The official podcast of UC's College of Education, Criminal Justice, Human Services, and Information Technology, "CECH Chats" is a place for discussion with faculty about their ongoing research, chats with students about the work they're doing in CECH, conversations with staff members about the important administrative work supporting the college and more.
Episode 10: Mary Wineberg decided to go for the gold and brought home a medal
Today we welcome Mary Wineberg to the podcast. A Brooklyn native, Mary became a self-described "Cincinnati girl" at an early age, experiencing an education in the Cincinnati Public Schools district that ultimately led her to Walnut Hills High School, where she discovered her passion for and skills in competitive running. She enrolled at the University of Cincinnati on a track scholarship, joining the School of Education in pursuit of an athletic training career. As a runner she set the school record in the 400-meter dash and ran at the Conference USA meet. After graduation, she decided she wanted to train for the Olympics, a long and trying process that, ultimately, allowed Mary to earn a gold medal as the lead-off runner in the 4x400 metre relay in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Off the track, Mary's career in education has led her to the classroom, the CPS School Board and, most recently, back to Walnut Hills to work as the school's track coach. She's also an accomplished author and public speaker with her company, Secure Your Gold.
In this episode Mary shares with us her story of finding her way to competitive running, overcoming her own insecurities to pursue Olympic success, and her varied experiences in the field of education. She also gives us the inside scoop on how she decided to become a running coach, a role she had never seen for herself before an opportunity presented itself.
13 Apr 2026
Episode 9: Ashley (Bauman) Payne provides research expertise through criminal justice consulting
Today we welcome Ashley (Bauman) Payne to the podcast. The child of a police lieutenant, Ashley grew up going on ride-alongs with her dad, learning about the work he did out on the beat. As a first-generation college student, Ashley enrolled in her home state's Indiana University, gravitating toward criminal justice in order to learn more of the academics behind a familiar field she found fascinating.
Encouraged to attend grad school by a professor who told her the University of Cincinnati was "the best," Ashley earned her Master of Science in criminal justice and went on to pursue a doctorate focused on correctional rehabilitation, which she ultimately decided to forgo after four years of study. Hired on to work as a Research Associate with UC's Corrections Institute, she earned an MBA to better understand the internal structure of criminal justice organizations.
Ashley fell in love with consulting during grad school and, in 2012, launched Bauman Consulting Group, a criminal justice consulting firm serving law enforcement, courts, corrections, and related public and social sector agencies. In this episode she discusses her passion for criminal justice consulting, dedicating herself to a life of research, some of her standout memories from UC, as well as her experience as an adjunct professor at UC's Blue Ash campus. She also offers up some important advice for students exploring potential career paths.
LINKS:
Bauman Consultng Group (https://baumanconsultinggroup.com/)
UC's Master of Science in Criminal Justice program
UC's Criminal Justice Ph.D. program
UC Corrections Institute (https://www.cech.uc.edu/about/centers/ucci.html)
29 Jan 2026
Episode 8: John Kelly of Mashed Radish talks Dictionary.com and his return to the classroom
For episode eight we welcome John Kelly, a 2012 graduate of UC's Master of Education program whose career journey has taken a very interesting path. A bookish kid growing up, John went on to study English in undergraduate school then, with a plan to become an educator, he pursued and completed graduate work at UC's School of Education.
Life had other plans for John, though, and, despite receiving a teaching offer from a local public school, he found himself moving out of state – first to Minnesota, then California and, in time, to the Emerald Isle of Ireland. He began writing on a freelance basis for a number of high-profile outlets including Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura and Slate. His longstanding love of words and language led him to a senior lexicographer role with a dictionary website, followed by a five-plus year ascent through the ranks at Dictionary.com, where he was promoted to a Vice President of Editorial role at the well-known tech company.
Things have come full circle for John, though, as he recently renewed his teaching license and accepted a long-term substitute position teaching English at a local junior high school. In this episode, he shares with us the details of his various career moves, as well as the moment the classroom called him back from what he calls "an unemployed wilderness." He talks to us about how it feels to be in front of students once again and where he sees his career going from here.
This episode begins season two for CECH Chats, during which we're focused on conversations with alumni of the four schools in this college, learning about their personal and professional journeys since graduation day and hearing how these Bearcats for Life are impacting their communities for the better.
LINKS:
Mashed Radish
Shakespeare Confidential
25 Nov 2025
Episode 7: A fireside chat with Criminal Justice alum Robert Hirsch
Robert Hirsch speaks with JC Barnes about his path from aeronautical engineering to police chief, including a study on reducing motorist speeds near a school, in this interview.
20 Oct 2025
Episode 6: Joe Johnson uses technology for bat conservation
Bat ecologist Joe Johnson discusses his journey into bat conservation and how he now employs technology to study bat populations and support conservation efforts in this interview.
26 Sept 2025
Episode 5: Hanyun Li has a heart for school counseling
Hanyun Li, Assistant Professor, discusses her journey from China to becoming a school counseling professor, highlighting her passion for supporting young learners and families in this interview.
6 Aug 2025
Episode 4: Tina Stanton-Chapman designs playgrounds for all
Tina Stanton-Chapman, Professor of Early Childhood Education, discusses designing playgrounds using Universal Design principles to ensure accessibility for children and adults of all abilities in this interview.
14 Jul 2025
Episode 3: J.Z. Bennett is serious about carcerality research
Assistant Professor J.Z. Bennett discusses his research on carcerality, juvenile life without parole, and the Black Freedom Struggle in Urban Appalachia, highlighting community-centered perspectives and personal experiences in this interview.
23 Apr 2025
Episode 2: Dave Kelley Wrote the Playbook on Sport Internships
CECH Chats welcomes Professor Dave Kelley of the School of Human Services. Kelley is a renowned Sport Administration professor and coordinator of the Online Master’s Degree Program here at UC. He began his career as a teacher, coach and athletic administrator in Ohio's Vinton County Local Schools before forging a path in academia. Kelley has over two decades experience in higher education and has significantly impacted the sport administration field through his innovative teaching methods and extensive professional expertise.
Author of a 2012 book about sports fundraising, Kelley has a new work releasing soon titled Internship Playbook: Skills and Strategies for Sport Industry Success. The book aims to distill Kelley’s extensive experience with sport administration internship work to share guidance for students looking to gain an advantage in pursuit of a rewarding career.
In this episode, Kelley talks with us about the role sports played in his early days, growing up in Pittsford, New York, as well as his journey from public school roles into academia. He reveals how he arrived at the idea for the Internship Playbook and shared one tip he considers essential for anyone completing an internship. He also tells the story of how he came up with the idea for the Cincinnati Public Schools All-Star Showcase, an annual basketball event that benefits Project Connect’s mission of advocating for and helping CPS students experiencing homelessness.
21 Mar 2025
Episode 1: Criminal Justice Students & Faculty Discuss Language Access Barriers Research
On the debut episode of "CECH Chats," we hear from faculty members and students from the School of Criminal Justice about their work under a Department of Justice/Office of Violence Against Women grant awarded in 2024. The project, titled "Language Access Barriers to Justice Among Victims of Violence Against Women with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities," aims to collect data through interviews and focus groups around the experiences victims with intellectual and or developmental disabilities, aka IDD, face when reporting violent crimes.
While future episodes of "CECH Chats" will focus primarily on one-on-one or small group conversations, for this debut episode, we have something special: A wide-ranging presentation moderated by project lead, associate professor Brittany Hayes, featuring co-principal investigators Ráchael Powers, also an associate professor in the School of Criminal Justice, and associate professor Amanda Simmons from the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in UC's College of Allied Health Sciences. We also heard from co-investigator Leigh Anne McKingsley from the ARC’s National Center on Criminal Justice and Disability. The ARC is a national organization that promotes and protects the human rights of individuals with IDD.
Students at the undergraduate, master's and doctorate levels involved in various stages of the grant-funded work are also included in this conversation.
For more information about CECH, visit us online at cech.uc.edu, and be sure to check out the CECH Headlines page for news articles, video stories and more.
Who has been a guest on CECH Chats
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Robert Hirsch
Joe Johnson
Hanyun Li
Tina Stanton-Chapman
JZ Bennett
Podcast Authority Score: 7 / 100
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