College of Education Faculty & Staff Directory

Leif has served as Dean of the College of Education since 2014 and is continually energized by the creativity, intelligence, and compassion of the faculty and staff.

Jennifer currently works as the Executive Assistant to the Dean, and Accreditation Coordinator for the College of Education. Her office is located on the Forest Grove Campus.

Bryan joined the faculty of the School of Learning and Teaching in the fall of 2016. He is an assistant professor whose work centers on the nexus of special education and multicultural education, especially as this applies to the use of Functional Behavior Assessment in inclusive school settings. He has experience as an educator at all levels from pre-kindergarten to graduate school in both regular and special education environments.  Immediately prior to starting at Pacific, Bryan was a fixed-term professor of special education at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minnesota (2010 to 2014) and then worked for two years as a special education teacher in the Hillsboro, Oregon school district (2014-2016).

Kate has worked at Pacific University’s Forest Grove campus as the School & Community Partnership Coordinator for the School of Learning & Teaching since March 2016. Her current role includes coordinating placements and placement processes for teacher candidates and practicum teachers, as well as fostering partnerships with K-12 schools and community organizations.

Caitlin Fitzgerald is a Clinical Assistant Professor and the Director of Clinical Education in the School of Communication Sciences & Disorders at Pacific University. She is dedicated to supporting graduate students in their development as clinicians through a community-based model that values service, collaboration, advocacy and diversity. Her clinical background is in pediatric medical settings, with a particular interest in feeding and swallowing disorders.

Lisa recently joined Pacific University’s Eugene campus as the School & Community Partnership Coordinator after 20 years of teaching in Lane County Schools. Her current role includes coordinating placements and placement processes for teacher candidates and practicum teachers, as well as fostering partnerships with K-12 schools and community organizations.

Krisha Hall is the Admissions Counselor & Data Manager for Pacific University's College of Education.

Martha completed her B.A. in History from Portland State University in 2008, received her M.A. in teaching from Concordia University in 2009, and is currently in process of earning her Ed.D from Lewis and Clark College, expected completion in 2022. Martha is a teacher educator interested in diversifying and sustaining the teacher workforce in the state of Oregon. She specializes in anti-racist and abolitionist pedagogy with the goal of validatating the lived experience of BIPOC students in the educational system. This year she joins Pacific in a full-time tenure-track position.

Dr. Carrie Larson serves as an assistant faculty member and coordinator of the BEd program on the Woodburn campus.

Dr. Mandulak is an associate professor in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Tara joined the faculty of the School of Learning and Teaching in the fall of 2018 as an assistant professor. Her courses include teaching reading, teaching methods, and teacher inquiry/action research. Within her courses and supervision, her work focuses on incorporating culturally responsive and sustaining teaching practices throughout, collaborating with teachers and teacher candidates to conceptualize how to infuse effective and equitable teaching in their contexts. In particular, she problematizes teaching practices that are punitive and highly technocratic to conceive of relational and student-connected work. Previously, Tara taught middle school and high school humanities and English classes in Colorado, and she has experience working with preschool students on an interdisciplinary curriculum focused on math as part of her graduate research.

Lollie brings a wealth of experience and knowledge as a program assistant to the PhD in Education & Leadership program and the College of Education.

T. Anil Oommen serves as the Director of the School of Learning & Teaching (Eugene), as an Assistant Professor, Professional Development School Liaison, and Program Coordinator for the Bachelor of Education in Teaching and Language Learning.

Josie Kochendorfer is the assistant director of graduate & professional admissions for Forest Grove. She is the admissions counselors for the School of Learning and Teaching and the Speech Language Pathology program. 

Shana is the Financial Manager for the College of Education, overseeing all aspects of the College’s financial accounting and budget processes. She is passionate about creating collaborative, trusting relationships within the College and across the University. She is also a member of the Pacific University Staff Caring Committee. 

Dan joined the faculty of the School of Learning and Teaching on the Forest Grove campus in the summer of 2020. He prioritizes embedding social-emotional learning and equitable teaching practices into his courses and supervision work. His classroom teaching experience includes teaching ELA (English Language Arts) at the middle school and high school level in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Prior to joining Pacific, he served as a university supervisor at the University of Denver where he earned a PhD in curriculum and instruction.

Helen has served as the Director of the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders since August 2016 and has the pleasure of working with enormously talented faculty who are committed to student learning and to moving the field of speech-language pathology forward through research.

Dr. Amanda Stead is an associate professor in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders.  Her passion is for working with geriatric patients and issues related to stroke, dementia, end-of-life care and counseling.

Mark Szymanski is a Professor of Education with a passion for learning, technology, and designing learning environments and experiences.

Jordan Tinsley joined the CSD faculty in 2020 as Clinical Assistant Professor. She is excited to use her background in medical speech-language pathology to help coordinate community-based student placements and to teach clinical skills to the next generation of SLPs. Jordan's professional interests include voice disorders, gender-spectrum voice & communication, and using simulations to supplement clinical learning.

Linsay is the Student Services & Field Placement Administrator for the School of Learning & Teaching on the Eugene campus. She joined Pacific in 2017 and oversees student services, field placements, office/facilities management and a variety of administrative duties.