From the Classroom to the State Department New Attallah Faculty Bring Experience Working in Schools, Communities, and Government

The Attallah College of Educational Studies is pleased to welcome three new faculty this fall: Dr. Jennifer Kong, Assistant Professor of Special Education; Dr. Kevin Stockbridge, Clinical Assistant Professor of Teacher Education; and Dr. Ahmed Younis, Assistant Professor of Integrated Educational Studies.

Each brings a breadth of experience in their respective fields that augments Attallah’s already diverse, multidisciplinary faculty.

“I am excited to welcome a dynamic group of new faculty this fall. Our students will surely benefit from their breadth of expertise and life experiences,” said Attallah College Dean Margaret Grogan. “We look forward to working with our new colleagues to strengthen Attallah’s academic rigor and research pursuits.”

Dr. Jennifer Kong

Dr. Jennifer Kong’s research focuses on mathematical and cognitive development of elementary aged children who are English learners, with the goal of developing effective math interventions for these children. Her interests were inspired by her experience as a Special Education teacher in the Chicago area.

“Students who are English learners are the most rapidly growing demographic in U.S. public schools,” said Dr. Kong. “Many of these children experience difficulty with math (problem solving), a necessary skill for academic success and future career and earning potential.”

As Assistant Professor in Attallah College, Dr. Kong will teach courses in its Special Education program as well as other graduate teacher education programs, including the five-year MACI (MA in Curriculum and Instruction), which as of Fall 2019 offers Chapman students both dual degrees (bachelor’s and master’s) and dual California teaching credentials (general and special education).

Dr. Kong also currently directs the California site of a large study funded by the National Science Foundation titled “Math Problem Solving and Working Memory Growth in English Language Learners with Math Disabilities,” which is entering its third year.

Dr. Kevin Stockbridge

Before joining Attallah College’s Teacher Education program this fall, Dr. Kevin Stockbridge served as the inaugural Coordinator for LGBTQ+ and Inclusion Initiatives in the Office of the Vice Provost for Equity at North Dakota State University. In this position, he collaborated with partners throughout campus to establish an institution-wide curriculum for inclusion engaged through multiple strategic initiatives.

Dr. Stockbridge’s research explores ethical, spiritual, epistemological, and practical implications of centering othered/transgressive identities and liminal experiences in education. He prioritizes participatory forms of research, honoring critical ethics of relationality and solidarity. His work includes QEIRS (Queer Educators in Religious Schools), a growing social justice research/activist community started as a participatory action research project for his dissertation, and project BIson, an affinity organization of faculty, staff, and students holding bi/poly/multi-identities informing inclusive policy changes in higher education. He also works closely with Padres Unidos, an Orange County based Latina-led family-focused community educational organization, in an ongoing community-university partnership established by Patricia Huerta and Chapman Professor Emerita Suzanne SooHoo.

In addition to teaching in the Chapman IES (Integrated Educational Studies), MA in Teaching, and LGBTQ+ Minor programs at Chapman, Dr. Stockbridge has worked in education in many contexts. His pre-doctoral educational background in theologies, philosophies, and spiritualities is accompanied by work in religious contexts. He has served in leadership roles in ministry (parish, youth, and adult) and education. He also taught in middle and high schools in both suburban and urban areas and has worked with youth in group homes as an educational liaison, case manager, group counseling facilitator, and even as cook.

Dr. Ahmed Younis

Upon graduating from Chapman’s Ph.D. in Education program in 2016, Dr. Ahmed Younis joined the Obama Administration as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Deputy Special Envoy and Deputy Coordinator of the Global Engagement Center (GEC), which leads US government efforts to recognize, understand, expose, and counter foreign state propaganda and disinformation. He continued to serve in this role through the transition and during the Trump administration.

Prior to joining government, Dr. Younis served as a Scientist at Argonne National Laboratories, assigned to the Department of Homeland Security as Senior Adviser for Strategic Engagement in the Office for Community Partnerships, as well as a Senior Consultant for the Gallup Organization and Senior Analyst for the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies. He also earned a Juris Doctor from Washington & Lee School of Law.

Dr. Younis is currently leading a research project for a national Jewish American civil rights organization on the relationship between Muslims and Jews in four cities across the nation in the age of the rise of white supremacy. He is also involved in a San Francisco based technology company as part of a global software-based consulting practice for online engagement and disinformation.

Dr. Younis is happy be back at Chapman, which he considers home.

“I can never give this community as much love and knowledge as I have gained from it. Attallah is innovating and excelling, and the rest of Chapman University is moving at a scale that is mind boggling,” he said. “One of the reasons I am back is that I am a big believer in the value of the Integrated Educational Studies (IES) program. This brilliant, interdisciplinary, and rigorous program is what the world needs today. I’m so proud of our university, and I’m so honored to be back. Let’s change the world together!”