Faculty and Staff
Administration | Criminal Justice | Political Science | Sociology | History | Philosophy
Department administration
Emerald Jones
Department Chair | Assistant Professor | Criminal Justice
Office: NSB 301D
Phone: (256) 372-4814
Email: emerald.jones@aamu.edu
Degrees Earned
Ph.D. Sociology and Criminology; minor in Social Work
Howard University
M.A. Sociology; minor Social Work
Fayetteville State University
B.A. Psychology
Fayetteville State University
Research Interests
Social Inequality, The Criminal Justice System, Mass Incarceration, Juvenile Delinquency, Deviant Behavior
Biography
Dr. Emerald Jones, a Charlotte, North Carolina native, is a Howard University graduate focusing on the areas of criminology and social inequality. She received her master's degree in sociology from Fayetteville State University and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Fayetteville State University. Her research - which focuses on mass incarceration, social inequality, racial discrimination, and occupational inequality - explores how race and gender play a major role in the judicial system. Her dissertation was entitled "Investigating the Differences in The Use of Stop, Question, & Frisk for Black and White Women." Dr. Jones looked at data from New York City and the likelihood of Black women being stopped in relation to White women. The research findings indicated that young Black and older women were stopped, questioned, and frisked more than White women. She was also inducted into Yale's Bouchet Honor Society for outstanding scholarly achievement. At Alabama A & M, she serves as the criminal justice program coordinator, a recent graduate from the FBI's Citizens Academy. Lastly, she is a current fellow for Texas Southern University's Center for Justice Research.
Angelia D. Heulett
Senior Secretary
Office: NSB 301A
Phone: (256) 372-5330
Email: angelia.heulett@aamu.edu
Biography
Angelia D. Heulett is an experienced and dedicated administrative professional with a strong background in higher education, finance, and departmental operations. She earned her Associate’s Degree in Business Administration from Virginia College in Huntsville in June 2017.
A native of Huntsville, Alabama, Angelia is the youngest of five siblings, a proud mother of three, and a devoted grandmother to three grandchildren. She is an active member of St. Mark Primitive Baptist Church. Outside of work, Angelia enjoys spending quality time with her grandchildren, family, and friends, as well as relaxing with her favorite TV shows.
Criminal Justice
Terra Foster
Adjunct | Criminal Justice
Email: terra.foster@aamu.edu
Cassandra Jean
Adjunct | Criminal Justice
Email: cassandra.jean@aamu.edu
Office: NSB 301E
Sheri Jenkins Keenan
Associate Professor | Criminal Justice
Phone: (256) 372-8487
Email: sheri.jenkinskee@aamu.edu
Degrees Earned
Ph.D. Criminal Justice
University of Southern Mississippi
M.S. Criminal Justice
Jacksonville State University
B.S. Criminal Justice
University of Alabama, Birmingham
B.A. Sociology
University of Alabama, Birmingham
Research Interests
Policing special populations with an emphasis on juveniles: delinquency, mental illness, school safety, school-to-prison pipeline, gangs/threat groups, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and juvenile justice program evaluation.
Biography
Sheri Jenkins Keenan is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice in the Department of Social Science at Alabama A&M University. She holds a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice, a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. Dr. Keenan has 14 years of experience in law enforcement.
Dr. Keenan's research interests focus on policing special populations with an emphasis on juveniles: delinquency, mental illness, school safety, school-to-prison pipeline, Racial, Ethnic Diversity (RE/D), Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and dual-system involved youth. Her publications deal with K-12 tracking, school safety/violence, zero tolerance policies, high school graduation rates for at-risk youth, juvenile mental health, juvenile drug courts, transfer/waiver, bullying/cyber-bullying, gang/threat groups, and several theoretical perspectives: labeling theory, social learning theory, social control theory, strain theory, and deterrence theory.
Dr. Keenan publishes and reviews manuscripts for several leading journals in the fields of Criminal Justice, Criminology, and Social Work. She is a member of several state, regional, and national professional organizations, including a LIFETIME member of the Southern Criminal Justice Association (SCJA), where she serves as Director-at-Large and Membership Committee Chair. In addition, she serves on numerous local advisory committees/boards and is a state-certified Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) trainer. Finally, Dr. Keenan is the faculty advisor to The Global Guardians, Sociology/Criminal Justice Student Organization and Phi Delta Delta Chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma, National Criminal Justice Honor Society. Dr. Keenan's Google Scholar page can be found by clicking on this link.
Doris Krakrafaa-Bestman
Assistant Professor | Criminal Justice
Office: NSB 301H
Phone: (256) 372-7106
Email: doris.krakrafaab@aamu.edu
Degrees Earned
Ph.D. Administration of Justice
Texas Southern University
Masters of Business Administration
University of Phoenix
Research Interests
Cultural Research Methods, Counter Terrorism and Ethical Criminal Justice Management Practices.
Biography
Doris Krakrafaa-Bestman is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice. I am fascinated about how time progression, culture and different spaces affects criminological explanations. Consequently, I am passionate about the integration of cultural appropriate methods in criminal justice management and practice. I obtained my Ph.D. in Administration of Justice from Texas Southern University, Houston, TX in 2018. I taught several courses in the Department of Criminal Justice at Texas southern University for five years before joining Alabama A&M in 2022.
Gregg Nozum
Adjunct | Criminal Justice
Email: gregg.nozum@aamu.edu
Degrees Earned
J.D. Law
Duquesne University School of Law
M.P.A. Public Administration
West Virginia University
B.A. Political Science
West Virginia University
Research Interests
Criminal Law, Evidence, Criminology, Criminal Justice Administration and Organizations, Drug Laws and Enforcement, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
Biography
Served as an officer in the US Navy JAG Corps from 1984-1988 with experience defending and prosecuting service members under the UCMJ; Served as a Special Agent with the US Drug Enforcement Administration from 1988-2012 with extensive enforcement experience domestically and overseas to include three deployments to Afghanistan 2005-2007, Retired in 2012; Assistant Professor at Western Illinois University, LEJA Program, 2012-2016; Moved to Huntsville area in 2016.
Michael Walker
Adjunct | Criminal Justice
Office: NSB 302A
Phone: (256) 372-5349
Email: michael.walker@aamu.edu
Degrees Earned
J.D.
Birmingham School of Law
M.A. Justice and Public Safety
Auburn University at Montgomery
B.A. Political Sience
Alabama A&M University
Teaching Areas
Introduction to Criminal Justice, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Rules of Evidence in Criminal Cases, Police Administration, Criminal Justice Administration, Criminology
Biography
Michael is a retired Certified Law Enforcement Executive with over thirty years law enforcement experience. He served with the Huntsville Police Department as a Recruiter, Polygraph Examiner, Community Relations Officer and Shift Supervisor. Michael is a former Director of Public Safety/Chief of Police at Alabama A&M University and former Chief of Police for The Town of Triana Police Department. He is a member of the Alabama State Bar and has been practicing law since 2002; he concentrates his law practice in the areas of; Criminal, Family and Probate Law. Michael joined the faculty of Alabama A&M University in August 2015.
John White
Adjunct | Criminal Justice
Phone: (931) 363-5081
Email: johnny.white@aamu.edu
Degrees Earned
Ph. D. Public Administration
Tennessee State University
Masters of Criminal Justice
Middle Tennessee University/Tennessee State University
B.S. in Law Enforcement
University of North Alabama
Teaching Areas
Public Administration and Criminal Justice
Biography
Reserve Police Officer, Vallejo, Ca. 1969 – 1972
Police Officer, Pulaski Police Dept., Pulaski, TN. Patrolman, detective, and Assistant Chief, 1972-2000
Adjunct Professor, Cumberland University, 1985 – 1997, taught Criminal Justice and Masters level Public Administration
Associate Professor, Program Coordinator for Criminal Justice and Division Chair for Social Sciences Martin Methodist College, 1997 – 2016
Co-founder of Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Officer Association, 1981 – 1998 (past Sectary Treasurer and President (1983 – 1984)
Elected Representative (Dist. 7) Giles County Commission, Tennessee, 1998 - 2002 (Chairman of the Commission 1999 - 2002)
Commissioner for Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission of Tennessee (4 year appointment).
Kenneth Whitman
Adjunct | Criminal Justice
Drake Hall 006
Phone: (256) 372-4143
Email: kenneth.whitman@aamu.edu
Degrees Earned
Ph.D. Public Policy and Administration
Walden University
M.S. Criminal Justice
Cal State University, Sacremento
M.P.A.
Cal State University, Hayward
B.A., Political Science
Cal State University, Hayward
A.S. Biological Science
Los Medanos College
A.A. Social Science
Laney College
Research Interests
Penal systems, Recidivism, Rehabilitation programs, Public Policy and Law, Corrections
Biography
Dr. Whitman began his military career in 1974, serving in the United States Navy. He served as an Aviation Electronics Technician, Air Crewman, and Aviation Maintenance Officer. He served 22 years in the Naval Reserve until transferring to the Air Force where he served as an Intelligence Officer and Squadron Commander. Dr. Whitman joined the Oakland Police Department, Oakland, California, in 1982. During his tenure with the Oakland Police Department, he served as a Field Training Officer (F.T.O), Detective Sergeant, In-Service-Training Sergeant, Communications Sergeant, Hazardous Material Investigator, Arson Investigator, Watch Commander, Robbery and Felony Assault Commander and Jail Commander. He received specialized training in Hazardous Material, Electronic Surveillance from the Department of Justice, Arson Investigation, and FBI Post Blast Investigation.
Political Science
Stacy Carter
Assistant Professor | Political Science
Office: Drake Hall 003
Phone: (256) 372-5342
Email: stacy.carter@aamu.edu
Degrees Earned
Ph.D. Political Science
University of Mississippi
M.P.P.A. Public Policy and Administration
Mississippi State University
B.A. History
Mississippi State University
Research Interests
Candidate Emergence, Campaigns and Elections, Southern Politics, African American Politics and Political Parties
Biography
Dr. Carter's research focuses on the influence of district typologies and demographics on the emergence of political candidates. Dr. Carter has been at AAMU since 2014. He received his Bachelor and master's degrees from Mississippi State University and Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science from the University of Mississippi. He has presented at several scholarly conferences and has published in the Journal of Mississippi History.
Since 2008, he has been teaching history, public policy and administration and political science courses and actively working to improve the awareness of the political process. Dr. Carter has extensive experience in managing political campaigns and advising political candidates. His political experience and management spans over 25 years.
Astin Cole
Assistant Professor | Public Administraton
Office: NSB 301F
Phone: TBD
Email: astin.cole@aamu.edu
Degrees Earned
Ph.D. Public Administration and Public Policy
Auburn University
Masters in Public Administration
Auburn University
Masters in Business Administration
University of Montevallor
B.A. History and Political Science (double major)
University of Montevallo
Research Interests
Black politics and outcomes, Intergovernmental Relations, diversity and inclusion, health policy, program evaluation, and nonprofit governance
Biography
Dr. Astin Cole was born in Sheffield, AL and was raised largely in Huntsville, AL. He began his k-12 education at First Missionary Baptist Church's Scruggs Academy and completed it at Sparkman high school. His academic background reflects my desire to examine and to prescribe interventions for disparities in public services and outcomes.
Dr. Cole is developing survey tools to examine the mechanisms involved in facilitating access and opportunities for different types of people in work and academic settings. He has taken the first step in this work by publishing a conference paper on the various ways that the top US hospitals in the largest health systems engage in signaling their commitments to legal and value-based Diversity Equity and Inclusion concerns (Cole et al., 2022). His next step in this research is to use survey design to test a sender-receiver relationship between the quality and salience of the inclusive recruitment material and the preferences of the diverse groups being targeted for recruitment. Dr. Cole's Google Scholar page can be accessed here.
Maurice Mangum
Adjunct | Political Science
Email: maruice.mangum@aamu.edu
Shannon Reeves
Political Science
Email: shannon.reeves@aamu.edu
Sociology
Mary Laska
Assistant Professor | Sociology
Office: NSB 311A
Phone: (256) 372-5485
Email: mary.laska@aamu.edu
Degrees Earned
Ph.D. Medical Sociology
University of Alabama, Birmingham
M.A. Sociology
University of Alabama, Birmingham
B.A. Sociology
University of Alabama, Huntsville
Research Interests
Higher Education Pedagogy, Disability, Social Movements
Biography
Dr. Laska has broad research interests ranging from mental illness to the use of technology in the classroom and plagiarism. She began her career furthering research on mental health and focusing on the health of families dealing with the crisis of child sexual abuse at the National Children’s Advocacy Center. She also was involved in a project providing intervention services to schools to reduce the impact of poverty on school achievement. After teaching classes online, Dr. Laska became interested in the pedagogy of online teaching and began to see her classroom as an experiment in creating the best classroom environment for student success, including technology, curriculum choice and teacher-student interaction.
Dr. Laska lives in Huntsville, Alabama with her husband and two children. She also has two children who are college students: a junior majoring in exercise science at Middle Tennessee State University, and grad student studying data science at South Dakota State University. When not being a sociologist, Mary loves to find time to sew and be creative.
John McCollum
Assistant Professor | Sociology
Office: NSB 202C
Phone: (256) 372-4790
Email: john.mccollum@aamu.edu
Degrees Earned
Ph.D. Sociology
University of California, Irvine
M.A. Sociology
University of California Irvine
B.A. Global Studies
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Biography
Dr. McCollum is primarily interested in globalization, development, enviroment, political economy, and social theory. His research is focused on social change, especially the possibility of environmentally sustainable economic development. This has led him to focus on a critical analysis of the Gteen New Deal in the United States. He is also broadly interested in teh role of ideology in shaping social change.
History
Stephanie Allen
Adjunct | History
Email: stephanie.allen@aamu.edu
Degrees Earned
Ed.D - Higher Education Administration - Student Affairs
Liberty University
M.A. - History
University of Alabama Huntsville
M.Ed - Secondary Education - Social Science
Alabama A&M University
B.S. - Secondary Education - Social Science
Alabama A&M University
Research Interests
World History, African American History, Geography
Biography
Stephanie Allen, an alumna of Alabama A&M University and recipient of the Fulbright-Hays
Seminars Abroad Grant, taught in the Department of Social Sciences in a full-time
capacity from 2005-2024. As an adjunct instructor, Stephanie remains committed to
preparing HBCU students to "show up and show out" in the community and in the workforce.
She finds continual inspiration in the words of Marcus Garvey (as paraphrased by Bob
Marley), "Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our
minds."
She thrives on the energy of the classroom and enjoys exploring history with her students.
Stephanie brings her effervescent personality to each lecture and entertains her students
while teaching them the historical content and study skills necessary to be successful
in their major courses. She sprinkles happiness like glitter and her students leave
class inspired to make a difference in the lives of others.
Matthew Bowser
Assistant Professor | History
Office: Drake Hall 007
Phone: (256) 372-5351
Email: matthew.bowser@aamu.edu
Degrees Earned
Ph.D. World History
Northeastern University
M.A. World History
Northeastern University
B.Phil. History and Classics
University of Pittsburgh
Research Interests
Modern Imperialism, Colonialism, and Decolonization in Southeast Asia; Race and Politics; 20th Century Asia and the World; Britain and the British Empire
Biography
Dr. Matthew Bowser is an Assistant Professor of Asian History at Alabama A&M University. He is the author of Containing Decolonisation: British Imperialism and the Politics of Race in Late Colonial Burma with Manchester University Press, published in September 2025. His research focuses on decolonization in Southeast Asia, examining the intersections of imperialism, race, nationalism, and capitalism in the process of achieving independence from colonial rule. He has published to this effect in the Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, the Journal of Asian Studies, and the Journal of Modern Asian Studies. Dr. Bowser teaches World History I & II, Modern Imperialism, Race and Capitalism, and Modern Asia at Alabama A&M University. For more information, see: www.matthew-bowser.com.
Dana Caldemeyer
Assistant Professor | History
Office: NSB 302-C
Phone: (256) 372-4812
Email: dana.caldemeyer@aamu.edu
Degrees Earned
Ph.D. History
University of Kentucky
M.A. History
West Virginia University
B.A. History
University of Evansville
Research Interests
Labor and working-class studies, capitalism, rural industrialization, and agriculture in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
Biography
Dr. Dana Caldemeyer is an assistant professor of history at Alabama A&M University. Her research interests include labor and working-class history and capitalism, especially in rural industrializing areas. Her most recent book, Union Renegades: Miners, Capitalism, and Organizing in the Gilded Age (University of Illinois Press, 2021), explores the problems rural workers faced and the reasons that sometimes prevented them from joining or fully committing to unions in the late nineteenth century.
Oscar Doward
Assistant Professor | History
Office: NSB 302A
Email: oscar.doward@aamu.edu
Degrees Earned
Ph.D. U.S. History
University of South Carolina
M.A. Social Science, Secondary Education
University of South Florida
M.A. Military History
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
M.A. Theater Operations and Planning
U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies
B.S. Secondary Education, Social Science
Alabama A&M University
Research Interests
African-American history, U.S. Army African-American Officer service in the combat arms branches during the twentieth century, African-American segregated Army combat units during the Great War and World War II.
Biography
Dr. Oscar Doward, Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired), is an assistant professor of history at Alabama A&M University. Colonel Doward was commissioned an active duty U.S. Army Field Artillery Officer in 1994 at Alabama A&M University. He has served in a variety of command and staff positions across the globe over the past three decades deploying multiple times in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, and Operation Inherent Resolve. Dr. Doward’s research interests include African-American and U.S. military history, especially in the development and utilization of the U.S. Army’s segregated African-American officer corps during the early to mid-twentieth century.
Matthew England
Adjunct | History
Email: matthew.england@aamu.edu
Matthew Hall
Adjunct | History
Email: matthew.hall@aamu.edu
Svetlana Jovanov
Adjunct | History Email: svetlana.jovanov@aamu.edu
Earnest Limbo
Adjunct | History
Office: Drake Hall 009
Email: ernest.limbo@aamu.edu
Degrees Earned
Ph.D.
University of Mississippi
Master of Divinity
University of Chicago
B.A. Double major in religion and history
DePauw University
Research Interests
American History, History of Religion in America, Civil Rights Movement, African American history, Slavery in the New World
Brad H. Wright
Assistant Professor | History
Office: Drake Hall 008
Phone: (256) 372-4285
Email: bradley.wright@aamu.edu
Degrees Earned
Ph.D. Public History
Middle Tennessee State Univesity
M.A. History
Vanderbilt University
M.A. History
Middle Tennessee State University
B.A. Philosophy
University of Arkansas
Research Interests
20th century Mexico and Latin America, cities, class formation, environmental history, rural migration, popular culture, Cold War, neoliberalism, space and landscapes, popular education, liberation theology, imperialism/anti-imperialism
Biography
Since 2012, Brad Wright has taught courses in United States, World, Latin American, and European History in Tennessee, Georgia, Colorado, and Ohio. His book Strength in Unity: Christian Base Communities and the Urban Popular Movement in Guadalajara, 1965-1994 is available in June 2026 from the University of Alabama Press. He contributed a chapter to a recent edited volume on histories of liberation theology in Latin America and co-authored an interdisciplinary article in The Latin Americanist. In collaboration with community organization Centros Educativos Oblatos (CEO) in Guadalajara, he authored the booklet Santa Cecilia, 1968-1985. Construyendo colonia y movimiento (Petirrojo Editorial, 2021) as part of an ongoing public history project. He’s published reviews in the Oral History Review and H-Socialisms and translated articles in Words & Silences / Palabras y Silencios, in addition to hosting podcasts for the New Books Network on the New Books in Latin American Studies channel. He grew up in southwest Arkansas and has prior professional background in community organizing and adult education.
Philosophy
Tim Butzer
Assistant Professor | Philosophy
Office: NSB 301G
Phone: (256) 372-4816
Email: timothy.butzer@aamu.edu
Degrees Earned
Ph.D. Philosophy
University of California, Santa Barbara
M.A. Philosophy
Miami University
B.A. Double major in Philosophy and Literature
University of Colorado
Research Interests
Epistemology, Perception, Philosophy of mind, Philosophy of sport
Biography
I am a philosopher who works primarily in epistemology and the philosophy of mind. I am most interested in how our perceptual experiences succeed in justifying our beliefs about the world. I obtained my Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of California Santa Barbara in 2015. I then spent six years teaching philosophy at the University of Alabama before joining Alabama A&M in 2021. My work has appeared in the following peer-reviewed journals: Philosophical Studies, Erkenntnis, Inquiry, Analytic Philosophy, Disputatio, and Dialectica.
Nicholas Smith
Assistant Professor | Philosophy
Office: NSB 213A
Phone: (256) 372-5064
Email: nicholas.smith1@aamu.edu
Degrees Earned
Ph.D. Philosophy
University of California, Irvine
M.A. Philosophy
Ohio University
B.A. Philosophy and Religious Studies
Brandeis University
Biography
Dr. Smith got his Ph.D. in philosophy from University of California, Irvine in 2020 and taught there for two years before coming to AAMU. His current research is focused on the rationality of religious belief, the nature of inquiry, and the ethics of artificial intelligence. When he's not doing philosophy, he enjoys Brazillian jiu jitsu and hunting down the best local beer and BBQ.
