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Topic: Children/Youth Issues

Nhu Nguyen-Siedem

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Nguyen-Siedem, Ph.D. is a physical education professor in the School of Education at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She is an avid outdoors enthusiast, mother and teacher, and developed a progressive secondary methods course that became a part of required course curriculum for a K-12 physical education program. The program includes activities such as skateboarding, takraw, rugby, tchoukball and speedball.

When she isn’t teaching and advising her students, she can be seen coaching USA junior national volleyball, or playing the game herself.

Andrew Mrkvicka

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Andrew Mrkvicka, M.S.W., is an affiliate faculty in the Department of Social Work at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Lunden MacDonald

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Lunden MacDonald, Ph.D., is a professor of modern languages at Metropolitan State University of Denver. MacDonald started teaching Spanish at MSU Denver in 1998 and has since held the positions of instructor, assistant professor, full professor, chair of the Department of Modern Languages and director of First Year Success program. She speaks Spanish, French, Portuguese and Galician. Her areas of expertise are in Spanish language, literature, teaching, contemporary trends in foreign language study, translation, SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), SUDC (Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood), Investigative trends in SIDS and SUDC research.

MacDonald has published several articles including “The Virtual Language Lab: Virtually Painless, Simply Real” in the International Association for Language Learning Technology Journal in 2009 and Spanish Translation of “La próxima etapa en Panamá: la subcontratación de pensiones” in La Prensa, Journal of Honduras, in 2007. Her research topics include Joseph Blanco White, European Enlightenment, Enlightenment (or lack thereof) in Spain, paradigms of Enlightenment in the Spanish-speaking world, Spanish language learning and teaching methods; and technology and technological applications in the teaching and learning of Spanish language, literature and culture.

MacDonald received her Ph.D. and master’s in Spanish language and literature from Princeton University in 2006 and 1997. Additionally, she also received a master’s and bachelor’s in Spanish language and literature from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 1995 and 1993.

Katrina Little

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Katrina Little, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Nursing at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Her areas of focus are on education and health promotion amongst child-bearing and breastfeeding women in minority populations.

Little has 14 years of clinical experience as a registered nurse specializing in inpatient obstetrics caring and sharing in the low to high-risk birth experiences across the states of Texas, California and Colorado. She has over eight years of experience teaching as an affiliate faculty and full-time faculty. Little taught at University of Colorado School of Nursing and College America before joining MSU Denver in 2013. She transitioned to a full-time faculty in 2017. Little has held a variety of leadership roles in the community and professionally. Little is a member of the Women’s Health and Neonatal Leadership team and diversity chairman on St. Elizabeth’s Denver Episcopal Day School Parent Association Board.

Little received her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Administration from Hampton University, a master of science in nursing with a specialty in nursing education from Kaplan University in 2013, and a bachelor of science in nursing from Texas Christian University in 2003. She is a registered nurse in Colorado and California.

Tricia Hudson-Matthew

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Tricia Hudson-Matthew, Ed.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Human Services and director of the Center for Addiction Studies at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She teaches about Legal and Ethical Issues in the Helping Profession, Family System, Motivational Interviewing Conflict Resolution, and Decision-making Skills.

Hudson-Matthew performs clinical work at a private practice with individuals with substance abuse, couples counseling, and children ages 5 and up as a certified play therapist. Prior to joining MSU Denver, she worked as a therapist and clinical case manager at the Mental Health Center of Denver. Hudson-Matthew was also the clinical director and child and family therapist at the Council on Substance Abuse and Mental Health.

Her scholarly interests are in ethics between therapists and clients, mental health, and addictions. She has given presentations and published her work about mental health, ethics, domestic violence, self-esteem, addiction, grief and loss, and motivational interviewing techniques.

Hudson-Matthew received her educational doctorate in Counseling Education and Supervision from Argosy University in 2012, a master’s in Clinical Behavioral Healthcare from the University of Northern Colorado in 2004 and a bachelor’s in Human Services from MSU Denver.

Christina Huber

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Christina Huber, Ph.D., is an professor in the Department of Economics at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She teaches courses in development economics, environmental economics, natural resource economics and econometrics.

Huber’s main research interests include issues of maternal and child health in developing countries, economics of the family and determinants of student academic performance. She has published in the Journal of Human Capital, Demography, the Southern Economic Journal and Applied Economics, among others.

Huber received her doctorate and master’s in economics from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2008 and 2003 respectively and a bachelor’s in anthropology and environmental studies from Grinnell College in 2000.

Elmer Harris

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Elmer Harris, Ed.D., is a Wilton Flemon Postdoctoral and associate professor of Early Childhood Education in the School of Education at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Prior to becoming a full-time university instructor, Elmer served in a number of public school positions. This included early intervention paraeducator, special education (autism), fifth-grade general education and district behavior interventionist.

His main research areas are in diverse teacher recruitment/retention and school-family partnerships. Additionally, he is a 22-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force and was one of six educators throughout the nation selected to serve as U.S. Department of Education Teaching Ambassador Fellows during the 2017-2018 school year. Harris has also served on the associate board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Denver. He was an inaugural participate in their mentor 2.0 program in 2015, which matched every incoming freshman from Sheridan High School with community members for personal, academic and vocational support throughout their high school career.

Harris earned his doctorate and master’s degree from the University of Colorado, with focuses on educational equality and special education. His teaching philosophy as a public school educator and university instructor is based on building and maintain a sense of community within learning environments, and using those relationships as a foundation for experiences that are individualized, relevant and highly engaging.

Lisa Kindleberger Hagan

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Research focus on pedogogy within higher education, constructivism, and children’s risk taking.

Bethany Fleck Dillen

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Bethany Fleck Dillen is a professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver teaching courses in human development and psychology. Her teaching experience includes Introduction to Psychology, Developmental Educational Psychology, Statistics, Research Methods, Child Development, Developmental Research Methods, and Cognitive Growth and Development. In her courses, Fleck Dillen is committed to an active, learner-centered approach to teaching.

Her research centers on cognitive and social development in classroom contexts. Two distinct areas of work focus on issues in early childhood education and university classrooms. Both lines of research draw on developmental theory with the overall goal of enhancing the learning environment for students of all levels. Recently, she has been working on linking Documentation, an ECE teaching approach, with maternal reminiscing style. In the classroom, her research as of late focuses on the effects of service learning, flipped classrooms and integrating Social Media into teaching.

Fleck Dillen is also the director of regional conference programming for the Society for the Teaching of Psychology.

Elisa Fadum-Montoya

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Elisa Fadum-Montoya, MSW, is an affiliate faculty in the Department of Social Work at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

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