Interim Dean

Karen Woolley

Email: Karen.woolley@lonestar.edu
Phone: 281.312.8425

Department Chair

Dr. Jennifer Chiotti

Jennifer Chiotti, associate professor of criminal justice, is the lead faculty for the criminal justice program and joined Lone Star College-Kingwood in 2013.  Prior to her present position, Dr. Chiotti was an assistant professor at the University of Houston-Downtown.  Dr. Chiotti holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas and a Master of Arts and doctorate in criminal justice from Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. Dr. Chiotti has a diverse background in student services including working within the Offices of Student Conduct, Greek Life, and Financial Aid.  After teaching her first course as a graduate student, Dr. Chiotti changed careers paths and gave up her employment with the U.S. Secret Service to pursue education and instruction full time. In addition to her passion for teaching, Dr. Chiotti actively researches and presents on topics including sex crimes and criminals, violence against women, human trafficking, and corrections.

Dr. Chiotti is originally from Portland, Oregon (where her parents currently reside) and has a younger brother that is a fireman/paramedic in San Diego, California.

Contact

Phone: 281.312.1768
Email: Jennifer.Chiotti@lonestar.edu
Office: LIB 202E

Paul Blakelock, Ph.D., Faculty

Paul Blakelock, Ph.D., professor of political science, joined LSC-Kingwood in 2003. Blakelock earned a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from Lamar University and a Master of Arts degree in political science from the University of Houston. He is also earned a doctorate degree from the University of Houston. Blakelock is the advisor of the LSC-Kingwood veterans club.

Contact

Phone: 281.312.1591
Email: Paul.A.Blakelock@lonestar.edu
Office: CLA 200
Website: Website

David Putz, Ph.D., Faculty

David Putz, Ph.D., professor of political science, joined LSC-Kingwood in 2002. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from the University of Texas at Austin and was awarded a doctoral degree in Political Science from the University of Houston. His work on partisan and ideological realignment has appeared in the Journal of Politics, and subsequent work on the differential success rates of candidate sex in primary elections has been presented at the Midwest Political Science Association and American Political Science Association annual meetings.

More recently, Dr. Putz has served as Faculty Senate President and Director of the Lone Star College Kingwood Honors College. He is also a recipient of the LSC Kingwood Faculty Excellence Award and a Lone Star College Faculty Sabbatical.

Putz' decision to teach Political Science was purely by accident. "I returned to graduate school after a short career in the telecommunications industry and wanted to pursue a degree in history, but I did not have enough undergraduate hours to begin graduate work. I had minored in Middle Eastern studies and those hours were credited toward work in political science."

Contact

Phone: 281.312.1710
Email: David.W.Putz@lonestar.edu
Office: CLA 201
Website: Website

Alicja Jac-Kucharski, Ph.D., Faculty

Alicja Jac-Kucharski, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in political science. She joined LSC-Kingwood in 2013. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Slavic Languages and Literatures from the University of California at Berkeley. She also holds both graduate and doctoral degrees in political science from the University of California at Davis.

Prior to her position at LSC-Kingwood, Dr. Jac-Kucharski was an adjunct professor at LSC-Cy Fair, where she taught courses in government. She is a member of the American Political Science Association, the International Studies Association and the Midwest Political Science Association.

In 2012, Dr. Jac-Kucharski published an article entitled “The Determinants of Human Trafficking: A U.S. Case Study” in International Migration.  She is currently working on publishing her dissertation.

Dr. Jac-Kucharski has presented at numerous conferences.  In 2011 and 2012 she presented “Screening for Health: International Migration and Security Threats” at the Annual Conferences of the Midwest Political Science Association and the International Studies Association, respectively.  In 2009 and 2012, she presented her work on human trafficking and European integration at several ISA conferences.

"I relish the idea of teaching a full range of students and am especially appreciative of the opportunity to help people better their own lives. I act on this in my professional life, as I am frequently approached by students, especially female students, who seek advice on how to do better in their classes to be able to transfer to other institutions, apply to law school, graduate school or who want to take the foreign service exam. However, as I have served as a mentor for several institutions, I also take this conviction outside of the classroom. Being able to help people achieve their dreams is the best part of my job."

Contact

Phone: 281.318.4390
Email: Alicja.Jac-Kucharski@lonestar.edu
Office: LIB 202G

Dr. Matthew Newton, Faculty

Dr. Matthew Newton, a product of LSC-Kingwood, utilizes his wealth of experience as an assistant professor of government. Joining the faculty in 2016, Newton’s professional background includes adjunct teaching two government classes at the college and teaching classes in American government, as well as Canadian Politics and Political Methodology at other institutions.

The professor was also a dissertation fellow for the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy and an assistant election administrator for the Nacogdoches County Elections Office. Newton published a paper in 2015 on interest group contributions in state legislative elections in the United States.

“I relish the opportunity to impart enthusiasm I have for the study of government and its institutions onto students,” he said. “Having been exactly in their shoes myself as a former LSC-Kingwood student, I know how important a teacher’s enthusiasm can be for unlocking students’ passion for education and learning.”

After LSC-Kingwood, Newton earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science from Stephen F. Austin State University and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Missouri. He is a member of the American Political Science Association, Association of Canadian Studies in the United States, and Pi Sigma Alpha (national political science honor society) Iota Epsilon Chapter at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Contact

Phone: 281.318.4349
Email: Matthew.C.Newton@LoneStar.edu
Office: LIB 202D

Division Staff