SFA Board of Regents approves faculty, staff changes

The Stephen F. Austin State University Board of Regents approved the promotions of three faculty members to administrative positions during the quarterly meeting Tuesday.

Sara Bishop is the new director of the Richard and Lucille DeWitt School of Nursing. Bishop, an associate professor, had been serving in that position on an interim basis. Wesley Brown, associate professor of geology, was promoted to professor and will serve as chair of the Department of Geology in the College of Sciences and Mathematics. Leslie Cecil, an associate professor, will serve as chair of the Department of Anthropology, Geography and Sociology in the College of Liberal and Applied Arts.

Faculty appointments approved included Christopher McKenna and Andrew Thornley, assistant professors of business communication and legal studies in the Nelson Rusche College of Business. Gennard Lombardozzi, assistant professor of music, and Inga Meier, assistant professor of theatre, were approved as new faculty members in the College of Fine Arts.

Faculty appointments in the James I. Perkins College of Education included Gina Causin and Hyunsook Kang, assistant professors of human sciences; Lauren Burrow, assistant professor of elementary education; Dustin Joubert, assistant professor of kinesiology and health science; and Suzanne Maniss, associate professor of human services. In the College of Liberal and Applied Arts, approved appointments included Jacqueline Cowan, assistant professor of English; Catherine Pearte, assistant professor of psychology; Deborah Sibila, visiting instructor of government; and Staci Willis, visiting instructor of anthropology, geography and sociology.

The following faculty appointments in the College of Sciences and Mathematics were approved: Jonathan Mitchell and Marcus Webb, assistant professors of mathematics and statistics; Christopher Aul, assistant professor of physics and astronomy; and Brian Barngrover, assistant professor of chemistry. Appointments approved in the School of Nursing included Malcolm Hotzman and Joy McGill Shupak, clinical instructors, and Angela Jones, assistant professor.

Juliann Brooks, Brittany Rustin and Alyssa Thornton were approved as teachers for the SFA Charter School, and Matthew Daniels, Brittany Meservey, Jayde Nelson and Dominique Rodriguez were approved as hall directors in the Department of Residence Life.

Athletic staff appointments included Mark Kellogg, head women’s basketball coach; Zachary Reynolds, assistant director of athletics for media relations; Payton Adams, athletic operations coordinator; Kristina Alexander, athletic academic services assistant; Adler Augustin, assistant volleyball coach; Kendra Cullum, assistant softball coach; and Leonard Bishop and Jayci Stone, assistant women’s basketball coaches.

Additional staff appointments approved included Vicki Wood, assistant manager of payroll, Controller’s Office; Nathaniel Pruitt, human resources representative; Richard May, database administrator in Information Technology Services; Pamela Temple, central stores manager for the Physical Plant; Jennifer Klingenberg, counselor in Student Affairs Support Services; and Jocelyn Stephens, marketing communications specialist in University Marketing Communications.

Among the status changes approved by the regents was the appointment of Richard Berry as dean of SFA’s Graduate School, which enrolls approximately 1,600 students in 44 master’s and three doctoral degree programs. Steven Bullard, dean of the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture and Henry M. Rockwell Chair, will assume interim duties as provost and vice president for academic affairs.

Hans Williams, associate dean and professor forestry, will serve as interim dean of the forestry and agricultural college, while Matthew McBroom, associate professor of forestry, will serve as interim associate dean. The appointment of Sarah Fuller as outreach coordinator, formerly forestry marketing communications assistant, also was approved by the Board of Regents.

John Wyatt, former senior human resources representative, is the assistant director of Human Resources, and Jeffery Ghiringhelli, a plant operations analyst, is the assistant director of the Physical Plant, as approved by the board.

Other changes of status at SFA approved:

Controller’s Office – Tambra Thompson, from assistant manager of payroll to accountant II;

Financial Aid – Tammy Mitchum, from officer to assistant director; Kristan Smith, from specialist to financial aid officer-scholarships; and Donna Lee, from counter supervisor to financial aid officer.

Dr. Thomas Segady, who retired from SFA in May 2015 following 26 years of teaching at the university, was named Professor Emeritus in the Department of Anthropology, Geography and Sociology.

Retirements approved by regents included James Dowling, physician in student health services, and Evie Jones, manager of central stores. The following retirements also were approved:

Perkins College of Education – Michael Bobo and Elizabeth Rhodes, professors of kinesiology and health science; Robert Patterson, coordinator of human services;

Nelson Rusche College of Business – Violet Rogers, professor of accounting; Wilbur Clark, associate professor of accounting;

College of Sciences and Mathematics – Pamela Roberson, associate professor of mathematics and statistics; Anthony Duben, professor of chemistry; and

College of Fine Arts – Gary Parker, instructor of art.