​Simpson-Wilkey named chair of the Department of Leadership and Integrative Studies

 

Simpson-Wilkey comes to us from Clayton State University where she was the inaugural chair of the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies and served as an administrator since 2011.

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Graduating magna cum laude from Fisk University with a B.A. in English, Simpson-Wilkey went on to pursue and obtain an MA and PhD from Louisiana State University. Her research interests include performance and drama, African American women's health issues, African American women's literature, and diversity studies. She has published articles on Zora Neale Hurston, Marlene NourbeSe Philips, Angela Davis, Mary Seacole, and Etta Simpson Ray, a 1961 Freedom Rider. 

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Leven School welcomed Diana Barber as the department’s newest faculty member

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Barber holds a J.D. from Mercer University and brings more than a decade of teaching experience at Georgia State University's Robinson College of Business and three decades of hospitality law experience to the Leven School, including numerous years as the Vice President and Associate General Counsel for the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.

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Danelle Dyckhoff joined the Department of First-Year and Transition Studies

 

A Northern California native, Danelle Dyckhoff earned her B.A. in English from California State University, Sacramento, before relocating to Los Angeles to begin a graduate program in English at Loyola Marymount University. Over the last ten years, she has taught first-year courses in literature, composition, and communication, and worked to develop several initiatives for supporting first-generation college students at LMU.  Dyckhoff holds a Ph.D. in English from Claremont Graduate University and specializes in 20th and 21st-century American historical fiction.

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Felicia Mainella is the newest lecturer in the Department of Leadership and Integrative Studies

 

Mainella joined the Department of Leadership Studies and Integrative Studies as its newest lecturer. She earned a Ph.D. in Counseling & Personnel Services with a concentration in Leadership Development and Ethics from the University of Maryland in 2003 and has held faculty positions at William Peace University and Virginia Commonwealth University as well as the Director of the Center for Student Leadership and Public Service at Bradley University.

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​Adrienne McBroon welcomed as the new coordinator for the Office of Transition Programs (OTP)

 

McBroon recently graduated with her Masters in Professional Counseling with a concentration in College Student Affairs and University College from the University of West Georgia.  She received her undergraduate degree in Mass Communications from East Tennessee State University.

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McBroon will serve as the coordinator for all OTP services.

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Lisa McKinney now serves as the new Administrative Specialist in the Michael A. Leven School of Culinary Sustainability and Hospitality.

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McKinney comes to us from Georgia Northwestern Technical College, where she taught ESOL and GED classes for 16 years.  She and her husband operate Etcetera Farms, a small organic market/garden in Gordon County.

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Marie Powell began her role as INTS Advisor on July 1.

 

Powell has worked for KSU as an advisor in the Math Department and, most recently, in the GATES office. In her new role, she is responsible for advising majors in the Integrative Studies  program.

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Dr. Tommy Jackson named UC Advising Director

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A KSU alum, Jackson earned both a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Public Administration in Fall 2015. He also earned three degrees from Auburn University, a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration, a Master of Education (Adult Education), a Doctor of Philosophy (Adult Education/Higher Education Administration) and is planning to enroll in law school Fall 2017 to study constitutional law and civil litigation.

 

In his current role as UC Advising Director, Jackson oversees the advising efforts for the NEST, the Michael A. Leven School of Culinary Sustainability and Hospitality, and the Department of Leadership and Integrative Studies.

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First-Year and Transition Studies department welcomed the newest Thrive graduation coach, Kyra Calhoun

 

Calhoun recently moved to the Atlanta area from Chicago, where she worked for 11 years at Loyola University’s Stritch School of Medicine. As the program manager for student affairs at Loyola, she led the growth and expansion of programming and activities that enhanced student life and student success at Stritch.

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Some of Calhoun’s proudest accomplishments include the establishment of pipeline programs which prepared underrepresented undergraduate students for medical school admission and introduced and encouraged high school students to pursue careers in the health professions.

 

 

 

Amber White welcomed as a the newest UC Marketing event planner

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White serves as the college's dedicated Event Planner. Her responsibilities include planning, designing, producing, implementing and marketing signature events for University College. She collaborates with units across both the Marietta and Kennesaw campuses.

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White, a KSU alum, earned a Bachelor's of Science in Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations in July 2016. She worked as an Account Manager and wedding/events coordinator at the Wheeler House in Ball Ground, GA.

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University College welcomed a new Associate Dean and Interim Dean

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One month after accepting her new role as Associate Dean of University College, Dr. Lynn Stallings assumed the role as Interim Dean.

 

As Associate Dean Stallings is responsible for the oversight of assessment for the College and coordination of University and College initiatives designed to increase student retention and degree completion, such as Orientation & Transition Programs, the ESL and SMART Centers, Supplemental Instruction, the NEST, and Thrive. As Interim Dean, Stallings oversees all academic and administrative operations for University College.

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A professor of Mathematics Education, Stallings has taught at Kennesaw State University (KSU) since 2000. She has held administrative positions in both the Bagwell College of Education and the College of Science & Mathematics. Other leadership positions held include chair of KSU's Chairs & School Directors Assembly, chair of Faculty Senate, co-chair of the University Policy & Curriculum Committee, and president of the Georgia Council of Teachers of Mathematics.