Meet Our School Board Members
Dr. William Blackwell, Chair
Dr. William Blackwell is an Associate Professor of Special Education at Sam Houston State University. Dr. Blackwell earned his M.Ed. from Harvard University and his Ed.D. from Boston University. He teaches courses in both the special education undergraduate and graduate programs, with a focus on preparing all teachers to be effective inclusive educators. Dr. Blackwell's research interests focus on strategies for improving inclusive educational opportunities for students with mild and moderate disability support needs.
Dr. Jaime Coyne, Vice Chair
Jaime Coyne, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Teaching and Learning at Sam Houston State University. She earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Texas A&M University. Dr. Coyne teaches elementary methods courses for preservice teachers and graduate courses within the Curriculum and Instruction graduate program. Prior to coming to SHSU, she was a K-12 classroom teacher and an administrator. She has been the co-recipient of several awards including the SHSU College of Education Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award, the Christa McAuliffe Excellence in Teacher Education Award (4+1 TEACH), the Billy G. Dixon Distinguished Program Award (4+1 TEACH), the SHSU Active Learning Teaching Fellowship, and the Warren Faculty Holocaust Fellowship. She has also co-authored and received several grants totaling over 12.5 million dollars, most recently a SEED Grant funded by the Department of Education in efforts to help reduce teacher attrition as well as recruit, support, and retain novice teachers to work in high-need schools. Her research interests include self-efficacy, assessment, and teacher preparation.
Dr. Baburhan Uzum, Secretary
Dr. Baburhan Uzum received his BA and MA degrees in English Language Teaching from Middle East Technical University in Turkey. He completed his doctoral degree in Second Language Studies at Michigan State University in 2013. Dr. Uzum taught English as a Second/Foreign language courses at various levels for more than 15 years and has been teaching multicultural education and second language acquisition courses to teacher candidates at Sam Houston State University's Bilingual/ESL program since 2013. Dr. Uzum's research interests include sheltered instruction of English language learners, discourse analysis, teacher intercultural competence, virtual intercultural exchange, second language teacher education, and interdisciplinary approaches to teaching and learning. Dr. Uzum has served at various capacities in the national organization of Teachers of English to the Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and is currently on the editorial board of various language teaching and learning journals. Dr. Uzum's current line of research investigates innovative ways to prepare teacher candidates to teach in linguistically and culturally diverse settings.
Dr. Tracey Hodges, Member
Dr. Tracey S. Hodges is an Assistant Director for the College of Education Research Center and Associate Professor at Sam Houston State University (SHSU) in the School of Teaching and Learning where she teaches courses in literacy, education research, and curriculum development. She graduated in 2015 from Texas A&M University with her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction focusing on literacy education and Advanced Research Methods. Previously, she worked as an Assistant Professor at the University of Southern Mississippi and University of Alabama before returning to Texas and SHSU. She has published more than 65 scholarly articles and edited/co-edited three handbooks of research. Her research interests include instrument development such rubrics and surveys of teacher beliefs, writing assessment, and student motivation. While her primary interest is in literacy education, she explores the use of reading and writing across all disciplines and has received inter-disciplinary grant funding to explore teacher knowledge of literacy practices, writing in middle and high school science classes, and teacher self-efficacy for integrating literacy across the curriculum. Dr. Hodges has also worked as a writing consultant, helping faculty complete manuscripts and books and scaffolding the dissertation writing process for doctoral students.
Dr. Mae Lane, Member
Dr. Mae Lane is an Associate Professor of Teaching & Learning at Sam Houston State University. She earned her EdD.in Literacy at Sam Houston State University and her M.Ed. in Educational Administration from East Texas A&M University. Dr. Lane teaches courses within the READ program and the Secondary Education program. Her research interests focus on disciplinary literacy, literacy as social justice, and mindfulness and resilience for teachers.
Katherine Weimar, Member, Parent Representative
Mrs. Kate Weimar graduated from Houston Baptist University with a Bachelor of Science in Applied and Theoretical Mathematics. She received her Education Certificate for grades 8-12 in mathematics through Texas Teachers and went on to teach and coach in Conroe ISD. After transitioning into motherhood, Mrs. Weimar became the Director of GraceKids Preschool in the Woodlands for 7 years. Mrs. Weimar has 2 sons who attend SHSU Charter School. Continuing to dedicate her time to her children’s education, Mrs. Weimar followed her Bearkats as a substitute teacher. She is also currently active in the SHSU Brighton PTO as President of the PTO Board. .
Mrs. Susie Kamman, Member, Community Representative
Mrs. Susie Kamman is a retired teacher who is currently volunteering as a mentor for pre-service teachers during their field experience semester. She graduated from Sam Houston State University with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with a Minor in English. She is certified in Elementary Self-Contained, Grades 1-8, Elementary English, Grades 1-8, and Second Language Supplemental, Grades 1-8. Mrs. Kamman taught in the Conroe Independent School District for 39 years and also taught 4 years at a Private Academy. During those years, she has been a mentor for many SHSU and Texas A&M student teachers. She has also been an ESL mentor for the Conroe Independent School District on several occasions. She had the privilege to pilot the Response to Intervention and Gifted and Talented Pilot programs for her school district. She is a Positive Discipline developer and presenter for classroom teachers. Mrs. Kamman helped to develop and present the SHSU Mentor Orientation Workshop to several school districts in the state of Texas.