FIRST YEAR PROGRAM FACULTY: 2009-2010
Eric Brown
(Ph.D., 2009, Northwestern University)
Biology
Dr. Brown's current research interest is in bionanoconjugates, which can be used to enhance detection and therapy of various cancers, viral infections, and bacterial infections above that of currently used strategies. He has given oral presentations at numerous universities and conferences, with teaching experience at Loyola University and Harper College. Dr. Brown has also mentored and supervised numerous undergraduate students in various research projects.
Chris Calvert-Minor
(Ph.D., 2008, Syracuse University)
Philosophy & Religious Studies
For his dissertation research, Dr. Calvert-Minor developed an ecological epistemology within the intersection of practicist and social epistemologies. His areas of research specialization include feminist philosophy, philosophy of science, and epistemology. In addition to his Ph.D. in philosophy, Dr. Calvert-Minor also has an M.A. in theology and an M.S. in chemistry. He joins UW-Whitewater from Hamilton College in New York.
Kathryn Casey
(Ph.D., 2009, University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
Special Education
With a B.S.E. and M.S.E. from UW-Whitewater, Ms. Casey is already familiar with the department of special education. Recently, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Ms. Casey taught courses on the characteristics of exceptional persons and instructional methods of students with diverse needs. She has also worked as an emotional and behavioral disorders teacher at the middle and high school levels.
Pavan Rao Chennamaneni
(A.B.D., 2009, University of Central Florida)
Marketing
Mr. Chennamaneni's dissertation focuses on co-marketing alliances, with an evaluation of those alliances that involve joint consumption of products and those that do not. His research interests include strategic alliances, channels of distribution, competitive strategy, and pricing of services. As an instructor at the University of Central Florida, Mr. Chennamaneni has taught courses on retailing management and marketing strategy.
Andrew Ciganek
(Ph.D., 2006, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
Information Technology and Business Education
Dr. Ciganek joins the UW-Whitewater faculty from Jacksonville State University, where he was an assistant professor and taught courses in E-commerce, web application development, and software engineering. His published works address topics such as the organizational culture for knowledge management systems and challenges of adopting web services. Additionally, Dr. Ciganek has served as a manuscript reviewer for numerous international conferences.
Lana Collet-Klingenberg
(Ph.D., 1996, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Special Education
With a Ph.D. in rehabilitation psychology and special education, Dr. Collet-Klingenberg has most recently worked as a senior outreach specialist at the Waisman Center at UW-Madison. She has taught courses in the Special Education Department, supervised student teachers, and served as an associate researcher with the Wisconsin Center for Educational Research. Dr. Collet-Klingenberg has published numerous materials related to coursework for students with special needs.
Shu-Chuan (Kelly) Chu
(Ph.D., 2009, University of Texas-Austin)
COMMUNICATION
Ms. Chu comes to UW-Whitewater from the University of Texas at Austin, where she was an assistant instructor in the department of advertising. Her research focuses on topics such as global branding strategies and consumers' reliance on user-generated content as a source of product information. Ms. Chu also has extensive professional experience in the field of advertising and marketing, both in Texas and in Taiwan.
Corey Davis
(A.B.D., 2009, University of Missouri)
Communication
Mr. Davis comes to UW-Whitewater from the University of Missouri, where he pursued a Ph.D. and wrote his dissertation on "Barack Obama's Image Repair Discourse." His research and teaching interests includes public relations, political communication, and media effects. Mr. Davis' knowledge of politics is also based on his hands-on experience during the 2008 presidential election, in which he worked as a research assistant for the presidential campaign and served on the presidential debates research team.
Joni Downs
(Ph.D., 2009, Marquette University)
Counselor Education
In addition to her experience in individual and group counseling, crisis intervention, and developmental guidance, Dr. Downs has also taught many school counseling courses. Her research is focused on the decision-making behaviors of lesbian, gay, and bisexual school counselors regarding coming out in the workplace, as well as barriers to treatment for families with children with difficult behaviors. She worked in the Counselor Education Department at UW-Whitewater in 2008-09.
Michael Dugan
(D.M.A., 2008, University of Minnesota)
Music
With two years of teaching experience at UW-Whitewater, Dr. Dugan is already familiar with the music department. He received his Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in trombone performance. As a trombonist, Dr. Dugan continues to teach master classes and clinics, and has performance experience with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Madison Symphony Orchestra, and the U.S. Air Force Band of Liberty.
Teresa Faris
(M.F.A., 1998, University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Art
With experience as a lecturer in jewelry/metalsmithing at UW-Milwaukee and San Diego State University, Ms. Faris joined the UW-Whitwater art department in 2003. Most recently, she has instructed 3-D design and all undergraduate levels of metalsmithing. Her background in art includes an exhaustive list of group, juried, and solo exhibitions in locations across the country.
Jennifer Flad
(Ph.D., 2009, Syracuse University)
Sociology
Ms. Flad's areas of specialization include qualitative methods in institutional ethnography and feminist methodologies, sociology of health and illness, and sociological theory. Her most recent research position was as a consultant for SUNY Upstate Family Medicine. Additionally, Ms. Flad has taught both undergraduate and graduate-level courses on theory and the sociology of sex and gender.
Deborah Fratz
(Ph.D., 2008, University of Illinois-Champaign)
Languages & Literatures
Dr. Fratz recently received her Ph.D. in British literature, with a dissertation on "Disabled Subjects: Disability, Gender, and Ethical Agency in Victorian Realism." She has experience teaching numerous literature courses at UW-Madison and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she was named to the list of instructors ranked outstanding by their students.
Joseph Gerard
(Ph.D., 2009, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
Accounting
Prior to working with Ascent Organization Development LLC, Dr. Gerard was the sole practitioner of Gerard Consulting for almost seven years. In these positions, he has consulted with clients on planned organizational change to improve effectiveness, performed assessments and audits, and facilitated the implementation of systemic change. Dr. Gerard is a certified public accountant and a certified internal auditor.
Thomas Gustafson
(Ph.D., 1996, Indiana University)
Health, Physical Education, Recreation, & Coaching
Dr. Gustafson joins the UW-Whitewater faculty from Texas State University-San Marcos, where, as an assistant professor, he taught numerous undergraduate and graduate classes on recreation leadership, administration, and services. His research interests include the impact of state parks on local residents and golf course privatization. In addition to his research and education experience, Dr. Gustafson has served as a Head Tennis Professional in numerous locations across the county.
Jessica Hagaman
(Ph.D., 2009, University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
Special Education
Ms. Hagaman comes to UW-Whitewater from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where was a graduate research assistant. As an instructor, she taught courses on the characteristics of exceptional persons and methods for diverse learners. Ms. Hagaman has published articles on literacy interventions and the academic status of children in residential care, among other topics.
Angela Harris
(Ph.D., 2009, University of Colorado-Denver)
Math & Computer Science
Ms. Harris has most recently worked as a GK-12 fellow in the Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences at the University of Colorado-Denver. She has also taught courses in mathematics there, as well as at the University of South Alabama. Ms. Harris' research interests include cycles in graphs and graph saturation.
Alena Holmes
(Ph.D., 2009, University of Florida)
Music
As a lecturer at UW-Whitewater for the past year, Ms. Holmes is already familiar with the university and the music department. She has taught numerous classes on music education, fundamentals in the arts, and music techniques. Her involvement in music has taken her to various places for presentations and lectures, including Minsk, Belarus, where she was a music teacher and soloist with the band "Syrabi."
Michael Illuzzi
(Ph.D., 2008, University of Minnesota)
Political Science
Dr. Illuzzi recently received his Ph.D. in political science, with a dissertation on a conceptual history of "equal opportunity" and an evaluation of its role in debates over inequality. His fields of interest include American political thought, the history of political thought, law theory, and public policy. Most recently, Dr. Illuzzi taught courses in political science at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN.
Mark Jonas
(Ph.D., 2009, Teachers College, Columbia University)
Educational Foundations
Mr. Jonas' research focuses on the educational philosophy of Nietzsche, a topic on which he has presented numerous times. He has teaching experience at Teachers College, Columbia University and Pratt Institute of the Arts, as well as at the high school level, where he was an English teacher for three years. Mr. Jonas' teaching interests include educational foundations, critical pedagogy, and classroom management.
Dennis Kopf
(A.B.D., 2009, New Mexico State University)
Marketing
Mr. Kopf's dissertation on "Marketing, Information, and Economic Growth" examines the relationship between advertising expenditures and economic growth, and the economic value of information. In addition to his interest in the societal effects of advertising and mathematical modeling, Mr. Kopf is interested in travelling - he has visited countries across the world. Mr. Kopf also has over 11 years of experience in the corporate sector.
Anneke Lisberg
(Ph.D., 2009, University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Biology
With a background in entomology and zoology, Ms. Lisberg has lectured and served as a teaching assistant in the Department of Zoology at UW-Madison. Her research focuses on mordellidae in Wisconsin. In addition to teaching at the university level, Ms. Lisberg has also taught science for grades 3-6 and served as an instructor for the PEOPLE program for college-bound high school minority students.
Jalal M. Nawash
(Ph.D., 2006, Washington State University)
Physics
Dr. Nawash comes to UW-Whitewater from Gonzaga University, where he was an assistant professor in the Physics Department. With a Ph.D. in Physics/Materials Science Engineering and a certificate in Optoelectronics, Dr. Nawash studies crystal growth and materials characterization. Since 2007, he has taught physics for engineering, in addition to establishing an undergraduate research program at Gonzaga.
Virginia Pease
(Ph.D., 1995, University of Minnesota)
Curriculum and Instruction
Dr. Pease joins the UW-Whitewater faculty as a teacher educator with expertise in mathematics in its social, economic, and community contexts. She has taught graduate and undergraduate courses at Waukesha County Technical College, University of Minnesota, and St. Mary's University of Minnesota Graduate and Professional Program. Additionally, Dr. Pease has extensive experience with coordinating special projects in education for local, state, and federal agencies.
Scott Peters
(Ph.D., 2009, Purdue University)
Educational Foundations
Mr. Peters comes to UW-Whitewater from Purdue University, where he pursued a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with a Gifted and Talented specialization, secondary emphasis in Measurement and Evaluation, and secondary emphasis in English Education. He has published and presented on many issues related to talented students and career and technical education. Most recently, Mr. Peters has served as a teaching assistant and a research assistant for Project HOPE.
Linda Robinson
(Ph.D., 2007, Northwestern University)
Communication
With a Ph.D. in film studies, Dr. Robinson's dissertation was titled "Far from Simple: Nostalgia for America's Turn-of-the Century Small Town in Film and Television 1940-1963." She is a media historian who recently taught as a visiting professor at UW-Oshkosh. In addition to her interest in film, Dr. Robinson also holds a law degree and spent twelve years on the faculty of Georgia State College of Law.
Melanie Schneider
(Ed.D., 1985, Boston University)
Curriculum and Instruction
Dr. Schneider has taught linguistics, language acquisition, and ESL courses at many universities, most recently as an associate professor at Beloit College. Among her many professional accomplishments are experience with editing and reviewing publications, serving as an ESL consultant, and running the TESL Program at Beloit College. Dr. Schneider has presented on many topics related to writing quality in college.
Nancy Ran Tao
(Ph.D., 2008, Claremont Graduate University)
Economics
Dr. Tao's research interests include financial markets and institutions, financial economics, industrial organization, and China's financial market and economic reforms. Her most recent research position was with the National Development and Reform Commission in Beijing, China. As a clinical assistant professor at Claremont Graduate University, Dr. Tao taught courses in econometrics and mathematics for economists.
Janine Tobeck
(Ph.D., 2007, University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Languages & Literatures
As a lecturer at UW-Whitewater since 2008, Dr. Tobeck has taught courses in freshman English. She received her Ph.D. in English, with an area of concentration in twentieth-century American literature and minors in philosophy and comparative literature. In addition to teaching, Dr. Tobeck is a freelance editor for academic, business, and non-profit professional clients.
Christopher Veldkamp
(Ph.D., 2006, Medical College of Wisconsin)
Chemistry
Dr. Veldkamp joins the UW-Whitewater faculty after receiving his Ph.D. in biochemistry, serving as a postdoctoral fellow at the Medical College of Wisconsin, and teaching at Carthage College. He has taught courses on inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and biochemistry. Dr. Veldkamp has also visited The Rockefeller University multiple times as part of a collaborative project.
Matthew Vick
(A.B.D., 2009, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
Curriculum & Instruction
Mr. Vick has served as a lecturer at UW-Whitewater since September 2008. Prior to teaching at UW-W, he was a high school science teacher in Waukesha, WI, for six years. His interests include improving science instruction at the K-12 level through systemic reforms and use of technology.
Roderick Wilson
(A.B.D., 2009, Stanford University)
History
Mr. Wilson's dissertation on "City Waters: Reengineering Environmental Relations and Edo and Tokyo, 1842-1942" illustrates his interest in Japanese history from environmental and transnational perspectives. As a recent lecturer at Stanford University, Mr. Wilson designed and taught a historical methods seminar on the Asia-Pacific War in Japan. In addition to being a specialist in Japanese history, Mr. Wilson is interested in exploring Japan's place in the world.
Shen Zhang
(Ph.D., 2005, University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
Psychology
Dr. Zhang's research focuses on the self, culture, and stereotyping. As a research associate at the University of Arizona, she studied how women and ethnic minorities in the U.S. suffer from negative stereotypes within academics. Additionally, Dr. Zhang has taught courses in personality, human sexuality and society, and introduction to psychology.
