Team

Our Team

The Hazing Prevention Research Lab’s work is powered by dedicated staff, research experts and national leaders committed to advancing hazing prevention through research, education and practice.
Meet the teams supporting the lab and its work.

Hazing Prevention Research Lab Staff

Elizabeth J. Allan, Ph.D., Principal of StopHazing and Director of the Hazing Prevention Research Lab

For more than two decades, University of Maine Professor of Higher Education Elizabeth Allan and colleagues have worked to build a research base that illuminates the nature and extent of hazing to inform effective prevention strategies. Allan is founder and principal of StopHazing, home to the research-to-practice Hazing Prevention Consortium, which has worked with more than 35 colleges and universities nationwide to assess campus climate and build capacity for planning, developing, implementing and evaluating data-informed hazing prevention strategies. Allan is also an in-demand expert for policymakers and the media. She has testified at congressional hearings and been interviewed or cited by news outlets such as the Associated Press, the Chronicle of Higher Education, The New York Times, USA Today, NPR, PBS, CNN, CBS and more. In 2021, Allan received the UMaine Presidential Research and Creative Achievement Award.

Devin Franklin, M.Ed., Doctoral Research Fellow

Devin Franklin, M.Ed. is the Doctoral Research Fellow for StopHazing and a Ph.D. student at the University of Maine. She assists with hazing prevention research, engages in resource development, and facilitates leadership development trainings. Devin earned her B.S. in Finance from the University of Alabama in 2021 and her M.Ed. in Student Development in Higher Education from the University of Maine in 2023. She served as a Research-to-Practice intern for StopHazing prior to transitioning to her current role. Devin continues to advocate for research-based and research-informed hazing prevention, ethical leadership development, and the creation of more inclusive campus communities.

StopHazing Staff

StopHazing is a research group led by founder and principal Dr. Elizabeth Allan, professor of higher education at the University of Maine College of Education and Human Development. StopHazing’s mission is to promote safe and inclusive school, campus, and organizational environments through research, resource sharing, and the development of data-driven strategies for hazing prevention and the promotion of positive and inclusive group climates. Click below to meet members of the StopHazing staff.

Advisory Council and Advancement Council

HPRL Research Advisory Council

Members of the Hazing Prevention Research Lab’s Research Advisory Council:

Jane Stapleton, M.S., Executive Director of Practice at the Prevention Innovations Research Center, University of New Hampshire.
Lindsay Orchowski, Ph.D., staff psychologist in the Adult Outpatient Division at Rhode Island Hospital in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health within Brown University Health/professor (research scholar) at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
Tim Marchell, Ph.D., former director of the Skorton Center for Health Initiatives at Cornell University (retired).
Laura Santacrose, DPH, Associate Director of Skorton Center for Health Initiatives at Cornell University/Professorial Lecturer at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University.
Jason Meriwether, Ph.D., Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing at Campbellsville University/Assistant Professor of Education.
Stephanie Gordon, Ed.D., vice president for strategy and impact at NASPA (Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education).
Norm Pollard, Ed.D., Former Dean of Students and Adjunct Professor at Alfred University (retired).
Walter Kimbrough, Ph.D., Executive Vice President of Research and Member Engagement at UNCF and Presenter for CAMPUSPEAK.

HPRL Advancement Council

Members of the Hazing Prevention Research Lab’s Advancement Council:

Gary and Julie DeVercelly, parents of Gary DeVercelly, Jr., Clery Center board members, leaders, and advocates for the Stop Campus Hazing Act.
Pam Champion, parent of Robert Champion, founder of the Be a Champion Foundation.
Jolayne Houtz, parent of Sam Martinez, founder of HazingInfo.org.
Colleen Tyler, parent of Luke Tyler; general manager for global partner marketing and GTM at Microsoft.
Doug Fierberg, licensed attorney specializing in campus violence (i.e., hazing and sexual assault), partner and founder of Fierberg National Law Group.

Interested in collaborating with us?

College of Education and Human Development
5766 Shibles Hall
Orono, ME 04469
Tel: 207.581.2441 | coehd@maine.edu