Meet this year’s new faculty and staff members

More than 100 new faculty and staff members have joined the Elon community for the start of the 2004-2005 academic year. Read this note to find out more about them...

School of Education

Full-Time Faculty

Bryan Hedrick–Lecturer in Health Education; B.S. and M.A. in education, Eastern Kentucky University. Joins us from teaching at the University of North Florida.

Amanda Tapler–Lecturer in Health Education; B.S., State University of New York at Oswego; M.P.H., The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Joins us from teaching at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Adjunct Faculty

Julie Emmons–Instructor in Education

B.A., Bryan College; M.Ed., Elon University

Kimberly Keyser–Instructor in Physical Therapy Education; B.S., Virginia Commonwealth University; B.S., Guilford College. Currently a staff physical therapist at Duke University Medical Center.

Kristan Shimpi – Instructor in Education; B.A., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; M.Ed., North Carolina State University; Ph.D. candidate at North Carolina State University

Anthony Weaver–Instructor in Leisure/Sport Management; B.S., Siena College; M.A., University of Connecticut. Currently enrolled in the Ph.D. program at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and joins us from teaching at Guilford College.

School of Communications

Full-Time Faculty

Lee Bush–Assistant Professor of Communications; B.A., Missouri Western State College; M.S., Northwestern University. Formerly senior vice president, Brand Marketing Group, Ketchum Public Relations, Chicago.

Eleanor Cowen–Lecturer in Communications; B.A., The University of Georgia; Master of Communication, Georgia State University. Formerly post-production manager in the School of Filmmaking at the North Carolina School of the Arts.

Kenn Gaither–Assistant Professor of Communications; B.A. and M.F.A., University of Pittsburgh; Ph.D., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Formerly director of public relations and marketing at Élan Communications in Pittsburgh.

Richard Landesberg–Instructor in Communications; B.A., The American University; M.A., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill;

Ph.D. candidate at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Formerly manager of European news operations for Mutual/NBC Radio in London and a news writer for CNN in Atlanta.

Glenn Scott–Instructor in Communications; B.A. and M.A., California State University at Fresno; Ph.D. candidate at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Formerly Tokyo bureau chief for Pacific Stars and Stripes and columnist/editor at the Modesto Bee in California.

Martha and Spencer Love School of Business

Full-Time Faculty

Norris Gunby, Jr.–Assistant Professor of Business Administration; B.A., Paine College; Master of Health Administration, Tulane University; Ph.D., The University of Alabama at Birmingham. Joins us from teaching at University of Alabama at Huntsville.

Coleman Rich–Lecturer in Business Administration; B.S., North Carolina State University; M.B.A., Elon University. Joins us from North Carolina State University, Industrial Extension Service.

Adjunct Faculty

Tonya Riney – Instructor in Business Administration; A.B., The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor; M.A., The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Joins us from teaching at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Elon College, The College of Arts and Sciences

Full-Time Faculty

Hui Hua Chang–Assistant Professor of History; B.A. National Taiwan University; M.A. and Ph.D., Indiana University. Joins us from teaching as an associate instructor at Indiana University.

Jeffrey Coker–Assistant Professor of Biology; B.S., Davidson College; M.Ed. and Ph.D., North Carolina State University. Recently completed his doctoral studies in botany at North Carolina State University.

Paul Crenshaw–Assistant Professor of English; B.F.A., Arkansas Tech University; M.F.A., The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Formerly adjunct faculty member at Elon University.

Michael Flannery–Assistant Professor of Theatre; B.S., Wake Forest University; M.F.A., The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Formerly adjunct faculty member at Elon University.

Sirena Hargrove-Leak–Assistant Professor of Engineering; B.S. and M.S., North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University; Ph.D., University of South Carolina. Formerly a graduate teaching assistant at University of South Carolina.

Lynn Huber–Visiting Assistant Professor of Religious Studies; B.A., Northwest Nazarene College; M.Div. and Ph.D., Emory University. Joins us from teaching at Emory University.

Jessie Moore Kapper–Assistant Professor of English; B.A., University of Wyoming; M.A. and Ph.D., Purdue University.

Lance Massey–Instructor in English; B.A., University of Missouri; M.A., Southwest Missouri State University; Ph.D. candidate at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Formerly adjunct faculty member at Elon University.

Lisa Ponton–Assistant Professor of Chemistry; B.S., University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point; M.S., University of Michigan at Ann Arbor; Ph.D., Iowa State University.

April Hewett Post–Instructor in Spanish; B.A., Elon University; M.A., California State University at Sacramento. Joins us from teaching at Eastern Alamance High School.

Alina Ramirez–Assistant Professor of English; B.A., Florida International University; M.F.A., The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Formerly adjunct faculty member at Elon University.

John Reilly–Assistant Professor of Chemistry; A.S., SUNY at Farmingdale; B.E. CUNY; Ph.D., The Johns Hopkins University. Joins us from Symrise, Inc. as a senior research scientist and adjunct at College of St. Elizabeth.

Michael Salmond–Assistant Professor of Art; B.S., University of Plymouth; M.F.A., University of South Florida. Joins us from teaching at the University of South Florida.

Jack Shreffler–Assistant Professor of Mathematics; B.S. and M.S., The University of Wisconsin at Madison; Ph.D., Oregon State University; M.S., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Formerly adjunct faculty member at Elon University.

Kerstin Sorensen–Assistant Professor of Political Science; B.A., Hunter College, M.A. and Ph.D., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Formerly adjunct faculty member at Elon University.

David Vandermast–Instructor in Biology

B.B.A., Ohio University; B.S. and M.S., Clemson University; Ph.D. candidate at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Formerly a teaching assistant at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Derick Williams–Elon Pre-doctoral Fellow and Instructor in Human Services; B.S., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; M.A., Gardner-Webb University. Currently enrolled in the Ph.D. program at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Beth Wright–Assistant Professor of Sociology; B.S., Union University; M.A., Memphis State University; Ph.D., North Carolina State University. Formerly adjunct faculty member at Elon University.

Adjunct Faculty

Darin Achilles–Assistant Professor of Music; B.A., Northwestern University; M.M., Indiana University; PhD., The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Joins us from teaching at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Radford University.

Rodney Clare–Assistant Professor of History; B.A., Howard University; M.A. and Ph.D., Duke University. Joins us from teaching at Meredith College.

Christine Cotton–Instructor in Spanish; B.A., University of Virginia; M.A., University of Michigan; Ph.D. candidate University of Michigan. Currently with Project Salud: Office of Distance Education at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Cheryl Dickter–Instructor in Psychology; B.A., Randolph-Macon College; M.A., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Ph.D. candidate at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Currently a Teaching Fellow at The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

Sonja Ellington–Instructor in Human Services; B.S., Appalachian State University; M.S., East Carolina University. Currently with Triumph, LLC as a therapist and Southern Rehabilitation Network as a vocational case manager.

Ruth Harper–Instructor in Spanish; B.A., The University of Southern Mississippi; M.A., Mississippi State University. Joins us from teaching at Durham Academy and in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro public schools.

Michael Jefferson–Instructor in Music

B.S., Elon University; M.M., University of Mississippi. Currently Director of Bands at Graham High School.

Hugh Landis–Instructor in Mathematics; B.S.E., University of Central Arkansas; M.A., Louisiana State University. Currently a research analyst at Duke University.

William Mackin–Assistant Professor of Biology; A.B., Harvard University; Ph.D., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Joins us from serving as a teaching fellow at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Emily Millikan–Instructor in Psychology; B.A., Elon College; M.S.W., The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Joins us from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she served as a research assistant.

George J.A. Murray, III–Instructor in Sociology; B.A., Boston College; M.A., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Ph.D. candidate at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Lisa Marie Peloquin–Assistant Professor of Sociology; B.A., Mount Holyoke College; M.A. and Ph.D., Duke University. Joins us from teaching at Duke University.

Claude Pinkston, Jr.–Assistant Professor of Theater Arts; B.A. and M.A., University of Florida; Ph.D., University of California at Los Angeles. Previously Associate Professor of Theater at Missouri South State University.

Carla Prichard–Assistant Professor of English; B.A., The University of Evansville; M.A. and Ph.D., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Joins us from teaching at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Robert Ramraj–Assistant Professor of Geography; B.A., University of Guyana; B.A., M.A., University of Windsor; Ph.D., University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. Joins us from teaching at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Ann Roberts–Instructor in Dance; B.A. and M.A., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Comes to us from teaching dance in New York.

Burton Stuart–Instructor in Mathematics; B.A., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; M.M., University of South Carolina. Currently teaching at Chapel Hill High School.

Patricia Suppes–Instructor in Spanish; B.A., Sweet Briar College; M.A., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Ph.D. candidate at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Joins us from teaching at Durham Technical Community College.

William Vincent–Assistant Professor of Sociology; B.S., Duke University; M.A. and Ph.D., The University of Chicago. Currently Executive Director, Alamance County Historical Museum.

Donald West–Assistant Professor of Mathematics; B.S., Master of Industrial Engineering, Ph.D., North Carolina State University. Joins us from teaching at Strayer University.

Fred York, III–Instructor in Religious Studies; B.A., Trevecca Nazarene University; M.T.S., Duke University; Ph.D. candidate Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Northwestern University. Currently a research assistant at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.

Visiting International Faculty

Leire Marquinez–Visiting International Faculty; B.A. in translation and interpreting (Spanish, French), faculty of translation and interpreting, University of Valladolid, Spain; Master’s degree in international trade management, Chamber of Commerce of Alava, Spain. Currently doctoral student in translation and intercultural communication, University of Valladolid, Spain.

Tao Wang–Visiting International Faculty; B.A. in English from Southeast University, Nanjing, China; M.A. in economics from the Political and Administrative University of Jiangsu, Nanjing, China. Currently doctoral student in sociology, Southeast University in Nanjing, China.

Administrative Staff/Office and Support Staff

The list below contains names of Elon University full-time and part-time employees with a start date of June 1, 2004 to August 23, 2004.

Full-Time Administrative Staff

Shaunta Adams–Collection Development Librarian and Assistant Professor. Shaunta has a B.S. in psychology from Mississippi State University and an M.A. in library and information sciences from the University of South Florida. Most recently she worked as a graduate assistant in the University of South Florida Tampa campus library.

Jala Anderson–Director of Internships for the School of Communications. Jala has a Bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University. She worked for 10 years as a television news reporter and anchor in Toledo, Raleigh-Durham and most recently in Greensboro.

Jack Blacketer–Assistant Technical Director, Center for the Arts. Jack comes to Elon from Daytona Beach, Fla. where he has worked with Elon University students for the past 4 years at Seaside Music Theater. His positions with Seaside included: technical director, assistant technical director, and master carpenter. He attended Shenandoah University.

Jeffrey Blythe–Assistant Business Manager/Ticket Manager in Athletics. Jeffrey has an A.B. from UNC-Chapel Hill and an M.A. degree from Appalachian State University. Jeff comes to us after serving as a sports assistant at the North Carolina High School Athletic Association in Chapel Hill.

DeAnne Brooks–Head Women’s Track & Field Coach and Assistant Cross Country Coach. DeAnne has a B.A. degree from UNC-Chapel Hill where she was a four-time NCAA All-American in track and field. She holds an M.Ed. degree from the University of Georgia. She has been a speed and conditioning coach to professional football players in Irving, Texas.

Winter Brown–Special Projects Coordinator and VISTA Leader in NC Campus Compact Office. Winter holds two Bachelor of Arts degrees in political science and philosophy from Seattle University. Winter comes from Meredith College where she served as a North Carolina Campus Compact VISTA and Community Partnerships Coordinator.

Dan Carmody–Admissions Counselor with responsibility for New York and New Jersey. Dan graduated from Elon in 2001 where he majored in human services with a minor in sociology. He has spent the majority of the past 3 years in Paraguay with the Peace Corps.

Annmarie Carter–Counselor in Counseling Services. Annmarie has a B.A. from Salem College and an M.S.W. from the University of South Carolina. Annmarie joins us from Alamance Regional Medical Center where she was on the Behavioral Medicine staff.

Matthew Clark–Head Women’s Soccer Coach. Matt received his B.S. degree in business administration from Illinois State University. He comes to Elon after serving as head soccer coach at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Gregory Colby–Systems Administrator in Information Systems and Technologies. Greg has a Bachelor’s degree from State University of NY at Geneseo and joins us from Broome-Tioga Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES)in Binghamton, NY, where he was a network specialist.

Ann Dawson–Assistant Director in Residence Life (East Area). Annie has a B.A. in sociology from Valparaiso University, and an M.S. in student affairs in higher education from Colorado State University. Annie comes from Colorado State where she worked as a hall director for 2 years.

Meghan Dillon–Assistant Director of Campus Recreation. Meghan has a B.A. from Elon University in communications and a Master’s degree in higher education-administration-student personnel from the University of Mississippi. Meghan comes from Georgia Southern as Assistant Director of Campus Recreation where she was a Facility Coordinator.

Timothy Geier–AmeriCorps VISTA Intern in Service Learning. Timothy has a B.A. from Davis & Elkins College. He previously worked with Habitat for Humanity and is a former Admissions Counselor with Davis & Elkins College.

Cathy Hefferin–Editorial Assistant in University Relations

Cathy has a B.S. in journalism from West Virginia University. Before joining Elon, Cathy was a Director of Public Affairs for Randolph Community College in Asheboro.

Sarah Hickman–Study Abroad and International Student Advisor in the Isabella Cannon Centre for International Studies. Sara earned her B.A. from Elon University with majors in international studies and Spanish, and a minor in Latin American Studies. She has studied abroad with Elon in programs in Guatemala, Spain and Costa Rica.

Breanna Jacinto–Assistant Women’s Soccer Coach. Breanna received a B.S. degree from Liberty University and an M.S. degree from the University of Southern Mississippi. She comes to Elon after serving as an assistant soccer coach at William Carey College.

Allison Jones–Admissions Counselor. Allison graduated from Elon in 2004 and will travel as needed in different territories. She is a business administration major with a concentration in marketing.

Colleen Jones–Admissions Counselor with responsibility for Maryland and Delaware. Colleen graduated from Elon in 2004 and was a business administration major with a concentration in marketing.

Richard “Dickie” Keziah, Jr.–Manager of Plant Services. Dickie comes to Elon following a 26-year career in a local hosiery manufacturing company. Currently Dickie serves as an alderman for the Town of Elon.

Michael Leonard–Director of Tennis and Head Tennis Coach for Men. Michael earned a B.A. degree in political science from Elon. He is a two-time All-American, a member of Elon’s national champion tennis team, and a member of Elon’s Sports Hall of Fame. He returns to us after serving as director of tennis at the Raleigh Racquet Club.

Jennifer Mackenzie–Assistant Athletics Trainer. Jennifer earned a B.S. degree from Wingate University and the M.S. degree from Illinois State University. She comes to Elon after serving as an assistant athletic trainer at California Lutheran University.

Karen Marsh-Lovvorn–Instructional Designer. Karen has an M.Ed. in training & development from NCSU. She has over 20 years experience in business including 6 years as an instructional designer in the RTP. Karen’s position in Instructional Design & Development will provide support for the Love School of Business.

Cindy Novak–Wellness Program Coordinator. Cindy earned a B.S.N. (Nursing) from UNC-G. She is currently an employee of Alamance Regional Medical Center assigned to Elon University as our Wellness Coordinator.

Angela Passerelli–Director of Center for Leadership Development. Angela has a B.S. in psychology from James Madison University, and an M.S. in educational administration from Texas A&M University. Angie comes from Texas A&M where she was a graduate assistant in Leadership Education & Student Involvement.

Elizabeth Perry–Head Women’s Tennis Coach. Elizabeth holds a B.S. degree from UNC-Wilmington and a M.S. degree from the University of Idaho. She comes to Elon after serving as assistant tennis coach at Auburn University.

Janis Realmuto–Assistant Director of Moseley Center & Student Activities. Janis has a B.A. from Providence College in public & community service studies, and an M.Ed. from South Florida in college student affairs. Janis comes from The University of South Florida where she was a volunteer graduate advisor for the past 2 years.

Randall Saenz–Assistant Director of El Centro. Randall, originally from Costa Rica, earned his B.A. from the Universidad Internacional de las Americas in Costa Rica with a major in English. For the past 3 years he was an English as a Second Language Teacher in High Point, NC.

Heather Wauls–Assistant Director of Residence Life (North Area). Heather holds a B.S. degree in health services from James Madison University and is a 2004 graduate in counseling psychology from James Madison University. Heather comes from JMU where she has worked as a hall director and graduate assistant in the Center for Multicultural/International Student Services.

Carrie Whittier–Director of Greek Life. Carrie has a Bachelor of Music from DePauw University and a Master of Arts degree from Ball State University. Carrie is working on a doctorate in education from Virginia Commonwealth University. Carrie comes from Randolph-Macon College where she has worked as Director of Student Activities, Greek Life & Orientation for 4 years.

Katarina Yamaguchi–Assistant Director of Service Learning and Elon Volunteers! Kat has a Bachelor of Philosophy (B.Phil.) in interdisciplinary studies from Miami University, and an M.Ed. in curriculum development and teacher leadership from Miami University. Katarina comes to us from Miami University where she was a Program Coordinator, in the offices of Service Learning and Civic Leadership.

Part-Time Administrative Staff

Jill Baker–Academic Progress Counselor

Jill earned a B.A. degree from Elon. Prior to employment at Elon, she was a teacher for the Alamance/Burlington School System and also an instructor at Alamance Community College.

Lakisha Covington–Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach. Lakisha received her B.A. degree in sociology from Winston-Salem State University where she earned All-CIAA honors. She comes to us after 2 years at Saint Paul’s College.

Joel Justus–Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach. Joel received a B.A. degree in May 2004 from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington where he was a varsity basketball letterman.

Margaret Rhee–Counselor in Counseling Services. Margaret has a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Wellesley College and an M.S.W. from UNC-Chapel Hill. Margaret is a licensed clinical social worker and comes to Elon from Alamance County Mental Health Center where she has served as a Staff Psychotherapist and Case Manager.

Lisa Tell–Program Coordinator, NC-ACTS! AmeriCorps Program in the NC Campus Compact Office. Lisa has a B.A. from Appalachian State University and a Master of Education from University of South Carolina. She comes from Franklin Covey as a consultant in their Higher Education division.

Desiree Wilkinson–Assistant to the Director for Multicultural Affairs. Desiree holds a Bachelor’s degree in business management from Guilford College. She most recently served as a North Carolina Campus Compact VISTA intern at Guilford College.

Full Time Office and Support Staff

Tracy Barr-Groundskeeper with the Physical Plant

Anita Coble–Bookkeeper in the Phoenix Card Office

Steve Coleman–Warehouse/Receiving Clerk with the Physical Plant

Jeremy “Bryan” Cook–Mechanic II in HVACR

Deborah Jeffries–Serial/Documents Clerk in the Library

Gregory Marshall–Supervisor in Environmental Services

Syretta Robinson–Help Desk Associate in PC Support

Nicholas Schroeder–Media Technician in Media Services

Courtney Smith–Office Assistant in Admissions and Financial Planning

Travis White–Mason in the Carpentry Shop

Blair Wilburn–Secretary in Graduate Admissions