INED Faculty & Staff

Faculty in the Inclusive Education Department represent a wide range of teaching, research interests, and professional experiences. The department houses both Special Education and TESOL. Using an asset-based perspective, faculty in each area are committed to preparing educators to be able to meet the needs of diverse learners and ensure student success.

Faculty

Name

Position

Katie Bennett
Katie Bennett Assistant Professor of Special Education

Position:
Assistant Professor of Special Education

Phone: (470) 578-6577
Email: kbenne72@kennesaw.edu
Location: BEB 419

My teaching, research, and community engagement efforts focus on teacher preparation, literacy, and high incidence disabilities. I teach at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.
Harriet Bessette
Harriet Bessette Professor of Inclusive Education & Educational Leadership

Position:
Professor of Inclusive Education & Educational Leadership

Phone: (470) 578-6893
Email: hbessett@kennesaw.edu
Location: BEB 434

I am a professor of special education and teach masters, specialist and doctoral courses in the Inclusive Education Department. I have over 25 years of teaching and administrative experience in public schools and higher education. My research interests include the use of drawings as research tools in qualitative research, Vygotskian theory, intersubjectivity, and interpersonal/intrapersonal planes of cognition.
Jayoung Choi
Jayoung Choi Associate Professor of TESOL

Position:
Associate Professor of TESOL

Phone: (470) 578-2231
Email: jchoi44@kennesaw.edu
Location: BEB 437

Associate Professor of TESOL in the Inclusive Education Department
Melissa Driver
Melissa Driver Associate Professor of Special Education

Position:
Associate Professor of Special Education

Phone: (470) 578-2512
Email: mdriver6@kennesaw.edu
Location: BEB 322
Zurisaray Espinosa
Zurisaray Espinosa Clinical Assistant Professor of TESOL

Position:
Clinical Assistant Professor of TESOL

Phone: (470) 578-7854
Email: zespinos@kennesaw.edu
Location: BEB 439
Joya Hicks
Joya Hicks Associate Professor of Special Education

Position:
Associate Professor of Special Education

Phone: (470) 578-6146
Email: jcarterh@kennesaw.edu
Location: BEB 432

I have extensive experience in preparing pre-service and in-service teachers and leaders in providing fully-inclusive evidenced-based practices for working with children and their families.
Zachary Johnson
Zachary Johnson Assistant Professor of Special Education

Position:
Assistant Professor of Special Education

Phone: (470) 578-3297
Email: zjohnso4@kennesaw.edu
Location: BEB 431
Nihal Khote
Nihal Khote Associate Professor of TESOL

Position:
Associate Professor of TESOL

Phone: (470) 578-2121
Email: nvk4987@kennesaw.edu
Location: BEB 438
Vidya Munandar
Vidya Munandar Assistant Professor of Special Education

Position:
Assistant Professor of Special Education

Phone: (470) 578-2765
Email: vmunanda@kennesaw.edu
Location: BEB 424

I teach undergraduate and graduate courses on curriculum and instruction for students with diverse learning abilities in inclusive settings. My research interests include career development process of youth and young adults with disabilities, transition practices to support jobseekers and employees with disabilities in integrated employment settings, and the role of stakeholders in improving transition outcomes.
Amanda Richey
Amanda Richey Associate Professor of TESOL

Position:
Associate Professor of TESOL

Phone: (470) 578-2769
Email: arichey1@kennesaw.edu
Location: BEB 436

My research interests are focused on issues of culture and representation in curriculum, family and community engagement, and literacy practices.
Denise Ross
Denise Ross Chair of the Department of Inclusive Education and Professor of Special Education

Position:
Chair of the Department of Inclusive Education and Professor of Special Education

Phone: (470) 578-4736
Email: dross71@kennesaw.edu
Location: BEB 443
Barbara Walker
Barbara Walker Limited-term Assistant Professor of Special Education and UDL Lab Lead

Position:
Limited-term Assistant Professor of Special Education and UDL Lab Lead

Phone: (470) 578-2343
Email: bwalk159@kennesaw.edu
Location: BEB 421