Kallee McCullough, Ph.D.

Degrees:

• Ph.D. Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University
• M.A. Criminal Justice and Criminology, Sam Houston State University
• B.S. Criminal Justice and Philosophy, Bridgewater State University

Biography:

Dr. Kallee McCullough earned her Ph.D. and M.A. in Criminal Justice and Criminology from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. Before joining Lasell University, she spent eight years on the faculty at California State University, Bakersfield, where she was also Assistant Director of the Kegley Institute of Ethics. In summer 2023, she delivered a lecture on the American criminal legal system at Toyo University in Kawagoe, Japan. She enjoys teaching research methods, criminal law, and ethics, and is especially interested in helping students develop ethical reasoning, build academic confidence, critically assess policy and research, and imagine meaningful resolutions for a just society.

Dr. McCullough’s primary research interests include criminal justice policy and legal analysis, sentencing, and corrections. Her recent research includes work on sentencing statutes for juvenile homicide offenders in the United States, ethical leadership in higher education, and educational opportunities for incarcerated individuals.

Issues in the criminal legal system rarely have simple solutions. Dr. McCullough believes the classroom is an ideal place for students to wrestle with difficult questions, encounter perspectives different from their own, and develop an ethical identity grounded in curiosity and critical thought. She connects abstract course material to the realities of students’ lives and communities, using discussion, activities, and real-world examples to create space for students to build confidence, challenge their assumptions, and imagine possibilities beyond the answers they already know.