Faculty Profiles

Dr. Kelley Conrad is a full-time research faculty member who teaches a number of doctoral courses and works with students on the doctoral research process. He has 36 years of experience as an industrial organizational consultant and 40 years of college-level teaching and research experience.

He holds a bachelor's degree in behavioral studies from Montana State University, a master's degree in psychology from the State University of New York and a Ph.D. in Industrial Organizational Psychology from Iowa State University. 

Kelley has authored two books and a number of professional articles.  He is a fellow of the Wisconsin Psychological Association and a charter fellow of the American Psychological Society.   He's also a member of the American Psychological Association, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Sigma Xi (the national scientific research honorary) and Psi Chi (the national psychology honorary).

Dr. Jennifer Frei brings 17 years experience to the classroom with expertise in personality psychology, abnormal psychology, social psychology and adult romantic attachment relationships.

For five years, she has taught at the University of Phoenix, Sacramento Campus where she is a leader of the local New Faculty Certification process. She is also a Lecturer at the University of California Davis. 

Jennifer earned a Master of Arts in Psychology from California State University Sacramento and a Ph.D. in Social and Personality Psychology from University of California Davis. Her doctoral research focused on the application of attachment theory to adult romantic relationships. 

For 10 years, she worked in the mental health field providing long-term residential treatment services to severely mentally ill adults. For two years, she was the program director of a residential treatment facility.

Jennifer is a member of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology and the International Association for Relationship Research.

Dr. Hector Garcia has more than 23 years of experience in law enforcement and security leadership and teaches criminal justice courses online. He is also the founder of a nationally recognized law enforcement and security consulting organization specializing in school and corporate safety and security. 

His career experience includes serving as a chief of police, director of safety and security and vice president of operations with large organizations. Hector is a recognized subject matter expert and expert witness in the law enforcement and safety/security field.

He has a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from Argosy University and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from Lynn University. He is a member of the Police Administration Committee & Juvenile Justice Committee and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Dr. Reginald Gardner is a senior business executive, author and instructor. He's earned his doctorate at University of Phoenix and now teaches business and research courses online and at the University's Chicago Campus. He's also the vice president and chief information officer of a privately-owned luxury motor coach company.

His doctoral degree is in Management and Organizational Leadership and he is certified in Leadership and Management from the Executive Education Program at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.  

Reginald has a 30-year track record in the successful delivery of business solutions, predominately through the use of information technology. He has served in a leadership capacity for Fortune 500 Companies in the insurance, oil and retail industries. In 2008, he authored his first book on corporate leadership selection.

He is a member of the Academy of Management and has been listed in the International Who's Who in Technology. Reginald is also a 2009 Senior Research Fellow Nominee for the School of Business.

Dr. Jim Goes, chief executive of a consulting practice specializing in management and health administration, earned a Ph.D. in Strategic Management from the University of Oregon and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Utah. He is a Senior Research Fellow at University of Phoenix, where he mentors doctoral students in the School of Advanced Studies and teaches organizational theory, systems theory and advanced management topics. 

Jim's current research and consulting work is focused on change and innovation in health systems, public health, and rural communities.  He is an award-winning author whose work has been published in the Academy of Management Journal and the Strategic Management Journal. In 2003, he received the Conley Award for best article of the year from the American College of Healthcare Executives.  

Jim's past accomplishments also include being instrumental in developing online networks for the Academy of Management, and developing the first gopher/website on the Internet devoted to management research and practice.

Guy has worked in the prevention and treatment field for 34 years, currently serving as the Director of Suicide Prevention Services at Gryphon Place in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

He began teaching at University of Phoenix in 2006. His classes in psychology, human services and counseling are offered at the West Michigan Campus. He is also a curriculum developer and serves on the College of Social Services Advisory Council for University of Phoenix.

As Director of Suicide Prevention Services at Gryphon Place he works on program management of a nationally recognized support center that serves individuals who need help but have no where to turn.

He is an Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) and Question, Persuade and Refer (QPR) trainer and a Certified Health Education Specialist. Guy has been a Project ALERT consultant and trainer since 1994, conducting more than 100 workshops across the United States.  

Guy received a Master of Counseling from Western Michigan University. He served on the Board of Directors for the Michigan School Health Foundation from 2006 to 2007 and the Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health from 2003 to 2006.

Connie has spent 36 years in public education and now teaches various courses in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Nursing and Education at the University of Phoenix Central Florida Campus. She has a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from the Teacher's College of Columbia University and has been teaching with University of Phoenix for five years. She's also the Campus College Chair for the College of Education.

Her career in public education has spanned from administrative roles to teaching in regular and special education classrooms. She's a former New York state public school superintendent, middle school vice principal, elementary principal and assistant superintendent for elementary and curriculum and instruction. 

 Connie has a Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Administration from the School Administrators Association of New York State. She's a member of the American Association of School Superintendents and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Her areas of expertise include leadership, coaching, teamwork, curriculum design and strategic planning.

Dr. James Ness has had a long and successful career in academe and government service and now serves as a consultant to numerous national and international police agencies.  He also teaches criminal justice and general studies courses at the University of Phoenix Phoenix Campus and is a mentor for doctoral students. He has a master's degree in law enforcement and a doctorate in higher education from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.

James has served in various government service roles including Chief of Specialized Training for the Kosovo Police Service School, Station Chief for the International Police Task Force in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Dean of Academics for the Haitian National Police Training Center.  He's also a former police chief, investigator and police supervisor and has served in the military.  James is a tenured professor of law enforcement at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale and a former director of criminal justice programs for a community college. 

He is the founder of a criminal justice training and consulting firm where he works with numerous police and government agencies including the Department of Justice and the U.S. State Department. James has published extensively in the area of areas of law enforcement and national security and is an expert in ethics, public policy and criminal justice.

Steve is a faculty member and Campus Chair at University of Phoenix, where he has been teaching for 15 years. His professional experience is based on more than 25 years working in information technology, including 24 years at Hewlett Packard/Agilent Technologies. 

Steve teaches online and at the Atlanta Campus. During his time with the University he has taught online and in Sacramento, Seattle, Indianapolis and Atlanta. 

As College Chair, he is accountable for the overall management of the College of Social Sciences and the College of Information Systems and Technology at the Atlanta Campus. He works on faculty development and training and ensures the quality and integrity of the programs. 

Steve worked for Hewlett Packard/Agilent Technologies in finance, logistics, program management and information systems. He held positions that included World Wide Program Manager, Division Controller, Divisional IT Manager, Development Manager, Data Migration Manager and ERP Architect. He retired in 2001.

Steve earned a Master of Arts in Government Political Philosophy and Constitutional Law from Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California. He is currently working on his Ph.D.

Vicky has been teaching at University of Phoenix for nearly 20 years. She is a faculty member for the Master of Science in Counseling program in the Colleges of Social Sciences at the Southern Arizona Campus.

Vicky has more than 30 years of experience in counseling with an emphasis in crisis intervention, grief and loss, and suicide assessment and prevention. She has also developed and implemented extensive training for clinical supervisors in mental health settings. 

Along with teaching, she also works as a self-employed consultant, offering organizational development and management consulting services to nonprofit and government organizations.

Vicky graduated from the University of Arizona with a Master of Education in Counseling. She is a member of the American Counseling Association, American Association of State Counseling Boards and National Board for Certified Counselors-clinical exam committee.