Meet Our Team

Laura is originally from Enterprise, AL and completed her undergraduate degree in Athletic Training at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, AL. Laura found her passion at Huntingdon and knew she wanted to work with students in Higher Education. She completed her master’s degree in education from Auburn University and decided to work for a few years in Miami, FL before returning home to sweet home Alabama. She finished her Ph.D. 2018 from UA in Higher Education Administration. For the last 15 years, she has worked at UA in Student Life and has taught leadership courses for the NCLT program since 2020. Outside of work, Laura loves to read and spend time with family.

DeAvalon is from Southaven, MS, and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Communication with a concentration in Communication Studies at Mississippi State University. After successfully supporting traditional students at MSU, he is transitioning to working with adult learners at New College LifeTrack, where he holds a fiery passion for adult students’ academic, personal, and professional success. Whenever he is not recruiting future legends, he is usually seen hammocking around Tuscaloosa, eating burgers at a restaurant or watching TV at home.

Hannah is from Huntsville, AL, and received her B.S. in Psychology from The University of Alabama. She is honored to be on the NCLT team because she enjoys getting to know students, learning their unique experiences and ambitions, and helping them on the way towards their goals. A working mom with two young children, she understands the balancing act facing many adult students and appreciates the opportunity to support them. Hannah enjoys reading, learning, and being outdoors, especially with her family.

Carolyn is originally from Chicago, IL. She moved with her family to Alabama at the age of 5 and grew up in both Sumter and Greene counties. Carolyn’s career has spanned over 15 years with institutions of academic excellence, teaching and research. Carolyn says working at The University of Alabama is a dream come true. She is a huge Tide football fan and enjoys cheering for the team each season. Carolyn is the proud mother of one daughter and one grandson, Jahmir, whom she loves to spoil. She enjoys comedy, concerts and family gatherings with lots of food prepared by relatives, who, in her opinion, are the best cooks in the South.

Lisa knows UA inside and out. She is a life-long resident of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at The University of Alabama from the Department of Criminal Justice. She joined the New College LifeTrack staff after working as an adjunct professor in the Criminal Justice Department, where she has taught Introduction to Criminal Justice, Juvenile Delinquency, and Criminal Law for several years. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, listening to music, cooking, and spending time with her friends and family.

Jennifer Caputo is a senior instructor in NCLT who lives in Tuscaloosa with her husband Andrew Dewar (UA Professor of Interdisciplinary Arts). Her teaching interests integrate music, dance, creativity, festivals, cultural studies, music and social change, community engagement, and arts outreach. 

Ms. Caputo has a Bachelor of Music degree from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, CUNY (City University of New York), and a Master of Arts degree in Music (Ethnomusicology) from Tufts University. She completed Ph.D. coursework and qualifying exams in ethnomusicology at Wesleyan University. Jennifer also enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, traveling the world, and supporting local food and arts organizations. 

Kim Colburn is a Senior Instructor in New College LifeTrack and New College.  She lives in Coker, Al with her wife. They have three adult children and four dogs. Her teaching interests include conspiracy theories, Holocaust and genocide studies, cooperation and conflict, collective memory, and social issues. Dr. Colburn holds a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies Program from The University of Alabama, a Master degree in Library and Information Studies, and a Bachelor degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. She also enjoys camping, fishing, and Alabama football.

Albena Dzhurova is an Instructor at New College and New College LifeTrack, University of Alabama. Her teaching and research center on topics in Public Policy, Public Management and Administration, Organization Theory, Technologies and Organization Behavior, and Bureaucratic Dysfunction. Her work has been published in Administrative Theory & Praxis, International Journal of Social Economics, Politics & Policy, International Journal of Qualitative Methods, Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance. She holds a PhD in Public Administration and is a current Fellow at the Mercatus Center of George Mason University. She is also a Board Member and Secretary of Public Administration Theory Network.

Scott Jones lives in Cottondale with his wife Leah, three cats, one dog, a snake, and a turtle. Scott is originally from near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but has been slowly making his way south. He made stops in West Virginia and North Carolina before coming to Alabama. His interests include hiking, camping, monster movies, reading, and many other things. Scott received his Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Shippensburg University in south-central Pennsylvania where he did undergraduate research on cannibalism in caddisflies and salamanders. He received his Master’s degree in Biology from Marshall University in West Virginia where he looked at urban herpetology. His most recent degree was a Ph.D. from East Carolina University in North Carolina, where his research focused on how tadpoles change their shape in response to competitors and predators. His teaching interests include herpetology, zoology, ecology, conservation biology, natural sciences, and the connections between humans and nature.