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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.