POLICY FELLOWS
PAUL ADAMS, Ph.D.
Senior policy fellow Paul Adams is the founder and director of the Science and Mathematics Education Institute and the Dean of the College of Education at Fort Hays State University. He teaches courses in science education and physics; his areas of research interest lie in science education and public outreach in science. He has worked on and led science education projects at the local, state, national, and international levels, and serves as the Anschutz Endowed Professor of Education. Paul received his Ph.D. in Science Education from Purdue University, M.S. in Physics from Washington University, and his B.S. in Physics/Math from Heidelberg University.
MICKI ARMSTRONG, M.S.
Micki Armstrong is an Academic Advisor for virtual students seeking degrees in the disciplines of Sociology, Psychology and Political Science at Fort Hays State University. She is also an adjunct faculty in the Sociology and Social Work Department at FHSU and has taught courses in family, multiculturalism, mediation, sociology and cultural anthropology. She was previously employed from 1978-1998 by the 23rd Judicial District as a Court Services Officer and has been a trainer and consultant to Hays area schools for their peer mediation programs. She is a state approved mediator/trainer in the areas of Core, Civil, Parent/Child, Domestic mediation and an approved mediator in Farm mediation. She is also trained in case management for highly conflicted families. She was a past board member of Heartland Mediators Association and is a current member of the Office of Judicial Administration Dispute Resolution Advisory Council for the State of Kansas. She co-authored the Northwest Kansas Community Planning Team Comprehensive Strategic Plan presented to the Kansas Juvenile Justice Authority in the Fall of 1999. She co-authored an article on the Indigent Mediation Program at FHSU which was published in 2001 in the Family Court Review, an interdisciplinary journal. Micki received her master's degree in counseling at FHSU.
EMILY BREIT, Ph.D.
Emily Breit is an Associate Professor of Economics Finance and Accounting at Fort Hays State University. She focuses her research on commercial banking, corporate governance, and corporate finance. She has taught courses in bank management, financial management, financial markets and institutions, money and banking, and investments. Emily serves as the banking program director for the department and as the assistant to the Dean for assessment and AACSB accreditation. She received the 2009 Outstanding Teacher Award from the College of Business. Emily received her B.B.A and M.B.A. from Fort Hays State University, and Ph.D in Finance (Minor: Economics) from Oklahoma State University-Stillwater.
KEITH CAMPBELL, Ph.D.
Keith Campbell is a professor and coordinator of the Grant Proposal Writing Certificate Program at FHSU. Although his early research was in social psychology, his focus for the last two decades has been on cultural diversity and indigenous peoples. Research activities have taken him to Alaska more than 30 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. A nonprofit Keith recently started, the Community Health Partnership, has provided free assistance to Santee Sioux, Hmong refugees, and Somali refugees. 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.
MELISSA DIXON, B.F.A.
Melissa Dixon is the Director of Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau. She received a Bachelors degree in Fine Art from Mississippi State University. She began her graphic design career in the in-house graphic design department at the University of Georgia's Center for Continuing Education. She later joined the design team at Blufish Design Studio in Tempe, Arizona where she created national ad campaigns for homebuilders in Phoenix, Denver, Dallas, and San Diego. After three years, Dixon opened a branch of the studio in Starkville, Mississippi and developed a working partnership with her alma mater, Mississippi State University. Her team helped local and regional businesses market themselves through print, web and social media. She recently was the social media coordinator at Fort Hays State University. Her community involvement included Chamber of Commerce board member, Renasant Bank board member, Starkville Main Street Association board member, Convention and Visitor's Bureau board member, Rotary member, and Public Relations Association of Mississippi member. She was voted into Starkville's Top 40 Under 40, and her agency was voted Best Ad Agency in 2013 in the Starkville Daily News Annual Readership Poll.
LARRY DREILING, M.S.
Larry Dreiling is an adjunct professor at FHSU. Larry served as 2000-01 President of the American Agricultural Editors' Association (AAEA) and as 2005-06 President of the association of North American Agricultural Journalists (NAAJ). In April 1999,he received NAAJ's J.S. Russell Memorial Award for setting high ethical standards for his peers and his life of service to his profession. Larry is an AAEA Master Writer and an early winner in AAEA's writing contest for Best News reporting for the internet. He is also the first U.S. reporter to win the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists Star Report Prize for outstanding foreign coverage. Larry earned bachelor's degrees in political science and communication from FHSU in 1980 and his Master of Science in Communication degree from FHSU in 1985. While in graduate school, Larry won the College Media Advisers National Award for Business and Economics Reporting for his coverage in the University Leader of the closing of the Hays facility of Travenol Laboratories and its aftermath on the community.
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 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.
MORGAN STEELE, Ph.D.
Morgan Steele is an assistant professor in Criminal Justice Programs at Fort Hays State University. He is also the National Research Coordinator for the National De-Escalation Training Center. Morgan earned his Ph.D. at the University of Cincinnati (UC) with a focus on community criminology and policing. He has an M.S. in Criminal Justice from UC, with a B.S. in Psychology and a B.A. in Law & Society from Purdue University, with a minor in Forensic Science. Morgan has previously taught undergraduate courses at University of Cincinnati and at Northern Kentucky University.
THOMAS JOHANSEN, Ph.D.
Thomas Johansen is a professor of economics, finance & accounting at Fort Hays State University. Johansen also has consulting experience in small business valuation and investment strategy. Tom received his B.S. and M.B.A. from FHSU, earning a PH.D from Oklahoma State University (Stillwater).
SCOTT R. JONES, Ed.S
Scott R. Jones is the director and an instructor of the Center for Economic Education at FHSU. Scott works extensively with the Business Education program. He teaches courses in Business Education, Corporate Communications, Business Technology Applications, and is a sponsor of the Marketing Management Association. He received the Collegiate DECA Outstanding Advisor award in 2013 and was also selected as the Navigator (outstanding academic advising). He has been nominated for the Pilot Award multiple years. Mr. Jones has research interests in Career and Technical Education, Teaching Licensure, and information systems/data management.
RICHARD LISICHENKO, Ph.D.
Richard Lisichenko is a professor of geosciences at Fort Hays State University. His primary specialization is in geographic information systems (GIS) in conjunction with other geospatical technologies. Rich has worked on GIS projects at the local, state, and federal levels. Another area of research interest is geographic education. Aside from his research activities, he has served as an editor for both geography & social studies journals. Rich received his Ph.D. in education and M.A. in geography from Kansas State University, and B.S. in geography from SUNY Oneonta, New York.
DEBORAH LUDWIG, M.L.S.
Deborah Ludwig is Librarian at Fort Hays State University. Forsyth Library services include support for faculty and student research, resources for scholarly communication and publishing, and copyright consultation. Ms. Ludwig's areas of specialization include library leadership, assessment, technology, collection development and management, digitization, and scholarly communication. She has published and presented widely in areas of library and information science, including open access publishing, technology, digital preservation, and management of faculty researcher data. From 2012-2014 she served as the principle investigator for a multi-institutional IMLS National Leadership Planning Grant charged with planning collaborative solutions to managing researcher data. Ms. Ludwig holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Kansas and a Master of Library Science degree from Texas Woman's University. She has also participated in the Harvard Leadership Institute for Librarians . Her academic career includes leadership positions at Fort Hays State University, the University of Kansas, and Johnson County Community College. In addition to academic appointments, she has served as a public and school librarian.
JEAN MAJERCIN, M.P.S.
Jeannie Majercin is a professional grant proposal writer and adjunct instructor of sociology with Fort Hays State University. She earned certifications for Grant Proposal Writing & Program Evaluation and Social Entrepreneurship from FHSU and is a member of the Grant Professionals Association. Her expertise includes researching, identifyingand developing successful grants to fund programs benefiting underserved populations in need. Jeannie has provided consultation and grant proposal writing for a diverse range of nonprofit entities. She has written programmatic, capital, and operational grants that focus on meeting educational, therapeutic, and basic needs in rural regions, intervention and prevention services to empower adolescent girls, and programs benefiting individuals and families facing socioeconomic challenges.
Jeannie is a graduate of Fort Hays State University, earning her Master of Professional Studies (with a major in Social Entrepreneurship) and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. For her Master's culminating project, Jeannie conducted research regarding the status of nonprofit organizations providing services in the state of Kansas, with an emphasis on grassroots efforts. In addition to grant proposal writing, Jeannie currently teaches courses in diversity and multi-culturalism in FHSU Online at Fort Hays State University.
MARY MARTIN, Ph.D.
Mary Martin is a professor of marketing at Fort Hays State University. She teaches marketing principles, consumer behavior, marketing management, seminar in e-business, strategic electronic marketing, and database marketing. Prior to joining the faculty at FHSU, Mary was co-founder of a strategic consulting firm in Charlotte, NC that offered clients marketing plans, marketing research, organizational strategy, business plans, and e-business seminars. Prior to that, she was director of marketing for a company that produced interior decorative coatings for aircraft. While there, she developed web-driven and traditional marketing strategies, including website promotion, design, construction, and maintenance. Mary was previously a member of the graduate faculty of The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte) and Winthrop University. Her research interests include e-business, the effects of advertising on children, and innovative teaching strategies. She has published her research in such journals as the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, The Journal of Advertising, Psychology and Marketing, Journal of E-Business, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, Journal of Business and Leadership: Research, Practice, and Teaching, The Journal of Educators Online, Southwestern Business Administration Journal, and Research in Consumer Behavior. 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.
KATE MCGONIGAL, Ph.D.
Kate McGonigal is an associate professor of sociology at Fort Hays State University where she teaches introduction to sociology, social deviance, social inequalities and the core study courses. She recently authored Mabel Agnes Elliott: Pioneering Feminist, Pacifist Sociologist, published by Lexington Books. In April 2009 at the Des Moines, IA meeting of the Midwest Sociological Society, she presented a paper on women bull riders. Kate received her Ph.D and M.A. from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and her B.A. from Drake University in Des Moines.
PATRICK R. MILLER, Ph.D.
Patrick R. Miller is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Kansas, where he also directs the Washington, D.C. Internship Program. His areas of specialization include political psychology, public opinion, electoral behavior, survey methods, and quantitative research methods. He received his B.A. with high honors from the College of William & Mary, and his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with specializations in American politics and research methodology. While at UNC, he also received a certification in survey research methodology from the Howard W. Odum Institute for Research in Social Science, and later served as a survey research associate at the Duke Initiative on Survey Methodology at Duke University.
LORI PEEK, Ph.D.
Lori Peek is a professor of sociology and director of the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Lori is the author of Behind the Backlash: Muslim Americans after 9/11 (Temple University Press, 2010) and co-editor of Displaced: Life in the Katrina Diaspora (University of Texas Press, 2010). Lori teaches classes on race and ethnic relations, the sociology of disaster, and qualitative research methods. In 2007, she received the Best Teacher Award from the CSU Alumni Association and the Excellence in Teaching Award from the College of Liberal Arts. Lori received her B.A. in sociology (summa cum laude) from Ottawa University, her master's in 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.
WENDY ROHLEDER-SOOK, J.D.
Wendy Rohleder-Sook is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Fort Hays State University. She focuses her research on women in the law, free speech, and pre-law advising models. She has taught legal studies courses, including legal research and writing, legal advocacy, constitutional law and civil liberties, as well as current political issues and the senior capstone course for Political Science. Wendy serves as the Director of Pre-Law/Legal Studies, advising and administering programs for pre-law students exploring and applying to law school. She received her B.A. from the University of Kansas and her J.D. from the KU School of Law.
SAMUEL SCHREYER, Ph.D.
Sam Schreyer is an Associate Professor of Economics at Fort Hays State University. His primary fields of research include applied macroeconomics, international finance, and monetary policy, and has published in journals such as the Journal of Financial Economic Policy, Journal of Economic Development, and Journal of Developing Areas. Sam regularly teaches courses in quantitative methods, money and banking, and macroeconomics. Sam has received multiple awards and distinctions for his teaching and research at FHSU, including the 2018-19 Outstanding Faculty Award from the Robbins College of Business & Entrepreneurship. Sam earned a B.M. in music and an M.A. in economics from Wichita State University, as well as a Ph.D. in economics from Claremont Graduate University.
KEVIN A. SHAFFER, M.S.
Kevin Shaffer works as an associate professor within the department of Informatics. He 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.
KEVIN L. SMITH, J.D.
Kevin Smith became the Dean of Libraries at the University of Kansas in May 2016, after ten years as Director of Copyright and Scholarly Communications at the Duke University Libraries. As both a librarian and a lawyer specializing in intellectual property issues, Smith's role at Duke was to advise faculty, staff, and students about the impact of copyright, licensing, and the changing nature of scholarly publishing on higher education. Prior to that, Smith was director of the Pilgrim Library at Defiance College in Ohio, where he also taught constitutional law. His teaching experience is various, having taught courses in theology, law, and library science. Smith is the author of numerous articles on the impact of copyright law and the internet on scholarly research as well as libraries' role in the academy. He has been a highly regarded blogger on these issues for many years, and in 2013 published Owning and Using Scholarship: An IP Handbook for Teachers and Researchers with the Association of College and Research Libraries.
Smith holds a B.A. from Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., an M.A. from Yale Divinity School, an M.L.S. from Kent State University, and a J.D. from Capital University. He did doctoral work in theology and literature at the University of Chicago.
Smith has been admitted to the bar in Ohio and North Carolina.
MICHAEL A. SMITH, Ph.D.
Michael A. Smith, Ph.D. is a professor of Political Science and Chair of Social Sciences at Emporia State University. His teaching interests include state and local government, campaigns and elections, legislative politics, and political philosophy. Michael is the lead author of the book State Voting Laws in America: Historical Statutes and Their Contemporary Interpretations (Palgrave Pivot: 2014), co-authored by Docking Policy Fellow Chapman Rackaway, and Dr. Kevin Anderson. Michael has also published another book, Bring Representation Home: State Legislators Among Their Constituencies (Missouri: 2003), articles in PS: Political Science and Politics, Perspectives on Politics, and other journals, plus numerous book chapters. Michael writes a newspaper column as part of the Insight Kansas group and appears regularly on KAKE's This Week in Kansas.
JAY STEINMETZ, Ph.D.
Jay Steinmetz is an assistant professor of Political Science at Fort Hays State University specializing in political theory, American politics, and public law. His research lies at the intersection of law, culture, and political regulation. He is the author of Beyond Free Speech and Propaganda: The Political Development of Hollywood and Politics, Power, and Purpose: An Orientation to Political Science. He is currently working on a monograph detailing the cultural memory of Abraham Lincoln in the Progressive Era.
Dr. Steinmetz is the host of a program called Talking Democracy, produced by the Tiger Media Network in coordination with the American Democracy Project. As a policy fellow at the Docking Institute, Dr. Steinmetz is coordinator and host of the program The Kansas Legislature on Smoky Hills Public Television.
APRIL TERRY, Ph.D.
Dr. April Terry is an Assistant Professor in Criminal Justice Programs at Fort Hays State University. She has experience working with incarcerated populations and specializes in juvenile corrections, gender and crime, rural criminology, and gender-based violence. Dr. Terry serves as a member of the Kansas Advisory Group on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and a consultant with the Kansas Department of Corrections-Juvenile Services. She received her master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and remains a Licensed Master’s Level Psychologist. Dr. Terry completed her Ph.D. from Kansas State University in Sociology with a concentration in criminology and gender studies. Her research focuses on the intersection of psychology, criminology, and sociology, as it relates to juvenile justice-involved girls.
GREG WEISENBORN, Ph.D.
Greg Weisenborn is an associate professor in the Department of Management at Fort Hays State University. He teaches production & operations management and other related business operations courses in the College of Business & Leadership. Prior to joining the faculty at FHSU, Dr. Weisenborn worked as a manufacturing and supply chain consultant, where typical projects focused on business process efficiency & effectiveness, ERP systems implementations, and manufacturing systems improvement. Prior to FHSU, Greg was a research associate at the Veterans Administration VISN8 Patient Safety Center, was a faculty member at St. Petersburg College, and was an adjunct professor at the University of South Florida. His research and consulting interests include business operations and manufacturing process efficiency, scarce inventory allocation, ergonomics and safe patient handling, and student learning styles. Dr. Weisenborn earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from Kansas State University and a Ph.D. in industrial engineering the University of South Florida.
SENIOR FELLOWS
JOSEPH AISTRUP, Ph.D.
Joseph Aistrup is a senior policy fellow of the Institute and professor and dean of Auburn University's College of Liberal Arts at Auburn University, Alabama. He was assistant director of the Institute from 1993 to 1999 and director from 1999 to June 2002. He is the co-author of Kansas Politics and Government: The Clash of Political Cultures (2010, University of Nebraska Press) and sole 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, Soviet Studies, American Review of Politics, Kansas Business Review, Kansas Government Journal, Congressional Quarterly and Court Review. Joe received his Ph.D. from Indiana University in 1989.
MARK BANNISTER, J.D.
Mark Bannister is a Senior Policy Fellow of the Docking Institute of Public Affairs and a principal in Bannister Capital Advisors. Currently Mark is the Dean of College of Business and Economics at Boise State University.
As Chair of the Department of Information Networking and Telecommunications at Fort Hays State University from 1990-2009, he led the growth of the program from 58 undergraduate students to more than 350 undergraduate and graduate students. The department was named the "Outstanding Undergraduate Program of the Year" in 2008 by the International Telecommunications Education and Research Association and was designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance in 2009.
Mark served as director of the Docking Institute of Public Affairs from 1992-1999 and executive assistant/general counsel to the president of Fort Hays State University. Prior to arriving at Fort Hays State University, he served professionally as chief of staff for the Kansas Senate president and as associate general counsel to the Kansas Board of Regents. Mark earned a juris doctorate in law and a masters of communication studies from the University of Kansas. His bachelor's degree is from Fort Hays State University.
Bannister has been recognized by the International Telecommunications Education and Research Association as a Senior Fellow.
GARY BRINKER, Ph.D.
Dr. Gary Brinker served as director of the Docking Institute from 2008-2017. He has been a professor in Sociology Programs at Fort Hays State University since August 2011. He was previously the director of the Center for Social Sciences and Public Policy Research at Missouri State University, from May 2002 to July of 2008, and the associate director from August 1997 to May 2002. His teaching interests include research methods, social problems and quantitative analysis. His sponsored research projects define an eclectic research agenda. Gary has been the principal investigator for more than 100 applied research projects, including program evaluations, needs assessments, economic impact studies, population projections and public opinion surveys in the areas of education, substance abuse, environment, education, politics, family planning, aging, community health and marketing. He is the editor of the Missouri Electronic Journal of Sociology and a member of the Midwest Sociological Society, and the Southwest Social Sciences Society. He has published articles in the International Journal of Sociology of the Family, Free Inquiry in Creative Sociology, Journal of Applied Sociology, North American Journal of Psychology, Social Development Issues, Journal of Population and International Review of Modern Sociology. Gary earned a Master of Arts degree in sociology in 1994 and a doctorate degree in applied sociology in 1997 at Baylor University.
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 an economic impact study for the Kansas Department of Commerce. He earned his Ph.D. from Saint Louis University.
LARRY GOULD, Ph.D.
Senior Policy Fellow Larry Gould is founder and former director of the Docking Institute from 1984-1991. He established the Center's Telepower Conference in 1992 and is the author of a telecommunications report that initiated the state strategic telecommunications plan. He is the Chair for the Department of Communication Studies, Law and Political Science at FHSU.
Larry was the 1998 recipient of the FHSU Alumni Association's Pilot Award as the outstanding faculty member of the year. The Hays Chamber of Commerce named him Most Valuable Citizen and inducted him into the Chamber's Hall of Fame in 1996. Previously, he was provost,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 2000, he was granted the Pacesetter Award from the National Academic Advising Association. In 2008, he was awarded the William Plater Award by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. One of the few national awards for provosts, the Plater Award recognizes those chief academic officers who have advanced the civic mission of the campus through curricular reform, public advocacy, accountability for institutional citizenship, faculty development and recruitment, and partnerships with community organizations. He holds a B.A. in history from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, an M.S. in political science from Eastern New Mexico University and a Ph.D. in political science from Purdue University.
LESLIE PAIGE, M.S., Ed.S
Senior Policy Fellow Leslie Paige is the director of the Fort Hays State University Office of Scholarship and Sponsored Projects. She has extensive experience with federal, state and foundation grants, project development and management, and conducts strategic planning activities for non-profit organizations. Leslie is also experienced as a peer reviewer and field reader for federal grant competitions. Honors include the National Association of School Psychologists School Psychologist of the Year and FHSU Alumni Achievement Award. Leslie has conducted over 100 workshops and presentations at national, state, and local levels on grant writing, school safety and violence prevention, crisis response planning, and research ethics and compliance. Leslie received her master of science and educational specialist degrees in school psychology from FHSU. She is currently an officer of the National Association of School Psychologists Board of Directors.
CHAPMAN RACKAWAY, Ph.D.
Dr. Chapman Rackaway serves the University of West Georgia as Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science. Dr. Rackayway's teaching and scholarly interests focus on the intersection of republican democracy and professional electioneering. Dr. Rackaway teaches classes in Political Parties, Political Campaign Management, Interest Groups and Lobbying, and Campaign Finance.
Dr. Rackaway has published more than twenty articles and book chapters as well as six books. Rackaway is the author of Civic Failure and Its Threat to American Democracy: Operator Error (Lexington Press 2016) co-editor of Parties Under Pressure (Palgrave 2017) as well as other books on American politics, political communication, and voting behavior.