554.3489
rqasimyar@unomaha.edu  
Robia is a graduate assistant with the Goodrich Scholarship Program. She received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from UNO and is studying to obtain a Master's in Public Administration. Robia was born and raised in Omaha, NE but proudly hails from Afghanistan. Her professional interest is in nonprofit management. Robia's passions include international service and student success. In her spare time, Robia enjoys crafting, reading poetry, and watching Bollywood movies. 

JoVanna Balquier, BS
(402) 554.3489
jbalquier@unomaha.edu  
JoVanna is a graduate assistant with the Goodrich Scholarship Program. She received a Bachelor of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from UNO and is studying to obtain a Master's in Speech-Language Pathology. JoVanna was raised in Nebraska City, NE. Her professional interests include working with at-risk communities and individuals with autism. In her spare time, JoVanna enjoys volunteering, reading thriller novels, and visiting all of the good restaurants that Omaha has to offer. 

Keenan Krick, LMHP, LADC, NCC
(402) 554.2874
kkrick@unomaha.edu 
Keenan is the Student Services Specialist in the Goodrich Scholarship Program.  He completed two degrees at UNO: a Bachelor of Arts in Biology (2009) and a Master of Science in Community Counseling (2013). In addition, he holds a mental health practitioner license and an alcohol/drug counselor license (both in the state of Nebraska), in addition to being certified by the National Board of Certified Counselors. 

Patty Patton Shearer, MA
(402) 554.2875
ppshearer@unomaha.edu  
Patty is the Coordinator of Recruitment and Academic Support Services in the Goodrich Scholarship Program. She has her master's degree in Higher Education Administration with a joint undergraduate degree in Sociology/Anthropology.