College of Education welcomes new hires in 2025-2026

The College of Education welcomes several new Spartans to our scholarly community in the 2025-2026 academic year. In addition, the college recognizes and honors the promotions of several within our community. 

Meet each of our Spartans below, separated by unit. 

Leadership or Title Changes 

• Madeline Mavrogordato became the director of the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC) in May 2025.
• Jennifer Schmidt became the interim chair of the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education.
• Kristen A. Renn became a University Distinguished Professor and a Red Cedar Distinguished Professor. 

New Hires 

Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education 

• Laura Lee McIntyre, Professor (note: McIntyre is also the new MSU Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs)
• Philip Rumrill, Professor 

Kinesiology 

• Amy Boettcher, Assistant Professor
• Eric Leszczynski, Assistant Professor
• William M. Adams, Assistant Professor
• Caterina Pesce, Associate Professor (starting January 2026) 

Teacher Education 

• Ciera Trice, Instructor 

CREATE for STEM Institute 

• Lili Yan, Research Associate 

Promotions 

To Professor 

• Marisa Fisher (Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education)
• Madeline Mavrogordato (Educational Administration) 

To Associate Professor 

• Hung Jen Kuo (Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education)
• Katharine Currie (Kinesiology)
• Lucía Cárdenas Curiel (Teacher Education)
• Scott Farver (Teacher Education)
• Jungmin Kwon (Teacher Education)
• Noreen Naseem Rodríguez (Teacher Education)
• Stefanie Marshall (Teacher Education) 

To Senior Specialist 

• Jessica Garrels (Office of International Studies in Education) 

To Designation B 

Designation B is recognition of a clear record of sustained, outstanding achievements in teaching.

• Justin Detmers (Teacher Education)
• Ashley Moore (Teacher Education)