We are proud to welcome 18 exceptional faculty members to the College of Education and Human Development at Texas A&M University this academic year. Learn about the research, expertise and passion they bring to impact lives across Texas and beyond.

Educational Administration and Human Resource Development

Chris Cherry ’96, ’07, ’10, ‘24
Professor of the Practice

A four-time graduate of Texas A&M, Dr. Christopher Cherry joins our Human Resource Development (HRD) program but is no stranger to our College. In addition to his new faculty role, Cherry continues to serve as the CEHD’s Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Strategic Initiatives and has over 20 years of administrative experience.

In his leadership role, Cherry oversees key undergraduate operations, including advising, recruitment, scholarships and student success, while guiding high-impact special projects for CEHD. Now as Professor of the Practice in HRD, he teaches coursework in organizational development, law and ethics.

Susie L. Gronseth
Associate Professor

Dr. Susie L. Gronseth joins our Learning Technology and Performance Systems program with research intersecting technology, learning theory and inclusive instructional design. Her work addresses current issues such as health disparities, food insecurity, nutrition education, training and STEM professional mentorship.

Gronseth’s research has been funded through the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education. She is also deputy editor for the International Journal on Universal Design and Universal Design for Learning, and co-edited Universal Access Through Inclusive Instructional Design: International Perspectives on UDL, one of the first internationally focused scholarly texts on universal design for learning.

Before joining our College, Gronseth served as Clinical Professor in Learning, Design and Technology at the University of Houston and earned a Ph.D. in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University.

Raj Sankaranarayanan
Assistant Professor

Dr. Raj Sankaranarayanan is a learning technologies scholar-practitioner whose work bridges instructional design, information technology and organizational performance. He previously served as a lecturer and research associate at the University of Texas at Austin and spent more than 13 years in the technology industry as a software developer, consultant, business analyst and project manager.

Raj’s research explores how technology-mediated learning formats, including microlearning and generative AI, can improve outcomes for learners and organizations while preparing students to become future workforce leaders. He is excited to collaborate with colleagues, students and industry partners to explore how innovative learning technologies can prepare students to become future workforce leaders.

Bhavna Sharma
Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Bhavna Sharma serves our HRD students in the Texas A&M Higher Education Center at McAllen. Her research and teaching concentrate on HRD, wisdom in organizations and leadership in the age of AI, and transformational HR systems focused on ethics, sustainability and flourishing.

Sharma received her Ph.D. from the University of Florida after serving multinational and consulting organizations for over two decades in HR leadership and P&L roles. During that time, she developed expertise in innovative HR practices, cultural transformation, mindful processes and sustainable growth. Sharma’s cross-cultural dissertation research on wise organizations and wise leadership, spanning nine countries, received the Jerome A. Connor Award for quality, scope, and impact. The University of Florida’s Graduate School also honored her with the Graduate Students Teaching Award for exceptional teaching.

Educational Psychology

Shou-Chun (Nathan) Chiang
Assistant Professor

Dr. Nathan Chiang’s research explores family relationships, emotional dynamics and adolescent mental health and substance use in everyday life. To better understand how these experiences unfold in real time, he uses advanced quantitative methods for intensive longitudinal data, including multilevel dyadic analysis, time-varying models and mixture modeling. As a new member of our faculty, Chiang is excited to collaborate with scholars and students across disciplines and areas of study.

Tanner Kilpatrick
Clinical Associate Professor

Dr. Tanner Kilpatrick joins us as the new coordinator for the Human Development and Family Science (HDFS) program, bringing more than five years of higher education experience from the University of Maryland and, most recently, the University of Tennessee. Through his teaching, research, and student-centered approach, Kilpatrick brings valuable expertise and a strong commitment to preparing HDFS students for meaningful careers who hope to make a difference for individuals, families, and communities.

Beiming Yang
Assistant Professor

Dr. Beiming Yang’s research integrates longitudinal surveys and neuroimaging techniques to better understand how social and cultural experiences shape adolescent development. His work focuses specifically on parent-adolescent dynamics and their influence on youths’ social, emotional and academic adjustment, while also exploring the neural processes that help explain differences in developmental outcomes.

Before joining our College, Yang earned his Ph.D. in Human Development and Social Policy and completed postdoctoral training at Northwestern University. At Texas A&M, he looks forward to building an interdisciplinary research program at the intersection of developmental neuroscience, family studies and education.

Xinyuan Yang
Research Assistant Professor

Dr. Xinyuan Yang’s research focuses on helping individuals with disabilities successfully navigate the transition from school to adulthood. She designs, implements and evaluates interventions that connect transition planning with the foundational skills and accessible learning experiences students need to thrive beyond high school. Yang’s work also examines language and literacy development, as well as how technology can enhance access, among students with varied needs. Across all of her research, Yang is committed to advancing evidence-based practices that support meaningful participation and improved outcomes.

Kinesiology and Sport Management

Joseph N. Cooper
Professor

Dr. Joseph N. Cooper joins our sport management program and is Associate Department Head for Kinesiology and Sport Management. His research focuses on sport, education and culture. He has published over 70 peer-reviewed research articles, books, book chapters and industry reports. Among his publications are three solo-authored books. Cooper has secured $10 million endowment funds for an institute and serves as a collaborator on a $3.4 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant focused on developing data science skills for student athletes. His hobbies include spending time with his family, exercising and reading.

Daniel Davis
Assistant Professor

Dr. Daniel Davis joins our College from the University of Utah, where he was an NIH F32 Postdoctoral Fellow after earning his M.S. and Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University and his B.S. from the University of Wyoming. He now directs the Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Lab at Texas A&M, which studies how muscles, bones and other physiological systems work together to influence human movement throughout the lifespan. Drawing on principles from engineering, physiology and rehabilitation, the lab’s research aims to better understand the factors that contribute to both optimal and impaired movement and to develop innovative interventions that enhance performance, mobility and quality of life.

Arien Faucett
Assistant Professor

Dr. Arien Faucett joins our newly developed Coaching and Teaching in Secondary Education program. She earned her Ph.D. in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Sport Pedagogy from the University of Southern Mississippi after several years as a high school girls basketball head coach and classroom teacher. Those experiences inspired her research on the decisions coaches make beyond practices and games, and how those choices influence athlete development, program success and personnel management. Her work is among the first to examine the critical off-the-field responsibilities that shape effective coaching and positive outcomes for athletes.

In addition to her research, Dr. Faucett works directly with coaches through coaching development initiatives, helping them navigate challenges both on and off the field. She is also affiliated with the Sidney & JL Huffines Institute for Sports Medicine & Human Performance.

Jay Miller
Professor of the Practice

Jay Miller retired from working in professional baseball for 42 years. His passion for baseball started when he was a 5-year-old boy.  Miller worked in Major League Baseball for the Texas Rangers for 17 years, as well as numerous minor league teams for 25 years. He only missed five home games over his career, which included over 3,300 games. Miller also opened five new ballparks. Now, he wants to give back and is teaching the young professionals at Texas A&M with real life stories and lessons learned from his career in sports.

John Schriever
Professor of the Practice

John Schriever brings nearly 40 years of experience in the sports industry to the classroom. He spent 23 years with the Houston Texans, most recently serving as Senior Vice President of Ticketing and Event Management. His career also includes leadership roles with the Texas Rangers and Texas Motor Speedway, as well as experience with the 1996 Olympic Games and 2026 FIFA World Cup. Schriever draws on his extensive industry experience to help students understand the business of sports while developing the skills, judgment and business acumen needed to become successful professionals in the sports industry.

Teaching, Learning and Culture

Jinfa Cai
Professor

Dr. Jinfa Cai is the Curtis D. Robert Endowed Chair in Mathematics Education. He joined Texas A&M from the University of Delaware, where he served as the Kathleen and David Hollowell Professor of Mathematics Education. An elected member of the National Academy of Education, Fellow of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and vice president of the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction, Cai is a recognized leader in mathematics education. His research explores how students learn mathematics through problem posing and problem solving, and how teachers can create classroom environments that support students’ mathematical thinking. He is currently leading two NSF-funded Problem-Posing Based Learning (P-PBL) projects, including one focused on improving algebra learning and another using artificial intelligence to help teachers make effective instructional decisions in the moment.

Zulitazhira Hinojosa
Instructional Assistant Professor

Zulitazhira Hinojosa joins our TLAC faculty in the Higher Education Center at McAllen. A doctoral candidate in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, she brings a decade of experience as a K-12 science educator in Texas. Hinojosa has mentored pre-service teachers through partnerships with local educator preparator programs and was named 2025-26 District Teacher of the Year for Edinburg CISD.

Hinojosa’s research examines how students and teachers interact with and make sense of classroom materials, exploring how those interactions shape teaching, learning, classroom discourse and student engagement. She is passionate about connecting research and theory with classroom practice to create meaningful learning experiences and support educators across our state.

Ashley Stack
Instructional Assistant Professor

Dr. Ashley Stack is passionate about preparing future educators to meet today’s classroom challenges through evidence-based literacy instruction. A lifelong educator, Stack draws from 14 years of classroom experience to bridge the gap between literacy research and practical classroom implementation. Her research explores teacher knowledge of reading comprehension and supporting implementation of evidence-based literacy practices. Her work centers on equipping future and in-service educators with actionable, data-driven literacy strategies to support all learners.

Ning Wang
Clinical Professor

Dr. Ning Wang joins our STEM Education program. She earned her degree in Educational Psychology, with a concentration in Research Methodology, from the University of Pittsburgh and began her career as a psychometrician at a testing company before entering higher education. She spent more than two decades at Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania, where she taught research methods and statistics across a variety of educational programs.

Wang’s research focuses on the development and validation of educational assessments, the application of research methodology to social and emotional learning among students, teachers and school leaders, and the evaluation of curricula and instructional programs in K-12 and higher education settings. Her work has also included collaborations with mathematics educators on assessment projects and multidisciplinary research teams that have secured NSF funding and produced work that was published in leading journals.

Shenghua Zha
Associate Professor

Dr. Shenghua Zha brings a transdisciplinary lens to artificial intelligence (AI) in education. Her research, funded by the National Science Foundation, focuses on building teachers’ capacity to use technology to bridge cross-disciplinary boundaries and prepare students to solve authentic problems in AI-driven world. Zha also serves as a director of Texas A&M Institute for Technology-infused Learning. She looks forward to working with her team to advance cross-disciplinary collaborative research and strengthen the capacity of our university, communities and society to navigate and lead digital transformation.

For media inquiries, contact Ruben Hidalgo.