Faculty & Staff
Dr. Joseph P. Sweeney
Director, Mississippi Teacher Corps
227 Guyton Hall
(662) 915-2616
jsweeney@olemiss.edu
Dr. Joseph P. Sweeney is the Director of the Mississippi Teachers Corps (MTC). An alumnus of the program, Sweeney spent two years in Cleveland at Eastside High School teaching English. Voted on by his peers, he was given the Mullins Award for the class of 2004, which honors the most outstanding teacher for the entire cohort.
After graduating with an M.A. in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Mississippi, Sweeney taught for four more years in Mississippi Public Schools as well as one year teaching conversational English in Japan. He then pursued his doctoral studies in Instructional Design and Technology at the University of Memphis. From 2013-15, he worked at Baptist College of Health Sciences as an instructional designer and faculty development coordinator. Dr. Sweeney was hired by the University to serve as MTC’s new director in 2015. In addition to his work for MTC, he also serves as the Coordinator of the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Program and is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the School of Education.
Dr. Sweeney is an alumnus of Michigan State University where he received his B.A. in English. He met his wife, Elizabeth, while both were members of MTC’s class of 2004. His research interests include authentic learning tasks, educational technology, and teacher training.
Dr. Sally Booth Quong
Program Coordinator, Clinical Assistant Professor of Secondary Education, Teacher Education
301 Guyton Hall
(662) 915-5878
sjbooth1@olemiss.edu
Dr. Sally Quong is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at the University of Mississippi (UM). She specializes in the integration of ELA and social studies in the secondary classroom. Prior to her role at UM, Quong spent the last nine years teaching in Lafayette County Schools, eight as a High School U.S. History teacher and one as a Middle School English teacher. In 2019, she was awarded the Mississippi Association of Colleges’s Outstanding Educator for Teacher Education, which is given annually to one educator in the state who models excellence in the teaching profession. Dr. Quong began her career as an ELA and U.S. History Teacher at South Panola High School in 2004. She is a three-time graduate of the University of Mississippi earning a B.A. in Secondary Education, an M.A. in Curriculum & Instruction, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction. Quong is also a National Board Certified Teacher, has co-authored Social Studies standards for the Mississippi Department of Education, and currently serves on the Lafayette Literacy Council. She currently lives in Thaxton with her husband, Josh, and their two kids, Nora & Ray.
Dr. Alina Harges
Clinical Assistant Professor of Secondary Education, Teacher Education
233 Guyton Hall
(662) 915-2163
amharges@olemiss.edu
Dr. Alina Harges has 18 years of experience as a K-12 teacher in the areas of special education, math, ELA, science, and social studies. In addition, she has taught at Jackson State University, Tougaloo, and Mississippi University for Women. Dr. Harges is a native of Holly Springs.
Dr. Wilner Bolden
Adjunct Professor of Leadership and Counselor Education
120 Guyton Hall
(662) 915-7069
wbolden@olemiss.edu
Dr. Wilner Bolden, III, is an Adjunct Instructor for the Educational Leadership Department. Dr. Bolden received his Ph.D. from The University of Mississippi in 2014. He has 16 years of educational experience and has significantly contributed to the field of education, resulting in improved teacher quality and increased student achievement through the practice of effective leadership. Dr. Bolden has served as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, and several roles at the district-level. Furthermore, he has served as a guest orator, university supervisor, and adjunct instructor. Dr. Bolden has implemented school turnaround models and transformed low performing schools into high performing institutions of learning using evidence-based practices in the areas of cultural building, improving teacher quality, and implementing systems of accountability. Currently, he serves as the Deputy Superintendent, Curriculum/Professional Development Coordinator (K-12), and Director of Personnel at North Panola School District. Dr. Bolden's philosophy of education is the credence that scholarship is not attained by chance; it must be sought with ardor and diligence. Nevertheless, this passion for learning cannot be ignited without the knowledge, motivation, and inspiration of not a "good" but a "great" teacher! Dr. Bolden has received numerous of awards and recognition for being an "outstanding school leader." He was invited to speak at the Mississippi School Board Association in 2011 on effective leadership as a predicate to increase student achievement, where he also received the "Torch Award" for excellence in leadership.
Dr. Rick Balkin
Professor, Assistant Department Chair of Leadership and Counselor Education, and Coordinator of Educational Research and Design
234 Guyton Hall
(662) 915-2155
rsbalkin@olemiss.edu
Rick Balkin, Ph.D., LPCC, NCC is a Professor, Assistant Department Chair of Leadership and Counselor Education, and Coordinator of Educational Research and Design at the University of Mississippi. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief for the International Journal for the Advancement of Counseling. Dr. Balkin was the editor for the Journal of Counseling & Development, the flagship journal for the American Counseling Association; an ACA Fellow; and past-president for the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling. Rick began practice as a professional counselor in 1993 and has worked in academe since 2003. Rick has over 90 publications, which include text books on assessment in counseling, research, and the counseling relationship, published tests and technical manuals, peer-reviewed manuscripts, book chapters, and conference proceedings. His counseling experience with at-risk youth was formative to his research agenda, which includes understanding the role of counseling and relevant goals for adolescents in crisis and counseling outcomes. This led to numerous published articles and one published measure through Mindgarden (Crisis Stabilization Scale) related to assessing and counseling at-risk youth. He co-authored a measure on life balance for adults and adolescents. He has published in the area of religious diversity and forgiveness and developed a model and measure for counseling clients through issues of forgiveness and conflict. He has a forthcoming book with Oxford University Press: Practicing Forgiveness: A Path Toward Healing.
Dr. Kayla Crook
Assistant Professor of Special Education, Teacher Education
328 Guyton Hall
(662) 915-7350
kccrook@olemiss.edu
Dr. Crook is an Assistant Professor of Special Education. She is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in 2019. Her area of interests include: treatment of severe problem behavior and Tier 1 interventions for elementary classrooms such as the Good Behavior Game.
Field Observation Supervisor
Carmelle Vietti
Carmelle Vietti (MTC 2010) is a native Memphian and proud alumna of Pepperdine University (B.S. in International Business). She has served students and teachers across 4 states in the roles of advanced mathematics instructor, instructional coach, school administrator, and district-level professional. Carmelle’s areas of expertise include school culture and climate, project-based learning, Social-Emotional Learning, and contemporary learning solutions. She is also one of DonorsChoose.org most enthusiastic advocates. In her personal life, she is passionate about family, faith, food, and mental wellness.
Subject Matter Instructors
Haley Hill
Hayley Hill is in her 12th year of teaching English Language Arts. She is a National Board Certified teacher and has earned master’s degrees in both Curriculum & Instruction and Literacy from The University of Mississippi. A graduate of the Mississippi Teacher Corps (2008), Hayley is now a 6th grade English teacher at Byhalia Middle School in Byhalia, MS. She loves helping her students find joy in reading and writing.
Scotty Jimenez
Scotty Jimenez is in his 14th year teaching high school Spanish. He is entering his 8th year at Lafayette High School in Oxford MS. He loves inspiring an appreciation for the Spanish language and the cultures of the countries that speak it. He is joyfully married to his wife Julia and speaks strictly Spanish to his children Cecilia (2 years) and Connor (2 months).
Carley Hydrick
Carley Hydrick (MTC 2017) is a science teacher at South Panola High School. She Has helped prepare MTC teachers during the MTC summer training as a TEAM teacher.
Professor Emeritus
Dr. Andy Mullins
Dr. Andy Mullins co-founded the Mississippi Teacher Corps (MTC) in 1989. He helped oversee the program for 30 years, while serving in a variety of leadership roles in Government and Higher Education. Originally from Macon, Dr. Mullins graduated from Millsaps College in 1970 and then took a teaching position at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School a year later. This would begin his 49-year career in education. While at St. Andrew’s, he served nine years as a History Teacher, Admissions Director, Head Football Coach, and Head Tennis Coach, the latter of which earned him Coach of the Year for the state of Mississippi. He then transitioned into politics where he would spend the early 80’s serving on Governor William Winter’s staff as Education Policy Advisor. Mullins and the rest of the “Boys of Spring” were instrumental in helping pass Winter’s landmark bill, the Education Reform Act of 1982. After serving Governor Winter’s four-year term, Mullins spent another 10 years in Jackson as the Special Assistant to the State Superintendent of Education. It was in this role that he helped found the Mississippi Teacher Corps. In 1994, he took his final job, this time as the Chief of Staff to Chancellor Gerald Turner at the University of Mississippi. For the next 20 years, he would serve in this role for Turner, Dr. Robert Khayat, and Dr. Dan Jones. Mullins retired from the University’s cabinet in 2013, but stayed on for another six years as Professor and Associate Director of the Mississippi Teacher Corps. He fully retired in the summer of 2019 when MTC celebrated its 30th anniversary. Mullins still resides in Oxford with his wife, Lisa, who is a retired elementary teacher. He has two adult children - Katie, a teacher who lives in Oxford, and Andrew, an archivist who lives in New Orleans.