Faculty and Staff
Department Chair | Dept. Administrative Aides | Full-time Faculty | Part-time Faculty
Phone: 240-567-3945
Office Location: Germantown Campus
Biography
Professor Herst earned his B.S. and M.S. in Psychology from the University of Maryland at College Park. His primary research interests include eye movements and visual perception in general (which covers motion perception & 3D space perception). Professor Herst’s teaching interests include PSYC 100 - General Psychology.
Email: Katharine.Blankman@montgomerycollege.edu
Phone: 240-567-4086
Office Location: Rockville Campus, CC 217
Educational Background
M.S. Management: Marketing, University of Maryland Global CampusB.A. Psychology, Minor in Sociology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
A.A.S. Graphic Design, Montgomery College
A.A. Sociology, Howard Community College
Email: Raana.Hughson@montgomerycollege.edu
Phone: 240-567-5545
Office Location: Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus, RC 200
Educational Background
B.Scs. Mass Communication, Concentration in Strategic Public Relations, Towson University
Email: Andrae.Brown@montgomerycollege.edu
Phone: 240-567-2299
Office Location: Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus, RC203C
Educational Background
M.Ed., University of Maryland Eastern ShorePh.D., Seton Hall University
Email: Elizabeth.Fillion@montgomerycollege.edu
Phone: 240-567-6157
Office Location: Rockville Campus, CC 217F
Educational Background
Ph.D., Ohio UniversityMS, Ohio University
Email: juliana.hida@montgomerycollege.edu
Phone: 240-567-5182
Office Location: Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus, CC 217D
Educational Background
MA, Argosy University
Email: levena.jackson@montgomerycollege.edu
Phone: 240-567-2313
Office Location: Rockville Campus, CC 204B2
Biography
Levena Nash Jackson is a native of Los Angeles, California. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). During her undergraduate career, Professor Jackson participated in the Center for American Politics and Public Policy Research and Internship Program in Washington, DC, where she interned at the Center for Training for Child and Family Services. This experience ultimately led to graduate-level training in Psychology at Howard University, where she earned a Master of Science degree from Howard University in Psychology with a focus in Social Psychology. While there, she served as a Research Assistant at the Center for the Research of Students Placed at Risk (CRESPAR), a Graduate Assistant in the Office of Retention Mentoring and Support Programs and taught and assisted with several courses in the Psychology Department. She is currently completing her doctoral degree in Psychology with an emphasis in Applied Psychological Science.Levena Nash Jackson joined Montgomery College in 2012 as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Education and Social Sciences, teaching courses in the area of Psychology. She has taught at both the Rockville and Takoma Park/Silver Spring campuses, guiding students in their educational pursuits in various courses such as General Psychology, Human Growth and Development, Child and Adolescent Development, and Social Psychology. Professor Jackson has received several awards for her excellence in teaching, student engagement, and scholarly pursuits. In 2018, she received the MC Part-time Faculty Teaching Award. She was awarded the MC Part-time Faculty Engagement Award as well as the Outstanding Part-time Faculty Award in 2019 and most recently received the Outstanding Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching and Advising in 2025. Levena currently serves as a full-time faculty member on the Rockville Campus of Montgomery College. Professor Jackson is incredibly passionate about student success at Montgomery College and beyond, and she seeks to be a bridge to educational opportunity for all who seek it.
Email: melissa.mcceney@montgomerycollege.edu
Phone: 240-567-7829
Office Location: Germantown Campus, HS 184
Biography
Dr. McCeney completed her BA degree in psychology at The University of Central Oklahoma
before earning her PhD in medical psychology from The Uniformed Services University
of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD. Her research interests involve health-related
behaviors throughout the lifespan with a particular emphasis on preventive behaviors
(e.g., exercise and eating behavior.) She teaches Introductory Psychology, Psychology
of Human Sexuality, Social Psychology, Child Psychology, and Human Growth and Development.
Dr. McCeney is also the mom of three daughters and a competitive west coast swing
dancer.
Educational Background
A.A. Psychology, Oklahoma City Community College
BA, Psychology, University of Central Oklahoma
MS, Medical Psychology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
PhD, Medical Psychology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Email: bonita.parker@montgomerycollege.edu
Phone: 240-567-1399
Office Location: Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus, RC 203B
Educational Background
- BA, Psychology, Hampton University
- MA, Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- PhD, Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Email: brett.pelham@montgomerycollege.edu
Phone: 240-567-7733
Office Location: Germantown Campus, HS 221
Office Hours: M,W 8:00-9:00am & 12:00-1:00pm, Tu,Th 8:30-9:00am
Biography
Dr. Pelham studies social cognition, the self, and decision-making, with an emphasis
on culture, gender, stereotypes, implicit belief systems, and social inequality. He
is the author of three textbooks on topics that include statistics, research methods,
and evolutionary psychology. He is currently working on a text in introductory psychology.
Educational Background
BS, Interdisciplinary Studies (Social & Physical Sciences), Berry College
PhD, Psychology, University of Texas at Austin
Email: alejandra.picard@montgomerycollege.edu
Phone: 240-567-7466
Office Location: Rockville Campus, CC 217B
Biography
Prof. Picard 's Ph.D. thesis research was a comparative study focusing on relationship quality and cognition in two species of parrot. She has an interest in research which explores the evolution of the mind, with a particular interest in the role of social factors in the emergence of complex cognition.
Prior to attending the University of York, Prof. Picard was a full-time faculty member in the Psychology Department at Polk State College. During that time, she earned a graduate certificate in college teaching from the University of South Florida and was a recipient of the Distinguished New Faculty Award at the 23rd International Conference on Teaching and Learning.
For her M.S. degree, Prof. Picard worked with birds of prey, conducting research on hawk cognition at a wildlife rehabilitation center at Georgia Southern University. As well as being interested in animal cognition, she is interested in the application of research for the improvement of captive animal welfare. Prof. Picard also highly values travelling and study abroad experiences. She attended the University of Pittsburgh's Semester at Sea program as an undergraduate and lived in England for two years while completing PhD course and research requirements at the University of York.
Educational Background
BA, Bard College at Simon's Rock, Philosophy, Religion, and TheoryMS, Georgia Southern University, Experimental Psychology
PhD, University of York, Psychology, Comparative Cognition
Courses Typically Taught
PSYC 100 General PsychologyPSYC 203 Human Growth and Development During the Life Span
PSYC 214 Child Psychology
Selected Conference Presentations
Picard, A. (2014, March). Social learning in orange-winged Amazon parrots. Poster to be presented at the International Conference on Comparative Cognition, Melbourne, Florida.
Picard, A. (2013, January). Relationship quality and cognition in parrots. Paper presented at the Scottish Primate Society conference, Montrose, Scotland.
Picard, A. (2011, April). Preparing students to thrive in the global community. Paper presented at the International Conference of Teaching and Learning, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Rockville Campus
Email: frances.raphael-howell@montgomerycollege.edu
Phone: 240-567-1644
Office Location: Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus, NP 222
Educational Background
Ph.D. Clark UniversityMA Clark University
Email: Nichole.Thomas@MontgomeryCollege.edu
Phone: 240-567-2371
Office Location: Rockville Campus, CC 217A
Educational Background
Ph.D., Walden UniversityMA, City University of New York
Email: Pamela.Trotter@montgomerycollege.edu
Phone: 240-567-2368
Office Location: Rockville Campus, CC 217C
Educational Background
Ph.D., Kent State UniversityMA, Kent State University
Biography
Dr. Ayu is a part time Psychology faculty at Montgomery College and a full-time lecturer in the Psychology Department at Howard University. She received her B.S. in Psychology from Bowie State University and both the M.S. and Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Howard University. Since then, she has served as an adjunct professor where she has taught numerous undergraduate courses in core areas including Cross Cultural Psychology, Health Psychology, Developmental Psychology and Abnormal Psychology. In addition, she is one of the core faculty instructors for the large Introduction to Psychology courses, which allows her to interact with hundreds of students per semester from all majors across the university. Dr. Ayu’s primary area of research involves examining psychosocially toxic environments, otherwise known as PTEs (poverty, violence, discrimination, trauma, etc.) and their impact on psychosocial factors among marginalized youth, particularly those in out of home care. Her culturally responsive approach to research extends to the classroom, where she connects lived experiences and theoretical concepts to offer a contemporary style toward teaching psychology. Students often comment on how her learning-focused instructional style assists them in enhancing their knowledge in areas beyond the classroom, shaping their approach to life after graduation.
Educational Background
M.Ed., DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education
Biography
Dr. Waller develops, prepares, and teaches traditional and online courses for undergraduate students in the Department of Education and Psychology. Conducts weekly lectures, guides students through online and action research projects, utilizes online resources to develop learning modules, and evaluates student progress throughout the semester. Her roster of classes includes General Psychology, Educational Psychology, Child Psychology, Human Growth and Development, Social Psychology, and Cultural Psychology. She also developed a Child Psychology (PSYC215) Open Educational Resources (OER) Z-Course (zero textbook cost course).
