Our Team
Transforming Literacy
The team at the Richard O. Jacobson Center for Comprehensive Literacy (JCCL) is committed to creating dynamic spaces where anyone who comes through our doors can begin to explore their literacy potential -- as a teacher, as a learner, as a reader, as a writer -- and as an agent of change.
JCCL Interim Director
Colleen Mulholland, EdD
Colleen Mulholland, EdD, currently serves as interim director of the Jacobson Center for Comprehensive Literacy as well as dean of the UNI College of Education, Richard O. Jacobson Endowed Chair of Leadership in Education, and a professor in curriculum and instruction. She previously served as interim dean and associate dean for undergraduate studies and student support services. She came to UNI from the University of Indianapolis where she was interim dean, assistant dean and an associate professor in secondary education in the School of Education.
Mulholland earned her doctorate in education in curriculum and instruction from the University of Central Florida after attaining her master’s degree in instructional design. She received her BA in middle school education with a specialization in English language arts and social studies from the University of Kentucky. Prior to entering higher education, she taught middle level and high school English language arts in Orange County Public Schools, Orlando, Florida.
JCCL Staff
JCCL Fellows
A JCCL Fellow is selected each year to engage in a research or service project related to transforming narrow views of literacy, assisting the educational community to consider new aspects of literacy teaching and learning.
Mason Kuhn
Past JCCL Advisory Board (2022-2025)
This group of individuals meets twice a year to give advice and guidance to the work of the JCCL. The group represents scholars and educational professionals from Iowa and beyond to provide a wide range of perspectives and expertise to shape future initiatives.
Dr. Yuliya Ardasheva, Language Professor, Washington State University
Dr. Willie Barney, Associate Superintendent, Davenport Schools
Maribelle Betterton, Retired Teacher
Dr. Bradley Carpenter, Associate Professor and Chair of Education, Sul Ross State University
Genya Coffey, Elementary Teacher, Des Moines Public Schools
Dr. Margaret Mary Sulentic Dowell, Endowed Professor, Louisiana State University
Dr. Corey Drake, Senior Director of Professional Learning, The Math Learning Collaborative
Dr. Bettina Fabos, Media Literacy Professor, University of Northern Iowa
Lynn Hockenberry, AEA Literacy Consultant (retired)
Dr. Shuaib Meacham, Literacy Professor, University of Northern Iowa
Dr. Sarah Nelson, Iowa Space Grant Consortium Coordinator, Iowa State University
Dr. Bianca Nightengale-Lee, Florida Atlantic University
Elizabeth Scheetz, Holy Trinity Schools, West Point, IA
Terry Stevens, Waterloo Community Activist, Waterloo, IA
Hannah Thies, Elementary Teacher, Waterloo Community Schools
Dr. Margaret Vaughn, Literacy Professor, Washington State University
Dr. Saba Vlach, Literacy Professor, The University of Iowa
Dr. Ryan Wise, Dean, Drake University
JCCL Literacy Future Think Tank
This group of UNI Scholars gathered once a month to wrestle with the question, “What is literacy future thinking?” and “What research should we take up with a futuristic mind set?”
David Hernandez-Saca
Thaddeus Atzmon
David Grant
Michael Graziano
Bettina Fabos
Heather Gallivan
Mason Kuhn
Shuaib Meacham
Sohyun Meacham
Sarah Vander Zanden