I Am Goodrich
Troy Romero, Ph.D.
402.554.3466
tromero@unomaha.edu
Dr. Romero is the Chair and a Professor for the Goodrich Scholarship Program, where he has taught Lifespan Development, Autobiographical Reading and Writing, and Perspectives of USAmerican Culture. 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). Dr. Romero has published articles on topics that include identity development, organizational justice, organizational diversity, and autism spectrum disorder, he has earned over $250,000 in grant/award funding, and he has served on several local non-profit boards, including UNMC's Munroe-Meyer Institute, The Rose Theater, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands.
Theresa Barron-McKeagney, Ph.D., LCSW
402.554.2274
tbarronm@unomaha.edu
Dr. Barron-McKeagney is the former Associate Dean in CPACS, and Director-Grace Abbott School of Social Work. She will be sharing her time in spring semesters with both the Goodrich Scholarship Program and the GASSW. She is very fortunate that Goodrich offered her 'space' for an office! She taught a social work section to only Goodrich students in spring 2022 related to racism, classism, sexism and gender. She has taught numerous courses in the GASSW for both undergraduate and graduate students. Her research interests include mental health, Latina(o) populations, women of color in administrative positions and qualitative research. She is also a faculty member in the Office of Latino and Latin American Studies (OLLAS). After being an administrator for 18 years at UNO, Dr. Barron-McKeagney is eager to return to the classroom with the best students on campus--Social Work and Goodrich!
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 is the graduate chair of the Urban Studies Program in the School of Public Administration. She serves on several community boards and regional boards and committees.
Carolina Hotchandani, Ph.D.
402.554.2247
chotchandani@unomaha.edu
Dr. Carolina Hotchandani is a poet and an assistant professor in the Goodrich Scholarship Program. Her debut poetry collection, The Book Eaters, was awarded the 2023 Perugia Press Prize for first and second poetry books. Her work has also appeared in AGNI, Alaska Quarterly Review, Beloit Poetry Journal, Cincinnati Review, Feminist Studies, Missouri Review, Prairie Schooner, and other journals. Hotchandani's teaching and research areas include British and American literature and culture, poetry and poetics, medical humanities, and feminist literature. In Goodrich, she teaches Autobiographical Reading and Writing, Perspectives on USAmerican Culture, and English Composition.
Imafedia Okhamafe, Ph.D.
402.554.3467
iokhamaf@unomaha.edu
Dr. Okhamafe, Former 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 brains/minds fellowship at the University of California-Berkeley. Prior to the fellowships, he also engaged in Advanced International Study in Phenomenology and Aesthetics at the International Cellegium Phaenomenologicum (in Perugia, Italy). 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 focus includes perspectival "mereology." He continues trying to live by the deferential concept that all humans are differently equal.
Todd Richardson, Ph.D.
402.554.4027
toddrichardson@unomaha.edu
Dr. Todd Richardson is a Professor in the Goodrich Scholarship Program and James R. Schumacher Chair of Ethics. In addition to courses he teaches within Goodrich, which include Autobiographical Reading and Writing, Perspectives on USAmerican Culture, and English Composition, he also teaches courses in American folklore and literature for UNO's Honor's Program. His current research interests include creative thinking and expression, particularly how they relate to community and loneliness. Todd's writing has appeared in a variety of popular and academic publications, most notably The Journal of American Folklore, Cather Studies, and The Omaha Reader, and his co-authored book Implied Nowhere: Absence in Folklore was published by the University of Mississippi Press. He is the founder and editor of Louise Pound: A Folklore and Literature Miscellany.
Stevie Seibert Desjarlais, Ph.D.
402.554.6302
sseibertdesjarlais@unomaha.edu
Dr. Seibert Desjarlais is an assistant professor in the Goodrich Scholarship Program. She received her bachelor's degree in English from Pepperdine University, her master's degree in Women's Studies from San Diego State University, and her doctorate in English from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her teaching and research interests include representations of gender, race, and class in contemporary U.S. literature, film, pop culture, and critical pedagogy. Her work appears in the Quarterly Review of Film and Video, the Journal of Popular Film and Television, and Pedagogy. In Goodrich, she teaches Autobiographical Reading and Writing, Perspectives on USAmerican Culture, and English Composition. She additionally teaches courses in Women's and Gender Studies and for the Honors Program at UNO. Dr. Seibert Desjarlais is the faculty advisor for the Goodrich Organization (GO!).
Van Tin Par, BA
402.554.3489
vpar@unomaha.edu
Van Tin Par (goes by Par) graduated with a degree in International Studies (with a concentration in Global Strategic Studies) and Political Science (with a Human Rights Studies minor). She is a graduate assistant with the Goodrich Scholarship Program and is a Goodrich alum. She is currently seeking a Master's degree in Public Administration. She is passionate about helping underserved communities and opening the doors for those who are eager to pursue a better life and a better education. Her hobbies include going to the gym, trying new food every weekend and traveling.
Amy Jung, BS
402.554.3489
apjung@unomaha.edu
Amy is a Graduate Assistant and Goodrich alum in the Goodrich Scholarship Program. She recieved her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration concentrating in Marketing and International Business at UNO and is currently seeking her Master of Business Administration. She is passionate about helping others, community engagement, and volunteering. She enjoys spending time with her family and dog, working out, bullet journaling, writing, and traveling.
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.