UTRGV | Faculty Bio's

Faculty Bio's

Antonio Aguirre

Clinical Assistant Professor
Phone: (956) 882-5068
Email: antonio.aguirre@utrgv.edu
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Russell Armstrong

Lecturer
Phone: (956) 665-7036
Email: russell.armstrong@utrgv.edu
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Russell was born in Livingston Montana July 1947. He moved with family at one year of age to housing in Mammoth Hot Springs, headquarters for Yellowstone Nat. Park. He attended a two room elementary school at the park headquarters. He attended middle school and high school in the small town of Gardiner, Montana where he graduated second in his class of 16. He was active in speech and drama competing on district and state level tournaments. He also played basketball.

He attended Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana and then transferred sophomore year to the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana where he graduated with a Bachelor Arts History and Political Science with a life time Montana Teaching Certificate.

Armstrong was hired to teach all sections of social studies grades 7-12 in a small school in Rudyard, Montana, a wheat farming community 7 miles south of the Canadian border. This assignment also included other duties of head basketball coach, assistant football coach and head girls track coach. After two years of teaching he moved his wife, two children, two dogs and a cat and their 60 foot mobile home to Texas. He traded his personal vehicle for a used mobile home truck in order to move the mobile home on his own.

Armstrong next adventure found him planning and developing a Winter Texas Recreational Village in Pharr, Texas. He oversaw the design, construction and operations of the 1000 site RV resort with and opening for business in November 1978. He sold the resort in 1983 and invested his funds in the construction of a large conference center known as the El Bingo Grande and operated this business until 1989. The facility is now owned by the City of Pharr and known as the Pharr Events Center.

In 1991 Armstrong made the decision to return to school and moved to San Marcos, Texas graduating with a Masters of Health Care Administration May 1995. He was then hired by the Department of State Health Services where he served in various administrative positions until his retirement June 2013.

While employed by the state now under the Health and Human services Commission, Russell again returned to school and enrolled in the Master Rehabilitation Counseling Program at UT-PA. Graduating with MS Rehabilitation Counseling 2009. He passed the CRC exam and the National Counselor Exam, becoming an LPC in 2010. He has maintained his Licensed Professional Counselor status and sees clients in his Equine Facilitated Counseling practice in Edinburg. He also has applied and been selected for the past four academic years as full time faculty in the School of Rehabilitation.

Eluterio Blanco

Clinical Assistant Professor
Phone: (956) 665-5240
Email: eluterio.blanco01@utrgv.edu
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Roy Chen

Professor
Phone: (956) 665-3590
Email: roy.chen@utrgv.edu
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Abdoulaye Diallo

Associate Professor
Phone: (956) 665-3151
Email: abdoulaye.diallo@utrgv.edu
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Jerome Fischer

Professor/ PhD Coordinator
Phone: (956) 665-3235
Email: jerome.fischer@utrgv.edu
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Lynn Fisher

Lecturer
Phone: (956) 665-3152
Email: lynn.fischer@utrgv.edu
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Rene Gonzalez

Associate Professor
Phone: (956) 665-2672
Email: rene.gonzalez@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Rene Gonzalez, is an Associate Professor in the School of Rehabilitation Services and Counseling at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Dr. Gonzalez obtained his doctoral degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC). He teaches undergraduate, masters and doctoral courses. Dr. Gonzalez was appointed to the Rehabilitation Council of Texas by Governor Rick Perry. The Rehabilitation Council of Texas (RCT) advocates for people with disabilities in the vocational rehabilitation process to ensure Texans with disabilities have access to an effective vocational rehabilitation service delivery system leading to employment. Dr. Gonzalez has clinical experience in providing psychotherapy/counseling for, predominantly, Latino/Hispanic with various disabling conditions to attain and maintain employment and/or attending post-secondary training. Dr. Gonzalez’ areas of expertise include: virtues and character strengths, resilience, psychosocial adaptation to chronic illness and disability, and vocational rehabilitation outcomes. Dr. Gonzalez co-authored several peer-reviewed publications relative to virtues and character traits, resilience, positive psychology, and psychosocial adaptation to chronic illness and disability. Dr. Gonzalez also authored and co-authored peer-reviewed publications relative to rehabilitation outcomes for individuals with substance use disorders, older persons with diabetes, older stroke survivors, and caregiver burden and Hispanic caregiving. In the area of grants, Dr. Gonzalez served as Principal Investigator for a grant funded through a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) and Morehouse College as the administrative coordinating body. In addition, Dr. Gonzalez served as Co-PI of an RSA long-term training grant.

Noreen Graf

Professor
Phone: (956) 665-7344
Email: noreen.graf@utrgv.edu
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Saara T. Grizzell

Assistant Professor
Phone: (956) 665-5270
Email: saara.grizzell@utrgv.edu
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Silvia Gutierrez-Leal

Lecturer
Phone: (956) 665-7041
Email: silvia.gutierrezleal01@utrgv.edu
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Silvia Gutierrez-Leal is a graduate from the University of Texas Pan American where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a double minor in Addiction Studies and Rehabilitation Counseling. After a short career in education she decided to return to UT-Pan American to earn a Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling. Silvia is experienced in working with individuals of varied ages, cultures, demographics, and numerous medical and psychological issues.

Silvia has served as a Transitional Vocational Counselor for the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitation Services, now Texas Workforce Commission. In this role she assisted individuals with cognitive, learning, physical, and mental disabilities. She worked collaboratively with school officials and community representatives to identify and work through barriers in education and employment in an effort to promote independent living for transitioning youth. Some of her areas of specialization include Anxiety Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and Vocational Counseling.

At UT-Rio Grande Valley, Ms. Gutierrez is charged with teaching an array of courses that include Assessments in Human Services, Medical Aspects, Assistive Technology, and Case Management. She has a special interest in assessments as it pertains to their administration, interpretation, and reporting. With this, her goal is to educate future clinicians in understanding and interpreting such information to identify and maximize services for potential consumers.

Ms. Gutierrez is a dedicated educator focused on promoting the advancement of students in the field of Rehabilitation Services and Counseling.

Sandra Hansmann

Associate Professor
Phone: (956) 665-5108
Email: sandra.hansmann@utrgv.edu
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Irmo Marini

Professor
Phone: (956) 665-7035
Email: irmo.marini@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Irmo Marini is a Professor in the School of Rehabilitation at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley. He earned his master’s in clinical psychology from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Canada, and his Ph.D. in Rehabilitation from Auburn University in Alabama. Dr. Marini earned two outstanding faculty research awards at Arkansas State, three more faculty research awards at Pan-American, two outstanding teaching awards at Pan-American, and one service award. On a national level, Dr. Marini was the recipient of the 2009 Distinguished Career in Rehabilitation Education award by the National Council on Rehabilitation Education, and a year later received the 2010 James F. Garrett Distinguished Career award in rehabilitation research by the American Rehabilitation Counseling Association. He was also voted the National Council on Rehabilitation Education’s 2013 recipient of the Rehabilitation Educator of the year award. He also received the Patricia McCollom distinguished career award in life care planning research in 2015. To date, he has published over 85 peer-reviewed journal publications, 40 book chapters, and co-authored and co-edited 7 books on counseling and rehabilitation counseling psychology related topics. Dr. Marini is former President of the American Rehabilitation Counseling Association and former Chair of the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification. Dr. Marini has maintained a forensic life care planning and vocational expert private practice since 1994.

Dr. Irmo Marini's research interests include psychosocial aspects of disability, forensic rehabilitation research issues, attitudes toward disability, spinal cord injury issues, social injustice, oppression and disability, and positive psychology.

Diana Mendez

Lecturer
Phone: (956) 665-5110
Email: diana.mendez@utrgv.edu
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Fidencio Mercado

Clinical Assistant Professor
Phone: (956) 665-3074
Email: fidencio.mercado@utrgv.edu
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Eva Miller

Professor
Phone: (956) 665-5270
Email: eva.miller@utrgv.edu
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Kim Nguyen-Finn

Lecturer
Phone: (956) 665-5244
Email: kim.finn01@utrgv.edu
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Elizabeth Palacios

Clinical Assistant Professor / Graduate Coordinator
Phone: (956) 665-3734
Email: elizabeth.palacios@utrgv.edu
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Bruce Reed

Director/ Professor
Phone: (956) 665-7036
Email: bruce.reed@utrgv.edu
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Belinda Rivas

Clinical Assistant Professor
Phone: (956) 665-3591
Email: belinda.rivas@utrgv.edu
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Mary Ann Rocha

Lecturer
Phone: (956) 665-3152
Email: mary.rocha01@utrgv.edu
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Shawn Saladin

Professor/Associate Dean
Phone: (956) 665-3651
Email: shawn.saladin@utrgv.edu
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Barbara Schoen

Associate Professor
Phone: (956) 665-5107
Email: barbara.schoen@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Barbara Schoen is an Associate Professor in the School of Rehabilitation at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley. Dr. Schoen received her doctorate in Rehabilitation Counselor Education from Michigan State University in 2010 and is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC). Her research interests include social justice, community outreach and psychosocial adjustment to disability. Prior to her doctorate, Dr. Schoen completed a two-year Advanced Training Fellowship funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research through the University of Michigan’s Model Spinal Cord Injury Care System (2003-2005), where she led a project funded through the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation investigating the needs of and providing resources to rural consumers with SCI. Because of her continued work in that area, the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL) presented her the 2009 Earl Walden Award for Outstanding Achievement in Rural Advocacy.

While at The University of Texas at El Paso (2010-2017) Dr. Schoen was the Principal Investigator of projects funded through The National Institute of Health, National Library of Medicine and Department of Education totaling over $1,000,000. She served as a consultant and subject matter expert responsible for rural based content development for a Technical Assistance Center-Targeted Communities Grant, administered Project HIGHER (a program providing graduate students as coaches to students with intellectual disabilities enrolled in certificate programs). Dr. Schoen was recently funded by the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities to identify strengths and challenges encountered by the Rio Grande Valley individuals with intellectual disabilities. She has numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals and presented at local, state, and national conferences. Finally, Dr. Schoen has taught courses including, Cognitive, Behavioral and Psychological Aspects of Disability, Counseling Special Needs Populations, Career Development, Substance Abuse, Group Counseling, Medical Aspects of Disability and Grant Writing.

Denise Silcox

Clinical Assistant Professor
Phone: (956) 665-8077
Email: denise.silcox@utrgv.edu
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Susan Stuntzner

Part-Time Lecturer
Phone: (956) 665-7036
Email: susan.stuntzner@utrgv.edu
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Veronica Umeasiegbu

Assistant Professor
Phone: (956) 665-2949
Email: veronica.umeasiegbu@utrgv.edu
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The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

School of Rehabilitation Services and Counseling College of Health Professions