Susan Loveall, Ph.D.
Email: sloveall-hague2@unl.edu
Dr. Susan Loveall is an assistant professor in the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders. She earned her Ph.D. in developmental science and cognitive psychology from the University of Alabama in 2013. Her research focuses on learning, language, and literacy abilities in individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), and a majority of her research focuses on the Down syndrome phenotype. Dr. Loveall loves working with individuals with IDD and their families. Prior to moving to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the LifeSpan Institute at the University of Kansas, and worked as an assistant professor at the University of Mississippi where she oversaw a grant-funded language and literacy preschool laboratory program for children with moderate-to-severe language delays, many of whom had autism or other neurodevelopmental disabilities.
Doctoral Students
Melinda Henson – Anchorage, Alaska
Melinda Henson is a doctoral student in Special Education. She is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). Melinda received her master's degree in special education with an emphasis on autism education through the University of Missouri, and completed her Behavior Analysis coursework through Florida Institute of Technology. Her career has included positions within university, state agency, home and school settings supporting individuals with autism across the life span. Her primary clinical and research interests are in the areas of early childhood education, intervention efficacy, functional behavior assessment and supports, and delivery of effective staff development and training procedures.
Kendall Willems-Cygan – Orange County, California
Kendall Willems-Cygan is a doctoral student in Special Education. She graduated from the University of Utah in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in psychology. She has a diverse background with two master's degrees, MSc in Applied Behavior Analysis in 2018 and MA in Counseling in 2019. She also has experience working clinically as a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) from 2018-present in both the U.S. and the Netherlands. Her additional clinical experience is working as a child/family psychologist from 2019-21 in the Netherlands. Her research interests are in autism, early literacy, and executive function. She is also interested in learning disabilities and developmental psychology.
Graduate Students
Anna Suppes – Fargo, North Dakota
Speech-Language Pathology Master's student | Graduate Assistant
Undergraduate Students
Emma Conradi – Minnetonka, Minnesota
Major: Communication Sciences & Disorders | Minor: Education studies
Sydney Hobza – Hickman, Nebraska
Major: Communication Sciences & Disorders | Minor: Education studies
Devin Shaughnessy – Chicago, Illinois
Major: Elementary Education & Special Education (K-6)
Kaleigh Thrash – Fort Collins, Colorado
Major: Special Education (7-12)
Abbie Zoucha – Columbus, Nebraska
Major: Communication Sciences & Disorders | Minor: Education studies