New Faculty and Staff 2015

Counseling and Higher Education

Dr. Michael Leeman

Michael Leeman
Clinical Assistant Professor in Counseling

Dr. Michael S. Leeman earned a Master of Science in Clinical Counseling Psychology from Brenau University and a PhD in Counselor Education and Practice from Georgia State University. Dr. Leeman's research agenda explores the processes of posttraumatic growth, including coping resources, trauma symptoms and the Adlerian construct of life-style. He has published peer-reviewed articles and research on trauma and posttraumatic growth. Dr. Leeman also brings several years of clinical experience as a Licensed Professional Counselor in a variety of settings including private practice, community mental health centers, and both college and elementary counseling centers. Dr. Leeman's clinical background includes work with children and families struggling with emotional and behavioral issues associated with stress, anxiety, and trauma. In addition, Dr. Leeman has facilitated workshops and training on Play and Filial therapy, "praise versus encouragement," as well as reporting and understanding child abuse. During his personal time, Dr. Leeman enjoys hiking, running, biking and, most importantly, spending time with family and friends.
Dr. Jenifer Balch

Jenifer Balch
Senior Lecturer in Counseling

Dr. Jenifer Balch is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor in the state of Texas as well as a Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor and brings more than 10 years of counseling experience with her to the College of Education. She earned her Ph.D. in Counseling from the University of North Texas, where she specialized in play therapy. Her passion is working with children and families, utilizing play therapy and parent training. Dr. Balch also has extensive training and experience working with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. She led the development of counseling services within the UNT Kristin Farmer Autism Center and served as the counseling services coordinator. Dr. Balch stays active in the counseling field by serving in leadership roles in various organizations and currently serves as past-president for the North Texas Chapter of the Texas Association for Play Therapy. She has also published book chapters and articles in professional journals and presents at both state and national conferences.
Dr. Angie Wilson

Angie Wilson
Assistant Professor in Counseling

Dr. Angie Wilson earned a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice, Master of Arts in counseling, and a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision, all from Sam Houston State University. Upon graduation, she joined the counseling program faculty at Texas A&M University – Commerce as a tenure-track assistant professor, where she taught master’s and doctoral courses for three years. Dr. Wilson’s research agenda addresses the success of children from absent-father homes, offender and addictions counseling issues, and mentorship in counselor education. She has published numerous peer-reviewed publications, international presentations/webinars, and a book chapter. Dr. Wilson also brings several years of clinical experience as a Licensed Professional Counselor – Supervisor and a Licensed Sex Offender Treatment Provider in Texas. Dr. Wilson’s clinical background includes work with incarcerated adults, civilly committed sexual offenders, and youth. She is currently the committee chair of the sex offender treatment and rehabilitation committee of the International Association of Addiction and Offender Counseling. In her free time, Dr. Wilson enjoys reading and spending time with family and friends.

Educational Psychology

Dr. Violeta Kadieva

Violeta Kadieva
Senior Lecturer in Development and Family Studies

Dr. Violeta Kadieva is originally from Plovdiv, Bulgaria. She received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Viterbo University and a Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. She completed a Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy at Texas Tech University. Dr. Kadieva has a strong background in teaching community, civility, ethics, diversity, practicum and senior seminar: grant writing classes at Texas Tech’s Department of Community, Family and Addiction Services. Dr. Kadieva also completed the Teaching Effectiveness and Career Enhancement (TEACH) Program at Texas Tech, which was modeled after the national Preparing Future Faculty movement. Shortly after she completed this teaching fellowship, Dr. Kadieva was invited to join the Groundwork Program of the Teaching Learning and Professional Development Center at Texas Tech and help with training master- and doctoral-level students in a variety of teaching approaches. Dr. Kadieva’s areas of interest include parenting styles leading to academic and psychological entitlement; entitlement and its relationship with self-esteem, family structure and family SES; ethical issues in the use of technology; online training and practice; and MFT supervision. She loves cooking, going for long walks with her dog and spending time with her partner.

Teacher Education and Administration

Dr. David Brackett

David Brackett
Assistant Professor in Educational Leadership

Dr. David A. Brackett earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Master of Science in Education from Johns Hopkins University.  Dr. Brackett graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership in 2014.  As a graduate student, he participated in the David L. Clark National Graduate Student Research Seminar in Educational Administration and Policy, sponsored by UCEA, AERA and SAGE Publications, in April 2014 at the AERA Annual Meeting.  Dr. Brackett’s research interests include school law, educational leadership development, educational policy and the convergence of school law and social justice.  Prior to his appointment at UNT, he taught math in Maryland, directed a public charter school in Nevada and consulted at an at-risk charter school in Nevada.  Aside from being an educator of leaders, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Micha, partaking in outdoor activities, and supporting the arts in any capacity.
Dr. Amber Brown

Amber Brown
Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education

Dr. Amber Brown received her B.S. in Elementary Education from East Texas Baptist University. She earned her M.S. in Development and Family Studies and her doctorate degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of North Texas. She has worked as an early childhood teacher and preschool director. In addition she has worked as an in-home trainer for parents of children with autism and as a parent educator with the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. Dr. Brown’s research interests include early childhood intervention programs – specifically the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY), family involvement in education and pre-service teacher efficacy.
Dr. R. Jefferson George

R. Jefferson George
Senior Lecturer in Educational Leadership

After graduating from the University of North Texas, Dr. R. Jefferson George began his career in education as a media specialist for Vernon Community College.  His main focus was to support instruction in a college classroom through a growing use of the available technology.  As interest in video learning technologies increased, he moved to Austin and created his own video production company.  His company created documentary and historical videos for classroom instruction.  After moving to Houston, he began writing children’s books with Texas author Johara Harper and began his career in public education as an eighth-grade science teacher.  He completed his master’s degree in Counseling at the University of Houston and worked as school counselor, a college counselor and a hospital therapist in Houston ISD, Houston Community College and St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital. Dr. George eventually returned to public education as a school administrator, serving as a principal, interim-principal, assistant principal and director of an alternative program.  He then returned to the University of North Texas to complete his doctorate in Educational Leadership.  During this time, he became a mentor in the Graduate Student Teaching Excellence Program through the Center for Learning Enhancement and Redesign and worked with university teachers and leaders to create a classroom with high levels of student engagement and instructional rigor. Dr. George has returned to his interest in learning technologies and creating an engaging classroom with high levels of instructional rigor.  He is developing a series of online doctoral courses for the doctorate in Educational Leadership.  Dr. George is continuing his research into the development of an engaging instructional platform in a virtual environment and understanding the online experience of the native digital learner. Dr. George is a member of the Texas Counseling Association, the Texas Association of School Administrators and Kappa Delta Pi.
Dr. Noelle Paufler

Noelle Paufler
Assistant Professor in Educational Leadership

Dr. Noelle A. Paufler received her Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Evaluation with an emphasis in Research Methods from Arizona State University. Her experiences as a high school social studies teacher, district administrator and applied researcher in large urban and suburban school districts in the Phoenix metropolitan area inspired her to conduct research related to teacher accountability policies and systems. Her research interests include: educational policy, the communication of educational research and its influence on policy, and the impact of standards and accountability systems on practitioners on local contexts. In her most recent research, she examined the perceptions of school administrators and teachers regarding the standards they used to measure the effectiveness of their teacher evaluation system in practice.

Development and External Relations

Claudia Taylor

Claudia Taylor
Director of Marketing

Claudia Taylor joined the college in July 2015, having previously worked in communications and marketing for the UNT Division of Advancement for three years. As part of the Development and External Relations Office team, she will focus on alumni communications, event planning, proposal writing and content development. She will also work with faculty and staff within the college to create engaging and informative marketing materials. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma and has worked as a writer and editor for a wide variety of publications, from serving as a copy editor for the Dallas Morning News to a catalog editor for Neiman Marcus. She and her husband, a UNT alumnus, live in Denton with her two daughters and four dogs.