Department of Social Sciences

Heather Honoré Goltz
Assistant Professor of Social Work
Ph.D., Health Education, Texas A&M University

Research Interests: health disparities, patient education and navigation, cancer survivorship, sexual and reproductive health, genomics, and dyadic factors in health decision-making and outcomes.

“I was the first person in my immediate family to complete high school, college, and graduate school. I would not have been able to accomplish these milestones without strong academic mentorship and exposure to solid teaching and research. I am happy to join the UHD faculty because it offers me opportunities to mentor students in the classroom and in research. Research, service-learning, and other high-impact academic experiences will not only benefit students within their UHD degree programs, they can also launch students into careers they had not previously considered such as social work, behavioral medicine, and public health. Given UHD’s commitment to student learning and the diversity of its students and faculty, I cannot imagine any other place I would rather be in terms of teaching, mentorship, and research.”

Department of English

Godwin Y. Agboka
Assistant Professor, English
PhD., English Studies, Illinois State University

Technical communication, grammar, medical writing, social justice, cultural rhetorics, public relations, advertising, and localization.

“The diversity of the student population and the community in which the university is situated drew me to UHD. With my research interests in cultural rhetorics and social justice, I find UHD is the perfect environment for me to pursue issues of social justice in terms of how they impact and shape students’ training for their future workplaces and life experiences. It is logical that, given their diverse outlook and experiences, students will be open and accommodating to these critical pedagogical approaches that will prove useful in this second phase of globalization. I am really excited about this new challenge!”

Department of Social Sciences

Travis Crone
Assistant Professor, Psychology
Ph.D., Psychology, University of Arkansas

Social and cognitive psychology, conscious and unconscious goals, implementation intentions, and perceptions of religious relationships

“I am so excited to be at UHD. I have already encountered students who are eager to expand their worlds through the classroom and research. I love to see my students apply psychological theories to their everyday lives, and this semester has been great for that. The diversity at UHD allows for so many points of view to be brought to the table. I love working in an environment that is open, understanding, and accessible to the range of great students that can be found at UHD.”

Department of Arts & Humanities

Paul Mandell
Assistant Professor, Spanish
Ph.D. , Spanish Linguistics, Second Language Acquisition & Teacher Education (SLATE)
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Spanish language, grammar, linguistics, psycholinguistics, syntax, on-line language processing and language acquisition.

“I am attracted by the diversity of the student body hailing from all over the world at UHD, here in center of the fourth largest city in the nation. I am equally drawn by the fact that a large number of that student body considers Spanish to be one of their languages. The result? Many opportunities to help students learn more about their language(s) and to study how that growth takes place. For someone with my interests and experience, UHD offers myriad opportunities to teach and conduct research. What good fortune!”

Department of Social Sciences

Mary Portillo
Assistant Professor, Psychology
Ph.D., Rice University

Cognitive psychology, specially early visual processing and Gestalt grouping. Also face and number processing.

I love the diversity at UHD. The students give you a real sense of what it is like to be in 4th largest city in the country. They are open and friendly. The faculty is engaging and welcoming and the staff is committed to helping you succeed. This university challenges me as a teacher and I love that.

Department of Arts & Humanities

Bill Pogue
Visiting Lecturer, Communication
B. A., University of Denver

Media and advertising, conflict resolution, customer relations, and vocal expressiveness.

“Some laugh when I tell a class at the outset that I intend to be their ‘trail boss’ – who in old Hollywood westerns would pledge to get travelers through mountains and perils safely to destinations. But I’m sincere about being a most committed supporter to any student willing to expend effort and intellectual curiosity, and am especially proud when everyone “arrives” successfully at the end of semester. We’ll circle wagons when we must, but keep charging ahead. “Head ‘em up, move ‘em out!”