Meet Our Team

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.

Following a 30-year career as an educator in Texas, Gary Vaden moved to Tuscaloosa so that he could follow his dream of working at The University of Alabama. He has a BA in Music Education from Angelo State University and an MA in Education with a concentration in School Counseling from Sul Ross State University. At The University of Alabama, he was first an Admissions Counselor for UA Online, where he worked with the College of Human Environmental Sciences and College of Education online degree programs. He has two daughters and in his spare time, you will find him with his family at an Alabama softball or football game, traveling, and working in the yard.

A native of Tuscaloosa, AL., Sandra Perkins received a B.S. in General Business Management from the University of Alabama’s School of Commerce and Business Administration. Married, with a grown daughter and son, she is also a Sunday School teacher and participates in many church community outreach projects.

Dr. Amanda Ingram is originally from California but moved around a lot as a kid because her father served in the Marine Corps. She completed her undergraduate degree in Ethnic Studies and Critical Gender Studies from the University of California, San Diego. After undergrad, she moved to New York City where she taught high school English and ESL while earning her master’s degree from City College of New York. In 2006, Amanda moved to Tuscaloosa to work at The University of Alabama. In 2018, she finished her Ph.D. in the Social and Cultural Foundations of Education while balancing work and her family life, so she is familiar with the challenges of being an adult student.

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.

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. 

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.

Kim Colburn lives in Northport with her wife, Kristi. They have 3 teenage children and 4 dogs, 2 of the 4 are foster fails. Kim is a native of Tuscaloosa but has lived in many places. Her interests include camping, fishing, Alabama football, and dog rescue. Kim is a 2005 New College graduate with a depth study in Holocaust and Genocide Studies. She has a Master's degree in Library and Information Studies from The University of Alabama. She has a Ph.D. in the Interdisciplinary Studies Program at the University of Alabama. Kim’s dissertation focused on Antisemitism, the Holocaust, and perpetrator behavior. Her teaching interests include cooperation and conflict, social change, collective memory, and social issues.

Bruce lives in Tuscaloosa with his wife Amanda and one cat Theodore Roosevelt Bull Moose Blair — or “Theo.”  Bruce is originally from Daleville, Alabama, but has lived in numerous places including Kansas, New York, Georgia, Idaho and Finland.  He has numerous research and teaching interests including, but not limited to, the water, food, and energy nexus; science and technology policy and administration; non-profit organizations; and program management and evaluation.  Bruce’s personal interests include mountain/gravel biking, travel and mastering eating and creating barbeque. Bruce received a BA in Russian Language and Literature from the University of Alabama, an MA in Political Science from the University of Alabama, an MA in Political Science from Binghamton University (SUNY), and a doctorate in Political Science from Idaho State University where he completed a dissertation on the politics of fear associated with science and technology policy.  Bruce is also a Fulbright Scholar, spending the 2019/2020 academic year in Finland studying Finnish nuclear waste management.