The Docking Institute's staff and fellows have a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. The Docking Institute draws upon university and field-based experts. The vast levels of expertise allow each person to contribute to the overall success of the Institute. This collection of individuals offers a complete and rounded organization.

The staff and fellows bring specialized knowledge and experience in the areas of program evaluation, research, grants facilitation, economic development, government, natural resource issues, healthcare, business, telecommunications, and education. Each person involved in the success of the Docking Institute is highly qualified to achieve excellence in the field of policy research.

Brett Zollinger, Ph.D.
Director
e-mail: bzolling@fhsu.edu

Brett Zollinger is the Director of the Docking Institute and the Institute's University Center for Survey Research. He is also an associate professor of sociology at Fort Hays State University. Brett's work has been nationally recognized. He received the Rural Sociological Society's Dissertation Award in 1997. He co-authored a report on labor force dynamics in Northwest Missouri that won Best of Class awards from the National Rural Economic Development Association and the American Economic Development Council. He is a member of the Rural Sociological Society, Community Development Society, Society for Applied Sociology, Midwest Sociological Society and the American Association of Public Opinion Research. Brett has published in several academic journals including, Economic Development Quarterly, Journal of the Community Development Society, Research in Community Sociology, and Rural Sociology. He also has a book chapter in the edited book, Mad About Wildlife. Brett has designed and conducted a wide variety of survey research projects at local, state and regional levels on such topics as labor availability, health care assessment, housing and city services satisfaction, quality of life, crime victims' issues, use of conservation tree plantings, and attitudes toward wildlife issues. He is also very active in program evaluation studies, strategic planning and community development efforts in the region. Most recently he led the Docking Institute in facilitating the 2005 Kansas Prosperity Summit planning process on behalf of the Kansas Department of Commerce and five other partner state agencies. Brett received his Ph.D. from Utah State University in 1998.

Leslie Paige, Ed.S.
Grants Facilitator
e-mail: lpaige@fhsu.edu

Leslie Paige is the Grants Facilitator for the Docking Institute and for the Fort Hays State University Graduate School. Leslie has written or helped to develop funded federal, state and foundation grants. The $2.5 million R.U.R.A.L. Safe Schools /Healthy Students Project she directed for the Hays Unified School District received national recognition from the Surgeon General's Office and the Centers for Disease Control SafeUSA as a "Best Practice". She has extensive experience in project development and management, and provides technical assistance for federal agencies and grant projects. Leslie is an experienced peer reviewer and field reader for federal grant competitions. She has authored, edited and reviewed numerous books, book chapters, articles and other professional publications. Recent publications include a chapter in the Handbook of School Violence and School Safety: From Research to Practice, co-editor of Helping Children at Home and School, and co-editor and chapter co-author of a special issue of Psychology in the Schools. She is an ad hoc reviewer for The School Psychology Review and a contributing editor for The Communiqué. Leslie has conducted over 100 workshops and presentations at a national-, state- and local-level on topics such as school safety and violence prevention, crisis response planning, social marketing, grant writing, and consensus building. She is currently the treasurer of the National Association of School Psychologists, is a member of the NASP Strategic Planning Committee, and has also chaired the NASP ethics, publications and professional development committees. She was also active in the Kansas Association of School Psychologists, and is a past president. Leslie is also involved with local coalitions, and is a member of the Fort Hays State University Alumni Association Board of Directors. Leslie received her B.S. in Psychology from the University of Cincinnati and her M.S. and Ed.S. degrees in School Psychology from Fort Hays State University. She is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist. She has received several honors, including National School Psychologist of the Year and the FHSU Alumni Achievement Award.

Jian Sun, Ph. D.
Research Scientist
email: jsun@fhsu.edu

Jian Sun joined the Docking Institute in July 2007 as a research scientist. He has research experience at housing price, sprawl, property taxation, land use policies, and growth management policies. He was involved in several planning projects in both the United States and China, including land use planning, transportation analysis, and community economic development. He has published in the academic journals Environmental and Planning A, Journal of Real Estate Literature, Journal of Housing Economics, and Journal of Urban Affairs. Jian is also an assistant professor at FHSU’s Political Science Department, teaching public administration courses. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Louisville.

Joyce Wolfe, M.S.
Manager, University Center for Survey Research
e-mail: jwolfe@fhsu.edu

Joyce Wolfe is as a research scientist specializing in program evaluation. Her responsibilities include evaluation plan design, survey development, the organization of survey administration procedures, and the coordination of data reporting and report writing. She has managed large-scale survey administration projects including the management of district-wide surveying of parents, teachers and staff, and students. Joyce is also the manager of the Institute's University Center for Survey Research, where she is responsible for administering telephone surveys including survey programming and development, survey management, software programming and training new surveyors. In addition, Joyce's background in library research is instrumental with projects requiring extensive literature review components. Joyce is a member of the American Evaluation Association. She received her Master's degree in Psychology from Fort Hays State University in June 2000.