The Watson College is pleased to introduce new faculty members Sarah Bonner, Larissa Malone, Andrea Perrone, Samantha Silberstein and Ryan Wennerlind. We are also pleased to introduce new staff members Kimberly Orick and Shawn Sproatt. Please join us in welcoming them all to UNCW!
Sarah Bonner earned her Ed.D. in Teaching and Learning from Illinois State University. Along the way, she also earned a master’s degree in Reading from Illinois State and a BS in Middle Grades Education from Eastern Illinois University. Over the duration of this time, Dr. Bonner continued to be a practicing middle grades Language Arts teacher for 20 years. She has served as a partnership teacher for Illinois State University as well as taught as an adjunct professor for the ISU middle level department and mentored preservice teachers.
Dr. Bonner’s research focuses on middle grades language arts, inquiry methods, teacher attrition and mentorship, design-based research, social justice pedagogy and teacher transformation. Her record of scholarship includes eight published journal articles, three published book chapters, nine research presentations, one published book and multiple invited and teaching writings and presentations. Her work has been published in Middle Grades Review, Middle School Journal, and Voices in the Middle. Dr. Bonner not only serves the Watson College of Education and the local school communities, but also currently serves as chair of the Middle Level Section Steering Committee for the National Council of Teachers of English. Additionally, she was awarded the 2018 NCTE Media Literacy Teacher of the Year, the 2019 NCTE Halle Outstanding Middle Level Educator of the Year, and the 2024 Divergent Award for Excellence in Literacy in a Digital Age Research for her dissertation "You have to find your people: A Design-based approach to transforming teacher practices using socially just innovation."
Larissa Malone, Ph.D. joins WCE from the University of Southern Maine, where she was an Associate Professor and Chair of the Teacher Education Department. Dr. Malone earned a doctorate in Cultural Foundations of Education at Kent State University, a MA in Education from Walsh University, and a BA in International Studies from Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Malone also holds a primary teacher certification from the American Montessori Internationale and taught early childhood and early elementary grades, as well as served as an administrator in a bilingual community-based school, before joining the ranks of higher education.
Dr. Malone’s research centers on the minoritized experience in schooling, inclusive of students, parents, and teachers and has published in The Journal of Negro Education, Educational Studies, and The Journal of Critical Race Inquiry. She is particularly interested in the intersection of education, race, and tangential disciplines, such as religion, geography, and identity development. Dr. Malone founded Maine Black Educators Collective, a grant-funded organization that holds the mission of supporting Black educators through educational opportunities social-emotional connection, and advocacy, and received the inaugural Maine Education Association’s 2022 Human and Civile Right Award for this initiative. Dr. Malone’s greatest joys are her family, playing tennis, politics, reading, and a warm ocean breeze. Her calling in life is to create a more equitable world through the power of education.
Andrea Perrone earned her B.M. in Music Education from Ithaca College and her M.Ed. in Curriculum Studies for Equity in Education from UNCW. She is an 11-year veteran of the North Carolina public school system where she taught students from Pre-K through 12th grade. Most recently, she taught music in Orange County Schools where she was district Teacher of the Year finalist and enjoyed facilitating district professional development on arts-based multiliteracy through the lens of equity and inclusion.
In addition to her service to public education, Andrea develops and facilitates professional development for teachers as a Fellow with the A+ Schools Program of North Carolina. The A+ Schools Program of NC supports schools and teachers in developing a creative culture in which state standards are taught through collaboration and multi-disciplinary integration, weaving the arts into children's learning experiences. A fierce public-school advocate, Andrea is excited to teach future teachers about integrating the arts into the elementary curriculum, and to support students in their first teaching experiences in the Block!
When she is not at Watson, Andrea enjoys spending time on the beach with her husband and her dog Levi, cooking and trying new foods, reading, thrifting, traveling, and playing music!
Samantha Silberstein joined the faculty at UNCW in 2021. She served as a lecturer, and more recently, as coordinator of WCE’s masters in Higher Education, before accepting the role of tenure-track assistant professor in July. She earned her Ph.D. in Higher Education with a minor in Inquiry Methodology from Indiana University, Bloomington and M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from William & Mary. Prior to pursuing graduate studies, Samantha worked in education and nonprofit management. She earned her B.S. in Natural Resources Recreation and Tourism from Colorado State University.
Her scholarship broadly explores students’ co-curricular and non-curricular learning, recognizing that the student learning experience is not isolated to the classroom but exists holistically. Samantha’s research agenda seeks to answer three questions: (1) How have co-curricular and noncurricular learning environment been shaped by systems of oppression?; (2) What is the role of student affairs pedagogy in student learning and development?; And (3) In what ways can methodology serve as a source of learning and liberation for participants? This research agenda translates to employing critical and innovative methodologies to uplift the voices and expertise of participants while simultaneously critiquing the dominate learning environments through a critical whiteness and feminist lens.
Outside academia, Samantha enjoys hiking, collaging, and is a Trap-Neuter-Return volunteer and advocate.
Ryan Wennerlind comes to UNCW from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) where he is finishing his Ph.D. in Special Education and where he was the director of the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders and Project FOCUS. As director of Project FOCUS, Ryan had the opportunity to help individuals with intellectual disabilities attend UNLV working towards the programs certificate, increase independent living skills, and obtain integrated competitive employment opportunities. Previous to UNLV, Ryan worked as a teacher in a high school teaching individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Ryan’s research interests are guided by his teaching experiences and work with individuals with intellectual disabilities. Areas of interest include transition and postsecondary education, variables impacting inclusive education, and characteristics of effective school leadership for students with intellectual disabilities. Past research has included investigating the use of technology when increasing independent living skills, evidence-based practices teaching individual job-related tasks and skills, and variables impacting healthcare facing individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Ryan comes to Wilmington with his wife Karmann, son Kai, and daughters Kamryn and Kendall. Family life is busy with sports (basketball, baseball, and golf) and dance. In his free time, Ryan enjoys playing golf and watching various sports.
In May, Kimberly Orick joined the ITFSE Department in a temporary role as an Administrative Support Associate. She was permanently hired for the position in August. She moved to Wilmington with her husband earlier this year from Concord, NC where she enjoyed a 22-year career in property management. Kimberly grew up in Virginia and earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Virginia at Wise. She is a wife to a retired military veteran, and they have two amazing daughters who live in Georgia and Texas. In her spare time, she enjoys going to the beach, gardening, cooking and traveling.
Shawn Sproatt joined APS in July as an Administrative Associate. Originally from Beaufort, SC, Shawn graduated from College of Charleston with a BA in Theater. She moved to Wilmington in March 2014 and is excited to join the UNCW family after working as an administrative assistant in the office of a heating and cooling company. She is very active in the local theater community, and previously served as President of the Board of Directors for the theater company Big Dawg Productions. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, acting in and attending plays, and hanging out with her dog, Daisy.
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