School Psychology Program Faculty
The SSP Program is very fortunate to have such tremendous core and affiliate faculty members. They are an important part of what makes our Program great, and we’d like to tell you a little more about them:
Core Faculty
Dr. James W. Crosby
Dr. James W. (“Jamey”) Crosby is a native southeast-Texan, raised in Kountze, TX. After graduating from Kountze High School in 1997, he attended Abilene Christian University (ACU) in Abilene, TX, where he earned he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology (2001) and a Master of Science in School Psychology (2004). While working on his graduate degree at ACU, he developed a keen interest in rural psychological service delivery, completing his school psychology practica and an internship with the Taylor-Callahan Education Cooperative in rural West Texas.
Immediately following the completion of his M.S. degree at ACU, he began his doctoral work at Oklahoma State University (OSU; Stillwater, OK) in School Psychology. While at OSU, he worked in the research labs of Drs. Gary Duhon and Eric Mesmer on contemporary applications of behavioral and academic consultation in school settings, the lab of Dr. Judy Oehler on peer victimization, and in the OSU School Psychology Center for two years, providing psychological services to surrounding communities and schools. He completed his pre-doctoral internship with the Institute of Clinical Training and Research at the Devereux Foundation (Villanova, PA), specializing in the clinical treatment of trauma and disruptive behavior disorders in adolescent females.
Dr. Crosby earned his Ph.D. in the summer of 2008 and joined the faculty of the psychology department at Sam Houston State University (SHSU) that fall. At SHSU, Dr. Crosby teaches courses primarily within the school psychology program, including courses on behavioral interventions, academic consultation, counseling, and psychopathology. His research interests lie in two areas: psychosocial outcomes for victims of bullying and the psychology of religion and spirituality.
In his free time, Dr. Crosby enjoys spending time with his family, listening to music, practicing drumming, and reading about religious history. He is an avid jazz enthusiast.
Dr. Ramona M. Noland
Dr. Ramona M. Noland grew up in the rural community of Paden City, WV and is a proud Wildcat alumna of the town’s public high school. She attended Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, WV and graduated with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology in 1991. She then moved to Knoxville, TN where she attended graduate school at The University of Tennessee, graduating with her Ph.D. in School Psychology.
Several years of professional work experience followed Dr. Noland’s pre-doctoral internship at the Tennessee Internship Consortium in Professional Psychology, including work as a school psychologist for the Clermont County Educational Service Center in Batavia, OH, and Montrose County School District RE-1J in Montrose, CO. Dr. Noland began work as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at SHSU in the fall of 2003, and assumed the role of SSP Program Director following her tenure and promotion to Associate Professor in June, 2010. She was honored at the 2023 Annual Faculty and Staff Meeting for 20 years of service to Sam Houston State University!
Dr. Noland’s current areas of research interest are centered broadly on the practice of school psychology and specifically focus on testing and assessment practice and pedagogical concerns. Dr. Noland has been a long-time instructor of the undergraduate Human Sexuality course, and as an extension of this experience has developed a broad interest in topics of investigation dealing with sexuality, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
In addition to professional roles and responsibilities, Dr. Noland enjoys personal pursuits that include spending time with her family, running, and reading for her monthly Book Club.
Dr. Nicholas L. Sheel
Dr. Nicholas L. Scheel grew up living in a small resort city on Geneva Lake in southeastern Wisconsin. After graduating from Badger High School in Lake Geneva, WI, he attended the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. While working as a behavioral specialist in a residential facility for youth and adolescents with severe social, emotional, and behavioral concerns, Dr. Scheel began developing an interest in addressing systemic issues in public education.
In 2017, Dr. Scheel began his doctoral work in School Psychology at the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, FL. While at USF, he worked with Drs. Jose Castillo and Donald Kincaid in investigating effective practices in implementing positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS); evaluating student outcomes to detect discipline disparities among different student sub-groups; and identifying approaches to effectively build capacity in teachers, staff, and admin to implement multi-tiered systems of supports (MTSS) with high fidelity. While completing his doctoral studies, Dr. Scheel provided social-emotional, behavioral, and mental health related services in alternative and high school settings. Dr. Scheel completed his pre-doctoral School Psychology internship in Santa Barbara Unified School District through the Santa Barbara Psychological Internship Consortium (APPIC #2455) in Santa Barabara, CA.
Dr. Scheel joined the School Psychology program at Sam Houston State University (SHSU) in the fall of 2022. He teaches undergraduate courses in development psychology, as well as graduate courses in evidence-based child therapy, school-based counseling, academic, social-emotional, and behavioral assessment, and systems change. His current research interests include identifying systems change and reform efforts in implementing MTSS frameworks to enhance social-emotional, behavioral, and mental health services as well as school safety and crisis prevention, intervention, and postvention initiatives and practices in schools.
Dr. Scheel enjoys running, playing ultimate frisbee, writing and playing alternative and punk rock music, and exploring new places with his wife.
Dr. Jiaju Wu
Dr. Jiaju ("J. J.") Wu earned his doctorate in School Psychology in 2018 (A long time ago) from the University of Iowa (Go Hawks!). In Iowa, he worked as a graduate research assistant at the Connie Belin & Jacqueline N. Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development. His dissertation is about how an early college entrance program affects gifted students' academic and social development. He completed his pre-doctoral School Psychology Internship through Tennessee Internship Consortium in Psychology (APPIC # 1556) in Knoxville, Tennessee. After that, he worked as a school psychologist in Iowa and taught in New York.
Dr. Wu joined Sam Houston State University in the fall of 2023. He teaches both undergraduate (e.g., Introduction to Psychology, learning) and graduate psychology courses (e.g., Consultation in School Psychology). His recent research interests include gifted education, twice-exceptional students, and applied behavior analysis (ABA).
He enjoys serving children with disabilities, hiking, working out in the gym, and spending time with his family.
