College of Science, Technology, and Health
Meet Our Faculty
Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty
Dr. Weston Anderson
Dr. Weston Anderson received his Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice from the University of Louisville. He received his Bachelor鈥檚 degree from Utah State University in Sociology and his Master of Criminal Justice from Weber State University. Dr. Anderson is an Assistant Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice and teaches criminology and criminal justice systems. His research interests include police officer backstabbing and police training effectiveness.
Dr. Heather Donovan
Heather Donovan, at Lindenwood since 2017, is a professor in the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department. She received her BA and Pepperdine University, MS at University of New Haven, and JD and Washington University in St. Louis. Before joining Lindenwood, she worked as a criminal defense attorney in the St. Charles trial office of the Missouri Public Defender. Her passions in the criminology and criminal justice field are juvenile justice and mental health issues in the criminal justice system.
Dr. Rachael Gossett
Rachael Gossett earned her Doctor of Philosophy and master&/science/social-and-behavioral-sciences/meet-our-faculty/8217;s degree in Sociology with an emphasis in Criminology from The Ohio State University. She also holds a bachelor&/science/social-and-behavioral-sciences/meet-our-faculty/8217;s degree from Ohio State in Psychology and Criminology. Rachael has a breadth of research interests including homicide, sexually oriented offenses, personality disorders, psychological/emotional abuse, inequities in the criminal justice system, anti-human trafficking initiatives, and offender populations. Her master鈥檚 thesis utilizes insights gleaned from interviews she conducted with incarcerated fathers at several Ohio prisons and her dissertation is concerned with individual perceptions of improper police behavior following a face-to-face contact utilizing a subset of the National Crime Victimization Survey. Rachael served as an adjunct instructor for The Ohio State University, Stetson University and Capital University while engaging in various projects for the private sector including a market research and security consulting firm. Most recently she worked in public service for the state of Ohio. Rachael has experience teaching Criminology, The Criminal Justice System, Social Class and Crime, Women, Crime, and The Criminal Justice System, Social Aspects of Deviance, Introduction to Sociology, Introduction to Criminological Research, Research Methods in Criminal Justice, Drug Laws, Contemporary Issues in Criminology, Victimology, Race Crime and Punishment, Drugs and Society and a Senior Seminar in Criminal Justice. She is engaged in various research projects, scholarly activities, and reviews textbooks and academic journal article submissions.
Darren Marhanka
Darren Marhanka is a former police officer with nearly 18 years of law enforcement experience. He served in a variety of roles throughout his police career, but he is most proud of his work with the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis. Marhanka started as a patrol officer and eventually found himself working in the detective unit. He investigated almost any type of crime out there. Marhanka interacted with thousands of people throughout his time on the police department as well, finding it to be a very fulfilling career. Marhanka came to Lindenwood in 2002 as an adjunct faculty member. In 2004, he accepted a position with Lindenwood as an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice. Marhanka loves doing things on the water: jet skiing, boating, scuba diving, fishing, you name it. He loves spending time with his wife, parents, children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, cousins, the &/science/social-and-behavioral-sciences/meet-our-faculty/8220;whole gang.&/science/social-and-behavioral-sciences/meet-our-faculty/8221; He loves Jimmy Buffett music and goes to his concerts. Marhanka is a self-described &/science/social-and-behavioral-sciences/meet-our-faculty/8220;Parrothead Pirate.&/science/social-and-behavioral-sciences/meet-our-faculty/8221; Life is about living, so go out and live it!
Dr. Billi Patzius
Dr. Billi Patzius received her B.S. in criminal justice, B.A. in psychology, and M.A. in criminology from the University of Missouri 鈥� St. Louis. She later received an M.A. in professional counseling from 51福利社 and a Ph.D. from Saint Louis University. She is a Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice and her courses include Criminology, Juvenile Justice, Victimology, Senior Seminar, and Criminal Minds. Dr. Patzius is the Faculty Athletics Representative for Student Life Sports and she serves as the Advisor for the Pi Beta Mu chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma &/science/social-and-behavioral-sciences/meet-our-faculty/8211; the National Criminal Justice Honor Society. She is the Co-Advisor for the Criminal Justice Student Association and she oversees internship and volunteer opportunities for Criminology and Criminal Justice students. Her research interests include police misconduct and reform, juvenile justice and delinquency, and victimization among special populations. Dr. Patzius served as the Associate Dean for the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences within the School of Sciences from 2017-2021 and she was the Criminal Justice Department Chair from 2015-2017.
Dr. Pernell Witherspoon
Dr. Pernell Witherspoon was born and raised in St. Louis, MO and is a product of the St. Louis Public School System. Receiving a football scholarship, he attended Southeast Missouri State University and subsequently joined the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, where he patrolled and worked undercover narcotics. Dr. Witherspoon then moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he continued to work as an undercover narcotic agent until his return home to St. Louis. Dr. Witherspoon completed his 16 year police career as a sergeant for the City of Hazelwood. During the end of his career, he returned to school where he completed a Master鈥檚 degree and PhD in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Dr. Witherspoon joined 51福利社鈥檚 Criminal Justice Department in 2005. His teaching and research interests are racial issues within the criminal justice system, policing, juvenile justice, criminal justice ethics, and he has found a new interest in criminal justice ethnography. While Dr. Witherspoon continues to make teaching college students a priority, it does not keep him from his hobbies of praising God, boating, running, and enjoying the pleasures of life.
Psychology Faculty
The psychology program faculty consists of some award-winning full-time members with terminal degrees in their area of expertise. We, along with our part-time instructors, offer a wide array of courses from different fields within psychology.
Dr. Stephanie Afful
Dr. Afful is a social psychologist who studies race, specifically racial identity, racism, and interracial relationships. She received her BA in Psychology and Sociology from Drury University and PhD in Social Psychology from Saint Louis University. Dr. Afful teaches courses on Social Psychology, Motivation & Emotion, Human Sexuality, and Health Psychology. She also serves as a co-advisor for the Lindenwood chapter of Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology. Dr. Afful was the recipient of the 2016-2017 Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award and the 2018-2019 Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award. Dr. Afful will also serve as the 2025 President of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (APA Division 2).
Dr. Sara Bagley
Dr. Bagley is an experimental psychologist who specializes in behavioral/cognitive neuroscience. She earned her BA in Psychology and Mathematics from Westminster College and her MSR and PhD from Saint Louis University. She teaches courses on Behavioral Science Statistics, Behavioral Neuroscience, Learning & Memory, Sensation & Perception, Health Psychology, Personality, and other special topics courses. Her research interests involve the connections between stress (as measured by physiological changes in the body) and cognition (memory and time perception), but has other perceptual/cognitive research interests. Dr. Bagley was the recipient of the 2018-2019 Assessment Champion Award and the 2019-2020 President鈥檚 Scholar-Teacher Award.
Dr. Colleen Biri
Dr. Biri is a clinical psychologist who has specialized in the assessment and treatment of children. She received her BA in Psychology from Missouri State University, and her MA degree in Clinical Psychology and PsyD degree from The Georgia School of Professional Psychology. Dr. Biri鈥檚 courses include Child Development, Parenting, Abnormal Psychology, Psychological Testing, Careers in Psychology, and Senior Seminar. She also serves as a co-advisor for the Lindenwood chapter of i Chi, the international honor society in psychology. Dr. Biri was the recipient of the 2015-2016 President&/science/social-and-behavioral-sciences/meet-our-faculty/8217;s Scholar-Teacher Award.
Dr. Rebecca Foush茅e
Dr. Foush茅e is a developmental psychologist who studies how environmental influences shape perceptual development during infancy, childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. She received her BS degree in Psychology and English, and MS and PhD degrees in Developmental and Biological Psychology from Virginia Tech. At Lindenwood, Dr. Foush茅e teaches courses on Human Development, Behavior Modification, Psychology of Adolescence, Psychology of Women, and Death and Dying. She also conducts research on best practices in teaching and advising in psychology, and serves as a co-advisor for the Psychology Interest Club. Dr. Foush茅e was the recipient of the 2017-2018 LSGA Teacher of the Year Award and the 2019-2020 ROAR Excellence in Teaching Award.
Dr. Brittany Goodman
Dr. Goodman is an experimental psychologist specializing in clinical neuroscience. Her research interests involve the psychophysiology of trauma and traumatic stress, including changes in the autonomic nervous system following trauma exposure. She earned her BA in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in Psychology and Health Sciences and a minor in Italian Studies from the University of Missouri-Columbia and her MA and PhD in Psychology with an emphasis in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. At Lindenwood she teaches courses in Principles of Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience, and Psychology of Trauma.
Dr. Michiko Nohara-LeClair
Dr. Nohara-LeClair is an experimental psychologist who specialized in psycholinguistic research. She earned her BSc degrees in Psychology and Anthropology from the University of Toronto, her MASc degree from the University of Waterloo, and her PhD from the University of Connecticut. Dr. Nohara-LeClair also completed postdoctoral fellowships at Concordia University in Montreal and the University of Kansas. She teaches Principles of Psychology, Cultural Psychology, Japanese Culture, Society, and Mind, Cognitive Psychology, and Psychology Research Labs. Dr. Nohara-LeClair supervises the Lindenwood Participant Pool and the Student Employee Program for the department and is co-sponsor of the Psychology Interest Club. Dr. Nohara-LeClair was the recipient of the 2008-2009 President&/science/social-and-behavioral-sciences/meet-our-faculty/8217;s Scholar-Teacher Award, the 2018-2019 LSGA Teacher of the Year Award, a 2019-2020 Q2 Award, the 2023-2024 RISE Accessibility (Inclusion) Award, and the 2024-2025 RISE Connection (Engagement) Award.
Dr. Brynne Schroeder
Brynne Schroeder holds a PhD in Human Development from Fielding Graduate University and a master鈥檚 degree in Clinical/Community Mental Health from Western Illinois University. Before entering higher education, she worked as a counselor and mental health outreach specialist. At 51福利社, she teaches Abnormal Psychology, Psychology of Personality, Lifespan Development, and Psychology of Adolescence. Her research interests include identity development and mental health in adolescence and emerging adulthood. In addition to her academic work, Brynne is the co-founder of a business that provides professional development training in mental health.
Sociology Faculty
Dr. Suzanne Stoelting
Dr. Suzanne Stoelting holds a Ph.D. in sociology from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Her areas of expertise include sport sociology, gender, and sexuality. Her current research focuses gay and lesbian youth suicide. Suzanne has taught a wide range of undergraduate sociology courses including introduction, sociological theory, stratification, race and ethnicity, sociology of gender, sociology of sport, social deviance, urban sociology, social problems, and applied sociology. She has also supervised many sociology internships and collaborated with students on undergraduate sociology research projects.