Board Grants Faculty Tenure, Promotion and Merit Designations

The action came during a closed session meeting of the Board and was based on reviews by appropriate review bodies. All merit, promotion and tenure designations are effective with the beginning of the 2026-2027 academic year.

Faculty members promoted to the rank of professor in their designated department are:

• Sarah Shaner - Department of Chemistry and Physics
• Emilie Belzer - Department of Psychology and Counseling
• Dana Branson - Department of Criminal Justice, Social Work, and Sociology
• Kristen Sobba - Department of Criminal Justice, Social Work, and Sociology
• Jenny Cropp - Department of English
• Sarah Dietrich - Department of English
• Gillian Nicholls - Department of Marketing
• Jenna Moore - Dobbins Conservatory of Theatre and Dance

Faculty members promoted to the rank of associate professor with tenure in their designated department are:

• Jason Henry - Department of Biological and Environmental Science
• Lucas Kirschman - Department of Biological and Environmental Science
• Brooke Clubbs - Department of Leadership, Middle, and Secondary Education
• Kelly McEnerney - Department of Psychology and Counseling
• Andrew Tucker - Department of Communication Studies and Modern Languages
• Jack Winstead - Department of Accounting, Economics, and Finance
• Kathleen Voecks - Dobbins Conservatory of Theatre and Dance

Faculty approved for post-professorial merit in their designated department are as follows:

• Andrew Schwartz - Department of Mathematics
• Adam Criblez - Department of History and Anthropology
• Steven Hoffman - Department of History and Anthropology
• Ismatillo Mardanov - Department of Management
• Sandipan Sen - Department of Marketing
• Joni Hand - Department of Art and Design
• Nancy Palmeri - Department of Art and Design
• Bradley Phillips - Department of Art and Design

Faculty members approved for non-tenure track merit in their designated department are as follows:

• Marissa Franke - Department of Agriculture
• Shakirah Nakasagga - Department of Agriculture
• Mary Shannon McNew - Department of Biological and Environmental Science
• Pamela Mills - Department of Chemistry and Physics
• Andrew Chronister - Department of Engineering and Technology
• Hannah Kilburn - Department of Engineering and Technology
• Natalya Kutsevalova - Department of Mathematics
• Caroline Thornburgh- Department of Mathematics
• Alicia Scott - Department of Allied Health, Kinesiology, and Sport Sciences
• Tammy Davis - Department of Child and Family Studies
• Sheila Long - Department of Child and Family Studies
• Khadiza Tul Jannat - Department of Communication Studies and Modern Languages
• Noah Smentkowski - Department of Communication Studies and Modern Languages
• Jonathan Hayes - Department of English
• Ethan Chou - Department of Computer Science
• Scott Thorne - Department of Marketing
• Morgan Schmid - Department of Art and Design
• Michael Bezushko - Kent Library