Faculty and Staff
OUR TEAM
Professor of Mathematics
Department of Teacher Education
333 Guyton Hall
(662) 915-5309
abellman@olemiss.edu
Vita (PDF)
Professor of Mathematics Education, Dr. Bellman received his Ph.D. at the University of California, Davis and a mathematics teaching credential at Duke University. His specialization is in classroom-level, assessment-driven instruction; mathematical modeling in secondary schools; and technology in the teaching and learning of mathematics.
Dr. Allan Bellman
METP Director, Former Chair of Teacher Education, & Professor Emeritus of Leadership & Counselor Education
Department of Teacher Education
317 Guyton Hall
Vita (PDF)
Dr. McClelland, former Chair of the Department of Teacher Education, serves as the UM METP Director.
Before her METP role, McClelland was the founding director of the Principal Corps, a highly selective educational leadership program with a 99 percent success rate in placing outstanding Mississippi educators into K–12 leadership positions. She was hired at UM in 2005 as an assistant professor of educational leadership to design the program after the School of Education received a $2 million startup grant from the Jim and Donna Barksdale Foundation.
A 21-year veteran of public K–12 education in Mississippi, McClelland has served in a variety of educational leadership positions in north Mississippi, including stints as assistant superintendent of the New Albany School District, principal of New Albany High School and vice principal of Oxford High School. She holds a doctorate and master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from UM, as well as a bachelor’s degree in English Education from Blue Mountain College.
Dr. Susan McClelland
Assistant Dean, Director of Assessment, & Associate Professor of Teacher Education
Department of Teacher Education
206 Guyton Hall
Vita (PDF)
Ann Monroe is Assistant Dean, Director of Assessment, and Associate Professor in the School of Education at the University of Mississippi. Before her time at UM, Dr. Monroe was a third-grade teacher with the Hamilton County School System in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She comes from a family of educators and believes wholeheartedly in the transformative power of teaching and learning.
Dr. Monroe has received multiple honors from the School of Education, including Outstanding Doctoral Student in Elementary Education, the Outstanding Teacher Award, and the Outstanding Student Service Award. She was named the Elsie M. Hood Outstanding Teacher for the University of Mississippi in 2018. Dr. Monroe is proud to be on the faculty at UM, where she and her colleagues prepare Mississippi’s next generation of teachers.
Dr. Monroe teaches a variety of courses, including education foundations, curriculum development, and assessment. Her research focuses on how teachers can promote pride and minimize shame in their classroom activities and lessons. She serves on numerous thesis and dissertation committees, is the UM representative on IHL’s Educator Preparation Collaboration Committee, and is a member of the 21 United Mississippi Board.
Dr. Monroe received her master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Mississippi. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Dr. Ann Monroe
Associate Professor of Teacher Education & Coordinator of Elementary Education
Department of Teacher Education
335 Guyton Hall
Vita (PDF)
Virginia Moore serves as an Associate Professor of Elementary Education and Elementary Education Program Coordinator in the Department of Teacher Education. She has taught in the School of Education since 2008. Previously, Dr. Moore was a first-grade teacher and reading interventionist with Lafayette County School District in Oxford, Mississippi. Dr. Moore was also honored with the 2015 School of Education Outstanding Service Award for her extraordinary efforts to connect with and mentor students.
Dr. Virginia Moore
Professor of Teacher Education
Department of Teacher Education
331 Guyton Hall
Vita (PDF)
Dr. OI as she is affectionately known is a Professor of English Education in the Department of Teacher Education. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Western Kentucky University, her master's from the University of Mississippi, and her doctorate from the University of Houston.
Dr. OI has been a member of the UM School of Education faculty since 1998 where she has served as program coordinator for English Education. In 2015, she was named one of the 10 best professors in the nation by Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority.
Dr. Rosemary Oliphant-Ingham
Dean of School of Education and Professor of Teacher Education
Office of the Dean
223 Guyton Hall
Vita (PDF)
Dr. David Rock is the Dean of the School of Education at the University of Mississippi. He received his B.S. in Mathematics from Vanderbilt University, M.A. in Mathematics Education from the University of Central Florida, and Ed. D. in Teacher Education from the University of Central Florida. Dr. Rock has taught mathematics in Florida and Mississippi at the middle and high school level. He has conducted a multitude of educational workshops and seminars at local, state, and national conferences in which his goal is to increase interest and enthusiasm for teaching and learning mathematics. He is the developer of the Internet Math Contests, which encourages students to utilize the internet to solve challenging mathematics problems from across the globe. David has also co-authored 16 books including Teaching Secondary Mathematics (2013), Scratch Your Brain Where It Itches (2001, 2006, 2008), and Teaching K-6 Mathematics (2003).
Follow David Rock on Twitter @UMEDDEAN
Dr. David Rock
Director of Graduate Studies, Special Education Program Coordinator, & Associate Professor of Special Education
Department of Teacher Education
228 Guyton Hall
Vita (PDF)
Denise A. Soares is Director of Graduate Studies, Special Education Program Coordinator, and Associate Professor of Special Education at the University of Mississippi. She earned her B.S. in elementary education with a specialization in special education, her master’s in administration and supervision, and her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Texas A & M University in College Station, Texas.
Dr. Soares served as a classroom teacher and administrator for 18 years, as well as a consultant for public schools and parents. Her research focuses on applied and practical experiences in academic and behavior interventions for at-risk students, as well as examining the efficacy of those interventions in classroom settings where teachers have competing time demands.
Dr. Soares is involved in the local school districts, where she prepares educators for the complexities and demands of teaching students with exceptionalities. Dr. Soares is dedicated to special education and bridging the gap between research and practice. She has authored or co-authored numerous articles, books, and chapters.
She earned the School of Education Outstanding Researcher Award in 2016 and the Outstanding Service Award in 2018.
Dr. Denise Soares
Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion & Clinical
Assistant Professor of Teacher Education
Department of Teacher Education
202 Guyton Hall
Vita (PDF)
Clinical Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Smith received her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Mississippi State University. She also holds a B.A. in Mathematics from Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee, and an M.B.A. from Tennessee State University. Prior to teaching at the University of Mississippi, Dr. Smith was a Curriculum Specialist/Teacher/Administrative Trainer at the Kenya Institute of Education in Nairobi, Kenya. Dr. Smith's research interests are in the areas of early literacy, teacher stress, burnout in the field of education, and the middle-level environment.
In 2020, Dr. Smith was named Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the UM School of Education where she works to increase all forms of diversity within the school, enhance equitable educational access, and continue to promote an inclusive environment for faculty, staff, and students.
Dr. Karen Davidson Smith
Assistant Dean for Certification, Assistant Professor of Higher Education, & Director of
the Student Advising and Field Experience (SAFE) Office
107 Guyton Annex
Vita (PDF)
Dr. Whitney Webb serves as Assistant Dean and Certification Officer in the School of Education's Student Advising and Field Experience (SAFE) Office. Dr. Webb is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Leadership & Counselor Education. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership, Higher Education from the University of Mississippi (1997), an M.Ed. in Higher Education/Student Personnel from the University of Mississippi (1995), and a B.A. in Communications from North Carolina State University (1991).
Dr. Whitney Webb
UM METP Program Manager
Office of the Dean
236 Guyton Hall
Blake Adams serves as the Program Manager for the UM chapter of the Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Program at the School of Education. A Mississippi native, he holds a B.A. in History and Political Science from the University of Mississippi. Blake has more than 20 years of public sector experience beginning with 10 years with including the City of Austin Public Library System and Lafayette County & Oxford Public Library where he earned two Mississippi Library Commission Public Relations Awards. He also had a short stint the City of Austin Public Library.
Blake was the recipient of the School of Education Outstanding Service Award in 2017; the 2023 Mississippi FIRST Robotics Delivery Partner Award
Outside of work, Blake considers himself a paraprofessional geek. His interests include IT, Photoshop, comically bad and obscure film, cooking, gardening, the love of his life – Kim – their dog Silas, and their three chickens Thelma, Louise, and Ouiser.