Faculty & Administrative Organization

Core Faculty:

Roles and responsibilities associated with holding the status of Core Faculty Member are described in the CCP Program By-Laws.

Benjamin D. Hill, PhD, Professor in the Psychology Department, College of Arts & Sciences. Dr. Hill obtained his doctoral degree from Louisiana State University in 2008, residency at the University of Mississippi Medical Center 2007-2008, and completed a two-year fellowship at Alpert Medical School of Brown University 2008-2010. He has been a licensed clinical psychologist since 2011. His research focus is in clinical neuropsychology, particularly as it relates to intra-individual variability, executive functions, personality, cognitive disorders, and malingering. He also has interests in positive neuropsychology, specifically interventions to increase motivation and engagement in cognitive testing.

Joseph M Currier, PhD, is Professor of Psychology and core faculty member with the Clinical and Counseling Psychology (CCP) Doctoral Program. He completed his doctoral studies at the University of Memphis in clinical psychology in 2008 and went on to complete a clinical internship and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Memphis VAMC. Prior to joining the faculty at USA, he served with the clinical psychology faculty at Fuller Seminary from 2010-2013. His research primarily focuses on trauma and moral injury, spiritually integrated mental health care, and other topics related to applied psychology of R/S (e.g., God representations, spiritual struggles). He has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles in support of these lines of work along with co-authoring two books with the American Psychological Association, entitled Trauma, Meaning, and Spirituality: Translating Research into Clinical Practice and Addressing Moral Injury in Clinical Practice. His work has been funded by the John Templeton Foundation (JTF), Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), and SAMHSA. He was a RWFJ Clinical Scholar Fellow from 2018-2021, Director of Clinical Training for the CCP Program from 2015-2020, and currently serves as an editorial board member with Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, Traumatology, and Death Studies.

Ryon C. McDermott, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Counseling & Instructional Sciences, College of Education & Professional Studies; Associate Director of Clinical Training for the CCP Program. Dr. McDermott obtained his doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the University of Houston in 2012, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan Counseling Center. Dr. McDermott’s research work is in the area of gender roles, men’s issues, positive psychology, and college student well-being.

Krista Mehari, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology, College of Arts & Sciences. Dr. Mehari’s clinical and research interests are focused on promoting positive youth development. Her research focuses on violence prevention and the impact of contextual risk factors on children's and adolescents' development and functioning. She prioritizes using community-engaged research that integrates the goals and perspectives of the community so that interventions are culturally responsive, effective, and sustainable. Currently, Dr. Mehari is engaged in multiple research projects including research on gun-related injury prevention and implementation and evaluation of violence prevention programs for middle and high school youth.

Phillip N. Smith, PhD, Professor, Department of Psychology, College of Arts & Sciences; Director of Clinical Training for the CCP Program. Dr. Smith completed his PhD in Clinical Psychology at Texas Tech University and his internship at the Southwest Consortium Pre-Doctoral Psychology Internship in Albuquerque, NM. Dr. Smith completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center. His research and clinical expertise are in the area of suicidal behavior.

Kimberly Zlomke Rodriguez, PhD, BCBA-D, Full Professor in the Psychology Department, College of Arts & Sciences. Dr. Zlomke Rodriguez obtained her doctoral degree from Louisiana State University in 2008 and completed her post-doctoral training in pediatric psychology at Texas Children’s Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Zlomke is a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA-D), and a certified therapist and within-agency training for Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). Her research interests are broadly on family functioning and interactions for youth with chronic illness or developmental disability from a behavioral/contextual framework. Her recent work has included the constructs of resourcefulness and benefit-finding as buffers of parental stress. Dr. Zlomke is co-directs the HRSA-funded “Team-Based Trauma-Informed Integrated Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Professions (BHWET) for the Gulf Coast Region” interprofessional program (2021-2025) and facilitates inter-professional placements within integrated behavioral health settings. Her clinical work and expertise include the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), problem-solving therapy, and evidence-based therapy for youth/families.

Affiliate Faculty:

Roles and responsibilities associated with holding the status of Affiliate Faculty Member are described in the CCP Program By-Laws.

Joshua D. Foster, PhD, Professor, University of Georgia, 2005, is interested in issues pertaining personality and individual differences, especially narcissistic personality. Most of his research focuses on: (1) “what is narcissism?”, (2) “how should narcissism be measured?”, (3) “who is more or less narcissistic?”, and (4) “how do narcissists think, act, and feel?”

John (Jack) F. Shelley-Tremblay, PhD, Professor & Chair, Psychology Department, City University of New York, 2003, is interested in three areas employing psychophysiological, neuropsychological, and educational methodologies, including: (1) visual training for persons with reading disability, (2) infra-red based eye tracking equipment to provide a quantitative record of eye movements with reading fluency, and (3) correlating eye movements with comprehension and vocabulary levels.

James (Tres) R. Stefurak, PhD, Professor of Counseling Psychology, Associate Dean for Faculty Development, Research, Graduate Studies & External Relations, College of Education & Professional Studies. He is also the Director of the Office of Contracts and Grants for the College. Dr. Stefurak obtained his doctorate from The University of Georgia in 2004 and has been a licensed counseling psychologist since 2005. He has research interests in juvenile delinquency, child maltreatment, and trauma-informed care practices.

Lisa A. Turner, PhD, Professor, University of Alabama, 1984, is interested in parenting practices and the development of emerging adults.

Mark Yates, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Kansas, 2004, is interested in cognitive psychology, particularly as it relates to written and spoken language and how the sound of a word influences how it is read and how its spelling influences how it is heard.

Program Leadership and Committees

CCP Program Committee: The CCP Program Committee consists of the CCP Core Faculty and the President and Vice-President of the CCP Graduate Student Organization. The CCP Program Committee meets to address issues related to all program functions. CCP Program Committee meetings occur at the request of the DCT and typically occur on a monthly basis.

CCP Leadership Team: The CCP Leadership Team consists of the DCT, A-DCT, both department chairpersons, and the USA Psychological Clinic Director. CCP Leadership Team meetings should occur at least twice per semester.

Academic Curriculum Committee: The Academic Curriculum Committee is comprised of three CCP Core Faculty and one CCP Student Representative. This committee provides recommendations to the Core Faculty on course sequencing and course offerings in the CCP program.

Clinical Training & Practica Committee: The Clinical Training & Practica Committee is comprised of the USA Psychological Clinic Director and two other Core Faculty members. This committee reviews issues regarding clinical training and supervision, the structure and nature of all CCP practica opportunities (both internal and external), and provides recommendations to the Core Faculty for changes or modifications as needed.

Comprehensive Examinations Committee: The Comprehensive Examinations Committee is composed of three Core Faculty. This committee is responsible for the development, review, and revisions to the comprehensive examination practices of the CCP Program. This committee is also charged with reviewing and determining the appropriateness of prior Master’s Theses or similar projects that may satisfy the Demonstration of Research Readiness requirement (for students who enter the program in the PhD Program of Study.)

Admissions Committee: The Admission Committee is composed of three CCP Core Faculty and one CCP Student Representative. The committee is responsible for the initial review of applications to the CCP Program, communication with applicants, development of standards for admission to the graduate program, and organizing the admissions interview day.

Psychological Clinic Advisory Committee: The Psychological Clinic Advisory Committee is composed of the USA Psychological Clinic Director and two additional CCP Core Faculty. This committee addresses issues related to the planning, organization, and operations of the USA Psychological Clinic including, HIPAA compliance, office policies and procedures, use of resources and new purchases, and recruitment of clients.

Orientation & Retreat Committee: The Orientation & Retreat Committee is comprised of the DCT and three CCP Student Representatives. This committee coordinates and conducts the New Student Orientation Day and the annual CCP retreat.

Assessment & Program Evaluation Committee: The Assessment & Program Evaluation Committee is composed of the DCT and A-DCT. The committee oversees and reports findings related to the mid-year and annual student competency evaluation as well as the annual CCP program evaluation. This committee is also responsible for collecting evaluations regarding student performance in applied practica, both internal and external.

Diversity Committee: The Diversity Committee is composed of two Core Faculty members and two CCP Student Representatives. This committee makes recommendations to the Core Faculty regarding the recruitment and retention of diverse students and faculty members. Additionally, the committee makes recommendations regarding procedures and activities that would increase the exposure of CCP students to culturally diverse perspectives or would provide a safe and culturally sensitive environment for all CCP students.

Faculty-Student Relations Committee: The Faculty-Student Relations Committee is composed of two Core Faculty members and two CCP Student Representatives. This committee makes recommendations to the Core Faculty on how to enhance and improve communication and positive professional relationships between students and faculty.

CCP Student Representatives

The CCP Graduate Student Organization (GSO) is comprised of CCP students in both the MS and PhD Programs of Study. The CCP GSO maintains its own bylaws and administrative structure. The President and Vice-President of the GSO serve as the CCP Student Representatives on the CCP Program Committee. In this capacity they meet with their fellow students and solicit feedback and input, which is delivered through various mechanisms, including regular attendance at CCP faculty meetings, direct input to the DCT, and consultation with the Student-Faculty Relationship Committee Chair. Students are also appointed to standing committees, which share CCP Program responsibilities. The student representative to each committee is responsible for attending committee meetings and for voicing CCP student body concerns. The graduate students are responsible for selecting which student will represent their interests in each of the committees.