Updates from our Graduates

Daniel Chapman, B.A. Psychology and Government & Political Affairs: After graduating from Millersville in 2013, Daniel earned a Ph.D. From the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the Psychology of Peace and Violence, focusing mainly on the intersection of behavioral science, environmental conservation/policy, and Bayesian statistics. He is currently working as a distinguished post-doctoral fellow in the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania and serving as a research fellow in the Yale Law School with Dan Kahan. More about Daniel.

Jessica R. Clark, B.A. Psychology: Jess graduated with a Bachelor's in Psychology and a minor in Sociology in 2013.  After her undergraduate studies, Jess worked for a year in Reading, Pennsylvania providing therapeutic behavioral support for students at home, in school, and in the community.  She earned her Master’s (M.S.) degree and Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) degree in School Psychology from the University of Kentucky, where she was active in the student organization for school psychology.  In her training, she focused on implementation of evidence-based interventions in the public school setting and fostering connections among professionals as a means to reduce burnout.  Jess is currently working as a school psychologist for Baltimore City Public Schools.  She is actively involved in the city's organization of school psychologists, where her current focus is disseminating information about upcoming training and professional development opportunities.

Denise B. Ebersole, M.Ed. School Counseling, Denise serves as a full-time core faculty member in Capella University's CACREP-accredited and online school counseling program and as an independent educational consultant supporting clients of all ages. Dr. Ebersole earned a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Regent University, an M.Ed. in School Counseling from Millersville University, and a B.A. in Psychology from Bloomsburg University. She holds certifications in elementary school counseling (K-6), secondary school counseling (7-12), and as a supervisor of school guidance services (K-12) in the state of Pennsylvania. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC), and Nationally Certified School Counselor (NCSC). Previous professional positions include serving as a K-12 school counseling department coordinator, high school counselor, middle school counselor, and adjunct instructor for several CACREP-accredited online counseling programs.

Henry Hallock, B.A. Psychology: Henry graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2009 and earned his Ph.D. in Psychology (Behavioral Neuroscience concentration) from the University of Delaware in 2015. He is currently a post-doctoral fellow at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where he is exploring links between genes, neural circuits, and cognition (learning, memory, and decision making) in neuropsychiatric diseases such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and schizophrenia. More about Henry.

Will Hochgertel, B.A. Psychology: Will graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2011 and earned his M.D. from Drexel University College of Medicine in 2015. He is currently a Pediatric Chief Resident at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. He is conducting a multi-centered study evaluating the effects of an LGBTQ curriculum on pediatric resident’s knowledge and comfort in the care of LGBTQ youth. He was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society for his hospital-wide initiative to improve the care of LGBTQ patients.

Melissa Horger, B.A. Psychology: Melissa graduated from Millersville in 2013 and then spent several years working with children and adolescents on the spectrum. She began a doctoral program in Developmental Psychology at the Graduate Center, City University of New York in 2016. Melissa’s research is based out of the Child Development Lab at the College of Staten Island where she also teaches. Her line of study focuses on cognitive and motor development, infant sleep, sleep states, and the relationship between sleep and learning. She also recently co-authored a chapter about cognition-action tradeoffs and the allocation of attention in infancy. 

Judith Kennedy, M.S. Clinical Psychology: Judith graduated from the Clinical Psychology program in the fall of 2003 and has been working consistently since then. She has been with Samaritan Counseling Center for the past 5 years and has given public presentations including: Sleep: The Forgotten Messenger of Well Being and Civility and Empathy and Wellness in Community Life.

Jeff Klunk, M.S. Clinical Psychology: In 1984, Jeff joined Life Management Associates (LMA) as Clinical Director/ Psychologist and eventually began providing organizational psychology services. In 2002, he became president/ CEO of LMA. In 2013, he joined Lancaster General Health (LGH) as part of the initial group that integrated Behavioral Health services into the Primary Care practices.

Kelly Loder, B.A. Psychology: Kelly graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology in 2012.  She earned her M.Ed. in School Counseling from the College of William & Mary in 2015 and is a Board Certified Counselor.  Kelly is currently working as a School Counselor for Pequea Valley School District.  She is also part of the Together Initiative Network, a collaborative partnership of organizations in the Pequea Valley area which has come together to provide greater support to families.

James Mantell, B.A. in Psychology and Philosophy:  James graduated with a dual major in 2005 and then worked for two years as a research assistant at the Center for Pediatric Auditory Speech Sciences at Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware. He enrolled in the graduate program at The University at Buffalo, SUNY, where he earned his M.A. (2011) and Ph.D. (2013). He now serves as an assistant professor of psychology at St. Mary's College of Maryland. His research on human music and language behaviors is designed to contribute to the body of scientific knowledge about perception and mental structure. More about James.

Laura Martin, M.Ed. School Counseling, Laura serves as an Assistant Professor of Counseling for students enrolled at the Lancaster campus of HACC. Laura received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Millersville in 2003. In 2008, she went onto receive her Master's Degree in school counseling from Millersville. In 2017, she earned a Ph.D in Counselor Education and Supervision from Regent University in Virginia. Her dissertation, “Understanding the Quarter-Life Crisis in Community College Students” focused on risk and protective factors for college students’ mental health. She is a nationally certified counselor with research interests in psychological diversity among college students.

Craig P. McFarland, B.A. Psychology: Craig graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2004 and earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Arizona in 2011. He completed a clinical internship and 2-year postdoctoral fellowship in neuropsychology at the Boston VA Healthcare System. He is currently an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Montana where he studies memory and executive functioning in the context of traumatic brain injury, aging, depression and PTSD.

Walter P. Parrish III, B.A. Psychology: In 2017, Walter joined The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine as Director of Multicultural Affairs where he supports and recruits medical students, particularly those of minoritized identities, and fosters a diverse and inclusive medical school community. In 2014, he began his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Wisconsin (still in progress). Walter has published book chapters and refereed articles including, (Re)Viewing and (Re)Moving the Mystique Surrounding "Fit" in Student Affairs: A Challenge to Our Field and Pathways to the Professoriate: Exploring Black Doctoral Student Socialization and the Pipeline to the Academic Profession.

Steve Sharp, M.Ed. School Counseling, Steve currently works a school counselor at Landisville Middle School in the Hempfield School District. Steve served as the President for Lancaster County School Counselors Association and is currently a member of the Pennsylvania School Counselors Association. Steve was elected PA Middle School Counselor of the Year in 2017! Additionally, Steve works speaking, consulting, and programming across the state and nationally with various organizations regarding equity, social justice, technology and mental health. Steve cites his experience at Millersville as truly valuable noting the combination of a robust curriculum and an on-going network through the school community which offers endless insight and support.

Samantha Wendling, B.A. Psychology: Sam graduated with her degree in Psychology from Millersville University in 2012 and earned her Master's in Counseling Psychology from Loyola University, Maryland in 2015. During graduate school, Sam completed an internship at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland and worked on the Feeding Disorders Unit and was trained in Applied Behavior Analysis. This led Sam to pursue her Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis and become a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) in 2015. Simultaneously, Sam was pursuing her counseling license in Maryland and working towards becoming a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC). Currently Sam is working in Baltimore as a BCBA at Connec-to-Talk where she works with children with autism and is also working part time as an LCPC at Core Counseling Services.

Tina Wetzel, M.S. School Psychology: Tina was recognized as School Psychologist of the Year for 2016 by the Association of School Psychologists of Pennsylvania at their Fall conference. Ms. Wetzel is a School Psychologist in the Hanover School District.