Faculty Spotlight
Dr. La Toya Kissoon-Charles
Assistant Professor, Biology
Dr. La Toya Kissoon-Charles was born in Georgetown, Guyana where she developed a love
for water. She received her PhD in Environmental and Conservation Sciences from North
Dakota State University in Fargo, ND. Her dissertation research focused on biogeochemical
processes in the root zone of wetland plants and in shallow lake ecosystems. Dr. Kissoon-Charles
also received post-doc training in biology education research, which created a passion
for the science of learning and incorporating more math in her biology courses.
Dr. Kissoon-Charles is currently an Assistant Professor in the Biology department.
Her research group consists of biology undergraduate and graduate students studying
plants and pollutants in different wet ecosystems. Her students study relationships
between plant community composition of spring-fed ponds and changes in chemical and
physical habitat characteristics. Another group of her students study the impacts
of mining-contamination on leaf decomposition and macroinvertebrate abundance in Ozark
streams. She was awarded an assessment grant to study student views of the use of
math in core biology courses.
Faculty Spotlight Archive
-
Dr. Jamie Atkinson
Assistant Professor, Educational Foundations
Dr. Jamie C. Atkinson is an Assistant Professor of Educational Foundations in the College of Education's Department of Reading, Foundations, and Technology. Dr. Atkinson's primary research focuses on how sociopolitical mechanisms and ideological actors combine to drive state-level educational policymaking and how those same mechanisms inculcate student teachers into system justifying beliefs. Dr. Atkinson combines sociopolitical and sociohistorical contexts to examine schooling primarily from the middle 20th century as it relates to Civil Rights issues, the desegregation of schooling in the Southeast U.S., and is particularly interested in educational law as it pertains to Constitutional issues. He is the co-author of a two-time national award-winning book titled, Philanthropy, Hidden Strategy, and Collective Resistance: A Primer for Concerned Educators. His most recent journal article is titled Countering the Neos: Dewey and a Democratic Ethos in Teacher Education published in the journal Democracy and Education. Prior to Missouri State University, Dr. Atkinson attained his doctorate from the University of Georgia where he also taught courses both domestically and abroad in Scotland. His experience in K-12 education includes teaching courses in both middle and high schools including courses in Business Education and Science.
-
Dr. Gawon Yun
Assistant Professor, Logistics and Supply Chain Management
Dr. Gawon Yun is an Assistant Professor of Logistics and Supply Chain Management in the Department of Marketing. She joined Missouri State University in Fall 2020 after earning her doctorate in Operations and Supply Chain Management from the University of Rhode Island. Her research areas lie in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) and global supply chain decisions (e.g., offshoring and reshoring). Her research aims to connect theory and business practice by addressing the current important supply chain issues impacted by internal and external factors. Her instruction also reflects her research goals by providing experiential learning opportunities to students through guest speaker sessions, simulation games, and case studies. She currently teaches Introduction to Logistics and Supply Chain Management Sustainability at the College of Business.
Dr. Yun also enjoys working in a diverse environment where she can learn about different languages, cultures, and perspectives. Her personal and academic experience working with people from diverse cultural backgrounds throughout her academic training has motivated her as an educator to bring in business practices discussed in the global contexts to classroom. Due to her interest in diversity and inclusion, she has participated in many diversity training programs and served as a faculty member in the COB Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
-
Dr. Marijana Kotlaja
Assistant Professor, Criminology and Criminal Justice
Dr. Marijana Kotlaja is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. She researchers in the areas of cross-cross-national comparisons, neighborhood effects, and juvenile justice. As a researcher, she is constantly seeking opportunities to collect data and learn from the people she is surveying. She has collected survey data assessing moral and social behaviors in Belgrade, Serbia and Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, inquired about perceptions of stigma associated with youth on electronic monitors, and worked on research investigating mental health, COVID-19, and graduate student perceptions.
As an educator, she aims to create spaces where all students believe and feel they are capable of making contributions in the classroom. Dr. Kotlaja ensures she is achieving these goals by regularly asking for student feedback through course evaluations, midterm reflections, or verbal feedback on assignments, which allow her to adapt her teaching practices when necessary to increase student engagement and success in the course. Rather than conventional lecturing, Dr. Kotlaja’s courses are designed with multiple inclusive, active learning and culturally relevant pedagogical teaching strategies, such as interactive lectures, community service, peer-to-peer and group discussions, research projects, and flipped classrooms.
As a first-generation, Serbian, female in academia, Dr. Kotlaja has faced many challenges unique to each of these traits which have helped her to grow as both a scholar and educator. She has been fortunate to work with a variety of individuals both locally, regionally, and internationally who have inspirited her to succeed as a scholar and educator. Both her teaching and research emphasize social justice issues because of her work with these individuals and these locations. In both areas she tries to emphasize the importance of breaking down existing systemic barriers that prevent full equity for all groups in the U.S.
Dr. Kotlaja is also very passionate about service to the community. Thus far, she has served on the Prison-to-School Pipeline Coalition, Battlefield Comprehensive Task Force, Public Affairs Conference Committee, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice Newsletter Editor, and Fundraising Chair, Scholarship Committee, Program Committee for ACJS, and Executive Councilor of the Division of International Criminology, Editor of Inter-News, and Chair of the Social Media Committee-DIC, to name a few. Dr. Kotlaja is very excited to keep developing her connections in the Springfield, Missouri, and Missouri State University community.
-
Dr. Liza Cobos
Assistant Professor of Hospitality Leadership
Dr. Liza Cobos is an Assistant Professor of Hospitality Leadership. She publishes and presents in national and international conferences in the areas of consumer-facing technology in the lodging industry and recruitment challenges in the hospitality industry. As a researcher, she seeks opportunities to combine her industry experience to pursue practical solutions to current industry challenges. In her teaching efforts, Dr. Cobos enjoys sharing her experiences and knowledge with her students and helping them achieve their professional goals in their content area and beyond. In addition, she appreciates learning with her students since every group is different and learning is a never-ending endeavor for her.
Dr. Cobos started working in the hospitality industry in Puerto Rico during high school. That is when her love of hospitality started, as she developed an understanding of how tourism can impact the local economy. Before working in higher education, Dr. Cobos worked in mortgage banking and the lodging industry.
Dr. Cobos attended Loyola University New Orleans where she obtained a B.B.A in Management. She decided to return to hospitality and pursue a M.S. in hospitality and tourism management from University of Central Florida Rosen College of Hospitality Management. Following graduation, she started working the vacation ownership industry in different capacities including data entry, trainer and revenue manager. After several years of working in the hospitality industry and teaching at different institutions in Florida, she obtained a PhD in Hospitality Management from UCF.
As a faculty member with a diverse background, Dr. Cobos seeks opportunities to use her international personal and professional experiences to connect with students who have similar backgrounds. When teaching, Dr. Cobos uses different examples gained from her global perspective. The skills gained throughout her wide career allow her to integrate them to teach the same concept or idea in singular ways to make the subject relevant and meaningful to students. Her students describe her as an exemplary role model here at Missouri State University.
Dr. Cobos hopes that having students engage with professors with international backgrounds allows them to open their mind to a variety of new ideas to gain and embrace personal and professional abilities. This is one of her main objectives in the classroom, bringing a global vision for students.
When Dr. Cobos started at MSU was assigned to teach a graduate course when she first began her assignment as an educator. This provided her with an opportunity to develop some research opportunities along with her students. Since the Fall of 2019, she has been working with a graduate student to convert a class project into a case study on the topic of Change Management Strategies for the Food Service Industry. They have recently received a confirmation of acceptance of this project in an international referred journal which focuses on cases for the hospitality industry (Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Cases). This is the first time she is able to work with a graduate student to develop and publish their work. Dr. Cobos is very proud and excited to provide research opportunities for students. Missouri State University is very fortunate to have Dr. Cobos among faculty members. She is an example of commitment and dedication. She is an outstanding global ambassador for our student body and community.