Meet Our Team

Dr. Angelicque Tucker Blackmon is a highly experienced and respected STEM education program evaluator. With over 25 years of experience in the field, she has a unique ability to identify and capitalize on the latest innovative learning practices. Her work at Innovative Learning Center (ILC) has focused on partnering with world-class institutions and people to change how we think about STEM evaluation and education.

By leveraging her expertise in data analytics and ethnography, she is able to provide clients with the tools to design and implement human-driven STEM evaluation and education programs that have a real and lasting impact.
An accomplished academic and scientist, Dr. Blackmon earned her Ph.D. in Educational Studies with an emphasis in Science Education from Emory University. She also holds her B.S. and an M.S. in Analytical Chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology and completed a two-year Postdoctoral Fellowship in Cultural Anthropology.

Before she founded ILC in 2003, she worked as a research chemist with Dow Chemical and 3M.

Dr. Blackmon is a passionate researcher and evaluator, working on over 20 funded programs designed to increase students’ knowledge, interests, and skills in STEM. Her esteemed work has led to the publication of over 30 reports, conference presentations, and research papers.

In addition to her work at ILC, Angelicque serves as a principal investigator on an eye-tracking distance learning research study set to shift how we measure and understand problem difficulty and cognitive activity during chemistry problem-solving. Research findings from this study have implications for chemistry education and software development to improve chemistry education.         

Dr. Zhina Shen is the director of research and evaluation at ILC and will serve as the project director. She has expertise in statistical analysis and STEM education teaching and research. She received her Ph.D. in Learning Disabilities & Behavior Disorders from the Department of Special Education at the University of Texas, Austin.   She has two Master of Science degrees. One M.S. degree is in Statistics from the Department of Natural Sciences, and the second M.S. degree is in Learning Disabilities and Behavior Disorders from the Department of Special Education at UT, Austin.   Dr. Shen has quantitative research expertise in randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental design, meta-analysis, correlational research, and analysis of other secondary data analysis. She has qualitative research experience constructing semi-structured interview guides and conducting interviews and focus group studies.   Dr. Shen served as the Principal Investigator of a Texas-funded program that examined the effect of manipulative-based interventions on improving whole number computations for K-12 students with mathematics difficulties. As PI, she led the meta-analysis to detect the impact of manipulative-based interventions for students with challenges learning mathematics.

Terrence Calistro received his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology at the City University of New York. With extensive experience across statistical consulting, teaching, data analysis, and research, Terrence brings a versatile skill set in statistical methodology, data analysis, and academic support.

As a Statistical Consultant, Dr. Calistro excels in supporting research on complex topics such as adolescent health and institutional resilience. He provides statistical modeling expertise, analyzes data, and creates detailed APA-style reports. His fluency in R programming enables them to handle diverse data requirements, from data cleaning to visualization, ensuring clear insights for client projects. By participating in lab meetings and facilitating conference submissions, he supports each research phase from conception to dissemination.

As an Adjunct Professor, Dr. Calistro teaches various social and behavioral sciences courses, including research design and statistics. He integrates hands-on experience with analytical concepts, helping students grasp complex topics in psychology and statistics. Additionally, as a Learning Support Facilitator, he fosters independent learning by tutoring students in psychology and research statistics, equipping them with essential skills to excel academically.

With substantial experience as a Data Analyst and Data Statistician, Dr. Calistro has honed his statistical analysis skills across multiple grants and projects, including analyzing academic performance data. Their freelance work involves conducting comprehensive statistical analyses, from t-tests and ANOVA to regression and non-parametric analysis, presented in APA-compliant reports. This skill is complemented by his capability in data visualization, delivering insights in clear, visually engaging formats. They are adept at using SPSS, handling various statistical methods, and applying rigorous data-cleaning protocols.

Overall, Dr. Calistro’s robust analytical, instructional, and consulting skills make them a valuable asset for projects requiring a combination of statistical rigor, pedagogical insight, and practical data analysis.

Dr. Franita Ware, Ph.D., is a qualitative researcher, educator, and author on the topic of Warm Demander Teachers. Her area of expertise is racial and educational equity. She creates and facilitates workshops and extended training to engage participants in disrupting their learned biases to examine how to change the systems, structures, policies, and practices perpetuating education oppression for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Her work has been impactful and award-winning. Dr. Ware is from Atlanta, Georgia, where she received her Doctorate in Educational Studies from Emory University and her Master of Arts in Elementary Education and Leadership Credentials from Clark Atlanta University.

Dr. Ware is the author of a classical research publication on Warm Demander Teachers, which continues to be cited and reviewed in the academic press, led to hundreds of workshops, and is continued to be valued by classroom teachers.

Her continued focus on professional development for educators informs her scholarship, which focuses on the internal work of Radical Self-Care. Radical Self-Care requires a focus on educators’ well-being as an initial step toward racial and educational equity. Dr. Ware started training Denver Public School’s employees in Radical Self Care in 2016, reaching schools and departments and becoming a part of the DPS’s school system culture. Additionally, she has trained Denver Public Schools’ Gifted and Talented (GT) Teams and partnered with the Culture Equity and Leadership Team (CELT) to shift the mindsets of educators in the gifted and talented department. This training was led by Dr. Ware and was awarded The National Association for Gifted Children Professional Learning Award.

Dr. Ware realizes that supporting educators’ growth to be culturally responsive and eventually anti-racist teachers requires the first step of an intentional focus on health and well-being. This allows educators to disrupt and begin to heal from the racialized trauma that is a significant aspect of American culture.

Dr. Ware’s unique contribution to the education community is the Radical Self-Care workshop. Radical Self-Care has been developed through training with educators who give numerous examples of the positive impact of Radical Self-Care on their social-emotional, physical, and brain health, which supports educators’ and administrators’ ability to disrupt biases. In Radical Self-Care, Dr. Ware examines how to minimize the impact of American culture-supported stress by focusing on restorative sleep, movement and exercise, nutrition, nurturing relationships, and purposeful work that can begin to heal racialized trauma.

The theoretical framework of Radical Self Care is neurogenesis, neuroplasticity, and Positive Psychology. Dr. Ware believes when we understand the difference between temporary pampering and intentional and consistent care, which is Radical Self Care, we build resiliency and become better at creating healthy relationships and managing life’s stressors.

Dr. Franita Ware feeds her creative side through nature photography and values the healing of gardening and sharing her organic produce,

Dr. Asia Williams is an accomplished leader with nearly 20 years of experience in designing and managing education programs and cross-sector collaborations. As contract support for the Department of Defense STEM, she was the STEM Program Analyst and the Communications Coordinator. She has successfully managed awardees from the $53 million National Defense Education Program. Her previous roles at the National Science Foundation and George Mason University underscore her commitment to program evaluation, culturally responsive practices, and legislative reporting. Dr. Williams holds a Ph.D. in Education with a focus on Multilingual/Multicultural Studies from George Mason University and has published extensively on STEM education and equity. Recognized for her contributions through multiple awards, she continues to advocate for increasing representation and engagement in STEM through evidence-based methods.

Dr. Kelly Correa received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2022 and is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). At UCSD, her research utilizes data collected through The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study to examine how self-reported and neural measures of personality and culture prospectively impact the development of anxiety and substance use disorders.

Dr. Correa serves as an ILC Quantitative Data Analyst working with clients to assess how STEM education programs modulate students’ science motivation, anxiety, self-efficacy, and problem-solving. She will assess how STEM education programs modulate students’ allostatic load to improve their learning performance. Also, Dr. Correa collaborates with Dr. Blackmon to expand the Eye-tracking Distance learning research study, where they will use eye-tracking data to analyze where students allocate their visual attention while responding to chemistry multiple-choice items.

Learn more about Dr. Correa’s research on Research Gate.

Allison is a Quantitative Research Analyst Consultant at ILC. She received her Master’s degree in General Psychology from the University of North Florida. Currently, Allison is a Ph.D. Doctoral Candidate in Cognitive Psychology with a minor in Statistics, Methods, and Measurement at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is interested in the relationship between social cognition, memory, and emotion. Her research examines the relationship between memory, beliefs, and behaviors. Specifically, she examines the relationship between self-reflection and memory, predictions and remembrance, and word appearance and encoding strategies. She has collaborated on numerous projects and publications on the topic of memory, specifically various cognitive and social factors that influence memory.

Allison’s specialties include experimental design and quantitative research. She is skilled at analyzing quantitative data using ANOVA, regression, mediation, and other techniques. Additionally, Allison has expertise in synthesizing statistical findings into reports that are accessible to both academic and non-academic audiences.

Sydney Okland is a skilled mixed methods researcher and Ph.D. candidate in Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, expected to graduate in May 2026. With a strong foundation in qualitative and quantitative evaluation methodologies, she brings a robust skill set to her role as an evaluator. Sydney has applied her research design, statistical analysis, and data visualization expertise to assess program outcomes and support data-driven decision-making for various initiatives. Sydney’s academic background and professional experience make her adept at integrating qualitative and quantitative methods to understand program effectiveness comprehensively. She has designed and executed evaluations for large-scale studies involving diverse populations, such as her research on social rejection’s emotional and linguistic dimensions. These projects, which recruited over 600 participants, required meticulous data management, statistical analysis, and the supervision of research assistants, reflecting her leadership in coordinating high-impact evaluations.

By leveraging her expertise in data analytics and ethnography, she is able to provide clients with the tools to design and implement human-driven STEM evaluation and education programs that have a real and lasting impact.  

Jeff is completing his certification in Cybersecurity. He has a B.A. degree in Management and Business Administration from the University of Northern Iowa. He has over 30 years of experience in the hotel and hospitality industry, specifically in operations, sales, and revenue management. Jeff is a skilled and passionate business development professional with a proven track record in the hospitality industry. He has in-depth knowledge of organizational operations, sales and marketing, budgeting, administration, and revenue management. His core competencies include operations management, staff motivation and training, multi-unit regional leadership, budget development, P&L comprehension, and conflict resolution.

Jeff has successfully managed corporate and franchise-owned businesses. His role in acquisition and development is often relied upon to gain a crucial understanding of potential growth opportunities in future markets through his expert analysis. Jeff advises the ILC leadership team on strategies to improve the management of revenue generated through various strategic business units.

Karen Falkenberg has a Ph.D. in Educational Research from Emory University. She has B.S. and M.S. degrees in chemical engineering and over 30 years of experience as a teacher educator, researcher, and university administrator. She is a strategic leader passionate about supporting performance enhancement in others through self-reflection, deep work, and the wellsprings of joy and gratitude. Whether one is solo, in a community of practice, or on a team, the commitments to purposeful goals, personal health, equity, cultural competency, and effective effort are foundations for success. With a proven track record in building “something from scratch” for large and small organizations, Karen currently coaches individuals and teams seeking to maximize their potential. Her coaching is grounded in the synergies of neuroscience, wellness, foundational principles of psychology, traditions of western science, and eastern philosophies.

Dr. Falkenberg is a nationally and internationally recognized science and engineering education expert. She has a patent for solar cell technology and was a contributor to Technically Speaking: Why all Americans need to know more about technology (2002) published by the National Academy of Engineering. She has taught over 1000 teachers and has individually coached approximately 100 teachers and 25 emerging leaders.

Karen advised the ILC leadership team on the execution and scaling of innovative learning and leadership strategies that build the skills and internal motivation of teachers, students, and educational leaders.