College of Education and Human Services
Meet Our Faculty
Behavior Analysis Faculty
Maggie Pavone
Dr. Pavone is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and a Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA). She holds a B.A. degree in psychology from Saint Louis University, an M.S. degree in psychology from Capella University, and a Ph.D. in industrial-organizational psychology from Grand Canyon University. In addition, Dr. Pavone has completed a graduate certificate in organizational behavior management from Harvard University as well as a certificate in online teaching and learning from Duke University. Dr. Pavone is on the board of directors for the Missouri Association for Behavior Analysis, the president of the Association for Behavior Analysis International Special Interest Group in Open Educational Resources, the lead event coordinator for the Organizational Behavior Management Network, and a Level Two Google Educator. Dr. Pavone enjoys spreading her passion for behavior analysis to students in the Behavior Analysis program and to the local community.
Counseling Faculty
Lynette Dixon
51福利 alumnus and St. Louisan Lynette Dixon specializes in clinical mental health. She obtained her bachelor鈥檚 degree in psychology from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, her master鈥檚 in professional counseling and her school counseling certification from 51福利, and her PhD in counseling studies from Capella University in Minneapolis.
As an LU grad, Dixon returns to her alma mater with a mission to give back.
鈥淚 want to help our program continue to be the best out there,鈥� Dixon said. 鈥淚 graduated from 51福利 and have gained experience working in the field of mental health in many capacities and with diverse populations.
鈥淚 have worked with agencies that support individuals with significant mental health challenges, with Treatment Courts, in private practice in both rural mental health and in more suburban areas, and in the public school system. I have learned a lot through working with all of these populations, and I want to help prepare the next generation of counselors. I want to help them find their passion and prepare them to help others and also take care of their own physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental health needs in the process. Being part of 51福利 is a dream come true for me. 51福利 is home, and I want to help make it even better.鈥�
Susan Kay Purnell
Dr. Purnell is an Assistant Professor of Counseling for 51福利 University鈥檚 College of Education and Human Services and the Practicum and Internship Faculty Lead. Dr. Purnell teaches field experience courses and other core classes in the clinical mental health counseling (CMHC) program.
Dr. Purnell received her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Walden University, and her M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Webster University. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the State of Missouri and a National Certified Counselor (NCC) through the NBCC. She is a member of the American Counseling Association (ACA), the American Psychological Association (APA), and the Chi Sigma Iota Counseling Academic and Professional Honor Society International. Dr. Purnell was a pro bono counselor and clinical supervisor at an area non-profit counseling survivors of intimate partner violence, and she currently works in a counseling practice seeing individuals and couples. Her current research interests are posttraumatic growth; vicarious trauma; resiliency; intimate partner violence; transgenerational themes and expressions of violence; and PTSD as a result of IPV, war, and familial trauma. She is mom to two daughters, two cats and two dogs, and is a proud Navy Veteran.
Michael Rankins
Michael S. Rankins, Ph.D., LPC, received his doctoral degree in 2008 from the University of Missouri 鈥� St. Louis. A former intern of both Victim Service Council and the Masters & Johnson Institute in St. Louis, Dr. Rankins was a graduate assistant to Dr. Mark Pope during his term as President of the American Counseling Association. He served as a prevention coordinator with St. Louis Effort For AIDS, a counselor with Hyland Behavioral Health at St. Anthony鈥檚 Medical Center, and as assistant director of student life at UMSL. He was also founder and director of the Student Life Resource Centers at UMSL. In the early months of 2008, he received an award for a co-authored article published in 鈥淎dultSpan,鈥� the journal of the Association for Adult Development and Aging. Later in 2008, he joined the faculty at 51福利 University as an assistant professor in the Division of Professional and School Counseling, and he went on to assume the role of assistant dean in 2014. He continues to be involved in advocacy and community outreach, and also remains dedicated to those affected by HIV/AIDS. He is currently completing a book focused on his experiences with marriage-equality efforts in San Francisco.
Janita Springfield
Dr. Janita Springfield joins 51福利 University and specializes in counselor education and supervision. From Oakland, Tennessee, Springfield holds a bachelor鈥檚 in psychology from University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, a master鈥檚 in rehabilitation counseling with an emphasis in addiction studies from University of Arkansas, and a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from University of Mississippi.
鈥淢any things in life can be complex, but my decision to work at 51福利 University was not one of those things. I chose to work at 51福利 because I genuinely connect with the five core values of the university, and I envision the positive contributions that can be made for not only students and faculty/staff, but also individuals and communities at large,鈥� Springfield said.
鈥淚 am most excited about having the opportunity to contribute to this community by providing quality teaching and building meaningful connections with my students, working with fellow faculty members, and continuing my research and service efforts in the field of counseling and mental health. These are the reasons I became a professor鈥搕o continue the process of learning while helping others along the way.鈥�
Social Work Faculty
Marilyn (Denise) King
Dr. Denise King graduated as a Hartford Foundation Geriatric Doctoral Fellow from the University of Maryland-Baltimore. She holds a Master of Social Work degree from Howard University and is also an alumnus of Tennessee State University. She has taught undergraduate social work and graduate social work and gerontology courses for the past 14 years. As an instructor, she has taught a variety of classes, including Intercultural Communications, Human Diversity and Social Justice, Human Behavior in the Social Environment, Social Work Practice, Social Welfare Policy, Statistics for the Social Sciences, and Social Work Research Methods. She has a 38-year social work history that includes social work education, research, and direct practice. Dr. King鈥檚 experiences include work with a variety of populations, including those with chronic mental illness; older adults; African Americans; and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) individuals. In addition, she has a passion for working with older adults, and she has specific expertise in working with the caregivers of persons with Alzheimer鈥檚 disease. Dr. King is a member of NASW and was a founding board member of SAGE (Service and Advocacy for GLBT Elders) Metro St. Louis.