Thursday, March 28th, 2024
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Faculty & Staff Activities

Faculty Activities and New Colleagues

Faculty/Staff Activities

Dr. Abdelhadi Halawa, Wellness and Sport Sciences, completed his second year of his visiting professorship at the Center for Yellow River Civilization and Sustainable Development, a research center at Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan Province, China. From mid-May to mid-August, 2016, Halawa who was re-selected by the National Office of High-End Foreign Experts of the Chinese Ministry of Education to serve for three months as a National High-End Foreign Expert and Lead Researcher at the Center, led a team of six research scholars and graduate-level student co-researchers to conduct a study on the effects of geographical location and socioeconomic factors on the health behaviors of Chinese adults living in two coastal cities (Xiamen and Quanzhou) and two central plains cities (Zhengzhou and Luoyang). Additionally, Halawa delivered several public speeches and presentations regarding his research project and strategies for writing and publishing research papers in international scholarly journals to the faculty and graduate students at Henan University.

Dr. Kazi Hossain, Early, Middle, and Exceptional Education, made two presentations this summer. The first was “The Islamophobia: What Teachers can do in the Classroom to Reduce It!” It was given at the 23rd International Conference on Learning in Vancouver, Canada from July 13-16. The conference was sponsored by the University of British Columbia. The second presentation was “Incoming Teacher Candidates’ Perceptions about the Performance of Children from Poverty Background.”  It was given at the 3rd Annual Learning Institute: Global Well-Being and Social Change Conference sponsored by the School of Social Work, Millersville University from June 8-10.

Dr. Behnam Nakhai, Department of Management & Marketing, had his recent research article entitled “Negotiation Strategies under Sigmoid Preferences,” coauthored with Dr. Joao S. Neves of The College of New Jersey, accepted for publication in the International Journal of Strategic Decision Sciences.”

 

New Faculty

Welcome to all of the new faculty at Millersville University.

College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Justin MandoDr. Justin Mando
Assistant Professor
English
Dr. Mando received his M.A. and Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University. His pedagogical expertise is in Science & Technical Writing, Environmental Advocacy and Rhetorical & Discourse Analysis, and he has a background in first-year composition and English as a Second Language education. Dr. Mando’s research has appeared in the journals Discourse & Communication and Environmental Communication.

 

Ankur NandedkarDr. Ankur Nandedkar
Assistant Professor
Management and Marketing
Dr. Nandedkar earned his Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Texas–Rio Grande Valley. Previously, Dr. Nandedkar worked as an assistant professor at Cameron University (OK) and as an instructor and research assistant at University of Texas–Pan American. His current research interests include leadership and employee team behaviors.

 

Nicole PfannenstielDr. A. Nicole Pfannenstiel
Assistant Professor
English
Dr. Pfannenstiel earned a Ph.D. in Rhetoric, Composition and Linguistics from Arizona State University where she was awarded an “Outstanding Graduate Student” award at the December 2013 commencement. Prior to joining Millersville, she was a lecturer at Northern Arizona University and taught at Mesa Community College in Arizona. Dr. Pfannenstiel is a digital rhetoric scholar who studies videogames and literacy, digital writing, blog communities, and the use of videogames in the classroom. Most of her work focuses on learning through and with technology, blending rhetorical theory, digital rhetoric and multimedia learning theory.

College of Education and Human Services

Yevgeny BotanovDr. Yevgeny Botanov
Assistant Professor
Psychology
Dr. Yevgeny (Eugene) Botanov received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Kansas, completed his predoctoral internship at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, earned his M.A. in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University Teachers College, and a B.A. from Stony Brook University. He is a licensed clinical psychologist. Prior to joining Millersville University, Dr. Botanov was a Research Associate at the University of Washington. Dr. Botanov’s teaching interests include psychopathology and evidence-based psychological interventions, particularly for depression and suicide. He also has an academic interest in professional and training issues in clinical psychology. Dr. Botanov taught courses in developmental psychology, statistics, and research methods at the University of Kansas and the University of Washington.

 

Jennifer BurkeMs. Jennifer Burke
Assistant Professor
Early, Middle and Exceptional Education
Ms. Burke received her M.A.in Education and B.S. in Elementary and Special Education from Seton Hall University and is currently a doctoral candidate at Rutgers University. Burke’s research area is exploring how elementary students use race and gender in the classroom. She formerly worked in the Somerville Public School system.

 

 

Ann GaudinoDr. Ann Gaudino
Associate Professor
Educational Foundations
Dr. Gaudino holds an Ed.D. in Education Administration and Policy Studies from the University of Pittsburgh, a Specialist\ degree in Education Administration from Wayne State University Detroit, an M.M. and B.M. in Music Education and Organ Performance from the University of Michigan. Dr. Gaudino served as an Associate Professor at West Liberty University where she taught undergraduate and graduate courses in education and education leadership and served as interim department chair, Coordinator of Professional Development School Partnership, and Coordinator of Clinical Practice. In PK-12 education, she holds certification as superintendent, assistant superintendent, central office supervisory, elementary education, reading specialist, and music education and has served as a school and district administrator and teacher for public, private, and parochial schools in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Dr. Gaudino is the founder and editor of The Excellence in Education Journal (EEJ) (www.excellenceineducationjournal.org), now in its fifth year of publication.

 

Dr. Alexandra Redcay
Assistant Professor
Social Work
Dr. Redcay received her Ph.D. in Social Work from Rutgers University. Prior to joining Millersville she has been an adjunct faculty member at West Chester University and
Rutgers University. Dr. Redcay is the Executive Director of Serise, Inc., a company providing counseling, training, consultation, expert witness testimony, and program evaluation services.

 

Wanja OgongiDr. Wanja Ogongi
Instructor (One-year, Full-Time)
Social Work
Dr. Ogongi graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Nairobi, earned her Master of Social Work at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, and her Ph.D. in Social Work at Widener University. She has practiced in the areas of International Human Rights (focus on women and children), Child Welfare, Refugees and Unaccompanied Minors, and Medical Social Work. In addition, she cofounded the Ahadi Zetu Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides educational scholarships to destitute children in Kenya. Her areas of teaching include Human Behavior in the Social Environment, Social Work Practice and Social Science Research. Her areas of interest for research and presentation include child welfare in the US and globally, effects of social welfare policy, and issues affecting the African Diaspora in the United States.

 

College of Science and Technology

Dan AlbertDr. Daniel R. Albert
Assistant Professor
Chemistry
Dr. Albert received his B.A. from Ohio Wesleyan University,
his M.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his
Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Cornell University. As a graduate student, Dr. Albert’s research involved using molecular beam scattering to characterize chemical reactions. Much of his graduate work involved developing high intensity vacuum ultraviolet laser sources for molecule detection via “soft” single-photon ionization. Before coming to Millersville, Dr. Albert was an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. His major teaching responsibilities are Introductory Chemistry and Physical Chemistry. Dr. Albert’s current research interests involve investigating chemical reactions taking place on aerosol particles and how molecules on the surfaces of these particles influence their reactivity. Dr. Albert is also interested in developing low-cost instruments for teaching about and using instrumentation in classrooms.

 

Melissa GehretMelissa Gehret
Instructor (One-year, Full-time)
Biology
Ms. Gehret earned her Master’s degree in Biology, Genetics, and Biochemistry from Temple University. She has worked as an instructor both at Millersville University and Kutztown University since 1996. Ms. Gehret has researched the effectiveness of tutoring methods in general education classes and helped to organize the Kutztown University Biology Peer Mentoring Program. In 2013, she was awarded the Ambassador of Learning Award at Kutztown University for her commitment to helping students with disabilities succeed in class.

 

Teresa HartmannDr. Teresa Hartmann
Assistant Professor
Nursing
Dr. Hartmann earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in Nursing from Widener University, and her B.S. in Nursing from Millersville
University. Prior to joining Millersville, she served as an Academic Director and Instructor at Eastern Mennonite
University and has previously worked as a Clinical Supervisor and Case Manager at Lancaster General Hospital. She has over 25 years of teaching experience and additional clinical experience in critical care, emergency nursing, and case management.

 

Alex JohnsonDr. Alex Johnson
Assistant Professor
Applied Engineering, Safety and Technology
Dr. Johnson earned his B.S. and M.S. in Industrial Technology, and his Ph.D. in Teaching and Learning from the University of North Dakota. Dr. Johnson previously worked for nine years at the University of North Dakota in the Department of Technology where he taught numerous classes in the area of manufacturing and technology at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Prior to entering academia, he worked in industry for companies such as Bobcat and Wells Concrete in areas ranging from manufacturing engineering to quality control. Dr. Johnson’s research interests include engineering and technology education, manufacturing processes, and small wind turbine technology.

 

Mary lou MortimerDr. Mary Lou Mortimer
Assistant Professor
Nursing
Dr. Mortimer holds a Doctorate in Nursing Practice and a B.S. in Nursing from York College of Pennsylvania, and an M.S. in Nursing Education from Mansfield University. Her scholarly work focused on neonatal pain assessment and management. Dr. Mortimer has over 21 years of neonatal intensive care experience and has presented locally and nationally on this discipline. Dr. Mortimer has been an adjunct nursing faculty at Penn State, York College of Pennsylvania, and Eastern University. Prior to joining Millersville’s nursing department as a one-year faculty appointment in 2015, she worked at a healthcare organization and helped to launch the first three nursing courses in Millersville’s new online RN-BSN program.

 

Jonathon StoltzfusDr. Jonathan Stoltzfus
Assistant Professor
Biology
Dr. Stoltzfus earned his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine in July 2013 with a focus in Cell and Molecular Biology. Before joining Millersville University, Dr. Stoltzfus worked at Hollins University in Roanoke, VA as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology. At Hollins, he taught courses in genetics as well as cell and molecular biology and mentored several undergraduate research students investigating nematode development. For the last year, Dr. Stoltzfus has worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania studying halophilic archaea.

 

Non-College Faculty

Sharmon BryantSharmon Bryant
Instructor (One-year, Full-time)
Academic Advisement and Student Development

Ms. Bryant earned both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Social Work from Howard University in Washington, DC.
She has provided retention research, advisement, and advocacy services for diverse student populations at private and public institutions including Penn State, Cheyney University, and Cabrini College. She served as Regional Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Department of Education/Office of Mental Health Student Assistance Program (SAP) providing technical assistance, training, and curriculum development for County Administrators and School Personnel regarding development and implementation of models addressing barriers to student persistence. Her teaching background includes coursework in Career and Professional Development, Leadership, Student Success, Diversity/Multiculturalism and First-Year Experience. She also teaches for the National Youth Summer Leadership Forum at Emory University and University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

 

Larry EarnestyLarry Earnesty
Instructor / Associate Director
Intercollegiate Athletics
Mr. Earnesty earned his M.S. in Sport Management from Slippery Rock University in 2009. He joined Millersville
University during summer 2016 as the Associate Director of Athletics for Compliance and Academics. Previously, Mr. Earnesty worked at the University of New Haven as the Assistant Director of Athletics for NCAA Compliance and Student Welfare before being appointed the Associate Director of Athletics in 2012. Prior to working at New Haven, he was a compliance intern in the athletics department at Millersville. While at New Haven, Mr. Earnesty worked with the StudentAthlete Advisory Council to raise over $24,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and hosted a Make-A-Wish Reveal on campus.

 

Miles GallagherMiles P. Gallagher
Instructor / Director of Athletics
Intercollegiate Athletics
Mr. Gallagher, a Millersville alumnus, holds a B.A. in Government and Political Affairs and an M.S. in Sport Management. Mr. Gallagher played baseball for the Marauders from 2008-2010, served as a graduate assistant in the athletic department and assistant baseball coach from 2010-2012 and was appointed interim associate director of athletics for compliance in February 2013. In 2015 he was appointed as the interim director of athletics and was named Millersville University’s director of athletics following a national search. Prior to serving as the interim director, Mr. Gallagher was the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) supervisor assisting the committee in increasing its donations to Make-A-Wish to $5,000, ranking Millersville near the top of the PSAC in money raised and landing the right to host a “wish reveal” at Millersville in 2016.

 

Janice MooreDr. Janice Moore
Instructor (One-year, Full-time)
Academic Advisement and Student Development
Dr. Moore received her Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Educational Administration from Temple University. Dr. Moore has worked in higher education for over 15 years as a faculty member, advisor, and administrator. She is passionate about student success and working with students to realize their potential; and works predominantly with students who are currently on academic probation.

 

Stephanie PennucciDr. Stephanie Pennucci
Assistant Professor
Library
Dr. Pennucci has a B.S. in Education from Kutztown University, an M.S. in Library Science from Clarion University, and recently completed her Ed.D. at Liberty University. She spent 13 years as a secondary school librarian in ELANCO and Garnet Valley School Districts. She also worked as an adjunct instructor for Arcadia University (educational technology) and Clarion University (library science). Dr. Pennucci is in the final stages of completing her K-12 Principal Certification from California University of PA. Her research interests include educational technology, online learning, children’s and young adult literature, library administration, and genealogy.

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