Mark D. Bradbury, Professor and MPA Director, Appalachian State University
Mark Bradbury, a professor in the Department of Government and Justice Studies, is the program director for the Master of Public Administration program. He oversees the administration of the accredited MPA program, advising 70 on-campus and distance education graduate students. He teaches public human resource management, internship, and applied research courses. His research focuses on issues of equal employment opportunity and ethics with public personnel administration.He has been awarded the UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching and is a member of the Academy of Outstanding Graduate Mentors. He currently serves as Deputy Chairperson on the Graduate Academic Policies and Procedures committee. He is a native of Rhode Island, received his graduate degrees from the University of Georgia, and joined Appalachian State University’s faculty in 2005.
Jennifer Coffey, Associate Director for Systems, Data, and Records Management, Office of Student Financial Aid, ASU
A first generation college graduate and Watauga County native, Jennifer Coffey earned a B.S.B.A. in Accounting and an M.A. in Higher Education with a concentration in Community College and University Leadership, both from Appalachian State University (NC). She is also a member of Appalachian’s Cratis Williams Society for Outstanding Graduates. Jennifer joined the Office of Student Financial Aid in June of 2010. During her time in the office, she has served as Loan Processor, Assistant Director, and now Associate Director. Jennifer also serves as School Certifying Official for Veterans Affairs (VA) Education Benefits and is a Member of Appalachian’s Military Affairs Committee. She is passionate about her work with military-affiliated students. That passion is demonstrated through her active involvement with the North Carolina Student Transition Resource Initiative for Veterans Education (NCSTRIVE), North Carolina Association of Coordinators of Veterans Affairs (NCACVA) and the Southeast Council on Military Education (SECOME). Jennifer currently serves as Secretary for NCACVA and NC Board Member for SECOME. In addition to her focus on military-affiliated students, Jennifer is driven to improve access and success for other underrepresented student populations through active participation on Appalachian’s Student Success Team (SST). She has been named one of Appalachian’s Most Helpful Faculty and Staff during the 2013/2014, 2014/2015, 2015/2016, and 2016/2017 academic years. Jennifer was also selected as the recipient of the Military Affairs Committee’s Outstanding Faculty and Staff Award for the 2016/2017 academic year. Jennifer lives in her hometown of Blowing Rock with her husband and two sons.
Chris M. Cook, Professor and Middle Grades Graduate Program Director, Department of Curriculum & Instruction,
Chris M. Cook is a professor and Graduate Program Director of the Middle Grades Education Program in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Appalachian State University (NC).
He earned his B.S. and M.A. in Middle Grades Education from Appalachian State University and his Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. His current research and teaching interests focus on effective middle grades pedagogy, current implementation of the “middle school concept”, and specialized middle grades teacher preparation.
He currently serves as the immediate past chair of the Middle Level Education Research Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association.
Rick Klima, Professor, Dept. of Mathematical Sciences, ASU
Rick Klima received his Ph.D. in applied mathematics from North Carolina State University in 1997, and served as Cryptologic Mathematician with the National Security Agency before coming to Appalachian State University in 2002. Klima's research interests include applications of linear and abstract algebra, primarily in cryptography and error-correcting codes, and the mathematics of voting and elections. He is the author of several books in these areas, and has directed a number of master's capstone projects and senior honors theses as well as a study abroad program in these areas with students at Appalachian. In the Department of Mathematical Sciences, Klima has served as assistant chair since 2010, after serving as graduate director from 2005–10 and faculty sponsor for the ASU Math Club from 2003–10. He has also served as academic mentor for STEM disciplines in The Honors College at Appalachian since 2016. Klima’s work with the General Education Program at Appalachian led to his award of the inaugural Wayne D. Duncan Faculty Enrichment and Teaching Fellowship in 2007, and his work with The Honors College led to his profile as a Faculty Member of Distinction by Appalachian Magazine in 2016.
Tamara K. Kowalczyk, PhD, Professor of Accounting, Walker College of Business
Dr. Tammy Kowalczyk is Professor of Accounting at Appalachian State University. She teaches predominantly in the area of Sustainability Accounting and Reporting, with special emphasis on integrating traditional accounting concepts with measuring Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance indicators. Her research interests have been predominantly in the area of sustainability and environmental accounting, judgment and decision-making in accounting environments, and in taxation. Her work has appeared in journals such as Behavioral Research in Accounting, Issues in Accounting Education, Journal of Business and Psychology, Advances in Management Accounting, The CPA Journal, Taxes Magazine, and Accounting Education: An International Journal, among others. She has contributed to interdisciplinary research on accounting for carbon emissions, which has been published in the Journal of Industrial Ecology, Journal of Environmental Management, and the Journal of Forest Economics. Dr. Kowalczyk was the first acting Sustainability Academic Fellow at Appalachian State University. The 2-year fellowship was established by the university to focus on the academic integration of sustainability in curriculum and research. Over the past 10 years, she has been active in the academic integration of sustainability in the Walker College of Business, including such initiatives as integrating sustainability into the existing Accounting and MBA curriculum, developing an MBA and undergraduate course on sustainability accounting, facilitating experiential and service-learning sustainability opportunities in the MBA and MS Accounting programs, and assistance with the development of a sustainable business concentration in the MBA program. Dr. Kowalczyk has served on many college and university committees including the University Priorities and Planning Council, Strategic Planning Advisory Committee, Sustainability Council, Global Engagement Council, Innovative Campus Working Group, College of Business Sustainable Business Collaborative, and the College Assessment Committee. Dr. Kowalczyk holds a Ph.D. in accounting from Texas A&M University, an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin, a bachelor's degree in finance from St. Edward's University, and a CPA certification from Arizona. She has worked in academia for 20 years, and prior professional experience includes public accounting, and financial analysis for an environmental consulting firm.
Kurt Michael, Professor, Appalachian State University
Dr. Kurt Michael is a Professor of Psychology at Appalachian State University (ASU) and the former Director of Clinical Services at the ASU Institute for Health and Human Services. He is currently serving as the Interim Assistant Chairperson of Psychology. He was trained at the University of Colorado – Boulder, Utah State University, and Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Michael’s primary areas of research are school mental health, suicide prevention, psychotherapy outcome, depression, and rural healthcare. He currently serves as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Child and Family Studies and is the Editor (JP Jameson, Co-Editor) of the first edition of The Handbook of Rural School Mental Health (Springer). He was also appointed to the editorial board of the Journal of Rural Mental Health.
Dr. Michael is a practicing Licensed Psychologist and in 2006, developed and implemented interdisciplinary school mental health partnerships titled the Assessment, Support, and Counseling (ASC) Centers in rural western North Carolina. The ASC Center was designed to serve children and families in North Carolina while at the same time, provide pre-professional and professional workforce development, which aligns well with ASU’s strategic mission to improve the health of North Carolinians and to have a sustained impact on the region, both economically and culturally. Under Dr. Michael’s leadership, The ASC Centers have been awarded approximately 1.5 million dollars in federal grants and local contracts to support their operations over the past 8 years. In 2014, Dr. Michael was honored for his long-term service to North Carolina as the Board of Governors recipient of the James E. Holshouser Jr. Award for Excellence in Public Service
http://video.unctv.org/video/2365355746/. Finally, Dr. Michael consults with agencies on a national level regarding the development of crisis intervention and suicide prevention protocols for public school systems. He recently co-wrote a grant with colleague Dr. Denise Lovin, which was funded by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, to scale up local capacity to treat and manage suicidality using scientifically supported intervention procedures, or the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) Protocol.
Beverly Moser, Professor, Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, Appalachian State University (NC)
Dr. Beverly Moser is Professor and Director of the MA in Romance Languages in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures. She holds a Ph.D. from Georgetown University, where she studied German Linguistics, English Applied Linguistics, and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). Dr. Moser is passionate about the transformative power of language learning for every American, believing that in addition to its many practical benefits, learning a second language and culture helps students develop a broader worldview and more divergent ways of thinking and problem-solving. Dr. Moser is the author of two textbooks for college-level German adopted widely in the United States and Canada. She has also published popular materials for teaching with authentic youth literature used nationally in school and college German programs. Since 2000, Dr. Moser has worked with foreign language teachers across the state, region, and nation to support excellence in world language teaching at all levels. She served as Chapter President of the NC American Association of Teachers of German (NC-AATG), as President of the Foreign Language Association of North Carolina (FLANC), and as national president and chair for two committees (pre-collegiate and postsecondary) for Germanists with AATG and the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Dr. Moser is an active grant writer and has been Principal or Co-Principal Investigator for nine externally funded federal projects. Since 2007, her grants have supported American world language educators, K-12 classroom teachers, and their counterparts from all over the world with projects totaling $ 1,848,000. At Appalachian, she supports campus internationalization initiatives, leads study abroad programs, coordinates QEP initiatives in the critical needs languages, and hosts international teachers from 20+ developing countries on campus each fall.
Don Presnell, Associate Director of University College Academic Advising, Appalachian State University
Don Presnell holds master’s degrees in English and Spanish and a doctorate in Educational Leadership. In his current position as Associate Director, Presnell supervises and provides ongoing mentoring, training, support and professional development opportunities for all University College academic advisors. He is a reflective practitioner and student advocate with extensive experience in collegiate-level teaching, academic advising & advising administration, and working with students. Dr. Presnell has taught a variety of courses in different disciplines, and has developed and taught three different interdisciplinary, academically rigorous First Year Seminar courses at Appalachian State University: “Doctor Who: TARDIS Travels in General Education” (since 2015); “The Twilight Zone” (2012—2015); and “The Narrative Art of Comics” (2009—2014). He has also taught sections of C I 2300 (Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age), SNH 1010 (Elementary Spanish I), and ENG 2170 (Introduction to Film). In 2012, he was nominated for the Rennie W. Brantz Award for Outstanding Teaching in First Year Seminar. In 2014, Presnell was nominated for the Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching Award and has twice been nominated for the Harvey R. Durham Outstanding Freshman Advocate Award (2014 and 2017). His memberships include the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA); the NACADA Technology in Advising Commission Steering Committee; and the National Association for Media Literacy Education. In past years, Presnell served as Learning Partner for Alternative Service Experience programs in Puerto Rico (March 2014) and Guatemala (March 2015 and March 2016). He recently began his tenure as Vice President and Allocations Chair of the Watauga Education Foundation.
Benjamin A. Sibley, Associate Professor, Appalachian State University (NC)
Benjamin A. Sibley, Ph. D., is an associate professor in the Department of Recreation Management and Physical Education at Appalachian State University (NC). Dr. Sibley holds degrees in exercise science, physical education, and sport and exercise psychology. He is also a licensed K-12 physical education teacher, National Strength and Conditioning Association Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and CrossFit Level 2 Trainer. His primary teaching areas in the Health, Physical Education, and Coaching program are nutrition, fitness and conditioning, and physical education pedagogy. He has published and presented numerous papers on physical activity in children and adults, in particular addressing motivation for exercise and the relationship between physical activity and cognitive performance. He serves on editorial board for the Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. At the university, he has served on the Faculty Senate, Admissions Committee, General Education Council, and the BCHS Dean Search Committee, as well as numerous departmental committees. In his leisure time, Dr. Sibley enjoys exercising, outdoor activities, cooking, and spending time with his wife and two children.
M. Corinne Smith, Senior Associate Director, GEAR UP, Appalachian State University (NC)
Corinne Smith is the senior associate director of Appalachian State University’s (ASU) federally funded college access and success grant, Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP). GEAR UP is one of multiple grant-funded programs within the College Access Partnerships office which is housed within the division of Enrollment Management. Corinne holds a B.S. in physical education from Missouri State University in 2005 and she earned a M.S. in college student personnel from Arkansas Tech University in 2009. In her time at ASU, Corinne has also served in University Housing as the coordinator of academic initiatives, where she was instrumental in growing the university’s Residential Learning Community (RLC) programs to help bridge the gap between the in- and out-of-classroom experience for ASU students. She is published in 2 scholarly journals with co-authors from ASU. Corinne has worked in various industries including education, sports, and health-care administration and has worked in both the non-profit and corporate sectors. Corinne is a 2016 graduate of the North Carolina Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP) and current co-coordinator of the fellowship program for the 2017-2018 academic year. She lives in Blowing Rock, NC with her husband, Jonathan, son, Graison, and cat, Chaco where they enjoy hosting families from all over the world in their successful Airbnb business.
Saskia van de Gevel, Associate Professor of Geography and Planning
Saskia van de Gevel has been a faculty member in the Department of Geography and Planning at Appalachian State University since 2008. She received her BS in Forest Science at Penn State University in 2000, her MS in Forest Ecology at Southern Illinois University in 2002, and her PhD in Geography from the University of Tennessee in 2008. Saskia was promoted to Associate Professor and granted tenure in 2015. Saskia’s expertise is in understanding long-term climatic and disturbance trends in endangered mountain forest ecosystems. She uses dendrochronology as a research tool to investigate landscape-scale dynamics in a historical context. Saskia has a strong history of collaboration with scientists, multidisciplinary faculty, and land management agencies to establish research opportunities, funding, and peer-reviewed publications. The National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Geographic Society have funded her research, and she is the Coordinator of the North Carolina Geographic Alliance. Saskia actively publishes her research with students in journals such as Forests, Trees, Ecoscience, Endangered Species Research, Botany, and Tree-Ring Research. During her time in the Department of Geography and Planning, she has mentored junior faculty through the tenure and promotion process and evaluated scholarship and teaching performance. Saskia recently earned a 2017 Board of Governors - Appalachian State University College Excellence in Teaching Award. One of Saskia’s goals as an ALDP member is to expand regional and national publicity for what Appalachian State University faculty are doing in an effort to increase fundraising opportunities for sponsored research and student scholarships.
Kevin S. Warner, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance
Kevin S. Warner is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance from Temple University and has done post-graduate work in Early Childhood, Elementary and Music Education. Kevin is a certified teacher in both Dance (PreK-12) and Childhood Education (1-6), and has taught in public schools in New York and North Carolina. In addition to engagement as a director and choreographer of both theatre and dance, Kevin maintains an active teaching and scholarship agenda focused on the role of dance in teaching and learning across all disciplines, particularly in public elementary school settings. Previously, Kevin was the Chair of the Department of Dance and Director of the Interdisciplinary Arts for Children Program at the State University of New York College at Brockport. While in New York, he also served as the Advocacy Chair of the New York State Dance Education Association, and as a Co-director of the Hunter Institute on Young Children when it was housed at the College at Brockport. From 2004-2008, Kevin was the Program Director for North Carolina’s A+ Schools Program where he designed and implemented teacher training and professional development for a network of over 100 schools nationally. Kevin also served as project coordinator for the Appalachian Arts in Education Partnership, a federally funded (Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination grant) consortium of Appalachian State University, local schools and area arts councils in northwestern North Carolina, and as the project director for a Dana Foundation Rural Initiatives Grant to design and implement Teaching Artist training to rural counties in Northwestern and Northeastern North Carolina. As an artist, Kevin has choreographed and performed in over 100 productions nationally for companies including Ann Vachon/Dance Conduit, Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre, Opera House Theatre Company, and Melanie Stewart Dance. Most recently, he directed Nijinsky’s Last Dance for Bread and Water Theatre Company (NY); and choreographed productions of The Rocky Horror Show, The Music Man and The Wizard of Oz in NY, and has appeared on television and in film. As a Teaching Artist, Kevin has worked with public and private school children throughout NC, NY, NJ, DE and PA, presenting creative movement residency programs for PreK-6th grade children on topics including “The Ocean Habitat,” “Forces and Motion,” and “Life Cycles.”
Wendy W. Xie, Associate Professor, Dept. of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, ASU
Wendy Xie is Associate Professor of Chinese at Appalachian State University. Dr. Xie studied German language and literature as an undergraduate and a graduate at Peking University (China). She later received her master’s and doctorate degrees in Comparative Literature from Yale University (CT). Biologically “made in China,” she is a product of multicultural life experiences and scholarly trainings. Her service interest has always been to identify ways to foster cross-cultural and cross- language communication and to promote the importance of cultural diversity and of the interconnectedness of global society. Her current research explores issues of emotion and intimacy in East Asian/Chinese popular culture. In addition to teaching Chinese language, literature and culture courses, Dr. Xie leads summer study abroad trips to China, which help increase students’ linguistic competency and cultural awareness.
Ted Zerucha, Professor, Dept. of Biology, ASU
Ted Zerucha is a Professor in the Department of Biology at Appalachian State University (NC). He received his BSc in Biochemistry and MSc in Microbiology from the University of Manitoba (MB, Canada) and PhD in Cellular and Molecular Medicine / Anatomy and Neurobiology from the University of Ottawa (ON, Canada). His research interests lie in the areas of developmental biology, genetics and molecular evolution. He studies how gene expression is controlled during embryonic development, and how these mechanisms evolved, using zebrafish as a model system. He was an Assistant Professor in the Biology Department at Keene State College (NH) for four years before joining the faculty at Appalachian State University in 2005. During his time at Appalachian, Dr. Zerucha has taught courses in biology ranging from the introductory general education level, to upper level classes in developmental biology as well as gene regulation. He has also served on numerous committees at the college and university level. In addition, he served as an Assistant Chair of the Department of Biology from 2012 – 16; has been Chair of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) since 2013; and most recently was Interim Director of The Honors College from 2016 – 17. Dr. Zerucha has been nominated for the College of Arts and Sciences Richard N. Henson Outstanding Advisor Award multiple times; has been recognized multiple times by the Appalachian State University Office of Student Success Mapworks Survey as amongst the most helpful faculty and staff; and in 2016 was recognized by Tau Sigma as a Transfer Star in recognition of his efforts on behalf of Appalachian transfer students both inside the classroom and out. He has also been recognized for his teaching and has been inducted into the Appalachian State University College of Arts and Sciences Academy of Outstanding Teachers; was the 2012 College of Arts and Sciences Teacher of the Year; and in 2011 a recipient of a University of North Carolina Board of Governors Appalachian State University College Teaching Award.
