New faculty join for fall semester
More than 30 new faculty members joined UCCS for the fall semester. Over the next few weeks, those who hold instructor, assistant professor or associate professor positions will be introduced to the campus. Today’s installment includes 13 assistant and associate professors from the College of Business, College of Education, College of Engineering and Applied Science, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences, and School of Public Affairs.
Oksana Bihun, assistant professor, Department of Mathematics, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Bihun previously was an assistant professor at Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota, and held teaching and research assistant positions at the University of Missouri, Columbia, and National University of Lviv, Ukraine. She earned a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and a specialist in applied mathematics degree from Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Ukraine.
Andrea Bingham, assistant professor, Department of Leadership, Research and Foundations, College of Education. Bingham previously held a graduate assistant positions at the University of Southern California, was a secondary English professional learning community facilitator for Teach for America and a secondary teacher support provider for Loyola Marymount University. She earned a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University.
Tara Cepon-Robins, assistant professor, Department of Anthropology, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Cepon-Robins previously was a student and researcher at the University of Oregon, Eugene. She earned a Ph.D. and master’s degree from the University of Oregon, Eugene, and a bachelor’s degree from Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Kaitlyn DeGhetto, assistant professor, College of Business. DeGhetto previously was a student and researcher at Florida State University, Tallahassee. She earned a Ph.D. from Florida State University, Tallahassee, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Florida, Gainesville.
Helen Graham, assistant professor, Nursing Department, Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Graham previously was the cardiac rehabilitation and pulmonary rehabilitation program manager for Penrose St. Francis Health Care Services, Colorado Springs, and held other professional nursing positions. She earned Ph.D. and master’s degrees from the University of Colorado, Denver, and a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University School of Nursing, Tempe.
Andrew Lac, assistant professor, Department of Psychology, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Lak previously was a research assistant professor at Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, California, as a statistical consultant at various universities and as a visiting assistant professor at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. He earned a Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University, master’s degrees from California State University, Los Angeles and California State University Dominguez Hills, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of California Los Angeles.
Michael Landon-Murray, assistant professor, School of Public Affairs. Landon-Murray previously was a visiting assistant professor at the University of Texas at El Paso and an adjunct instructor at the University at Albany, State University of New York. He earned a Ph.D. from University at Albany, a master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and bachelor’s degree from University at Buffalo, State University of New York.
Emily Mooney, assistant professor, Department of Biology, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Mooney previously was an associate professor of biology for Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and coordinator of undergraduate research for the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte. She earned a Ph.D. from West Virginia University and a bachelor’s degree from State University of New York.
Deborah Pollard, associate professor, Nursing Department, Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Pollard previously held various positions including interim director at the University of North Carolina Wilmington School of Nursing and was an associate professor at Wheeling Jesuit University, Wheeling, West Virginia. She also worked as a nurse in hospitals. She earned a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, a master’s degree from West Virginia University and a bachelor’s degree from West Liberty State College, West Liberty, West Virginia.
Brandon Runnels, assistant professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Runnels previously held teaching and research positions with the California Institute of Technology, Los Alamos National Laboratory, the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and Southern Rockies Consulting. He earned master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the California Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.
Kristin Samuelson, assistant professor, Department of Psychology, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Samuelson previously held faculty positions at California School of Professional Psychology, San Francisco. She earned Ph.D. and master’s degrees from the University of Virginia and a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Colin D. Wren, assistant professor, Department of Anthropology, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Wren previously was a postdoctoral research associate at Arizona State University and a research associate at Université de Montréal. He earned a Ph.D. from McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, master’s degree from University College London, and bachelor’s degree from McGill University.