Chatham welcomes new faculty for the academic year

Chatham has recently welcomed a number of new full-time and visiting faculty to the Chatham community for the 2020-2021 academic term. Also, be sure to visit our Getting to Know Chatham’s New Professors (Part 1 and Part 2) interviews to hear from some of our new faculty.

NEW FACULTY

Joseph Amodei - Assistant Professor of Immersive Media
Joseph is a new media artist, theater designer, and activist. They received a BFA in Studio Art from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and their MFA in Video and Media Design from Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama. Their work combines innovative technology, extensive research, and hope for alternate futures to invite audiences into a communal process of debriefing and re-learning. Recent work has explored voter suppression, mental health, the AIDS crisis, attention’s relationship to technology, and a critical look into hope’s connection to emerging media. www.jamodei.com

Lorri Birkholz – Assistant Professor of Nursing
Dr. Birkholz graduated as a diploma nurse from Presbyterian-St. Luke’s School of Nursing in Denver, CO. She Obtained her BSN from the University of Wisconsin Green Bay, her MSN in Nursing Leadership from the University of Texas Arlington and her DNP from Old Dominion University (ODU). She worked three years as faculty at ODU teaching graduate nursing education. Her research interests include nursing ethics, moral distress, compassion fatigue, and nurse empowerment. She has published in the Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing, Nursing 2020, and British Medical Journal.  Dr. Birkholz has held board positions on the American Society of Bioethics & Humanities, the Virginia DNP Association, and the Epsilon Chi chapter of Sigma International Nursing Honor Society. 

Mindi Hilborn - Assistant Professor of Athletic Training 
Dr. Hilborn is a graduate of California University of Pennsylvania where she earned her BS in Athletic Training, followed by her MA in Kinesiology and Health Studies at South Eastern Louisiana University.  Mindi earned her Doctorate of Athletic Training in 2018 from Temple University, with her research focus in the area of concussion assessment with individuals with ADHD, ADD and/or learning disabilities. Mindi comes to Chatham from California University of PA where she was an instructor and assistant athletic trainer.  Prior to CAL U, Mindi worked clinically at Chestnut Hill College for five years as a certified athletic trainer and head cheer coach.  Mindi brings a wealth of clinical experience and expertise to the classroom and has made an immediate impact during summer term.  

Jordan Hooks – Instructor in Biology
Ms. Hooks received her BS in Biology, with a minor in Chemistry, from Youngstown State University, and her MS in Biology from Chatham.  An instrumental part of the Human Anatomy Lab and as an adjunct instructor over the past year, she is filling an important role in the Science department.

Michelle Niculescu – Assistant Professor of Psychology 
Dr. Michelle Niculescu earned her PhD in Pharmacology from Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, focusing on neuroscience, specifically animal models of addiction. She then transitioned to human research during her post-doctoral training at the University of Colorado-Boulder in Clinical Psychology. She taught Psychology for over a decade before deciding to integrate her research background with clinical practice. She received her MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from University of the Cumberlands. She also consults for the American Society of Addiction Medicine as a trainer and data analyst, aiding clinicians in assessing and determining appropriate levels of care for patients.      

Welkin Pope – Assistant Professor of Microbiology
Dr. Pope received her BS in Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and her PhD in Biological Oceanography from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution at MIT.  She worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow, Research Associate, and most recently as a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh.  Dr. Pope has also served as the Science Coordinator for the Science Education Alliance (SEA) through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.  Her independent research is focused on identifying new molecular mechanisms of host defense and prophage-mediated host defense against bacteriophage infection using computational and molecular approaches. 

FACULTY APPOINTMENTS

Jessie Ramey – Associate Professor of Gender Studies 
Dr. Ramey is a historian of working families and U.S. social policy. Since 2015, she has been the inaugural director of Chatham’s Women's Institute, where she works on gender equity through teaching, scholarship, and outreach, both on campus and in the broader community. Her current research examines public education policy, neoliberalism, and grassroots social justice movements. She teaches courses on women's leadership, women's history, feminist theory, and gender & sexuality.  In addition, Dr. Ramey is the Chair of the Gender Equity Commission for the City of Pittsburgh and serves on the Mayor's Task Force on Women in Public Art.

Mary Whitney - Assistant Professor of Practice of Sustainability
Dr. Whitney has spent the last 15 years in environmental education, working primarily with citizens, teachers and their students. As sustainability director for Chatham’s campuses, she leads collaboration on sustainability practices at the University, works to help Chatham meet its carbon neutrality goals, and teaches environmental studies and civic engagement. Dr. Whitney is one of the founders of GEM, the Green Education Movement, a professional support and education organization for environmental education practitioners in Pittsburgh. She holds a doctorate in Sustainability Education from Prescott College, a Master of Public Policy and Management from the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh, and is a graduate of Chatham College for Women at Chatham University.

VISITING PROFESSORS

John Stakeley –  Visiting Assistant Professor of Business Management
Dr. Stakeley received his Doctor of Science in Information Systems & Communication from Robert Morris University, his MS in Leadership & Business Ethics from Duquesne University, and his BS in Electrical Engineering Technology from Point Park University. John’s former academic appointments include Lecturer of Management at Robert Morris University from 2015 to 2020, and as an adjunct professor at Chatham University in the business department, as well as at the University of Pittsburgh. John’s entrepreneurial experience includes co-founding and serving as President of Muninn Groupand as co-founder, and associate director of the Massey Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Robert Morris University. His service activity includes supporting veterans’ in advocacy and leadership opportunities and all low-income to moderate taxpayers through the IRS volunteer income tax assistance (VITA) program. John also has a distinguished military record.  Most notably, John served in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard from 1999 to 2006, in various roles as Battalion Logistics Officer, Company Commander, Company Executive Officer and Platoon Leader.  During this time, then-Captain John Stakeley was deployed overseas and served in Iraq. 

Andrea Stevens – Visiting Assistant Professor of Neuroscience
Dr. Stevens received her BS in Biology, with minors in Biochemistry and Psychology, from Duquesne University, her MS in Human Biology from Chatham, and recently her PhD in Biological Sciences from Duquesne.  Her dissertation research focused on studying neuroinflammation in chronic pain.