The Department of Criminal Justice warmly welcomes new faculty member, Assistant Professor, Dr. Melissa E. Noel. Dr. Noel comes to us after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at American University in the Department of Justice, Law, and Criminology. She is a criminologist whose work focuses on the intersections of race, gender, transitions to adulthood, and parental incarceration. Utilizing qualitative research methods, her ongoing research examines parental incarceration among justice involved emerging adults and strength-based perspectives within incarcerated families. Her social identities as a first-generation Black American propels her mission to reduce racial and health disparities among communities of color. She uses her educational platform to provide a voice for those who are marginalized. Her work has been published in journals such as Journal of Qualitative Criminal Justice and Criminology, Youth and Society, and Journal of Child and Family Studies. She received her PhD in Criminal Justice from the University at Albany.