Residency Faculty

Brian J. Frederick, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Empire State University and serves as the Academic Coordinator for the B.S. in Criminal Justice program. With a rich background that traverses both the academic and professional worlds, Frederick brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his role. Before joining SUNY Empire in July 2022, he spent many years teaching in England, where he was involved in program development at the University of Gloucestershire and the University of Portsmouth.
 
Originally from Los Angeles, Frederick began his academic journey as a "mature student," earning a B.A. in Criminal Justice from California State University at Fullerton and an M.S. in Criminal Justice from California State University at Long Beach. His passion for "cultural and global criminology" led him to the U.K., where he participated in the European Union's prestigious Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate in Cultural & Global Criminology program through the University of Kent and Universität Hamburg. This international experience included advanced studies in qualitative and legal methods in criminology, enriching his understanding and approach to the field.
 
Before his academic career, Frederick worked in the entertainment industry, which brings a unique perspective to his teaching and research. His research interests are diverse, focusing on areas such as intimate partner violence, serial murder, and the impact of media representations on public perception of crime. He is particularly interested in exploring the dynamics of crime and deviance within various social contexts, employing a range of methodologies to deepen his investigations.
 
Presently, Frederick teaches courses related to criminological theory, serial murder, and the true crime phenomenon, sharing his insights and expertise with students. His work extends beyond the classroom through media appearances and contributions as a subject matter expert on true crime television series and documentaries such as "Meet, Marry, Murder" and "Making a Serial Killer." 

Duncan RyanMann, Ph.D., earned a B.A. degree in Liberal Arts from The Evergreen State College and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania with concentrations in industrial organization, public finance, and health economics. He has taught on the faculties of the University of Pennsylvania, Rutgers University and Williams College. RyanMann has also analyzed and managed health programs for the Washington State government. RyanMann has consulted with the World Bank and the Washington State government on economic and policy issues in health care and with the U.S. Department of Education on the higher education market. He has consulted with the New York State Governor's Office of Regulatory Reform on applications of cost benefit analysis. His teaching interests are in areas of applied economics including health care economics and policy, ecological economics, environmental economics and policy and sustainability as well as core courses in economics.

Kate Dermody, M.S., is a faculty mentor and the partnership coordinator for the CVPH School of Radiologic Technology. Before joining SUNY Empire, she worked as a social studies teacher at Northeastern Clinton Central School District, where she was awarded Teacher of the Year. She also works summers at Upward Bound as a long-time member of their faculty. Dermody has a B.A. in History from SUNY Plattsburgh. Keeping with her deep love of the Adirondacks, she stayed in Plattsburgh to earn her Master of Science in Teaching. When not grading papers or driving her children to their activities, she enjoys as much time as possible paddleboarding with her rock music on White Lake, New York. 
 
Dermody teaches specialty courses such as: History of Rock and Roll, Mad Men Mad Women, Adirondack History and Genocide and Ethnic Conflict. She is most passionate about creative course creation, history, music, PLA (Prior Learning Assessment) and empowering adult learners to move forward on their educational journey. In 2021, Dermody received the award for Excellence in Part-Time Mentoring. 

Kevin Woo, Ph.D., is a co-coordinator of the Adirondack Environmental Studies Residency and a mentor at the Selden location. He is currently an Associate Professor in the School of Science, Mathematics and Technology and the Department Chair of the Natural Sciences. He has a Ph.D. in Animal Behavior from Macquarie University, M.Sc. in Ecology and Biodiversity from Victoria University of Wellington, and a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Psychology/Biology from Southampton College of Long Island University. Woo's teaching and research interests overlap in the areas of animal behavior, ecology and conservation. Moreover, he has been fortuitous to investigate questions in animal communication, sexual selection and cognition in a number of model species, such as lizards, fish, cuttlefish, insects, canids, birds and marine mammals. As Assistant Director for the Center for the Study of Pinniped Ecology & Cognition (C-SPEC), he studies populations of harbor seals and California sea lions under human care, and observes pinnipeds along the New York City foreshores during the wintering months. Throughout the day, he dreams to be in the ocean and surfing; however, he has a low threshold for cold water.

Linda S. Jones, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at Empire State University in the School of Science, Mathematics and Technology, Natural Sciences Department. Her teaching interests are related to biogeography, natural disasters, Earth’s systems, STEM education, sustainability/sustainable development, and virtual exchange. Her ongoing projects focus on the development of learning models that remove barriers to undergraduate adult learners in STEM fields, particularly through the design of project-based courses, which connect “learning and life,” and through the creation of student resources dedicated to “the communication of science” and increasing scientific literacy.

Nikki Shrimpton, Ph.D., is a Professor and mentor in the Department of Natural Sciences, and is currently department chair for Computer Sciences and Technology. She joined SUNY Empire in 1998 as a faculty member in Science, Mathematics and Technology at the Syracuse location, and has been involved in organizing and teaching in various residency offerings during her time at the University. She has been participating in the Adirondack residency since 1998. Shrimpton was awarded a BS in Forestry from North Carolina State University and a PhD in Forest Management from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Prior to joining the college, she was Principal Coordinator for the Edinburgh Center for Tropical Forests. She currently teaches courses in various topics related to environmental science, ecology, and plant biology, such as Global Climate Change, Introduction to Ecology and Sustainability, and Ethnobotany, while also pursuing her academic interests in environmental science, citizen science, horticulture, and sustainability. 

Terry Boddie, M.F.A., is a Visiting Assistant Professor and Mentor at the Manhattan location. Over the twelve years he’s been at Empire Boddie has taught various photography classes including, The Photographic Vision, History of Photography, Advanced Digital Photography, Photographic Narratives, Photography from Dusk to Dawn, the Adirondack Residency: Photography and Nature, Issues in Contemporary Photography, Black Photographers: 1840- Present, Street Photography: Composing the Urban Landscape. Boddie received his BFA from New York University Tisch School of the Arts, New York, New York, and an MFA from CUNY Hunter College, New York, New York. Boddie’s scholarly research and his creative practice as a photographer and multi-disciplinary artist explores historical and contemporary aspects of migration, across the African Diaspora and how it impacts individual and collective memory. These interests are refracted through his experience as a first-generation immigrant from the island of Nevis in the Eastern Caribbean.