EEA Faculty Members
SEE's Experiential Education Academy (EEA) faculty are all educators and scholars in the field of experiential education whose knowledge and first-hand experiences support EEA workshop participants' understanding and implementation of experiential education methodologies.
 KERRY ARENS, ED.D.
EEA Workshops: Reflection and Teaching and Learning Experientially
Dr. Kerry Arens serves as the Coordinator of the Chelsea Detrick Experiential Learning Center in Webster Groves High School, located in a suburban public school district in Saint Louis, MO. Prior to this role, Dr. Arens was a staff developer, an instructional coach, and an English teacher. In her current role, Dr. Arens teaches experiential education courses, such as service learning, internships, travel, passion pursuits, and a dual-credit course for aspiring teachers. She also works alongside faculty and administrators to foster the love and implementation of experiential learning across grade levels and content areas. With a background in faculty development, instructional coaching, and teacher leadership, Dr. Arens has presented extensively on building educators’ confidence, joy and expertise in experiential education. In 2025, Dr. Arens was recognized by the Society for Experiential Education as the Outstanding Leader in Experiential Education, K-12. She also serves on SEE’s Board of Directors.
 Maureen Drysdale, Ph.D.
EEA Workshops: Reflection, Assessment, Community-based Learning
Dr. Maureen Drysdale is Professor of Psychology and Adjunct Professor in Public Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. She is the Director of the Well-Link Lab where her research focuses on the Mental Health of emerging adults. She leads a large research team dedicated to examining the mental health, wellness, attitudes, and behaviors believed to be important for successful life transitions. In addition to this research, Dr. Drysdale has spent considerable time over the years researching the role of experiential education on overall well-being, and school-to-work transitions. She developed an intensive service learning course and throughout her career has supervised numerous students engaged in multiple forms of experiential education. She has served as a consultant with professional organizations establishing and assessing learning outcomes; measuring and assessing psychological constructs and mental health; conducting needs assessments, quality assurance, and training evaluations; and setting standards and competency criteria for licensure and recertification examinations.
 pAUL GASZAK, ED.D.
EEA Workshops: Fundamentals of Experiential Education, Principles of Ethical and Best Practices, Reflection, Assessment, Teaching and Learning Experientially
Dr. Paul Gaszak is currently the Dean of Academics and Equity at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. Prior to joining IMSA in Fall 2020, he spent over 14 years in higher education serving as a Chief Academic Officer, Dean, and faculty member at multiple institutions. Dr. Gaszak has experience directing experiential initiatives at an institutional level, overseeing experiential programs, and incorporating experiential learning into courses. He also has special interests in experiential education definitions and experiential learning space design.
 patrick green, ed.d.
EEA Workshops: Fundamentals of Experiential Education, Principles of Ethical and Best Practices, Reflection, Assessment, Teaching and Learning Experientially, Strengthening EE at Your Institution
Patrick M. Green, Ed.D. is the Executive Director of the Center for Engaged Learning, Teaching, and Scholarship (CELTS), and a Clinical Assistant Professor in the School of Education at Loyola University Chicago. He teaches experiential learning courses, including community-based learning, academic internships, global service-learning, undergraduate research, and graduate courses in the School of Education. Dr. Green has published numerous scholarly articles focused on experiential learning, and he serves on the editorial board of multiple scholarly journals dedicated to experiential education. Dr. Green currently serves as Editor of Metropolitan Universities journal (MUJ) for the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU). Dr. Green served as a Scholar-in-Residence with the International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement (IARSCLE), an Engaged Scholar with the Society of Experiential Education (SEE), and an Engaged Scholar with National Campus Compact.
 DELL ANN JANNEY, D.MGT.
EEA Workshops: Principles of Ethical and Best Practices, Reflection, Assessment, Developing a Quality Internship Program
Dr. Dell Ann Janney has served on the Culver-Stockton College faculty since 1992, teaching accounting and MBA courses while providing leadership in academic innovation. She helped establish the College's MBA program, led the launch of experiential education initiatives, serving as inaugural Associate Dean of Experiential Education and Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies. Her leadership expanded online programs, advanced instructional quality, and contributed to outstanding graduate employment outcomes. Dr. Janney has received numerous honors, including the 2026 IACBE Accounting Faculty of the Year award and 2021 Society for Experiential Education's Outstanding Leader Award. She serves on the SEE Board of Directors and co-chairs the Strategic Communications Committee.
 SHARA LEE, ED.D.
EEA Workshops: Fundamentals of Experiential Education, Principles of Ethical and Best Practices, Reflection, Assessment, Teaching and Learning Experientially, Strategic Planning for Experiential Program Design, Strengthening Experiential Education at Your Institution, Community-based Learning, Access and Opportunity
Dr. Shara Lee serves as the Director of Faculty Development and Support for the three-university American InterContinental University System and teaches part-time for Syracuse University. Her career reflects a deep commitment to experiential education through leadership roles at Valencia College, the University of Central Florida’s Office of Experiential Learning, and The Walt Disney Company. Dr. Lee has designed, led, and assessed a wide range of high-impact learning experiences including service-learning, internships, global learning, and community-engaged education, and was honored to receive SEE's Outstanding Experiential Education Research/Dissertation Award. Her work focuses on creating meaningful opportunities that connect academic learning with life application and professional growth.
 CHASE LESANE-BROWN, PH.D.
EEA Workshops: Reflection, Expanding Access and Opportunity in Experiential Education
Dr. Chase L. Lesane-Brown is Director of Experiential Learning for Rice University's School of Social Sciences, where she designs and leads workshops helping faculty and practitioners integrate reflection, inclusivity, and community engagement into their teaching. She is also a lecturer in Psychological Sciences at Rice University, and teaches Multicultural Psychology, Health Psychology, and Research Methods, combining rigorous scholarship with real-world application to help students bridge theory and practice. She currently serves as a SEE Board Member and Experiential Education Academy instructor, roles she's held since 2022. A SEE member since 2018, she has also served on the Conference Planning Committee and co-chaired the Awards of Excellence Committee.
 MARIANNA SAVOCA, PH.D.
EEA Workshops: Teaching and Learning Experientially, Developing a Quality Internship Program, Strengthening Experiential Education at Your Institution, Strategic Planning for Experiential Program Design, Developing a Quality Internship Program
Dr. Savoca leads initiatives to scale career readiness and improve access to high-impact, learning-integrated internships and student employment experiences for all Stony Brook University students. Her work crosses divisional lines, connecting career with academic departments, international programs, enrollment management, advancement, economic development, and student affairs. Dr. Savoca is a faculty member in the graduate program in Higher Education Administration, PI/Co-PI on several grants, published author and featured international speaker. She earned her doctorate from Colorado State University, MS from Indiana University, and BS from SUNY Binghamton.
 Rajni Shankar-Brown, Ph.D., MBA, M-MA, MA
EEA Workshops: Teaching and Learning Experientially, Developing a Quality Internship Program, Strengthening Experiential Education at Your Institution
Rajni Shankar-Brown, Ph.D., MBA, M-MA, MA, is the Jessie Ball duPont Distinguished Chair of Social Justice Education and Professor at Stetson University. A faculty member of the International Society for Experiential Education Academy, she brings extensive experience in community-engaged, justice-centered, and experiential education across PreK-12, higher education, nonprofit, government, and community settings. Founder and Executive Director of the Institute for Catalyzing Equity, Justice, and Social Change, Dr. Shankar-Brown advances inclusive teaching, civic engagement, environmental sustainability, and systems change through scholarship, facilitation, curriculum design, and partnerships.
 Evan small, ph.d.
EEA Workshops: Fundamentals of Experiential Education, Principles of Ethical and Best Practices, Assessment, and Including Experiential Education into Your Curriculum
Evan serves as a faculty member in the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education at Elon University where he primarily teaches in the teacher education and outdoor education programs. In addition, Evan directs the outdoor experiential education programming at Elon. Evan has been a practitioner and scholar of experiential education in various forms for many years. Evan’s background includes a strong focus in service-learning, global engagement, undergraduate research, and outdoor education. Evan’s research interests include integrating experiential education with social justice and critical pedagogy, incorporating experiential education into K-12 formal education settings, and facilitator skill development.
 MARTI SNYDER, PH.D.
EEA Workshops: Fundamentals of Experiential Education, Principles of Ethical and Best Practices, Reflection, Assessment, Teaching and Learning Experientially, Digital Tools for Experiential Learning
Dr. Marti Snyder is Professor and Director of Faculty Professional Development at Nova Southeastern University's Learning and Educational Center. With over two decades of experience in corporate learning and development and a robust academic career, Marti's research and teaching focus on the intersection of learning technology, design, and information systems. She serves as the chair of The Society for Experiential Education’s (SEE) Experiential Education Academy (EEA) and on editorial boards of The Qualitative Report and the Experiential Learning and Teaching in Higher Education journals. Marti was the recipient of SEE’s Michael Steuerman Award in 2021 and served as SEE’s conference chair in 2020.
 Stephanie Thomason, Ph.D.
EEA Workshops: Fundamentals of Experiential Education, Principles of Ethical and Best Practices, Reflection, Teaching and Learning Experientially, Strengthening Experiential Education at Your Institution
Stephanie Thomason is the associate dean of the Sykes College of Business at The University of Tampa. She is also an associate director for the TECO Energy Center for Leadership where she coordinates the UTampa graduate business coaching program. She has served as the president of the board of the SEE, a conference chair, and an EEA faculty. She has also served as a SACSCOC Lead Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Evaluator for a "Learning by Doing" QEP. In 2023, she received the Louise Loy Hunter Award from the University of Tampa, which is its most prestigious award for outstanding faculty.
 Urszula Zalewski, MBA, MS
EEA Workshops: Developing a Quality Internship Program, Teaching and Learning Experientially, Strengthening Experiential Education at Your Institution
Urszula Zalewski, MS/MBA, serves as the Director of Experiential Education and Student Employment at Stony Brook University. She is a faculty member, teaching service-learning courses, serving as faculty sponsor for academic internships, and designing customized graduate courses in collaboration with industry partners. She has published scholarly work and managed multiple grants. Urszula leads innovative experiential education initiatives, drawing on her expertise in career readiness, partnership development, and strengthening connections between academia and industry. She is deeply committed to preparing students for professional success by creating high-impact learning opportunities, including internships, student employment, project-based learning, and community-based work.
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