OU’s Institute for Community and Society Transformation Names Four Associate Directors

Paul Spicer

Paul Spicer’s research focuses on health and social policy in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. He is a principal investigator of the Center on the Ethics of Indigenous Genomic Research, a National Human Genome Research Institute Center of Excellence in Ethical, Legal and Social Implications Research, co-leader of the program in Cancer Prevention and Control at the Stephenson Cancer Center, and director of Community Engagement and Outreach at the Oklahoma Shared Clinical and Translational Resources. He is also a director at the Center for Applied Social Research, an ICAST affiliate. Paul earned his doctorate in anthropology at the University of Minnesota

“Our institute is tackling crucial questions related to equity, opportunity, and the technological transformation of our society in ways that unite the diverse talents of our faculty, staff, and students with Oklahoma’s communities,” said Spicer. “Our focus on supporting the sovereignty of Native Nations is particularly exciting to me. There are few places in our nation better positioned than we are for this work.”

Diane Horm

Upon completing her sabbatical leave, Diane Horm will begin the associate director role on July 1, 2022. Horm’s interests focus on three major areas: conducting applied research in partnership with early childhood education programs, building and supporting a qualified early childhood workforce, and building the capacity of OU to conduct meaningful interdisciplinary research to support young children’s development and wellbeing. Through the ECEI, Horm leads several applied research initiatives in early childhood education, including program evaluation research in collaboration with Tulsa’s Educare programs and a large, multi-year study with colleagues from Georgetown and McGill Universities to investigate children’s development from Pre-K through Grade 4. She has a doctorate in child development with a specialization in early childhood education, a post-master’s specialization in school psychology, and a master’s degree in developmental psychology.

“It is great to see the result of the OVPRP strategic planning result in the launch of the ICAST this past fall,” Horm said. “I am excited to join the effort and work with Shane, the other ICAST associate directors, and OU researchers across our three campuses to foster interdisciplinary research at OU to answer pressing questions related to improving the wellbeing of children and families across Oklahoma and our nation.”  

Matt Jensen

Matt Jensen’s expertise includes computer-aided decision making, human-computer interaction and computer-mediated communication. He investigates how people attribute credibility in mediated interactions and evaluate information they find online. His application areas include digital messaging by organizations, information security, user-generated content, recommender systems and gamification. His research has been widely published and he has been successful in obtaining millions in funding from numerous government agencies. Matt earned his doctorate in management information sciences at the University of Arizona and he is a director at the Center for Applied Social Research.

“I look forward to joining Shane and the other associate directors to get ICAST up and running,” Jensen said. “There is significant opportunity and need for interdisciplinary research and I am excited to help.”

Brittany L. Hott

Brittany L. Hott’s interests include school-based interventions, program evaluation and the effective translation of special education research to rural practice. Her work focuses on supporting underserved, underresourced, and underresearched rural schools. Hott is the recipient of the 2021 American Council on Rural Special Education Research and Evaluation Award. She serves as the immediate past president of the International Council for Learning Disabilities and is co-chairing a national work group charged with developing a coordinated, equity-centered rural education research agenda. She earned her doctorate in education from George Mason University and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral (BCBA-D).

“I am honored to serve ICAST with Director Shane Connelly, OU’s associate directors, community partners, and researchers to collectively address pressing health and education challenges,” Hott said. “Leveraging the strength of the ICAST team of researchers and community partners will provide the unique opportunity to bolster access and opportunity for individuals with disabilities in Oklahoma and beyond. I am excited to engage in these efforts.”