Interim President Kathryn McClymond and Interim Provost Kendra King Momon have announced faculty appointments and promotions, as well as new full-time and part-time faculty for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Faculty Promotions

Dr. Kate Keib, Associate Professor, Communication Studies; awarded tenure

Division Chairs

Division I – Dr. Kate Keib
Division II – Dr. Nicholas B. Maher
Division III – Dr. Mariel Meier
Division IV – Dr. Justin Wise
Division V – Dr. Stephen Craft, Business Department Chair; Dr. Cassandra C. Copeland (Economics Department Chair)
Division VII: Dr. Sarah Terry
Division VIII: Dr. Mario Chandler
Division IX: Dr. Brian Patterson
Core Co-Directors – Dr. Stephen Herschler Mattern and Dr. Judith Levy

Academic Program Directors

Environmental Studies – Dr. Roarke Donnelly
Rich Foundation Urban Leadership Program – Dr. Rhana Gittens Wheeler 
Honors Program – Dr. Seema Shrikhande 
Honor Council – Dr. Lynn Gieger 
Teaching and Learning Institute for Inclusive Innovation (TALIII) – Dr. Andrew Walden 

Special Appointments

Faculty Liaisons for First Year Seminar and Academic Mentoring – Dr. Mariel Meier and Dr. Jaclyn McWhorter
Interim Associate Provost of Faculty Development – Dr. Katharine Zakos
Writing Tutor Coordinator – Peter Dye
Special Advisor to the President for DEI – Dr. Rhana Gittens Wheeler

Rank/Title Changes

Ahmet Akin, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Finance
Leroy Carson, D.B.A., Assistant Professor, Management
Mr. Hunter Jonakin, Instructor, Art
Mr. Christopher (Ty) Karaba, Instructor, Chemistry
Milana Thomas, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Chemistry

New 2023-2024 Full-Time Faculty

Dr. Blake Allison
Visiting Assistant Professor, Economics
B.A., Economics, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
M.A., Ph.D., Economics, University of California, Irvine

Dr. Emily Bailey
Assistant Professor of Psychology
B.S., Psychology, Georgia College
M.S., Psychology, Augusta University
M.S., Clinical Health Psychology; Psy.D., Clinical Psychology, Mercer University

Dr. Jeremy Bennett 
Assistant Professor of Management
B.A., Sociology, University of Georgia
M.B.A.; M.S., Organizational Change; Ph.D., Sociology (Race & Urban), Georgia State University

Ms. Morgan Clapp
Instructor, Communication Studies
B.S., Criminal Justice (minor in Psychology); M.S., Criminal Justice (concentration in Corrections); M.A., Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, University of Cincinnati
Ph.D. (in progress), Communications, Media and Society Program, Georgia State University

Dr. Dylan Collette
Instructor, Physics
B.S., Physics, (minor, mathematics), West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Ph.D., Physics, Emory University

Dr. Kelimar Diaz Cruz
Assistant Professor, Physics
B.S., Physics, University of Puerto Rico
Ph.D., Quantitative Biosciences Program, Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Physics

Dr. Thomas FitzStephens
Visiting Assistant Professor, Music
B. Mus., Music Education, University of Michigan
M.Mus., Music Conducting, Michigan State University
Ph.D., Music Education, Georgia State University

Dr. Anthony Hannah 
Instructor, Accounting
B.S., Accounting, Albany State University
M.B.A., Accounting, Saint Leo University
D.B.A., Accounting, Jacksonville University

Dr. Lindsey J. Hyppolite 
Instructor, Chemistry
B.S., Chemistry, M.A., Curriculum and Instruction, Ph.D., Chemistry, Delaware State University

Mr. Shamsuddeen Nassarawa 
Visiting Assistant Professor, Economics
B.S., Accounting, Bayero University Kano, Nigeria
M.S., Finance; M.A., Economics; Ph.D. (in progress), Economics, Middle Tennessee State University

New Part-Time Faculty (Adjuncts)

Dr. Hayley Zavada Coughlin
Affiliate Artist in Voice
B.A., Music-Voice, University of Arkansas at Monticello
M.Mus., Performance-Voice, University of Central Arkansas
D.M.A., Vocal Performance Pedagogy, and Literature, James Madison University

Ms. Breanne Finch 
Part-Time Instructor, Sociology
Bachelor’s, Journalism, Georgia State University
M.A., Sociology, Clark Atlanta University

Ms. Kathleen Gamis 
Part-Time Instructor, Mathematics
B.S., Business Administration; M.Ed., Secondary Mathematics, University of Southern Mississippi

Ms. Jamie Jamison 
Part-Time Instructor, Computer Science
B.S., Computer Information Systems, DeVry University
M.B.A., IS Management, Keller Graduate School of Management
D.Sc. (in progress), Information Technology, Middle Georgia State University

Mr. Nicholas Karimi 
Part-Time Instructor, Mathematics
B.Sc., Electrical Engineering, (minor in Mathematics), Cleveland State University
M.Sc., Electrical Engineering, Youngstown State University
M.Sc., Mathematics, Central Methodist University

Ms. Courtney Lindner 
Part-Time Instructor, Sociology
B.S., Communication, Brigham Young University
M.S.W., Georgia State University

Ms. Cody Luedtke
Part-Time Instructor, Core Studies
B.S., Environmental and Biological Sciences, Antioch College
M.S., Forest Resources, University of Georgia

Ms. Olajumoke Helen Olubowale 
Part-Time Instructor of Chemistry
B.S., Science Laboratory Technology, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Oyo State, Nigeria
M.S., Chemistry, New Mexico Highlands University
Ph.D. Candidate, Chemistry, Louisiana State University

Ms. Yumi Parks 
Part-Time Instructor, Japanese
B.A., Speech Communication, California State University
M.Ed., Curriculum and Instruction, University of Phoenix

Ms. Sonal Patel
Part-Time Instructor, Mathematics
B.S., Mathematics (minor: Statistics); B.Ed., Mathematics & Science; M.S., Pure Mathematics, Gujarat University, India
M.S., Applied Mathematics, Long Island University

Ms. Huiying (Jessica) Su 
Part-Time Instructor, Accounting
B.B.A., Accounting, M.Acc., University of Georgia
Certified Public Accountant