Featured Educators of the Month

May Featured Leader & Educators

Featured Leader

jill kawalec headshot

Jill Kawalec, PhD

Research Director & Professor
College of Podiatric Medicine
Faculty Affiliate, Center for Teaching and Learning


We are excited to honor Dr. Jill Kawalec as a featured leader related to her work as a Faculty Affiliate.  She has helped to create and implement the New Faculty Teaching and Mentoring Program (NFTMP). Jill provided guidance, ideas, presentations, and mentoring to the NFTMP team, mentors, and new faculty.  We have all been fortunate to have had her expertise and viewpoint this past year!

 

New Faculty Mentees and Mentors

logo for nifty mips

Mentees: 

We are pleased to recognize new faculty members who enhanced their success by engaging in this year's New Faculty Teaching and Mentoring (Pilot) Program.  Topics included teaching strategies, student assessment, course design, and inclusive teaching, as well as guidance on university structure, faculty duties, professional relationships, work-life fit, and research goals. It was wonderful learning with and from this dedicated group of new faculty. Congratulations to them! 

• Alyssa Anderson • Joseph Bedont • Meghan Brindley • Eric Curley • Meghan Edmondson • Katie Frey • Marta Guivernau • Israt Jahan • Li Liu • Xingqiu Lou • Marianne Prevot • Kristin Silvestro • Mizell Stewart • Chelsea Swick-Higgins • Xu Zhangbu 

 

 

 

Mentors: 

Our gratitude extends to an amazing group of mentors.  These experienced faculty, from many disciplinary areas and several campuses, worked together this past spring to provide additional support to our newest faculty members in a variety of areas related to faculty roles and responsibilities.  These mentors are amazing teachers and guides, and they were able to share individually and in small groups answers to pressing questions and stories from their experience to ease the way for our new faculty.  These mentors are truly some of the best examples of our Kent State community, and we are proud to feature them as model educators.

 • Carla Goar • Michelle Ewing • Robin Joynes • Mary Hricko • Jim Seelye • Christie Bahlai • Sean Veney • Jackie Marino • Tina Bhargava 


Past Featured Faculty

Sheren Farag:  Academic Program Director & Assistant Professor, Horticulture Technology | Salem Campus

Beverly Reed: Professor, Mathematical Sciences | Kent Campus

Tony Dallacheisa: Lecturer, Department of English | Tuscarawas Campus

Tuyet Pham: Senior Lecturer, Mathematical Sciences | Kent Campus

Felix Kumah-Abiwu: Associate Professor, Africana Studies | Kent Campus

Danielle French: Ph.D. Candidate, English & Honors College | Kent Campus

Ann Martinez: Associate Professor, Department of English | Stark Campus

Danielle Gruhler: Professor, Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies | Kent Campus

Ana Wetzl: Assistant Professor, English | Trumbull Campus

Patrick Dillon: Associate Professor, Communication Studies | Stark Campus

Ambre Emory-Maier: Assistant Professor, Theatre and Dance | Kent Campus

Hayley Arnold: Associate Professor, Health Sciences | Kent Campus

LaToya Littles: Lecturer, Information Technology/Cybersecurity | Salem Campus

Jeremy Foust: Graduate Student, Psychology | Kent Campus

Scott Tobias: Assistant Professor, Lifespan Dev & Educational Sciences | Stark Campus

Rebecca Frazier: Lecturer, Nursing | Twinsburg, Geauga, Kent Campuses

Ikram Toumi: Assistant Professor, School of Communication Studies | Kent Campus

John Dunlosky: Professor, Psychological Sciences, Director of SOLE Center | Kent Campus

Jessica Leveto: Associate Professor, Sociology & Criminology, College of Arts & Sciences | Ashtabula Campus

Syed A. M. Shihab: Assitant Professor, College of Aeronautics and Engineering | Kent Campus

Elizabeth "Liz" Wagoner: Assistant Professor, College of Arts and Sciences | Kent Campus

Jennifer Mapes:  Associate Professor, College of Arts and Sciences | Kent Campus

Vicumpriya "Vic" Perera:  Associate Professor, College of Arts and Sciences | Trumbull Campus

Sarah Andreas: Assistant Professor, Business Management Technology | Tuscarawas Campus

Gina Zavota: Professor, Philosophy | Kent Campus

Kathleen Dwinnells: Associate Professor, College of Nursing | Trumbull Campus

Adam Lockwood:  Assistant Professor, Lifespan Development & Educational Sciences | Kent Campus

Ryan Ballestero: Assistant Professor, Department of Accounting | Kent Campus

Jasmine Hines:  Assistant Professor, Music Education | Kent Campus

Adrienne Erby:   Assistant Professor, School of Lifespan, Development and Educational Sciences | Kent Campus

Eric Taylor:  Associate Professor, Earth Sciences | Stark Campus

Sorina Ailiesei:  Assistant Professor, English | Geauga Campus

David Hacker: Professor,  Geology | Trumbull Campus

Jamie McCartney: Associate Professor, Lifespan Development and Education Sciences | Kent Campus

Donald Gerbig:  Associate Professor, Biological Sciences | Tuscarawas Campus

Catrina Palmer Johnson: Assistant Professor,  Department of Management | Kent Campus

Joshua Stacher: Associate Professor, International Relations | Kent Campus

Serena Loftus:  Assistant Professor, Accounting | Kent Campus

Shelley Marshall: Associate Lecturer,  Information Technology | Ashtabula Campus

Jeremy Williams: Assistant Professor, Department of Geology | Kent Campus

Vaneet Kaur:  Assistant Professor, Department of Management | Stark Campus

Linda Piccirillo-Smith: Senior Lecturer,  Africana Studies | Kent Campus

John-Michael Warner: Assistant Professor, Art History | Kent Campus

Christie Bartholomew:  Assistant Professor, Psychology | Trumbull Campus

Loubna Bilali: Assistant Professor,  Modern and Classical Language Studies | Kent Campus

James Seelye: Associate Professor, Department of History | Stark Campus

Daniel Dankovich:  Lecturer, Biological Sciences | East Liverpool Campus

Uma Krishnan:  Professor, Department of English | Kent Campus

R.Z. Zhang: Assistant Professor, Department of Accounting | Kent Campus

Amy Damrow:  Assistant Professor, Foundations, Leadership and Administration | Stark Campus

Rekha Sharma:  Associate Professor, Communication Studies | Kent Campus

Greg Tinkler: Associate Professor, Biological Sciences | Kent Campus

Jean Engohang-Ndong:  Associate Professor, Biological Sciences | Tuscarawas Campus

Ruth Leslie:  Professor, Chemistry & Biochemistry | Kent Campus

Karen Mascolo: Associate Professor, College of Nursing | Kent Campus

Marie Gasper-Hulvat:  Associate Professor, Art | Stark Campus

Chi-hua Chiu-Groff:  Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences | Kent Campus

Helen Piontkivska: Associate Professor, Biological Sciences | Kent Campus

Tina Bhargava:  Associate Professor, College of Public Health | Kent Campus

Sharon Sciartelli:  Professor, Psychology | Kent Campus

Robin Joynes: Professor, Psychology | Kent Campus

Andrew Barnes:  Associate Professor, Department of Political Science | Kent Campus

Jennifer Black: Assistant Professor of Dance | Kent Campus

Tamara Honesty: Assistant Professor of Scenic Design | Kent Campus

Joe Ortiz : Professor, Department of Geology  Kent Campus

Jakyung C.  Seo: Associate Professor of Lighting Design | Kent Campus

Stephanie Smith: Associate Professor,  Media and Journalism, Communication Studies  | Kent Campus

Richard Ferdig Professor, Research Center for Educational Technology, Education, Health and Human Services | Kent Campus

Enrico Gandolfi: Associate Professor,  Research Center for Educational Technology, Education, Health and Human Services | Kent Campus

Rachael Blasiman: Associate Professor,  Department of Psychology | Salem Campus

Jeff Huston: Professor, Health Sciences  | Kent Campus

Jill Kawalec: Professor and Division Head, Preclinical Sciences and Director of Research, Education, College of Podiatric Medicine | Kent Campus

Wendy Tietz: Professor, Accounting | Kent Campus

Zhiqiang (Molly) Wang: Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry  | Geauga Campus

Nicole Willey: Professor, English | Tuscarawas Campus

Please consider sharing an inspiring teaching story for us to consider for an upcoming Featured Educator of the Month. 

Do you have a colleague that is doing something wonderful related to teaching and learning?  Maybe they have designed a great activity for students, go above and beyond supporting students, provide mentorship to students or other faculty or maybe they are leading efforts to improve teaching and learning beyond their classroom. Nominate yourself or your colleagues for us to consider.  Featured Educators are highlighted on our website below and within our monthly newsletter.  


Feel free to submit your nomination directly below instead