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Topic: Criminal Justice/Criminology

Marina Pereira

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Professor Emerita Marina Pereira has taught graduate courses in the Graduate Social Work program as MSU Denver. She has taught at Metropolitan State University of Denver since 1999.

Professor Pereira is well versed in topics of mental health and families. She has special interest in issues of acculturation, diversity and first-generation Latino students. She was an advisor for the Student Association of Social Workers (SASW), a student organization that helps students develop and increase their sense of civic responsibility and community engagement by service learning activities.

Before teaching at MSU Denver, Pereira worked in the areas of medical social work and mental health, where she specialized in treating and advocating for children and families with a history of domestic violence, sexual and physical abuse.

Hyon Namgung

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Hyon Namgung, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Metropolitan State University of Denver. His areas of expertise include policing (both American and Korean), police organizations, and community policing. He currently teaches American Policing, Juvenile Justice and Delinquency, Criminal Justice Admin Behavior, and Research Methods and Basic Statistics for Criminal Justice and Criminology. His research areas cover comparative criminal justice, drug policy change and community policing.

Namgung received both his doctorate degree and master’s degree in criminal justice and criminology from University of Missouri – St. Louis in 2013 and 2010, respectively. He received an additional master’s degree in public administration and public policy from the University of Exeter in 2003. He received his bachelor’s degree in public administration from Korea National Police University in 1997.

Denise Mowder

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Denise Mowder, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Metropolitan State University of Denver where she currently teaches classes in criminal justice ethics and victimology. Mowder has worked as an attorney and for more than 10 years as prosecutor in Oregon, where she has prosecuted cases involving domestic violence, child abuse and sexual assault. She specializes in trail practice, investigations and victim advocacy, and her research areas involve the impact of current immigration law, undocumented battered Latina women and the wrongful conviction of factually innocent.

Mowder received her Ph.D. in criminal justice from Washington State University in 2010, her J.D. from Willamette College of Law in 1994 and her bachelor’s from the University of Colorado Denver.

Jeffrey London

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Jeffrey London, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

London has been teaching at MSU Denver since 2007, where he started as an assistant professor. He currently serves as the evaluator for the administration of a National Science Foundation grant (Denver Metro Chem Scholars). London is a member of the Colorado Department of Higher Education’s General Education Council, an elected member of the Colorado Faculty Advisory Council and a member of the MSU Denver Faculty Senate Retention, Tenure and Promotion Committee. Previously, he taught at CU Boulder where London was awarded the 2003 Excellence in Teaching Award and the 2002 GPTI Instructor of the Year Award.

In 2010, London published his first book titled, “How the Use of Marijuana Was Criminalized and Medicalized, 1906-2004,” which investigates the social construction of the processes of marijuana criminalization and marijuana medicalization. It is the first substantive study on the subject to include a detailed historical context in which to situate a new theoretical model for examining the contemporary U.S. drug policy debate. His additional research interests include health and well-being of children of incarcerated persons, history of drug prohibition, legislation, penology and medical marijuana public opinion polls.

London received his doctorate in criminology and sociology from the University of Colorado in 2006 and a master’s in sociology and criminology from University of Florida in 1998.

LiYing Li

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LiYing Li, Ph.D., is a professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She has a Ph.D. in Sociology and M.S. in Demography. Her primary teaching interests are criminal behaviors. Currently, she teaches serial killers, sex offenders, introduction to criminal justice systems and corrections. She has also taught in the past classes such as statistics, research methods, crime mapping and criminological theories. From the ground up, Dr. Li has played an essential role in creating the B.S. in Cybersecurity program and developing the Cybersecurity curriculum.

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.

April Hill

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April Hill, Ph.D., is a professor and program director of Criminalistics in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She has conducted research on water quality analysis, forensic chemical analysis, archaeochemistry and science education for the visually impaired.

During her graduate research, Hill completed 12 flights aboard NASA’s microgravity aircraft, affectionately known as the “Vomit Comet.” She then completed a post doctorate in education and outreach at Penn State University’s Center for Nanoscale Science, where Hill developed a passion for creating hands-on science experiences for the blind. Her work in this area has been published in the Journal of Chemical Education and was awarded a ChemLuminary Award from the American Chemical Society.

As a dedicated proponent of increasing minority participation in STEM fields, Hill serves on the steering committee for MSU Denver’s CO-WY AMP Program and as the academic advisor for the Women in Science student organization. Her current research efforts include projects in archaeochemistry, chemical education for students with visual impairments and forensic chemistry. She has collaborated with the Denver Museum of Nature & Science on several projects, including analyzing residues in ancient Mayan beer vessels to recreate an authentic Mayan beer and performing a demonstration of the Marsh Test for arsenic which was featured in the recent Poisons exhibit.

Hill received her doctorate in analytical chemistry and a graduate certificate of forensic science from Iowa State University in 2007. She completed her bachelor’s in chemistry and became ACS certified from Central College in Iowa in 2002.

Stacey Hervey

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Stacey Hervey, MSSc, is an affiliate professor in the Criminal Justice and Criminology Department at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She specializes in school safety, extremism, hate crimes/group violence and issues affecting juveniles.

Hervey has worked in Victim Services and spent a short time as a patrol officer before deciding to teach full time. She is a mayoral appointee to the City of Denver Crime Prevention and Control Commission and in 2009 received the FBI Director Leadership Award for her contributions to the community. Hervey has also received the Mile High Teacher Award and Distinguished Teacher Award. She is a member of the Rocky Mountain Association of Identification and has worked with Homeland Security and the Attorney General’s office to develop training resources for parents on internet safety and has presented throughout the United States.

In addition to teaching undergraduate and graduate courses for Metropolitan State University of Denver, Hervey also teaches courses for University of Colorado at Colorado Springs with her primary role being a high school teacher for Denver Public Schools. She is most proud of her work advocating for marginalized communities and introducing law enforcement careers to underrepresented populations.

Hervey received a master of social science in Criminal Justice from University of Colorado Denver and bachelor of arts in Sociology and Deviance from University of Colorado Boulder. She also holds a Law Enforcement Certificate from Arapahoe Community College and a Teaching Certificate from Metropolitan State University of Denver.

William Gaines

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William Gaines, M.S., is a lecturer in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Gaines has worked as a patrol officer, a field investigator and a criminal justice instructor. He has received extensive training in the areas of criminal investigation, narcotic identification, DUI prosecutions, advanced homicide investigation, active shooter response and mobile field force. His research interests include racial profiling, biased policing, immigration control and destructiveness of low self-control.

Gaines received a master of science in public administration from Florida International University in 2016; and a master’s and bachelor’s in criminology and criminal justice from Florida State University in 2012 and 2010. He is currently completing his doctorate in criminal justice and criminology from Nova Southeastern University.

Andrea Borrego

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Andrea Borrego, Ph.D., is the chair and professor and the chair of the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

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