TLC Staff
Meet the Director
Tom Laughner has been director of UTHSC’s teaching and learning center since December 2018. His passion is understanding how students learn. While his career has mostly focused on how technology might improve student learning, he has also worked with faculty to craft learning goals, develop course skeletons, and to think about ways to use time and space to most effectively engage students in and out of the classroom. He comes most recently from Smith College and has also spent time at the University of Notre Dame and the University of Arizona.
PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from Andrews University
MA in Education and Human Development from George Washington University
BA in Psychology from the University of Arizona
Meet the TLC Staff
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Venus Claxton
Associate Director -
Susan Cooper
Senior Lab Technologist -
Ronald Davis
Manager, General Education Building - Veronica Davis Administrative Assistant III
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Kelly Jo Fulkerson Dikuua, PhD
Instructional Consultant -
Amy Hall, EdD
Instructional Consultant -
Carol Mason
Senior Conference Specialist -
George McNeil
Media Specialist -
Delicia Pryor
Dental Lab Technician Supervisor -
Veronica Reliford-Thomas
Administrative Specialist -
Jessica Ross
Senior Lab Technologist -
Devin Scott, PhD
Instructional Consultant -
Jennifer Stewart
Academic Technology Consultant -
Arma White
Senior Laboratory Aide
Venus is the Associate Director for the Teaching and Learning Center and the Associate
Director of the General Education Buidling. She is an administrative professional
with a proven track record of managing the day-to-day operations of a large instructional
facility.
Her expertise is in administration, business, budgets, and logistics, and she is a
proponent of cultivating relationships, collaborations, and partnerships. Venus utilizes
existing resources across the UT System to enhance services and to maximize savings.
Venus is a member of the Interprofessional Association of Administrative Professionals and the Grant Professionals Association. She is also a member of UTHSC's Employee Relations Council, which meets regularly to discuss University issues and policies. Venus received mediator training and hopes to become a certified mediator in the future.
- MPA, University of Memphis
- BA, University of Memphis
Email: vclaxton@uthsc.edu
Susan has worked in a healthcare related field since she was 19 years old. First in the clinical environment and now on the educational side.
Susan has been with UT since 2017 working as a Sr. Laboratory Technologist setting up student labs. As a Clinical Laboratory Scientist, she worked at LeBonheur and Baptist Tipton. As a Licensed Practical Nurse, she worked at St. Francis Hospital.
- BS in Clinical Laboratory Science from UTHSC
- Diploma in Practical Nursing from Tennessee College of Applied Technology
Email: scoope26@uthsc.edu
Phone: 901.448.1218
Ronald has spent 40 years in the GEB Instructional Labs. His title, manager, is the same as when he started but his duties have changed somewhat over the years. He views laboratory exercises as the best interactive learning in our galaxy.
- EMBA, University of Memphis
- MS in Marine Botany, University of Washington
- BS in Marine Biology, Florida Institute of Technology
Email: rdavis@uthsc.edu
Veronica Davis is an Administrative Specialist III for the Teaching and Learning Center. Veronica’s areas of expertise include specialized technical support operation, and academic dental lab training that promote students success in dentistry. She enforces safety regulations and precaution by monitoring the lab environment for faculty, staff, and students.
- Dental Laboratory Technology Certificate at Tennessee College of Applied Technology
Email: vdavis26@uthsc.edu
Kelly Jo is an Instructional Consultant for the Teaching and Learning Center. Her areas of expertise include inclusive learning practices, effective teaching strategies and course design. She has over ten years of university-level teaching experience and has worked at teaching centers in the United States and abroad. In these centers, she developed curricula, consulted with faculty, researched effective teaching practices and ran workshops.
- PhD, The Ohio State University
- MA, Harvard University
- BA, University of Tennessee Chattanooga
Email: kfulkers@uthsc.edu
Amy is an Instructional Consultant for the Teaching and Learning Center.
Amy’s areas of expertise include writing performance goals and objectives, using effective learning strategies within the classroom and clinical settings, and providing effective feedback.
- EdD in Instructional Design and Technology from the University of Memphis
- MS in Instruction and Curriculum from the University of Memphis
- BA in History from Rhodes College
Email: ahall32@uthsc.edu
George is a Media Specialist for the Teaching and Learning Center.
George’s area of audiovisual production expertise involves producing, directing, filming, editing and distributing digital content. He brings over twenty years of experience including broadcast production with Comcast Spotlight and marketing and multimedia with the U.S. Navy in a civilian capacity.
- BS in Business Administration with a concentration in computer science from Frostburg State University
Email: fmcneil@uthsc.edu
- Delicia started at UTHSC in 2018 as a Senior Dental Laboratory Technician in the General Educational Building (GEB) Pre-Clinic Dental Laboratory. She was promoted to Supervisor of the Pre-Clinic Dental Laboratory in 2021.
- Diploma for Dental Technology from TN College of Applied Technology
- Associates Degree in General Studies from Southwest TN Community College.
Email: htq178@uthsc.edu
Veronica Reliford-Thomas serves as the Administrative Specialist for the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC).
Veronica is the first point of contact for patrons and visitors and provides general administrative support to the Director and TLC staff. In addition, she manages incoming space reservation requests.
Veronica is a highly skilled, motivated, and enthusiastic member of the TLC staff. She became a Tennessee state employee in 2006 when she started work for a local community college. There, she served in several capacities including office coordinator for a grant office and as an executive secretary to the office of the provost, executive vice president. As an executive secretary, Veronica also worked with the vice president of financial and administrative services and the office of the president at the college. Veronica’s experiences and background in administrative services along with her people skills have enabled her to communicate easily and amicably with faculty, staff, and students.
Reserve a SpaceEmail: vrelifor@uthsc.edu
Phone 901.448.1218
Jessica Ross is a Senior Laboratory Technologist. She assists with many of the operations of the General Education Building, including the staging and de-staging of the instructional labs.
- MBA from University of Memphis
- BS from Bethel University
- AAS from Jackson State Community College
Email: jross52@uthsc.edu
Devin is an Instructional Consultant for the Teaching and Learning Center.
Devin’s areas of expertise include curriculum development, course design, implementing sound teaching strategies, and assessment. He has experience teaching and designing in-person, online, and hybrid courses. Additionally, at the University of Maryland, he worked to implement professional development programs and assessment practices that improved student outcomes and instructor satisfaction.
- PhD in Communication from the University of Maryland, College Park
- MA in Communication from the University of Maryland, College Park
- BA in Communication from Truman State University
Email: dscott50@uthsc.edu
Jennifer’s areas of expertise include course management, assessment and curriculum support, as well as developmental training. Her strengths are instruction, coaching, and customized support to faculty in the area of academic technologies that promote student learning, and success. She has extensive faculty, staff and student training experience.
- MA in Training and Development, University of Memphis
- BA in Organizational Leadership, University of Memphis
Email: jstewa40@uthsc.edu