The College of Education welcomes several new faculty who bring decades of expertise, cutting-edge research, and innovative teaching to our community.
John Speer
Clinical Assistant Professor
Educational Policy
John Speer earned his BA, MA, Superintendent’s Certification, and EdD from the University of Northern Iowa while serving as a K-12 educator for 31 years. Speer’s experience includes a 26-year career as a school administrator, including roles as a principal, a superintendent and the chief administrator at the Grant Wood Education Agency.
Stephanie Bowman
Clinical Assistant Professor
Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Stephanie Bowman will earn her PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision this fall from Adler University, where she is currently completing her dissertation on cognitive complexity and ChatGPT literacy in counseling graduate students. She holds an MA in clinical mental health counseling from Northwestern University and a JD from Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Meredith Caskey
Instructor
Elementary Education
Meredith Caskey, BA in Theatre Arts and Art History, University of Iowa, spent over two decades teaching young people conservation education in the wild habitats of Iowa, specializing in ornithology. She transitioned to lecturing at UI’s College of Education in 2020. She leads courses in physical activity, health, and wellness for the elementary classroom teacher. Curriculum in all her courses each semester has an emphasis on emotional well-being, self-preservation, and mindfulness.
Charlotte L. Land
Assistant Professor
English Education/Language, Literacy, and Social Studies Education
Charlotte L. Land, PhD, is a former high school English teacher, with a MEd in Literacy Education from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a PhD in Literacy and Language Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. Her research and teaching focus on literacy education and teacher education with commitments to learning alongside passionate and capable teachers and students to rethink the ways we teach reading, writing, and language in humanizing and antiracist ways.
Isak Kim
Assistant Professor
Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Isak Kim earned his PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from the Pennsylvania State University. His expertise is centered on youth/school mental health, with a particular focus on trauma, violence, and crisis.
Buffy Quintero
Assistant Professor of Instruction
Art Education
Buffy Quintero, IED, MA, has been working in the education field for over two decades, and as an art educator for the Iowa City Community School District for the past 12 years. Quintero has teaching experience at the elementary, secondary, and post-secondary levels. For the past two years she has been a visiting instructor at the College of Education. Her arts-based research focuses on community building and service learning. Prior to teaching, she served as the outreach coordinator for University of Iowa International Programs.
Duhita Mahatmya
Assistant Professor
Learning Sciences and Educational Psychology
Duhita Mahatmya, PhD, received her doctorate degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Iowa State University. In her research, she uses an ecological systems framework and mixed methods to examine youth academic and social development across family, school, and community contexts. Mahatmya has also served as a research methodologist on several federally funded grants focused on creating school-based social-emotional interventions. Her work highlights the importance of supportive relationships and environments in fostering resilience and positive youth development.