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Faculty and Staff

Department of Criminal Justice College of Liberal Arts

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Department of Criminal Justice
Edinburg ELABN 321
Brownsville BMSLC 3.211
Email: cj@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 665-3566 Edinburg
Phone Alt: (956) 882-8260 Brownsville
Fax: (956) 665-2490
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Faculty and Staff

Faculty

Gordon A. Crews, Ph.D.

Gordon A. Crews, Ph.D.
Chair and Keith A. Ferguson Endowed Professor

Doctor of Philosophy, Elementary Education, University of South Carolina, 1995

Specializations:

  • K-12 School Violence
  • Juvenile Delinquency and Violence
  • Law Enforcement and Correctional Policy and Procedures

Email:
gordon.crews@utrgv.edu
Phone:
(956) 665-2135
(956) 882-8260
Office:
ELABN 321

Joseph Appiahene-Gyamfi, Ph.D.

Joseph Appiahene-Gyamfi, Ph.D.
Professor

Doctor of Philosophy, Criminology, Simon Fraser University, 2000

Specializations:

  • Phenomena of Crime
  • Criminological theories
  • Pattern theory/Environmental criminology
  • Criminal Justice Policy Analysis
  • Violent crime
  • Comparative/World CJ Systems

Email:
joseph.appiahenegyamfi@utrgv.edu
Phone:
(956) 665-7061
Office:
ELABN 328

Dianna C. Blankenship, Ph.D.

Dianna C. Blankenship, Ph.D.
Lecturer III

Doctor of Philosophy, Nutrition, Texas Woman’s University, 1982
J.D., Texas Wesleyan School of Law, 1995

Specializations:

  • Student perceptions of online education
  • procrastination and academic performance of online students
  • legal education
  • Online juror information in predominately Hispanic counties

Email:
dianna.blankenship@utrgv.edu
Phone:
(956) 882-8260
(956) 997-6633
Office:
Virtual Office

Ben Brown, Ph.D.

Ben Brown, Ph.D.
Professor

Doctor of Philosophy, Sociology, Kansas State University, 1995

Specializations:

  • Law Enforcement (community policing, public perceptions of police, etc.)
  • Juvenile Delinquency/Justice
  • Homeland Security (border security, technology, etc.)
  • Fear of Crime

Email:
benjamin.brown@utrgv.edu
Phone:
(956) 882-8813
Office:
BMSLC 3.236

Mark Dantzker, Ph.D.

Mark Dantzker, Ph.D.
Professor

Doctor of Philosophy, Urban Studies/Administration/Criminal Justice, University of Texas-Arlington, 1989
Doctor of Philosophy, Clinical Psychology, Walden University, 2010

Specializations:

  • Police and Psychology
  • Policing and Job satisfaction
  • Organizational Structure and policy

Email:
mark.dantzker@utrgv.edu
Phone:
(956) 665-7003
Office:
ELABN 353

Mario Davila, Ph.D.

Mario Davila, Ph.D.
Professor / Internship Coordinator (BRO)

Doctor of Philosophy, Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University, 2005

Specializations:

  • Criminology
  • Child Maltreatment
  • Corrections
  • White Collar Crime
  • Organized Crime

Email:
mario.davila@utrgv.edu
Phone:
(956) 882-7759
Office:
BMSLC 3.239

Marika Dawkins, Ph.D.

Marika Dawkins, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator

Doctor of Philosophy, Juvenile Justice, Prairie View A&M University, 2013

Specializations:

  • Comparative Juvenile Justice
  • Delinquency Prevention
  • Crime and Justice in the Caribbean
  • Race and Ethnicity in the Criminal Justice System

Email:
marika.dawkins@utrgv.edu
Phone:
(956) 665-3708
Office:
ELABN 307

Denise Deleon, MSCJ

Denise Deleon, MSCJ
Lecturer II

Master of Science, Criminal Justice, University of Texas- Pan American, 2015

Specializations:

  • Environmental Crime and Justice
  • Criminal Justice
  • Research Methods

Email:
denise.deleon01@utrgv.edu
Phone:
(956) 665-3233
Office:
ELABN 304

Elizabeth Deven-Hernandez, MSCJ

Elizabeth Deven-Hernandez, MSCJ
Lecturer I

Master of Science, Criminal Justice, University of Texas Pan American, 2004

Specializations:

  • Corrections with a Concentration in Probation and Parole

Email:
elizabeth.devenhernandez@utrgv.edu
Phone:
(956) 665-2961
Office:
ELABN 315

Marguerite DeWitt, J.D., M.D.

Marguerite DeWitt, J.D., M.D.
Lecturer II

Doctor of Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, 1980
Juris Doctor, University of Maine School of Law, 1999

Specializations:

  • Forensic Pathology
  • Crime Scene and Medical Legal Forensic Investigations
  • Legal Aspects of Evidence and Criminal Procedure
  • The Constitutional Aspects of Criminal Investigations
  • Child Death, Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Investigations

Email:
marguerite.dewitt@utrgv.edu
Phone:
(956) 882-6569
Office:
BMSLC 3.226

Summer Diamond, MS

Summer Diamond, MS
Lecturer I

Master of Science, Justice Policy, University of Texas at San Antonio, 2014

Specializations:

  • Policing and Corrections

Email:
summer.diamond@utrgv.edu
Phone:
(956) 665-5833
Office:
ELABN 328

Lucas Espinoza, Ph.D.

Lucas Espinoza, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor

Doctor of Philosophy, Sociology, Texas Woman’s University, 2016

Specializations:

  • Culture and Identity
  • Latin@ Disparities
  • Social Justice Rights/Issues
  • Gender & Women's Studies
  • Mexican American Studies
  • Social Science Methodology & Statistics

Email:
lucas.espinoza01@utrgv.edu
Phone:
(956) 665-8757
Office:
ELABN 332

Philip Ethridge, Ph.D.

Philip Ethridge, Ph.D.
Associate Professor

Doctor of Philosophy, Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University, 1990

Specializations:

  • Terrorism
  • Criminal Justice Agency Management

Email:
philip.ethridge@utrgv.edu
Phone:
(956) 665-3660
Office:
ELABN 337

Deborah Hartley, Ph.D.

Deborah Hartley, Ph.D.
Professor

Doctor of Philosophy, Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University, 2008

Specializations:

  • Child Maltreatment
  • Violent Crime
  • Corrections
  • Assessment

Email:
deborah.hartley@utrgv.edu
Phone:
(956) 882-7266
Office:
BMSLC 3.238

Saul Hernandez, MSCJ

Saul Hernandez, MSCJ
Lecturer II

Master of Science, Criminal Justice, University of Texas- Pan American, 2013

Specializations:

  • Terrorism
  • Corrections
  • Community Policing

Email:
saul.hernandez01@utrgv.edu
Phone:
(956) 665-7016
Office:
ELABN 336

Mary King, MA

Mary King, MA
Lecturer II

Master of Arts, Criminal Justice with a Specialization in Investigative Criminology, Seattle University, 2013

Specializations:

  • Investigative Criminology

Email:
mary.jordan@utrgv.edu
Phone:
(956) 665-5832
Office:
ELABN 329

Yudu Li, Ph.D.

Yudu Li, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor

Doctor of Philosophy, Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University, 2016

Specializations:

  • Comparative Criminology/Criminal Justice
  • Court and Sentencing
  • Death Penalty Study
  • Law Enforcement and Administration
  • Criminological Theories

Email:
yudu.li@utrgv.edu
Phone:
(956) 665-2339
Office:
ELABN 305

Robert Magee, MPA

Robert Magee, MPA
Lecturer II

Master of Public Administration, National University, 2009

Specializations:

  • Criminal Justice Leadership, Management and Organization
  • Privatized Corrections/Prisons
  • Immigration Law Enforcement
  • Conservation/Wildlife Law Enforcement

Email:
robert.magee@utrgv.edu
Phone:
(956) 665-5299
Office:
ELABN 309

Fernando Muñoz, MA

Fernando Muñoz, MA
Lecturer I

Master of Arts, Sociology, Western Michigan University 1978

Specializations:

  • Probation and Parole
  • Corrections
  • Statistics

Email:
fernando.munoz@utrgv.edu
Phone:
(956) 665-5299
Office:
ELABN 309

Noel Otu, Ph.D.

Noel Otu, Ph.D.
Professor

Doctor of Philosophy, Criminology, Florida State University, 1995

Specializations:

  • Law Enforcement---(Police---Management, Brutality, Liability Insurance, Culture, Etc.)
  • Violence (Police and Citizens)

Email:
noel.otu@utrgv.edu
Phone:
(956) 882-8995
Office:
BMSLC 3.237

Rachel Rayburn, Ph.D.

Rachel Rayburn, Ph.D.
Associate Professor

Doctor of Philosophy, Sociology, University of Central Florida, 2011

Specializations:

  • Applied Sociology/Evaluation Research
  • Deviance, Qualitative Research Methods
  • Poverty & Homelessness
  • Alcohol and Drugs
  • Policing
  • Criminal Justice
  • Research Methods

Email:
rachel.rayburn@utrgv.edu
Phone:
(956) 665-5831
Office:
ELABN 345

Rosalva Resendiz, Ph.D.

Rosalva Resendiz, Ph.D.
Associate Professor

Doctor of Philosophy, Sociology, Texas Woman's University, 2001

Specialization:

  • Gender & Women’s Studies/Chicana Feminism
  • Organized Crime
  • Critical Criminology
  • Mexican American/Border Studies
  • Social Theory

Email:
rosalva.resendiz@utrgv.edu
Phone:
(956) 665-8074
Office:
ELABN 311

Steve Romero, MA

Steve Romero, MA
Lecturer I

Master of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Texas at Arlington, 2019

Specializations:
· Use of Force
· Law Enforcement Tactics
· Law Enforcement Policy and Procedures
· White Collar Crime
· Violent Crime
· Federal Rules of Court Procedures
· Rules of Evidence
· Women in Law Enforcement
· Environmental Criminology

Email:
TBA
Phone:
TBA
Office:
TBA

Michael Sanchez, Ph.D.

Michael Sanchez, Ph.D.
Lecturer II

Doctor of Philosophy, Business Administration with a Specialization in Criminal Justice, Northcentral University, 2016

Specializations:

  • International Policing
  • Leadership and Management
  • Police and Correctional Use of Force
  • Law Enforcement Operations

Email:
michael.sanchez@utrgv.edu
Phone:
(956) 882-7844
Office:
BMSLC 3.227

Thomas White, JD., Ph.D.

Thomas White, JD., Ph.D.
Associate Professor

Doctor of Philosophy, Political Science, Texas A&M University, 2003
Juris Doctor, Law, University of Houston, 1980

Specializations:

  • Constitutional Rights and Criminal Justice

Email:
thomas.white@utrgv.edu
Phone:
(956) 665-5298
Office:
ELABN 305

Youngki Woo, Ph.D.

Youngki Woo, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor

Doctor of Philosophy, Criminal Justice, Washington State University, 2019

Specializations:

  • Cannabis research
  • Theories of crime and delinquency
  • Incarceration and punishment
  • Corrections
  • Victimization
  • Race/gender/class and crime
  • Quantitative Methods

Email:
youngki.woo@utrgv.edu
Phone:
(956) 882-7446
Office:
BMSLC 3.228

Staff

Christina Avilez

Christina Avilez
Administrative Assistant II

Email:
christina.loera@utrgv.edu
Phone:
956-665-2135
Office:
ELABN 321

Olivia Gutierrez

Olivia Gutierrez
Administrative Assistant II

Email:
olivia.gutierrez@utrgv.edu
Phone:
956-882-8260
Office:
BSETB 1108
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