Doctoral Education Faculty
Audrey Rogers, Ed.D.
Associate Dean for Graduate Education Programs
Audrey Rogers, EdD, is the associate dean for graduate education programs and professor of education at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, NH. She holds New Hampshire licensure as a social studies educator (grades 5-12) and as a digital learning specialist (K-12). She is past president and current member of the NH IHE (Institutions of Higher Education) Network, a consortium of all NH educator preparation programs. She received her bachelor's in history from Tufts University. She holds a master’s degree in history from the University of New Hampshire and a master’s degree in education from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She holds a doctoral degree in leadership and learning from Rivier College. Her recent research focused on competency-based education and assessment literacy in preservice educators.
Jessica Brennan, MS
Assistant Dean for Graduate Education Programs
Jessica Brennan, MS, is the assistant dean for graduate education programs. She is a third-generation graduate of SNHU and has a lot of passion and historical knowledge for our university. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing, Advertising, and Retailing with a minor in sociology and a concentration in fashion merchandising from SNHU. She also holds graduate certificates in marketing and international business, as well as a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership and a Master of Science in Marketing from SNHU. She was also involved as an undergraduate student in student organizations, being honored with a national Who’s Who award, and has worked in a variety of roles across the university, including the School of Business, the School of Arts, Sciences and Education, global campus, special programs and graduate education programs. Brennan also teaches occasionally as an adjunct for the School of Business in undergraduate marketing and fashion merchandising courses.
Dr. Richard Ayers
Educational Consultant and Former Acting Executive Director of SERESC
Dr. Richard Ayers graduated from Norwich University with a degree in mathematics education that eventually led to teaching in Colorado, where he received his master's degree and doctoral degree in educational leadership from the University of Colorado. He served as a principal at the middle/high school level in Colorado and New Hampshire before transitioning to the superintendency. Ayers has been an adjunct professor for several New Hampshire universities with a primary focus on educational philosophy & ethics and educational leadership. He is proud to have been part of the doctoral program at SNHU since its onset.
Dr. Fatma Ayyad
Fatma Ayyad, PhD, is an instructor at Southern New Hampshire University and researcher at the Center for Research in Education and Social Policy (CRESP). She earned a doctoral degree in evaluation measurement and research from Western Michigan University (WMU), two master’s degrees in adult and higher education and strategies of science teaching and an online/blended teaching certificate. Prior to joining the University of Delaware, Ayyad worked as a researcher within the College of Education at Grand Valley State University. She demonstrated competencies and skills in research methodology and teaching in diverse settings.
Ayyad published articles on diverse academic issues, including current challenges in higher education, diversity and co-teaching. As a research manager at Pinellas County Schools, she planned and conducted research and evaluation for federal and local educational programs. She inspired the use of a formal evaluation plan and logic model for a systematic program evaluation. Ayyad also worked as a researcher and coordinator for the GEAR UP program at WMU. She has more than 10 years of experience in educational research and evaluation and eight years of teaching science and providing training for science teachers in middle and high schools.
Dr. Diane Carreiro
Diane Carreiro is beginning a new principalship at the North Intermediate School in fall 2023. She is finishing her 12th year as the principal at the Fuller Meadow School in Middleton, Massachusetts. She has also held the position of curriculum specialist, math specialist, grade 1 teacher and integrated preschool teacher.
Earning her doctoral degree in educational leadership in 2016, Carreiro was in the second doctoral cohort at SNHU. She also earned her master’s degree in special education and her undergraduate degree in early childhood education from Salem State University. Currently, Carreiro is an adjunct professor at Merrimack College. She also supports current SNHU students in their doctoral journeys.
Dr. Amy Cole
Dr. Amy Cole earned her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and German at Boston University and her Master of Education at the University of New Hampshire and her PhD at McGill University. She has a long career in education, first as a middle school teacher and then as a curriculum director in public schools in New Hampshire and Vermont. Cole now holds the position of assistant head of school for academics at Hawaii Preparatory Academy on the Hawai'i Island (Big Island). She has held academic appointment at McGill University, Saint Michael's College and most recently the field-based EdD program at Southern New Hampshire University, teaching courses in teacher education, educational leadership and educational research. Her research and teaching interests include teacher pedagogical beliefs, teacher learning, curriculum development, assessment practices, secondary school transformation and research methods, including qualitative and mixed methods with a particular fondness for the creative use of research methods, such as visual methods, memory methodology and metaphor analysis.
Karin Heffernan MLIS, Ed.M.
Karin Heffernan is a research and learning librarian and associate professor at SNHU, where she has been for 6 years. She has been an academic librarian for 20 years, serving at New England College and Proctor Academy. She previously taught elementary school and in various arts programs. Her focus is on information literacy and pedagogy, and she spends her free time hiking with her husband, her dog (Hazelnut) and her three adult children when they return for visits to New Hampshire.
Dr. Nicole Hudson
Dr. Nicole Hudson is the associate director of campus relations for the Office of Online Education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). She has spent over 20 years in higher education in enrollment, business development and administration. She has taught since 1999 in online environments with institutions across the United States in the areas of business, management and human resources.
Hudson has worked in human resources and in training and development, leading talent acquisition initiatives. She has instructed HR professionals in earning their certification in the field and has served on state and national boards related to learning and workforce development.
Dr. Michelle LaPointe
Michelle LaPointe has her PhD in educational leadership & policy analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She uses her knowledge of policies to support authentic learning experiences at all stages of life, as well as preparing school leaders to develop effective school programs. LaPointe has evaluated programs and worked for federal and state agencies, non-profit organizations and school districts across the United States.
LaPointe recently served as a research fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School. In addition, she served as the research director at both Stanford University’s Education Leadership Institute and Lesley University’s Center for Reading Recovery and Literacy Collaborative. Through these roles, LaPointe gained extensive experience translating research to decision-makers and practitioners to support the implementation of effective programs.
Dr. Kim Lindley-Soucy
Kim Lindley-Soucy has worked at Londonderry High School since 1993, having served as curriculum coordinator for the humanities since 2006. She earned an EdD with a focus on language arts and literacy from the University of Massachusetts Boston in 2006. She has been involved with the doctoral program at SNHU since 2013, having taught and co-taught various courses in qualitative research, assessed comprehensive examinations and served on several dissertation committees. Her research interests include literacy, writing instruction and students with special needs, particularly autism spectrum disorders, and has co-authored an article on the use of robot therapy for students with ASD. She lives in Londonderry, NH with her husband and daughter.
Dr. Phil Littlefield
For thirteen years, Dr. Phil Littlefield served as the superintendent of schools of SAU 15, which includes the towns of Auburn, Candia and Hooksett. He previously served almost 20 years as the superintendent of the Methuen Public Schools (MA). He has also served as the assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and personnel in Methuen, middle school principal and assistant principal in Foxborough, MA and curriculum coordinator in Hopkinton, MA. Littlefield started his career in education in Hopkinton as a teacher in the Hopkinton school system where he taught biology, chemistry and general science.
Littlefield has a bachelor’s degree from Boston University, master’s degree from Framingham State College and CAGS from Worcester State College. He earned his doctorate at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Littlefield has had extensive experience teaching in higher education at Southern New Hampshire University, Salem State College and the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
He is an avid snowmobiler, ATV enthusiast and boater. His Harley Davidson Heritage provides for countless hours of riding across New Hampshire. He enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Dr. Michael Moriarty
Dr. Michael Moriarty is an adjunct professor with SNHU. He is the director of instruction in Orleans Central Supervisory Union in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. He previously was a high school principal in Hardwick, Vermont. Moriarty received a doctorate in education from American International College in Springfield, MA. His area of concentration was teaching and learning, and his dissertation was a qualitative study on teacher’s perceptions of school wellness policies.
Dr. Lynn Murray-Chandler
Dr. Lynn Murray-Chandler is assistant vice president of the learner engagement and academic innovation organization at Southern New Hampshire University. She holds a doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She has been trained in design thinking from Stanford University’s d.school and is a HERS leader and Teagle Assessment Scholar. She has been teaching in higher education for more than two decades and has a decade of experience teaching K-12 in the Clark County School District, the fifth largest school district in America.
Dr. Inza Ouattara
Dr. Ouattara teaches in the graduate education programs at SNHU as an adjunct faculty member. Before joining the department, he served as adjunct faculty at Central Maine Community College for six years. With a doctoral degree in educational leadership and a master’s degree in public policy and management, Ouattara is a multidisciplinary faculty member with strong interests in capacity building, health equity and community development.
Dr. Jeremy Owens
Dr. Owens has spent the last 20 years in a variety of academic and leadership roles across a number of universities and colleges. He is currently the associate vice president of university partnerships at Southern New Hampshire University. Prior to beginning a career in academic administration, Owens spent a number of years studying and lecturing on human behavior. In addition to roles as an academic administrator, Owens has always taught courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He holds a PhD and MA in psychology from the University of Colorado and a BA in psychology from the University of Southern Maine.
Dr. Ronald Pedro
Dr. Ronald Pedro earned his EdD as a member of the first SNHU EdD cohort from 2012 to 2017. He has a Master of Education in School Administration, a Master of Fine Arts in Non-Fiction Writing and a Bachelor of Arts in English. He was a high school English teacher, assistant principal in middle schools and high schools and a principal of a middle school and K-8 school. In 2012, Pedro joined the SNHU School of Education as the certification manager and later moved to graduate education programs, where he works in the recruitment and admission of graduate and doctoral programs. From 1987 to 1992, Pedro served in the United States Army, taking part in Desert Shield and Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia and Iraq, Air Assault School in Fort Campbell, Kentucky and Airborne School in Fort Benning, Georgia. Currently, Pedro lives in Dover, New Hampshire with his wife Susan. He has four children: Kate, Michael, Jonathan and Hunter.
Dr. Irv Richardson
Dr. Irv Richardson is currently the coordinator for public education and school support at NEA–New Hampshire. In this role, he provides professional learning opportunities for New Hampshire educators. Richardson also teaches at Southern New Hampshire University in the educational leadership doctoral program. He has worked as an elementary classroom teacher, teaching principal and principal. He has also served as a senior consultant for TBA Consulting Group, working extensively with states on projects such as Teacher Quality Enhancement grants, consulting with state departments of education, working on educator induction and developing national standards for leaders and teachers. Richardson was the associate executive director of Staff Development for Educators, a subsidiary of Highlights for Children. He was Maine’s Teacher of the Year in 1988 and received a National Educator Award from the Milken Foundation in 1993.
Dr. Robert St. Cyr
Dr. St. Cyr served as a public school administrator in Litchfield, Mont Vernon and Candia in New Hampshire for nineteen years. He holds an EdD in leadership from Southern New Hampshire University and has taught in the SNHU graduate program as an adjunct professor for the past five years. St. Cyr is the co-owner and director of curriculum and research for Techsploration, Inc., delivering STEM performance shows and workshops aligned with the MCAS, NGSS and Common Core Standards in schools throughout New England. St. Cyr has served as a dissertation writing coach for the SNHU doctoral program, as well as an SNHU doctoral cohort advisor. He is currently serving on the SNHU Doctoral Comprehensive Exam committee.
Dr. Jenn Scarpati
Dr. Jenn Scarpati has worked in the field of elementary education for the past 23 years. She has spent the past 10 years serving in the role of principal. Her passions include urban education, leadership and social-emotional learning. As part of her work on CASEL’s National Practitioners Advisory Group, she published “Ready to Lead: A Principal’s Reflection on a Decade of SEL Reform.” She enjoys exploring the outdoors with her family.
Dr. Sara Truebridge
Dr. Sara Truebridge, founder of Educating The New Humanity LLC and EdLinks™ LLC, is a consultant, researcher, TED Talk presenter, educator and author specializing in the area of resilience. She combines her experience and expertise in the area of research, policy and practice to promote success and equity for all. Truebridge collaborates with schools, businesses, organizations and individuals, addressing opportunities for learning and transformation from a strengths-based perspective. She is the 2011 recipient of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Excellence in Research to Practice Award, awarded by the Special Interest Group (SIG): Research Use. Truebridge has over 20 years of classroom experience ranging from pre-K to high school. As a student teacher, she was recognized by the National Education Association (NEA) as one of three outstanding elementary student teachers in the nation.