Johnnie Kallas
Assistant Professor
Professor Kallas joined the School in January with a PhD in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University. His research focuses on strikes and labor organizing in the United States. He also leads the Labor Action Tracker, a joint project between LER and Cornell University’s ILR School, to create a comprehensive database of strike activity in the United States displayed on an interactive map. The tracker overcomes limitations in official data sources by documenting strikes of all sizes by both union and nonunion workers and has become a go-to resource for journalists, policymakers, and practitioners.
“I chose LER because of its excellent research expertise in the field of industrial relations and its commitment to educating students locally in Illinois and throughout the world. I have greatly appreciated my time here so far and the diverse connections that I continue to make on a regular basis.”
Courses: LER 543 Workplace Dispute Resolution, LER 590CT Current Issues in Labor and Employment Relations
Haylee Min
Assistant Professor
Professor Min joined the School in January with a PhD from Bowling Green State University in I/O Psychology. Her research focuses on using advanced statistical methods, like machine learning, and psychometrics tools, such as item response theory, to address organizational problems. She is particularly interested in expanding the use of machine learning to tackle important challenges within organizations.
Haylee applies machine learning to analyze how performance changes and develops over time. She is working on making machine learning techniques more accessible for researchers and practitioners by improving how results are reported to ensure findings can be easily replicated. She has an interest in workplace diversity, particularly in detecting subtle forms of discrimination using advanced methods like natural language processing to uncover hidden biases in language.
Courses: LER 597: Employee Motivation and Performance
Dennis Donaldson
Office Support Specialist
Dennis joined the School in November 2023. Prior to joining LER, he spent twenty-six years with Busey Bank, followed by ten years at the Village of Savoy. Dennis is a proud University of Illinois graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in LAS/English.
He supports the Assistant Dean of Student Services with the admissions process, new student orientation, scheduling, and graduation. He also supports the LER faculty, staff, and students with various other tasks.
