Four faculty members are primarily responsible for doctoral education in the PKL. These include Drs. Kim C. Graber, Amelia Mays Woods, Kevin Andrew Richards, and Wesley J. Wilson. Drs. Kristi Carlson and Jamie O’Connor supplement the doctoral program by teaching courses, serving on committees, advising students, and periodically engaging lab research. Drs. Richards and Wilson are the current co-directors of the PKL, although all faculty members in the lab collaborate and share resources. Doctoral students will likely have opportunities to work with and be mentored by all program area faculty members during their doctoral program.
Kim C. Graber, Ed.D.
Dr. Graber is Professor and Interim Head in the Department of Health and Kinesiology and the former Director of the Campus Honors Program at the University of Illinois. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa, her master’s from Columbia University Teachers College, and her doctorate from the University of Massachusetts. Her research interests include children’s wellness, legislative policy mandates, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. She has published numerous articles in peer-refereed journals and books and has presented her work at dozens of national and international conferences. She is a University of Illinois Distinguished Teacher/Scholar and received the Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. She is Fellow #526 in the National Academy of Kinesiology and a Fellow in SHAPE America.
Amelia Mays Woods, Ph.D.
Dr. Woods is the James K. & Karen S. McKechnie Professor in the Department of Health and Kinesiology and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Applied Health Sciences. She holds a PhD from the University of South Carolina, an MS from the University of Tennessee, and a BS from Winthrop University. Her research focuses on advancing school-based physical activity and understanding and enhancing teacher development. Dr. Woods is a Fellow in the National Academy of Kinesiology and the Society of Health and Physical Educators. She is a recipient of the University of Illinois Distinguished Teacher/ScholarAward, the Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Education, and the Winthrop University Distinguished Alumna Award. She is also a recipient of the Society for Health and Physical Educators’ Curriculum and Instruction Academy Honor Award, which recognizes exceptional contributions to research.
Kevin Andrew Richards, Ph.D.
Dr. Richards is an associate professor of physical education and co-director of the lab. He studied physical education at Springfield College before completing his master’s and doctoral degrees at Purdue University. He remained at Purdue University for a post-doctoral research appointment in the Center for Instructional Excellence before faculty stints at Northern Illinois University and the University of Alabama. Richards’ scholarship focuses on the recruitment, education and ongoing socialization of physical education teachers. His focus on teacher socialization has extended to examine the socialization of physical education teacher education (PETE) graduate students and faculty members. He also coordinates and conducts research on physical activity programs that seek to promote social and emotional learning, primarily through the teaching personal and social responsibility (TPSR) model.
Wesley J. Wilson, Ph.D.
Dr. Wilson is an assistant professor of adapted physical education/activity and co-director of the lab. He received his undergraduate degree in physical education and health education from Purdue University before continuing his studies in adapted physical activity at Oregon State University (master’s) and adapted physical education at University of Virginia (Ph.D.). Since graduation, Wilson has held faculty appointments at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the University of Utah. His scholarship focuses more broadly in adapted physical education and more specifically in the socialization of adapted physical educators. Wilson explores the lived experiences of adapted physical educators regarding their beliefs and behaviors toward inclusion, special education law implementation, and their experiences in teacher education and the workplace. He also examines the subjective experiences of people who experience disability within a variety of physical education and physical activity settings. More recently, Wilson’s line of research has expanded to explore the influence of adapted physical activity service-learning programs on preservice university students and the children they serve.
Jamie O’Connor, Ph.D.
Dr. O’Connor is a Teaching Associate Professor in the Department of Health and Kinesiology. Earning her BS, MS and PhD at the UIUC, she is thrilled to work alongside the next generation of physical educators. With regard to scholarship, she is interested in the ways in which various forms of bullying affect students’ experiences in physical education settings. Her primary goal as a scholar is to contribute to the existing literature regarding this important topic and to help students, as agents of research and as future educators, apply evidence to their own teaching practices.
Kristi Carlson, Ph.D.
Dr. Carlson, a three-time graduate of the UIUC, has been teaching in the Department of Health and Kinesiology since 2012. Dr. Carlson specializes in physical education teacher education, teaching in the areas of physical education methods and motor development, but also teaches a number of core classes related to motor learning, movement analysis, and professional preparation. Dr. Carlson also serves as the Pedagogy Coordinator for the department, through which she assists with program admittance, teacher licensure, and state and program requirements. Her research interests focus on teacher licensure requirements and integrating both fitness and academic concepts throughout the physical education curriculum.