Our Team – ARNA

Meet Our Team

ARNA Coordinating Leadership Team

DR. CANDACE KAYE
Chair, Executive Committee

Dr. Candace Kaye

Chair, Executive Committee

Dr. Candace Kaye is an Affiliated Graduate Professor of Early Childhood Education at New Mexico State University and lives for most of the year in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. She has served ARNA in several capacities. Currently, she is the Chair of the ARNA Coordinating Leadership Team. In 2020 and 2023 she co-chaired the virtual ARNA annual conferences and has been the Editor of the ARNA Conference Proceedings until she accepted the role of ARNA Chair. She continues to be involved in the ARNA Action Research Communities (ARC), first initiating the Early Childhood ARC and in 2023 beginning the International ARC. Her action research continues in Mi Museo, a program of early art education for public schools in Puerto Vallarta at the ARTe VallARTa Museum and APAPACHO, an early literacy program within a public library setting, in Puerto Vallarta. She writes and presents on her ongoing investigations about the community process of developing such programs and to that end, most recently co-edited a book on third spaces in education. Her current research interest also includes the cultural interpretation of action research theory and practice.

DR. RANDY ZIEDGENFUSS
Treasurer

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Dr. Randy Ziegenfuss

Treasurer

Dr. Randy Ziegenfuss is Professor of Practice and Director of the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Program in Transformational Leadership at Moravian University. He is deeply committed to reshaping K-12 and higher education systems from traditional, school-centered models to learner-centered environments that are responsive to the demands of a dynamic, technology-driven world. His research emphasizes the transformational leadership practices necessary for driving systemic change, with a particular focus on strategic foresight and understanding the educational needs of Generation Z and Generation Alpha.

Since 2018, Randy has served as the Leadership ARC Co-Chair for ARNA. Prior to his current role at Moravian, Randy retired as superintendent of the Salisbury Township School District (PA) in 2021, after a career in public education. He holds degrees from Moravian University, Teachers College at Columbia University, and The University of Pennsylvania. Beyond his professional pursuits, Randy is engaged in a side project called The Human School and enjoys frequent visits to New York City to immerse himself in its vibrant arts culture.

DR. DONALD D. PEPION
Indigenous Ways of Knowing Chair

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Dr. Donald D. Pepion

Indigenous Ways of Knowing Chair

Donald D. Pepion is an enrolled member of the federally recognized Blackfeet Indian Nation located in Montana USA while half of the 17,000 members are in Alberta Canada as North Piikani, Kanai, and Siksika. After completing a bachelor’s degree in business management/sociology, he worked twenty-five years with and for the Blackfeet Indian Nation managing tribal programs including social services, apprenticeship and construction, housing, health administrator, and community college president. Along the way he obtained a master and doctoral degrees in higher education.

He recently retired as an administrator and emeritus faculty after twenty-two years with New Mexico State University. His research interests and pursuits evolve around the recovery of Indigenous knowledge, histories, and cultures. Pepion indicates he is interested in Action Research Network of the Americas since most Euro-Centric publishers and academicians refuse to acknowledge Indigenous knowledge, experience, and history.

VACANCY
Chair & Membership

DR. DAVE MCPARTLAN
CARN Liaison

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Dr. Dave McPartlan

CARN Liaison

Dr. Dave McPartlan was a teacher for over 35 years, with the final 12 years as the pastoral lead in a large secondary school in northern England. He pursued a PhD examining his school's mental health strategy from the perspective of the students. His action research project resulted in an approach that promoted young people's rights while also benefitting the students involved. Having completed his PhD, Dr. McPartlan now works with several school communities to develop "youth-led school improvement projects" based on his research. These projects have the potential to shift the balance of power in schools and develop students as action researchers and activists, improving not just their own lives but those of their peers. Dr. McPartlan's continued excitement as an action researcher stems from knowing these projects can empower young people to better their own lives.

DR. AUBREY URESTI
ARC Co-Chair

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Dr. Aubrey Uresti

ARC Co-Chair

Dr. Aubrey Uresti is an Assistant Professor of Counselor Education in the Lurie College of Education at San José State University. A California credentialed K-12 school counselor and a National Certified School Counselor, Dr. Uresti has experience in all levels of K-12 education as a teacher, school counselor, therapist, supervisor, and consultant. She is a licensed professional clinical counselor (LPCC) and a National Certified Counselor. Dr. Uresti’s experience working with K-12 students, undergraduates, graduate students, and adult learners informs her exploration of parental incarceration, urban education and school counseling, school-based support, grief and loss, peer victimization, child and adolescent development issues, and lifelong learning for counselors through qualitative interview, image-based research, critical discourse analysis, and ethnography.

She is a member of the Coordinating Leadership Team, serves as the Action Research Communities (ARC) Co-Chair for the Action Research Network of the Americas (ARNA), and received their 2023 Community Development Award.

DR. SUZY THOMAS
ARC Co-Chair

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Dr. Suzy Thomas

ARC Co-Chair

Dr. Suzy Thomas, Professor in the Counseling Department at Saint Mary’s College of California, has a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and is a credentialed school counselor (PPS), a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC), and a former middle and high school counselor and teacher. Dr. Thomas is especially proud to be one of the founding members of the Action Research Network of the Americas (ARNA) and serves as Co-Chair of the ARNA Action Research Communities (ARCs). An advocate for school counselors and school-based reform, she has publications in the areas of action research, anti-racist practices, mentoring, professional development, and collaboration. She was inducted into the H.B. McDaniel Hall of Fame in 2013, recognized in 2017 as the School Counselor Educator of the Year by the California Association of School Counselors, given the 2021 Saint Mary’s College Pandemic Pedagogic Excellence Award, and honored with the 2023 ARNA Community Development Award.

DR. JOSEPH SHOSH
Past Chair, Executive Committee

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Dr. Joseph Shosh

Past Chair, Executive Committee

Dr. Joseph M. Shosh, ARNA Co-Founder, served as Chair of the Executive Committee of the Coordinating Group from 2015 until 2022. Co-editor of the Palgrave International Handbook of Action Research, he is a retired Professor of Education at Moravian University, where he was founding director of the action research-based graduate education program. His contributions to teacher action research have appeared in Action Researcher in Education, Educational Action Research Journal, English Journal, Inquiry in Education, and Teaching Education, among others. Dr. Shosh is the recipient of the National Council of Teachers of English Paul and Kate Farmer English Journal Writing Award, the James N. Moffett Award for Classroom Research, Cornell University’s Merrill Scholar Teaching Award, and ARNA’s Eduardo Flores Leadership Award.

DR. E.J. PAVY
Sponsorship

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Dr. E.J Pavy

Sponsorship

Dr. E.J. Pavy is a leader for organizational change management and training at Campbellsville University. He has a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Organizational Development as well as degrees in vocal music education and choral conducting. Dr. Pavy serves ARNA as the Sponsorship Chair on the Coordinating Leadership Team as well as the chair for the Musical Learning ARC. An arts-based action researcher, he explores expression of the arts to create meaning and drive social and organizational change. Dr. Pavy is the recipient of ARNA's 2024 Promising Action Research Award, Campbellsville University's 2022 John E. Chowning Staff Award for Diversity, and a dissertation award for Community Engaged Research from the University of Louisville.

DR. ALLISON LESTER
At-Large Member

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Dr. Allison JoAnn Lester

At-Large Member

Dr. Allison JoAnn Lester is an Assistant Teaching Professor at Arizona State University. She specializes in action research, community-based projects, and transformative educational practices. With over a decade of experience in urban education and leadership, Dr. Lester is dedicated to fostering critical thinking and social impact through education. Her research focuses on bridging university-school-community partnerships and utilizing action research to drive social change.

Dr. Lester has led several impactful projects, including Digital Playscape, a community-based STEM/STEAM education initiative using AI, AR, and VR to create immersive learning experiences; TRASHION, a youth participatory action research (YPAR) project promoting sustainability and creativity among LatinX teens through fashion design and live-action role play; and The Garage, a community space co-created by youth to address local needs using YPAR methodology. She also directed Cincinnati's Teen Think Tank, a paid YPAR internship program empowering young people in Cincinnati to lead projects on identity, mental health, and social justice.

DR. MEGAN BOLTON
At-Large Member

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Dr. Megan Bolton

At-Large Member

Dr. Megan Bolton is a passionate nonprofit professional, driving positive change for empowerment and social impact. Throughout her career, she has served in program and operations management in nonprofits and city government. Dr. Bolton is a Program Manager at National Experienced Workforce Solutions, focused on workforce development with the federal government for adults aged 55 and older. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology of Communications, a master’s degree in Theological Studies, a master’s degree in Public Affairs: Nonprofit Management, and a PhD in Leadership & Change. She is a native of Michigan and, in her spare time, enjoys reading, concerts, and the outdoors in all seasons.

DR. KRITI VASHISHT
At-Large Member

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Dr. Kriti Vashisht

At-Large Member

Dr. Kriti Vashisht is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley in the School of Social Work. Her research primarily focuses on the theoretical foundations of social and political ontology and their implications for human rights, transformative/translational research paradigms, and sustainable community practices. She emphasizes the crucial role of mental health in the global development agenda, especially concerning migration, climate change, and sexual and reproductive justice. Currently, her projects include investigating gaps in critical pedagogy and qualitative research due to evolving social contexts, creating a digital story addressing mental health stigma, and finding sustainable methods for involving communities in research and practice.