Suzanne brings over 20 years teaching experience that spans from 6th grade to post-secondary education and in diverse settings.  She teaches courses in both the Higher Education and Leadership Studies and Doctoral Completion concentrations and she serves as the writing specialist in the program, providing direct consultation and academic writing programming. Suzanne’s research interests focus on gender inclusive leadership, ethical leadership, and ethical leadership development.  She earned Ed.D. from Edgewood College.  

Dr. Kirsten Brown’s research agenda engages topics of disability, educational access, and postsecondary outcomes. Dr. Brown is interested in neurodiversity and practices that support the retention and success of students with disabilities in postsecondary education. Selected publications include a co-authored book, Disability in Higher Education: A Social Justice Approach and articles in the Journal of College Student Development, Journal of Higher Education, Journal of Community College Research and Practice and Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability. Dr. Brown’s teaching background is in Higher Education Administration, Sociology, and Disability Studies; she teaches research methodology courses for the Ed.D. Program. Dr. Brown is active in several professional organizations and has presented nationally at ASHE, AHEAD, and ACPA. She holds an M.A. in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Bowling Green State University.

Ting-Lan Ma, remote assistant professor in the Division of Education, received her PhD in Human Development, Educational Psychology, with a minor in Prevention Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She was also a former visiting scholar in the School of Education at UC Irvine. Ting-Lan’s research interests focus on the influences of multiple ecological systems on adolescent psycho-social development including culture, parenting practices, and peer relations. Her most recent research focuses on in-school and cyber bullying across childhood and adolescence, organized activities among ethnicity minority youth, and cross-cultural differences in adolescents' responses to school bullying. Her research interests also include tracking longitudinal youth social-emotional developments that predict subsequent mental and health outcomes. Her CV can be found here.

Sara Jimenez Soffa is the Director of Educational Leadership Programs, including the Ed.D. and Master's in Educational Leadership, and an Associate Professor of Education. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Ripon College, a master’s degree in Instructional Design and Adult Education from Alverno College, and a Ph.D. from UW-Madison in Educational Leadership specializing in higher education administration. Sara is an accomplished researcher specializing in research design, data analysis, and outcomes-based assessment. Sara began her work in the doctoral program as the Coordinator for the Higher Education concentration of the program. As the Director of Research Sara has been responsible for developing and teaching the research sequence of the program, both in blended and online formats. Her research interests include exploring research self-efficacy in students navigating the doctoral experience, cultivating inclusive collegiate classrooms through the implementation of multicultural pedagogical approaches to teaching and learning, and exploring features of quality graduate programs that prepare leaders in all educational settings (PreK-20). Outside of the classroom, Sara lives in Madison with her husband Gerardo and three beautiful boys and is a fitness enthusiast who enjoys running marathons and triathlons. She believes by modeling her commitment and enthusiasm for education, her boys will become lifelong learners as well.