Faculty & Staff
The SDSU College of Education is building an ever stronger faculty! Since August 2015,
we have added 39 new tenure-track faculty members. All of the new hires have stellar
academic credentials from many of the nation’s most prestigious universities. The
College now boasts 81 tenure-track and tenured professors, 11 full-time lecturers
and 360 part-time lecturers.
Welcome New Faculty and Staff
The College of Education is excited to welcome 4 new faculty for the 2021–2022 academic
year. This talented group is a wonderful addition to the SDSU community!
New Faculty
Department of Counseling and School Psychology (CSP)
Dr. Brown will be teaching in the school psychology program. Before coming to SDSU,
Jeff was an assistant professor of psychology at Minnesota State University, Mankato,
and a diversity and inclusion research fellow at the Partnership on AI, where he focused
on attrition of historically marginalized identities in the artificial intelligence
field. In addition, Jeff’s research areas include mental health and identity in ethnically-,
gender- and sexually-diverse youth as well as the effects of discrimination on youth,
families and historically-marginalized communities. A Rhodes Scholarship finalist,
Jeff has a B.A. in psychology from Yale University and a Ph.D. in school psychology
from Tulane University. He is proud to be born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica. Jeff
learned to ice skate while living in Minnesota, and is now an adult figure skater.
Department of Educational Leadership (EDL)
Dr. Karnopp specializes in P-12 school leadership with a focus on how individuals
in formal leadership roles guide and navigate school improvement, and how the local
community, as well as state and local policy contexts, shape and are shaped by this
work. She is particularly interested in improvement science and the role of formal
and informal networks for facilitating improvement goals. Jenn utilizes mixed-methods
research designs and social network analysis in her work. She is presently researching
the implementation of a district-wide anti-bias initiative in a suburban district
experiencing rapid demographic shifts. A native of New Hampshire, Jenn married her
snowboarding instructor — they celebrate their 22nd anniversary this month.
Department of Administration, Rehabilitation, and Postsecondary Education (ARPE)
Dr. Saia is a disabled woman with a deep commitment to social justice, inclusion and
equity for all. Her professional work history has involved advocating for a progressive
understanding of disability within the applied fields. In 2019, she graduated from
the University of Arizona with her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision. Her
dissertation focused on the role of disability cultural centers in higher education
— one of the only studies on this topic. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, riding
roller coasters and spending time with her family.

Department of Counseling and School Psychology (CSP)
Dr. Sánchez Lizardi received her Ph.D. and M.A. in school psychology from the University
of Arizona, and her B.A. in psychology from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
in Mexico City, where she was born and raised. She is a nationally-certified school
psychologist who has practiced in Arizona, California and New Jersey, with a strong
emphasis on servicing Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) students. Patricia
was faculty at the Universidade do Estado do Amazonas in Manaus, Brazil and at the
Universidad Panamericana in Mexico City before joining the faculty at SDSU. Patricia’s
research interests include the identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder in CLD students,
particularly Spanish speaking students, the provision of educational services to CLD
learners with high intensity needs and the training of bilingual school psychologists.
She enjoys spending time with family and friends and joining her husband during his
research campaigns related to atmospheric sciences.
Related Links
Contact information | COE Faculty and Staff Directory | Resources for faculty and staff