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Docking Institute Policy Fellows

Joe Aistrup Joe Aistrup, Ph.D.
Joe Aistrup is a senior policy fellow of the Institute and chair of the department of political science at Kansas State University. He was assistant director of the Institute from 1993 to 1999 and director from 1999 to June 2002. Most recently Joe is co-facilitating the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce strategic planning process as a Docking Institute policy fellow. He is the author of The Southern Strategy Revisited: Republican Top-Down Advancement in the South, which was nominated for the V.O. Key Award in 1997. He has published in Economic Development Review, Economic Development Quarterly, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Political Research Quarterly, Soviet Studies, American Review of Politics, Kansas Business Review, Kansas Government Journal, Congressional Quarterly and Court Review. He also regularly comments on Kansas politics for regional and national newspapers. Joe received his Ph.D. from Indiana University in 1989.
Micki Armstrong Micki Armstrong, M.S.
Micki Armstrong is an adjunct instructor at FHSU in the Department of Sociology and Social Work. She was previously employed for 20 years by the 23rd Judicial District as a Court Services Officer. Micki is currently a Kansas Supreme Court Approved Mediator/Trainer and coordinator of the FHSU Family Development Services. She has been a trainer and consultant to Hays area schools for their peer mediation programs, as well as an instructor for teen parenting classes. Micki participated in the writing of the Northwest Kansas Community Planning Team Comprehensive Strategic Plan presented to the Kansas Juvenile Justice Authority in the Fall of 1999. Micki has co-authored an article for publication to the Family and Conciliation Courts Review, a mediation journal. She has a B.S. degree in Administration of Justice from Wichita State University and a master's degree in counseling from FHSU.
Rose Arnhold Rose Arnhold, M.S.
Rose Arnhold is chair of the Department of Sociology and Social Work at FHSU. She is a member of various organizations including Phi Alpha Theta, Phi Kappa Phi, Alpha Lamba Delta, Delta Zeta, Mortar Board, Midwest Sociological Society, and the Kansas Sociological Society. She has received such honors as Kansas Professor of the Year from the Council of Advancement and Support of Education, and Outstanding Woman of the Year by Business and Professional Women. Rose received her master's degree in sociology at FHSU and has completed additional work at Colorado State University.
Mark Bannister Mark Bannister, J.D.
Senior Policy Fellow Mark Bannister is the chair of FHSU's department of Information Networking and Telecommunications. Mark teaches courses on legal issues and management of information. He supervises and participates in research and programming on issues including: telecommunications, the Internet, intellectual property, and community development. From 1993-1999, he headed the Telepower Conference, a long running annual conference on telecommunications and rural development sponsored by the Docking Institute. Mark also administered the federally funded Information Community Project. Most recently, Mark was a co-lead facilitator of the statewide 2005 Kansas Prosperity Summit planning process. He has consulted for a number of Kansas state agencies including the Legislature, Supreme Court, Governor's Office, Department of Commerce, Kansas, Inc., and Department of Health and Environment. He previously served as Director of the Docking Institute, Chief of Staff for the Kansas Senate President and as Associate General Counsel to the Kansas Board of Regents. Mark earned his master's and J.D. degrees from the University of Kansas.

Curt Brungardt Curt Brungardt, Ph.D.
Curt Brungardt was appointed the Omer D. Voss Distinguished Professor at FHSU, is the Executive Director of the Center for Civic Leadership, and teaches courses in both leadership studies. Curt has been involved in a variety of projects for the Docking Institute since 1989, including grant writing projects, strategic planning, and leadership training. He is a research associate and a leadership development and training consultant and has served as chief editor for the Rocky Mountain Institute for Leadership Advancement. Over the last six years, Curt has presented and facilitated more than 100 workshops throughout America. He has also published numerous articles and books in the field of Organizational Theory and Development. His books include Social Change Leadership, Risk Leadership, and Understanding Leadership: Theories and Concepts. Curt received his master's degree from FHSU and his Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from Kansas State University.
Keith Campbell Keith Campbell, Ph.D.
Keith Campbell is a professor of sociology at FHSU. Although his early research was in social psychology, his focus for the last decade has been on cultural diversity and indigenous peoples. Research activities have taken him to Alaska more than 20 times to work with the Kenaitze Indian Tribe on such issues as subsistence, land loss and discrimination. In 1996, he conducted interviews of women who homesteaded in Alaska in the 1950s and 1960s. His most current research involves a study of isolated rural villages in Henan Province, China. Keith is also a consultant for Hays Medical Center, for whom he has written several successful grant proposals in the area of rural health. Keith does consulting work in grant proposal development and program evaluation, with a special focus on rural health issues. Keith received his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Kim Christiansen Kim Christiansen, J.D.
Kim Christiansen is an adjunct professor at FHSU in the College of Business and Leadership. She completed here master's degree in education in May 2000. Kim taught in high schools in Great Bend and in Derby and has also taught at Barton County Community College. Since 1993 she has practiced law in Wichita. Her legal work has included extensive experience in educational issues such as teacher defense work and in consultations with individuals and institutions. She has also worked with contracts, land issues and labor relations. Kim has also been trained as a mediator under the Kansas Bar Association. Docking Institute projects have included the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks forums and Pratt Community College strategic planning sessions. She received a B.A. in history from FHSU and a J.D. from the University of Kansas.
Dr. Robert Cox Robert Cox, M.D.
Robert Cox is the medical director at Hays Medical Center. He had a practice of general pediatrics in Hays until making the transition to telemedicine activities and administration. Robert has been featured as a Pioneer in Telemedicine in Telemedicine and the Reinvention of Healthcare, a text on the Seventh Revolution in Medicine by Jeffery Bauer and Marc Ringel, McGraw-Hill, 1999. He is a former member of the Board of Directors for the American Telemedicine Association and is former chair of the Rural Telemedicine Special Interest Group. He also serves on U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts' Science, Technology and the Future Advisory Committee and was appointed as a member of the Kansas Information Technology Executive Council in 2000. Dr. Cox has been active in the development and implementation of telemedicine throughout Kansas since its beginning in 1988.

Chris Crawford

Chris Crawford, Ph.D.
Chris Crawford is the assistant provost for quality management and a professor at Fort Hays State University in the Department of Leadership Studies. Chris has an active interest in leadership, organizational innovation, knowledge management and quality management related areas. Over the last 15 years, Chris has developed and taught several undergraduate and graduate level classes in leadership and communication, has directed a large graduate program and has served as assistant dean of the Virtual College and as director of the Master of Liberal Studies Program. Chris has an extensive publications record with numerous articles
both in the field of leadership and other cogent areas. He has been published in numerous journals and has co-authored a number of books, including Risk Leadership; Understanding
Leadership: Theories and Concepts (3rd Ed.); Maximum Team Performance: Teamwork, Team Building, and Team Leading; Making Argument Work: Knowing and Applying Basic Argument Strategies (3rd Ed.); Oral Communication: Theory and Practice (2nd Ed.); and Speech Communication (3rd Ed.). Chris has also consulted for several organizations in Kansas and in North and South Carolina dealing with organizational training and development issues.

Kathy Dale

Kathy Dale, Ed.D.
Kathy is an educational consultant-coach and an assistant professor at Fort Hays State University in education administration and counseling and is assistant dean of the College of Education and Technology. Her primary emphasis in education administration is school finance, education research and leadership. Kathy is a licensed Legacy Leadership Consultant and co-author of Legacy Leadership for Educators that primarily targets superintendents, boards of education and principals. In addition to working closely with superintendents and principals, Kathy works with the Kansas State Department of Education and the Wallace Foundation as an executive coach in the Kansas Laboratory for Education Leaders research project. She has an Ed.D. in education administration from Kansas State University, an M.A. in special education from Fort Hays State University, and a B.A. from Florida Atlantic University.

John Divine John Divine, B.S.
John is CEO of The Leadership Firm, a personal and organizational development company he founded in 1999 after his retirement from IBM. The Leadership Firm's mission is to assist both public and private organizations reach and exceed their potential. Focusing on technology in local government for IBM, John held the position of local government relationship manager for North America, manager of technology solutions for local government, plus various other local government related roles during his 23-year tenure with IBM. John also has experience as a public speaker on topics related to personal growth. He served as mayor of Salina, KS, and also as a city commissioner. John's other civic activities include the Untied Way, a board member and annual fund drive campaign chairman, volunteer at the Salina Rescue Mission, and board member of the Kansas Sampler Foundation. He recently helped to start a community foundation for Salina. Divine received his B.S. in political science from Kansas State University and is a certified leadership trainer and facilitator.
Robert Duffy

Robert Duffy, M.A.
Robert E. Duffy has been the Coordinator of the Drug and Alcohol Wellness Network at FHSU since September 1997. In that capacity he is a Kansas Addiction and Prevention Services certified counselor and directs a state-licensed Outpatient Counseling, Diagnostic, and Referral Service on campus. Bob is also a policy fellow with the Institute, and during the past eight years he has collaborated with the Institute in the development, testing, and analysis of an annual student drinking behavior study as part of a social norms marketing campaign to reduce high-risk drinking at FHSU. He is a cofounder of The Partnership for a Safer Community, which has established a successful Safe-Ride program in Hays. Duffy received his Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Connecticut in 1997.

Ralph Gamble Ralph Gamble, Ph.D.
A Policy Fellow since 1996, Ralph Gamble is a Professor in the Department of Economics and Finance at FHSU. His fields of specialization are monetary and financial theory, econometric methods and industrial organization, and his research interests include the interdependencies of systems, especially those of ethics, culture and economics. Ralph has published papers, articles and reviews in the Kansas Business Review, Futures, Southern Economic Journal, Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, American Banker, Journal of Economic Education, Oil and Gas Quarterly and Journal of Economic Finance. He consults for the Docking Institute and others on issues of industrial policy and the valuation of economic loss, including the restructuring of the electric power industry. He received a B.A. in economics from the University of West Florida (Pensacola) in 1977, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in economics from Oklahoma State University (Stillwater) in 1982 and 1989. Ralph is also available for speaking engagements. His presentation reflects his expertise in the energy crisis, retail wheeling of electricity, regulation and deregulation of industry, and the ethics of economic issues. His speeches include: "You and your Fed," "Which is Better, Stocks or Bonds?" and "Bond Basics."
Preston Gilson Preston Gilson, Ph.D.
Senior Policy Fellow Preston Gilson is a Professor Emeritus of Finance at FHSU. Preston taught in the areas of International Finance, Risk Management, Real Estate, Financial Institutions, Commercial Banks, Managerial Finance, and Corporate Finance. He also taught in the Public Administration Training Program and taught workshops for the Small Business Development Center. Preston's areas of expertise at the Docking Institute include housing, economic impact studies and strategic planning. His recent projects include a feasibility study about issuing STAR bonds to finance the development of visitor attractions in Kansas. He earned his Ph.D. from Saint Louis University.
Larry Gould Larry Gould, Ph.D.
Senior Policy Fellow Larry Gould serves as the FHSU Provost/Chief Academic Officer and is founder and former director of the Docking Institute. He established the Center's Telepower Conference in 1992 and is the author of a telecommunications report that initiated the state strategic telecommunications plan. Larry was formerly a Research Fellow at Purdue University and at the Centre for Foreign Policy Studies at Dalhousie University in Canada. Larry is a member of the National Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi and was the 1988 recipient of the FHSU Alumni Association's Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award. In 1990, the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce named him Most Valuable Citizen. Previously, he was Faculty Advisor and Director of the FHSU Model United Nations Program; Faculty Senate President; Executive Assistant to the President; and, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. In 1996, he was awarded the Hays Chamber of Commerce's Lifetime Service Award. In 2000, he was granted the Pacesetter Award from the National Academic Advising Association. This award for presidents and provosts is given to only one person each year. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from Purdue University, a master's from Eastern New Mexico University and a bachelor's degree in history from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.
Richard Heil Richard Heil, Ph.D.
Richard Heil is a Senior Policy Fellow and has been with the Docking Institute since its creation in 1980. Dick has served as a moderator for various forums sponsored by the Docking Institute, including the Kansas House of Representatives and Kansas Senate Candidate Forums. Since their inception, Dick has moderated two public television programs on behalf of the Institute, The Kansas Legislature and Mid-America Life: A Conversation with Congressman Jerry Moran, both on KOOD television.
John Heinrichs John Heinrichs, Ph.D.
John Heinrichs is an associate professor of geosciences at FHSU. He teaches courses in geosciences, including geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, and world geography. His research specialties include climatology and glaciology, with relationship to regional and global climate. John has received grants from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to use data from remote sensing satellites to study arctic climate and oceanography. He has been involved with the Docking Institute study of the depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer in southwestern Kansas. John received his Ph.D. in geography from the University of Colorado at Boulder and his M.S. in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
Quentin Hope Quentin Hope, M.P.P.M.
Quentin Hope is an independent research fellow and specialist in the Organization Practice of McKinsey & Company's, an international management consulting firm. He has served clients in the telecommunications, transportation, and energy industries, primarily in the areas of organization design, organization effectiveness, and change management. Quentin led the field research and co-authored with Jon Katzenbach the book Real Change Leaders and authored the Real Change Leader's Handbook for Action (Random House, 1996). In prior work, Quentin founded and served as executive director of High Plains Public Radio, the public radio service for High Plains region of Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas. He now serves as president of its board. Quentin graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude from Oberlin College with a B.A. degree in communications studies. He also holds a masters of public and private management from the Yale School of Organization and Management.
Ray Johnson Ray Johnson, Ed.D.
Ray Johnson is an associate professor of education administration at FHSU. He is also a consultant for staff development workshops for local school districts and a popular presenter at professional in-service opportunities. His rich experience in both private and public educational institutions has made him a valuable member of the Docking Institute's Strategic Planning Team for school districts in western Kansas. Ray presented at the Docking Institute's Telepower® '96, '97 and '98 conferences, serves on the Kansas North Central Accreditation Board, is active in the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and the International Moral Educators Association and serves on the Board of Regents Committee for Diversity in the Curriculum. He received his M.S. from the University of Oklahoma and his Ed.D. from the University of Massachusetts.
Tom Johansen Thomas Johansen, Ph.D.
Thomas Johansen is an Associate Professor of Economics & Finance at FHSU. Tom teaches courses in corporate finance & investments & serves as the financial planning program director for the department. He has been an instructor in the Docking Institute program for the Kansas County Treasurers’ certification program. Johansen also has consulting experience in small business valuation & investment strategy. Tom received his B.S. and M.B.A. from FHSU, earning a PH.D from Oklahoma State University (Stillwater).
Craig Karlin Craig Karlin, M.S.
Craig Karlin is currently the Director of Financial Assistance at FHSU. His areas of expertise include state and federal government policy issues related to higher education, financing, and regional peer training. Craig is the Past President of the Kansas Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. Craig is available for speaking engagements. He shares his expertise in scholarships and financial aid with his various audiences.
Brian Kinnaird

Brian A. Kinnaird, Ph.D.
Dr. Brian A. Kinnaird is the Director of Research and Training for Forceology Research Group, a consulting firm for police combatives and self-defense concepts in Salina, Kan. Brian is a career trainer, serving previously as corrections officer, deputy sheriff, field training officer, lead defensive tactics trainer, and tactical team member. In 2004, he received his doctorate in the field of criminal justice, preceded by bachelor and master's degrees in the fields of sociology and criminal justice from Fort Hays State University. He has most recently held academic appointments as tenured university professor and department chair in the Justice Studies Department at Fort Hays State University. Brian has been involved with use of force training for over a decade and regularly trains, publishes, and consults on various topics. He is the author of "Use of Force" (2003) and is published in a variety of peer-reviewed and trade outlets, including work featured in model policies by the IACP. Brian has been retained as a litigation consultant in state and federal use of force lawsuits and served for a time as a guest defensive tactics instructor at the Kansas police academy. He currently stands as an advisory board member, trainer, and independent consultant for various combatives companies and professional associations, worldwide.

Stephen Kitzis Stephen Kitzis, Ph.D.
Stephen Kitzis is a professor of psychology at FHSU and has been the Docking Institute's lead evaluator for two federally funded Safe Schools/Healthy Students projects: Rural Underpinnings for Resiliency and Linkages (RURAL) for USD's 489, 388, and 422, and Ulysses Prevention Project for USD 214. In both projects, the evaluation involved an extensive monitoring of school and community climate over several years, and data collection from many local educational, mental health, social service and juvenile justice agencies. His teaching and research interests center on background in computer-based analytical techniques. Stephen worked at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory for four years and an independent systems and software analyst for 12 years before changing his career goals and receiving a doctorate in experimental psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 1993.
Heath Marrs

Heath Marrs, Ed.D.
Heath Marrs is an assistant professor of psychology at Fort Hays State University, specializing in educational psychology. As an independent evaluator, Heath was the principal investigator for program evaluation of the 2003-2004 and the 2004-2005 Alternative Action Projects at both Hillsboro High School, USD 410, and at Peabody-Burns High School. He is responsible for teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in the Department of Psychology, including general psychology, applied statistics in the behavioral sciences, psychological testing, history and systems of psychology, cognitive psychology, experimental methods and inferential statistics. Before joining the faculty of FHSU, Heath worked in Kansas State University’s Office of Assessment and Program Review. He has published in the journals Reading Psychology: An International Quarterly and the Journal of the Kansas Association of School Psychologists. Heath received his Ed.D. in educational psychology from Kansas State University, his M.S. and Ed.S. degrees in school psychology from FHSU, and his B.A. in social science-psychology and biblical and religious studies from Tabor College.

Mary Martin Mary Martin, Ph.D.
Mary Martin is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at Fort Hays State University. Her marketing passions include researching and teaching marketing strategy, Internet marketing, consumer behavior and database marketing. Mary has published extensively in marketing and advertising journals and has more than ten years of experience in marketing consulting and research. Her marketing research expertise includes developing and conducting both qualitative (focus groups and ethnography) and quantitative research (surveys). Before relocating to Hays in July 2002, Mary lived in Charlotte, North Carolina where she was a small business owner and professor at Winthrop University. She co-founded Marketing inSites, a consulting firm that offered web strategy, web design and development, marketing research and strategic marketing planning. She received her B.S. in Advertising from Kansas State University, M.B.A. from Fort Hays State University, and Ph.D. in Marketing from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Micol Maughan Micol Maughn, Ph.D.
Micol Maughn is an Assistant Professor of Management and Marketing at FHSU. He teaches courses in both leadership studies and business and became a policy fellow in 1999. He received the College of Business Award for most innovative teacher in 1999. Professional memberships include the Academy of Management and the Organizational Behavior Teaching Society. Recently, he was co-author of the textbook Understanding Leadership: Theories & Concepts with C.B. Crawford and Curtis L. Brungardt. His research interests include leadership, small group dynamics, and person perception. Maughn received his PhD in social psychology (with an emphasis in organizational behavior) from Brigham Young University in 1981.
Rose McCleary Rose McCleary, Ph.D.
Rose McCleary is a Policy Fellow. She was a co-principal investigator with Policy Fellows Layne Smith and Brett Zollinger on the Docking Institute's evaluation study of a Kansas Social and Rehabilitation Service's pilot project in 2000. She co-authored the resulting report titled "Evaluation of the Hays SRS Area Childcare Direct Pay Pilot Project." Other publications include contributions to Psychological Reports and the Encyclopedia of Home Care for the Elderly. Rose has presented at meetings of the NASW, the Southeastern Psychological Association, the National Institute of Drug Abuse, and continuing education seminars. She has extensive social work experience with diverse populations and has taught at Tulane University and in Japan. Rose received her Ph.D. in social work from Tulane University in 1999.
Kate McGonigal

Kate McGonigal, Ph.D.
Kate McGonigal is an assistant professor of sociology at Fort Hays State University and is co-sponsor of the Sociology Club. Her areas of specialization are in social deviance and criminology. Most recently, Kate served as the Docking Institute’s primary investigator for the United Way of Ellis County social trends study. Kate received her Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and her B.A. from Drake University, Des Moines. Kate’s dissertation work with John F. Galliher is the subject of a manuscript currently being reviewed by SUNY Press. Her master’s thesis examined the patterns of legislative abolition of the Iowa death penalty and the effects of charismatic governmental leaders on the anti-death penalty movement and was published in America Without the Death Penalty: States Leading the Way by Galliher et al. in 2002. During her time at Drake University, Kate served as president of the Drake Democrats and had the experience of chauffeuring former California Gov. Jerry Brown in Iowa to political rallies and meetings with newspaper editors during the 1991-1992 presidential campaign. She also worked for the United Way of Central Iowa conducting a neighborhood needs assessment survey.

Shala Mills Shala Mills, J.D.
Shala Mills is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Justice Studies at FHSU where she also serves as the pre-law advisor. Shala has been a fellow with the Docking Institute since 1993. She has presented on the topic of "Statutes and Laws" at several training sessions for the Kansas County Treasurer's Association. Shala worked on the Justice Initiative project and, most recently, worked on the Victims Rights project. She received her J.D. from the University of Kansas School of Law and her B.A. from Baylor University.
Art Morin Arthur Morin, Ph.D.
Senior Policy Fellow Arthur Morin is an Associate Professor of Political Science at FHSU. Art is the Director of the Master of Liberal Studies Program at FHSU. He has been instrumental in the development of the Docking Institute's Public Administration Training Program, and is the coordinator for the Institute's Kansas County Treasurer's Association training program. Art has also written reports and feasibility studies for the Docking Institute. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Jim Murphy James Murphy, Ph.D.
James Murphy is department chair and professor of educational administration and counseling at FHSU and has been a policy fellow at the Docking Institute since 1993. He serves as College of Education liaison to the Fort Hays Education Development Center. As a policy fellow, Jim has assisted in the community and education process. In 1997-98, he assisted with the TMP-Marian School Planning Process. He is a member of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Phi Alpha Theta and Phi Kappa Phi. Jim received his Ph.D. from Indiana University.

Carrie Nassif

Carrie Nassif, Ph.D.
Carrie Nassif is an assistant professor of psychology and clinical psychotherapist with the Kelly Center at FHSU. She is also a policy fellow with the Institute, and in 2006 she provided expert assistance for a domestic violence study. Carrie teaches courses in personality, ethics, appraisal of adults, psychotherapy, perspectives of diversity workshops, and practicum (therapy skills). Clinical areas of interest include critical incident stress management, sexual trauma, resiliency, eating disorders, and suicide prevention. Areas of research interest include personality, creativity, supervision, and issues of diversity. Carrie is a member of the American Psychology Association and the Kansas Psychology Association, and is currently the secretary of Psychological and Educational Resources in Kansas. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of South Dakota in 2004.

Ken Neuhauser Kenneth R. Neuhauser, Ph.D.
Kenneth Neuhauser is a Professor of Geosciences and Director of Field Studies in Geosciences at FHSU. He is a member of the Geological Society of America, the Kansas Academy of Sciences, the National Association of Geology Teachers, and volunteers assistance to Kansas Department of Health and Environment, and the Kansas Corporation Commission. Kenneth also consults in applied environmental geophysics and is the faculty advisor for the Sternberg Geosciences Club. He served as a Docking Fellow on the State of Kansas GIS Strategic Planning Committee. Kenneth has published nearly 70 research materials (papers, maps, and abstracts), including international journals, and has received 39 research grants. His research focuses on structural geology, field mapping, applied environmental geophysics, paleontology, and archeology, products which include the geologic maps of Ellis, Ness and Osborne counties, all of which are in digital form for GIS research. During his tenure as Director of FHSU's Geology Field Camp his efforts revolving around a camp dinosaur excavation exercise led to a grant and the construction of the educational dinosaur display in Tomanek Hall which was dedicated in 2002. In 1999, he won the President's Distinguished Scholar Award, as well as the 1993 Pilot Award for Outstanding Teaching. Kenneth received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in geology from the University of South Carolina (Columbia) and a B.S. in geology form the University of Wisconsin (Madison).
Carl Parker Carl Parker, Ph.D.
Senior Policy Fellow Carl D. Parker is Chair of the Department of Economics and Finance at FHSU. He is also the Director of Employee Relations for the university. His fields of specialization are labor market analysis, labor relations, economic impact studies, cost benefit analysis, and statistical and econometric modeling, estimation and evaluation. Carl received his Ph.D. in Economics from Oklahoma State in 1971 and is a member of the national economics honor society, Omicron Delta Epsilon, and the national business honor society, Beta Gamma Sigma. He has published in such journals as Economics of Education Review, Journal of the Southwestern Society of Economists, The Journal of Economics, Proceedings of the National Association for Welfare Research and Statistics, Journal of Economics and Finance, and the Journal of Finance and Economic Practice. Carl is currently completing a project that estimates the economic impact of the university on the community. He has been working with a consortium of economist from other Kansas Regents universities developing guidelines for STAR bonds. Other projects include feasibility studies and estimates of labor supply for specific labor markets.
Lori Peek
Lori Peek, Ph.D.
Lori Peek is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Colorado State University. Lori has authored several articles in the areas of environmental risk, sustainability, social vulnerability, and hazards and disasters. She also served for three years as the Assistant Co-Editor of the Natural Hazards Review journal. In addition to her interests in environmental sociology and the sociology of disasters, she specializes in the areas of religion, gender, race and ethnicity, social psychology, and ethnographic methods. Lori received her B.A. in Sociology (summa cum laude) from Ottawa University, her Masters of Education from Colorado State University, and her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She is a native of Waverly, Kansas.
Chapman Rackaway Chapman Rackaway, Ph.D.
Chapman Rackaway is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at FHSU. Chap serves as the advisor for the Political Management program in the Department of Political Science and Justice Studies and teaches campaign management, political parties, public opinion, and voting behavior. Chapman's research and teaching interests includes political party targeting of Congressional races, voter turnout, Congressional communication styles and campaign finance. He is a regular presenter of research at the Midwest Political Science Association and Southwestern Social Sciences Association meetings and has published in the Journal of Politics. Chap also serves as a political consultant, providing communication and strategic direction for campaigns from county auditor to U.S. Congress. He has previously taught at Lincoln University, State Fair Community College, the University of Missouri, and Columbia College. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Missouri in 2002.

Marilyn Ray

Marilyn Ray, M.D., M.P.H.
Dr. Marilyn Ray is a board certified radiologist, who practices radiology in northwest Kansas and eastern Colorado. She obtained her MD from Tufts University in Boston, and radiology training at Harvard's Beth Israel Hospital, also in Boston. After teaching for three years at University of Southern California Los Angeles County Hospital, and then specializing in mammography in private practice for several years, she and her family moved to Hays, KS in 1995. Dr. Ray received a Masters in Public Health at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health in May 2005. Her main interest in public health is strategic health communication, with the goal of improving the community norms of health behaviors, both here and abroad.

Marina Rolbin Marina Rolbin, M.B.A., M.A., B.A.
Marina Rolbin is a Docking Institute Policy Fellow. She has extensive training and experience in marketing and marketing design, having consulted for various companies in Washington, D.C., including National Public Radio and National Academy Press.
She has also worked in international economic business development for RONCO Consulting, a government contractor, and in agricultural promotion for the U.S. Grains Council. Ms. Rolbin holds an M.B.A from the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business, an M.A. from Middlebury College and a B.A. from Cornell University. She is also fluent in Spanish and Russian.
Kevin Shaffer Kevin A. Shaffer, M.S.
Kevin Shaffer graduated from the University of Colorado with a Master of Science in Telecommunications in 1998 and is currently pursuing his doctoral degree in Information Systems through Nova Southeastern University. Prior to graduate school, Kevin lived in Osaka, Japan for six years. Kevin's research interests include international message telephone service (IMTS) economics and the promotion of broadband internetworking services to assist rural development. Kevin Shaffer is a Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) and a Cisco Certified Design Professional (CCDP). His instructional responsibilities include data communications, internetworking and telecommunications courses.
Layne Smith Layne Smith, M.S.W.
Layne is assistant professor of sociology and social work at FHSU. In 2003, Layne was co-principle investigator on the Docking Institute's SRS project The Economic Impact of Natural Care Giving Among Mentally Retarded/Developmentally Disabled and Physically Disabled Waiver Consumers in Kansas, and a co-principal investigator and co-author on the report for the 2000 evaluation study of a Kansas Social and Rehabilitation Service's pilot project. He is knowledgeable in both quantitative and qualitative data analysis and has presented papers at the Southwest Social Science Association Meetings, the Texas Probation Association Legislative Conference, the Stone Symposium of the Society of Symbolic Interactionism, the South Carolina Continuum of Care Conference on Child and Family Services, and the Winthrop University Field Conference. Prior to joining FHSU, Layne taught sociology and social work classes at Texas Women's University (TWU) while completing his doctoral coursework. He received his M.S.W. from the University of South Florida in 1985 and will soon complete his Ph.D. in sociology from TWU.
  Daniel D. Steeples, M.S.
Dan Steeples works as a Management Consultant in the Washington DC, area. He previously served on the business school faculties of the University of Kansas, Bowling Green State University, the University of Maryland, and currently serves as an adjunct professor in the Department of Engineering Management & Systems Engineering at The George Washington University where he teaches courses in operations research and decision theory. He holds master's degrees in business/statistics and operations research from the University of Kansas and the University of California at Berkeley, respectively.
Kent Steward Kent L. Steward, M.L.S.
Kent Steward, director of University Relations at FHSU, has extensive experience in media relations. He was a journalist for two decades last serving as managing editor of The Hays Daily News for 10 years. His services to the Docking Institute include facilitating strategic planning, conducting focus groups, preparing business feasibility studies, writing and designing publications, counseling on media relations, and assisting with the annual Telepower® conference. He served as manager of corporate communications for Sunflower Electric Power Corporation for two years before coming to FHSU in August 1997. At FHSU, Kent supervises the Office of University Relations, which handles media relations, oversees university publications, and assists with special events. He conducts workshops on media relations and other communication issues. Kent earned a B.A. in English from Pittsburg State University and an M.L.S. from FHSU.
Tonja Vallin Tonja Vallin, M.B.A.
Tonja Vallin is the Academic Affairs Marketing Specialist for FHSU. Tonja speaks frequently on technology issues such as electronic commerce, Web-based marketing and distance learning. She serves as a subject matter expert on the Financial Fitness Foundation Conferences hosted by the Docking Institute, presenting to over 2,000 high school students on sound money management. Tonja received her M.B.A from FHSU and earned her Bachelors Degree in Business from Wichita State University.

Angela Walters Angela Walters, M.L.S, CCNA, CIA, CWDSA, OCA
Angela Walters is an instructor of Information Networking and Telecommunications at FHSU, instructing courses in web design, computer networking, and database development. Angela worked at the Docking Institute in the spring of 2000 as a graduate student, her research focusing on e-commerce. She completed her Master's degree at FHSU and is currently working on her Ph.D. from Nova Southeastern University. Research interests include the advancement of technology to support student learning and customizing the learning process for the individual learner. Angela also maintains her industry certifications with Adobe, Cisco and Oracle.

Benjamin Wheeler

Benjamin D. Wheeler, B.A.
Benjamin Wheeler is a candidate to receive his M.S. in biology from Fort Hays State University. His thesis research involves the conservation of birds relative to the Conservation Reserve Program. He has been involved with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks on several projects. His research interests at the Docking Institute include the relationships between society and the conservation of natural resources. Ben obtained his B.A. in environmental biology from Bethel College in Mishawaka, Ind., in 2003.

Brett Zollinger

Brett Zollinger, Ph.D.
Brett Zollinger is past Director of the Docking Institute and the Institute's University Center for Survey Research. He is chair and 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.


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