About Us

Renée N. Saris-Baglama, Ph.D., has more than 25 years of experience working in academic and applied settings. She has taught courses in general psychology, social psychology, quantitative methods, research methods, and psychology of women, and especially enjoys mentoring first-generation and returning college students. She is a Board member of the Community College of Rhode Island’s Center for Teaching Excellence, a group that provides peer-to-peer professional development opportunities to promote effective teaching and improve student learning. In addition to interests in the scholarship of teaching and learning, her research has focused on topics within social and health psychology.

Justine Egan-Kunicki, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Psychology Department at the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI). She teaches courses including general psychology, social psychology, and theories of personality where she has implemented a Mindfulness Meditation Program with her departmental colleagues. She serves as a board member for CCRI’s Center of Teaching Excellence, which helps faculty reflect on their teaching and student learning. Justine is a certified yoga instructor and Kingian Nonviolence trainer with interests in nonviolence and peace education to facilitate social change. Justine’s current research focuses on mindfulness, student learning and success, and equity. 

Lynne Andreozzi Fontaine, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Psychology Department at the Community College of Rhode Island. Along with her departmental colleagues, she has implemented a Mindfulness Meditation Program in her Psychology classes. She is one of the co-directors of CCRI’s Honors Program and an Adjunct Professor of Pediatrics at the Brown Center for Children at Brown University Alpert Medical School. Her current research and clinical interests include neurobehavioral development of infants and developmental outcomes of pre-term and substance-exposed infants.  

Amanda M. Vanner, M.A., is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI). She has nearly 20 years of experience working at CCRI and loves sharing the field of Psychology with her students. She believes learning about the science of psychology is empowering and is passionate about her work in the classroom.

Alongside her colleagues, Amanda is currently involved in a research project that introduces mindfulness-based interventions into courses so students can learn about the value of being present, focused, and attentive in their daily lives. Amanda is an Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) Fellow and an advisory board member at CCRI’s Center for Teaching Excellence. Outside of mindfulness, her research interests include achievement motivation, online pedagogy and course design, and interpersonal relationships.