AUM Faculty & Staff
Directory
Deanne Allegro
Assistant Professor | College of Education
Deanne Allegro’s experience in the profession of nutrition ranges from training on USDA nutrition survey tools at the USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center as a NIH Research Trainee, to leading a state-wide food security survey as part of a national research study seeking to understand how COVID affected food availability, to owning and running a true farm to table restaurant. Through all of these experiences, she is uniquely able to provide students with skills and opportunities to understand the vast field of nutrition.
Faculty’s Expertise: Community Nutrition, Food Insecurity, Food Systems, Food Patterns
Tara Beziat
Professor | College of Education
Dr. Tara L.R. Beziat is an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at Auburn University at Montgomery. Her research focuses on metacognition and its effects on teaching, learning and assessment. More recently, her focus has been on helping college faculty make changes to their teaching and assessment that lead to significant gains in learning while improving faculty morale. She is currently a consulting editor for Teaching of Psychology and has served as the president of the Northern Rocky Mountain Educational Research Association.
Faculty’s Expertise: Quantitative Methods, Grant Writing, Faculty Development, Metacognition
Sara Bicard
Professor | College of Education
Dr. Sara Ernsbarger Bicard is a professor of special education at Auburn University at Montgomery. She has served in a variety of educational and community settings as a special teacher and behavior analyst. Her research and publications in leading journals such as the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and Phi Delta Kappan focus on positive behavioral and academic interventions to support students with disabilities and improve classroom outcomes.
Faculty’s Expertise: Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Inclusive Special Education, Behavioral Intervention Strategies, Teacher Preparation and Professional Development
Nick Bourke
Chair, Associate Professor | College of Education
Dr. Nicholas Bourke is Department Chair and professor at Auburn University at Montgomery in the College of Education-Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Technology. Dr. Bourke is the Chapter Counselor for the Education Honor Society, Kappa Delta Pi, and is heavily involved in creating meaningful clinical experiences for his students. His research interests include documenting impacts of nonformal education experiences and elementary environmental education. Before coming to Auburn University at Montgomery, Nicholas served as a classroom teacher for 22 years in a variety of settings including public and parochial schools. His teaching duties revolved mainly around science and math instruction with students ranging in age from 4th-9th grades.
Faculty’s Expertise: Environmental Education, Elementary Education, Nonformal Education, Program Evaluation, Science Education, Math Education, Clinical Experiences for Elementary Teachers
Ashley Brown
Assistant Professor | College of Education
Dr. Ashley B. Brown, a native of Montgomery, AL, earned a BA in Psychology, an M.Ed. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Auburn University. She is an Associate Licensed Counselor and a National Certified Counselor. Her research interests include multiculturalism, emotional intelligence, leadership, and career exploration.
Faculty’s Expertise: Multiculturalism, Emotional Intelligence, Leadership, and Career Exploration
Sherry Campbell
Clinical Professor | College of Education
Mrs. Sherry Campbell has over 23 years of combined teaching experience at both the K-12 and university levels. She is passionate about preparing future educators through engaging, research based instruction that emphasizes equity, technology integration, and authentic assessment. Her professional journey reflects a strong commitment to fostering lifelong learning and supporting the success of diverse students.
Faculty’s Expertise: Pre-service Teachers, Instructional Technology, Authentic Assessment
Eric Darch
Associate Professor | College of Education
Dr. Eric Darch has over 20 years of Title 1 public school experience serving as a teacher and school counselor within all grades PK-12. He is a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) and a Nationally Certified School Counselor (NCSC). His professional interests include: the role of the school counselor, children and adolescents, ethics in school counseling, translating research to practice in the school setting, behavior management, and multicultural and linguistically diverse students. He has several publications and has presented on these topics.
Faculty’s Expertise: School Counseling, Counselor Ethics, Children and Adolescents, Behavior Management
Dr. Brett Davis is a faculty member specializing in exercise science and human performance. He teaches courses in exercise physiology, health promotion and wellness, fitness assessment and exercise prescription, with a focus on applying evidence-based practices in both clinical and sport settings. His academic work emphasizes bridging the gap between scientific research and practical application for students pursuing careers in health, wellness, and athletic performance.
Faculty’s Expertise: Exercise Physiology, Human Performance, Fitness Assessment, Health Screening, Sports Science, Public Health, Training Adaptations, Exercise Prescription
Gilbert Duenas
Professor | College of Education
Dr. Gil Duenas has served as a faculty member in the Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Technology, College of Education, Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM) since Fall 2011. As a full professor, he provides instruction (face-to face or online) for undergraduate, graduate and doctoral candidates, as well as facilitates 10-hour field experiences, 100-hour practicum, and the one-semester internship for eligible candidates. His research focus centers on the influence of the Hispanic household on children’s out-of-school mathematics and literacy learning, and on the role of pedagogical practices that acknowledge and value young children’s cultural and social diversity.
Faculty’s Expertise: Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Latino Household and Children’s Out-of-School Learning, Valuing and Affirming Play-Based Learning in Early Childhood
Dr. Cornell Edison Foo is a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology. He teaches an array of courses at both the graduate and undergraduate levels; Ethical Issues in Sport, Sport Finance, Facilities Management of Sport Venues, Leadership in Sport Organizations, Sport Marketing, Sport Sociology, and Psychology of Czoaching rank among the courses that have been led under his guidance. The focus of his research is on sport migration, and the recruitment of primarily international student athletes. Other areas of interests are in service quality and facilities management, the evolution of sport marketing, leadership theory, and most recently, the abuse and discrimination of game officials.
Faculty’s Expertise: Sport Migration, Student Athlete, International Student Athlete, Recruitment, Sport Facilities Management, Service Quality, Referees, Soccer Referees.
