Instructors are bringing varied experience as the newest members of the Mary Baldwin University faculty.
For Donovan Branche, returning to teach residential and adult degree students at Mary Baldwin after experiencing the school as an adult student is “a dream.” She joins the Healthcare Administration (HCA) Program with a variety of academic interests, including healthcare disparities, implications of the Affordable Care Act, leadership diversity and leader emergence, feminist studies, and black feminist standpoint theory. Originally from Orange County, Branche earned her undergraduate degree in HCA from Mary Baldwin, an MPA and PhD in strategic leadership studies from James Madison University. In her spare time, she cooks, converting traditional soul food recipes into healthier versions; hikes occasionally; travels; binges on television shows; and frequents “junktique” shops. “I’d love to learn to play the guitar, and become a famous black and white film photographer, a blacksmith, and a yoga guru,” she says.
Originally from Roanoke, Beth Easterling joins the criminal justice and sociology departments with a focus on the impact of incarceration on families and other issues related to corrections, including homelessness, poverty, and mental illness. She earned her BA in economics at Roanoke College, her MS in applied sociology at the University of North Florida, and a PhD in sociology with a concentration in criminology at the University of Tennessee. In her spare time, Easterling enjoys running, reading, and spending time with her daughter; husband, who is a Marine; and two rescue dogs. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to teach criminology/criminal justice in a liberal arts environment,” she says. With a background in sociology and having gone to a small, liberal arts college myself, I strongly believe in the benefits of a liberal arts education. The Criminal Justice Program at Mary Baldwin allows me to play a role in educating our future criminal justice system workers and leaders, sharing my passion for criminology and exploring various perspectives, research, and theories with other women who are entering a male-dominated field. I like the small class sizes so I can get to know my students individually, allowing me to better support them in achieving their educational and career goals.”
Originally from Albemarle County, Mary Jane Epps returned to Virginia to write her dissertation after earning an undergraduate degree at Duke University and a PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Arizona. The subject: interactions between fungus-feeding insects and mushroom assemblages. The setting: Mountain Lake Biological Station in Giles County. “I find interactions among species to be endlessly exciting, especially those that involve plants, insects, and fungi,” Epps says. “My current projects include studying how fungal-insect interactions are shaped by climate change, and exploring how ants can affect forest fungi to shape forest decomposition and nutrient exchange. I also study the unusual pollination ecology of azaleas.” Epps loves music, and plays traditional Appalachian fiddle and banjo. She also enjoys spinning and dyeing wool with wild plants, gardening, and raising heritage livestock. “I’m most excited about getting students involved with research, and taking students out into the field to explore some of our local wild places and learn about biology first hand.”
Marty Fontenot received his doctor of physical therapy in 2006 from the University of Delaware, where he also completed a one-year sports residency following graduation. He comes to Mary Baldwin’s Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences (MDCHS) from the physical therapist assistant program at South University in Richmond. In addition to his teaching experience, Fontenot has a strong clinical background and is a certified orthopedic and sports clinical specialist, bringing a highly sought-out specialty in orthopedics and sports medicine to the program. He will be teaching the Musculoskeletal course content in the physical therapy program.
Assistant Professor Gregory Hansen joins the MDCHS occupational therapy program.
Jennifer Hunt completed her master’s in medical science in physician assistant studies in 2009 at Arcadia University. After graduation, she joined Lima Memorial Physicians group as a family practice and occupational medicine PA. While at Lima Memorial, Hunt was asked to join the EMR committee and helped develop clinical templates and implement the use of electronic medical records in all of the outpatient clinics. As one of the few clinicians on the EMR committee, she developed educational materials for her fellow clinicians and streamlined the processes of EMR use. With a passion for wellness and preventive medicine, in addition to her clinical practice, Hunt became the Lima wellness coach and helped develop the hospital’s insurance wellness program and community worksite wellness programs. She was also an integral liaison between the ever-changing push toward wellness and prevention in healthcare and the affected patients and medical providers. Prior to joining MDCHS, Hunt worked with Hometown Urgent Care and Occupational Health in Columbus, Ohio.
Carolyn Moore joined MDCHS after serving as director of the PTA program at Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, Tennessee for the last six years. Prior to that position she was in the pediatric neuro-rehabilitation department of the University of Michigan Health Systems (U of M) for 20 years and a part of the pediatric/adolescent traumatic brain injury team. In addition, she served for five years as the supervisor of outpatient therapies at the U of M. She received her PT degree at the University Of Texas School Of Allied Health Sciences, her masters of health sciences at the University of Indianapolis, Krannert School of Physical Therapy, and her doctorate in physical therapy at the University of Tennessee–Chattanooga. Moore has held numerous professional and community service positions and has been involved in international service learning.
With an interest in researching pre-service teacher preparation, teaching in diverse settings, and teaching multilingual students, Stephanie Sebolt says she “looks forward becoming part of the Mary Baldwin University community and working with students as they prepare to become teachers and leaders in education.” She graduated from the University of Mary Washington with a BA in French and NK-4 teaching certification. She earned an MA and PhD in curriculum and instruction at Virginia Tech and is also certified to teach French and English as a second language K-12. She has lived in Virginia since 1979, coming to the commonwealth by way of Ohio, California, and Kansas.
Pam Stephenson earned an OT degree from Ulster Polytechnic in Northern Ireland, a master’s degree in health sciences from St. Georges Hospital Medical School in London, and a post-professional occupational therapy doctorate from Rocky Mountain University. She has 30 years of experience as an occupational therapist and is currently employed in the Augusta County Schools. In 2012, she was co-author of a book chapter “The Use of Psychosocial Methods and Interpersonal Strategies in Mental Health” as part of the third edition of Psychosocial Occupational Therapy: An Evolving Practice. She is active in the Virginia Occupational Therapy Association (VOTA) and served as the Blue Ridge district chair directing the VOTA activities in the region from 2009 until July 2015. Stephenson recently accepted the position of forum coordinator for the AOTA Early Intervention and School Special Interest Section. Her major areas of interest focus on mental health and autism.
Ann Tuzson earned a BS in physical therapy from the University of Illinois and a master’s in biomedical engineering at the University of Virginia (UVa). She earned a doctorate in Kinesiology also at UVa. Tuzson practices as a physical therapist at the University of Virginia Medical Center in acute care. She is also a certified early intervention professional and works part-time at Albemarle Therapy Center. Tuzson has taught at UVa as a graduate assistant and at Hampton University and MDCHS as an adjunct faculty member. She has two publications and has presented nationally. In addition to teaching at MDCHS, she will coordinate the Human Movement Laboratory.
Additional adjunct faculty joining Mary Baldwin this year are:
Matthew Brooks, music
Yu-Wen Chen, music
Kerry Cooke, English
Lynne Mackey, music
Tonya Menard, music
Colleen Pendry, art
Mike Riddell, math
Malcolm Vaught, biology