Christine Tartaro, President

Christine Tartaro, Ph.D. (M.A./Ph.D. Rutgers University) is a Professor of Criminal Justice at Stockton University and the author of Suicide and Self-Harm in Prisons and Jails, 2nd edition (Lexington Books).  Dr. Tartaro has a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Rutgers University.  She has worked as a researcher for the New Jersey Department of Corrections, and the Police Foundation and as a research consultant for the New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission. She does consulting and expert witness work in the area of suicide in custody. Her research interests include new generation jails, suicide in correctional facilities, mental health, and prisoner reentry.

Samantha Gavin, 1st Vice President

Samantha Gavin is an Assistant Professor at St. Bonaventure University in St. Bonaventure, New York. She received her Ph.D. in Criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), M.A. in Criminology from IUP, and B.S. in Criminology and Criminal Justice and B.A. in Sociology from Keuka College. In addition to her 2nd Vice President position within NEACJS, she is the Secretary/Treasurer of the Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship section of ACJS, is also a member of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) and the American Society of Criminology (ASC), and is a member of St. Bonaventure University’s Institution Review Board. Samantha currently teaches in areas of victimology, theory, deviance, research methods, and policing. Her research interests are in the areas of domestic violence, rape and sexual assault, and drug usage.

Jen Boyer, 2nd Vice President

Jennifer Boyer is an Assistant Professor at Clarion University of Pennsylvania. She received her J.D. from Ohio Northern University and her Ph.D. in Criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). She is a member of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) and the American Society of Criminology (ASC). She also serves on Clarion’s Institutional Review Board, Institutional and Student Learning Assessment Committee, and Inclusive Community Assessment Team. Jennifer currently teaches in the areas of criminal law, criminal procedure, legal liability, special populations, policy, and theory. Her research interests are in the areas of criminal law/procedure, courts, and juvenile justice.

Shavonne Arthurs, Secretary

Shavonne Arthurs is an Assistant Professor and the Coordinator of the Criminal Justice Program at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. She is additionally the head of the Criminal Justice Program. She received her Ph.D. in Criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), M.S. in Psychology from Arizona State University, and M.S. in Forensic Science & Law from Duquesne University. In addition to her secretary position within NEACJS, she is the current 1st Vice President of the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Justice Educators (PACJE), the 2nd Vice Chair of the Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship section of ACJS, and is also a member of the American Society of Criminology (ASC) and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS). She currently teaches in areas of courts, corrections, program and policy analysis, behavioral analysis, theory, deviance, research methods, and statistics. Her research interests are in the areas of drug and alcohol abuse, jury decision making, policing, and social deviance. She has a recent co-authored publication in the Journal of Sexual Aggression.

Jane Tucker, Treasurer 

Dr. Jane M. Tucker is an Associate Professor at West Chester University. Prior to joining the faculty at WCU in 2011, Dr. Tucker taught criminal justice courses at Kutztown University and at Temple University. Her practical criminal justice experience includes several years in private security followed by approximately 14 years of service as a law enforcement officer in both municipal and university settings. She earned her Ph.D. at Temple University.  Her research has been published in the International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience, Victims and Offenders, and the Journal of Criminal Justice Education. Additionally, she has authored a number of encyclopedia entries and co-authored a book chapter.  She has served as a reviewer for Sage Publications, the Journal of Criminal Justice, Police Quarterly, and the Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology. Her research interests are police stress, police organizational behavior, criminal justice policy, discretion, and victimization. She  teaches Policing in America, Criminal Investigations, Forensic Science I, Sex Crimes & the Law, Writing for the Criminal Justice Professional, and Decision-Making in the Criminal Justice System.

Dr. Tucker has been actively involved in service to her department, the university and the community. She serves as the advisor to several student organizations and has served as the department Practicum Coordinator (2013-2017), Graduate Coordinator (2014-2017) and has served on a number of faculty search committees. She is trained in Crisis Intervention and serves the community as a CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management) peer and trainer. In addition to her service to NEACJS, Dr. Tucker serves as the secretary for the Policing Section of ACJS (Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences).

Sheri van horne, Immediate past President

Dr. Van Horne received her B.A.s from Rutgers University (majoring in Psychology, Sociology and then German) and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Rutgers University’s School of Criminal Justice. She has also worked in the Criminal Justice field evaluating criminal justice related prevention programs, and working in the Planning Department for the Jersey City Police. Dr. Van Horne’s professional presentations and publications focus primarily on domestic violence issues, media portrayals of crime, and pedagogical research and scholarship, with her most recent interest in policing.

Jennifer Balboni, Director at Large

Jennifer Balboni is a Professor of Criminal Justice at Curry College.  She completed her Ph.D. in Law, Policy and Society at Northeastern University, with a focus on criminal justice and restorative justice issues. Her original dissertation research looked at the meaning of litigation against the Catholic Church for clergy sexual abuse survivors through an ethnographic lens. In addition to this original research, her teaching and published works have focused on prosecutorial misconduct and civil liability, criminal justice policy reform, the disparate impact of the War on Drugs on minority communities, and hate crimes, as well as other justice related topics. From 1997 through 2002, she worked as a Senior Research Associate at the Center for Criminal Justice Policy and Research, Northeastern University, and has a background in direct services, working with DSS- and DYS- involved youth in both residential and outreach settings. She considers herself privileged to teach both current and aspiring justice professionals about criminal justice reform and restorative justice. She is currently a (volunteer) practitioner with Communities for Restorative Justice.