Dr. Reyes worked as a Probation Officer-Bilingual and a Senior Parole Officer-Bilingual
for the State of New Jersey for approximately 10 years. In addition, she worked as
a dispatcher for the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Police Department for 3½ years
and as a Correctional Officer at the Indiana County Jail for a short time before coming
to West Chester University of Pennsylvania in August 2009. She has served the Criminal
Justice Department as the Assessment (Assurance of Learning) Coordinator since 2010.
In her spare time, Dr. Reyes loves spending time with her human and furry family members
as well as advocating for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC); the LGBTQIA
Community; and for the protection of animals through social media platforms.
B.A. in Spanish and Criminology (1992)
M.A. in Criminology (2004)
Ph.D. in Criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (2009)
WCU Digital Learning Objects (2021)
WCU CAPC Distance Education Statement Renewal Activity (2020-2025)
WCU Quality Matters Certificate (2020)
WCU ET (Ethics) Course Design Workshop (2020)
Certificate Program in International Inside-Out Instructor Training Institute (2019)
HSUS 301: The Role of the Humane Society of the United States in the Animal Protection
Movement with the Humane Society Academy (2018)
WCU Green Dot Faculty Member (2017)
WCU Brandywine Project (on Sustainability) (2016)
Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences’ (ACJS) Academic Certification Reviewer Training
(2016)
ACJS/SAGE Junior Faculty Development Teaching Award (2013)
New Jersey State Parole Officer Recruit Training graduate (1997)
New Jersey Police Training Commission graduate (1997)
Dr. Reyes co-edited the first two editions (third edition forthcoming in 2022) of
Animal Cruelty: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Understanding with Dr. Mary Brewster. Additional publications include Of Fists and Fangs: An exploration of the degree to which the Graduate Hypothesis
predicts future adolescent delinquency and aggression. Additionally, she has published an article in the Journal of Offender Rehabilitation and has written several book chapters and encyclopedia entries. Her current research
interests include animal cruelty, corrections, pedagogy, juvenile delinquency, theories
of crime and delinquency, violence, and victimology.
Dr. Reyes currently serves as the Region One Trustee, Academy of Criminal Justice
Sciences; the President, Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Justice Educators; the
Vice President, Fraternal Order of Police, New Jersey Bicentennial Lodge #76; a Humane
Policy Volunteer Leader, The Humane Society of the United States; a Past President,
Northeastern Association of Criminal Justice Sciences; an Association of Pennsylvania
State College and University Faculties (APSCUF)-WCU State Delegate; a member of the
Statewide APSCUF Nominations and Elections Committee; and a member of The Prison Journal’s Editorial Advisory Board. She has also served in numerous other positions in professional
organizations throughout her time at WCU.
Dr. Reyes has also served as a manuscript reviewer for several publications such as
the American Journal of Criminal Justice, Criminal Justice Review, Criminology, Feminist Criminology, International Criminal Justice Reviews, Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice, The Prison Journal, and Violence Against Women, and Sage Publications.
As mentioned, Dr. Reyes currently serves as an APSCUF-State Delegate and has been
a member of the LGBTQA Ally Program since 2009. She previously served as the APSCUF-WCU
Legislative Committee Chair and a Criminal Justice Departmental Representative and
other University-wide committees such as the New Faculty Orientation Committee, University
Assessment Advisory Committee, Committee for Excellence in Learning and Teaching,
the Student Leadership Project Team, and the Institutional Review Board as the Prisoner
Advocate.
Dr. Reyes regularly teaches the required courses of Corrections and Practicum. In
addition, she created and has been regularly teaching the first known Animal Cruelty
criminal justice elective course in the United States since 2010.
