WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Aug. 21, 2017 — West Liberty University welcomes new faculty as the 2017 – 2018 Academic year began this week. New faculty members include:
Assistant Professor of Nursing Dr. Margaret A. Boyce, an alumna of West Liberty, earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1986 and also holds a degree from the Ohio Valley School of Nursing, Steubenville, Ohio. She earned a master’s degree in nursing from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a MBA from Frostburg State University. She now is completing requirements for a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at Waynesburg University. She joins WLU from Mount Aloysius College in Cresson, Pa., where she served as assistant professor of nursing for 14 years. She is a native of Follansbee, W.Va.
New faculty pose in Campbell Hall during orientation last week.
Instructor of Political Science Brian Fitzpatrick earned a bachelor’s in political science from the University of North Carolina at Asheville, a master’s in international politics from City University of London, a master’s in political science from West Virginia University, and is currently completing a doctoral degree in political science from West Virginia University. His research interests include the influence of economic inequality on representation and trade policy. He is originally from Hillsborough, NC.
Instructor of Mathematics John Float earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from California University of Pennsylvania and a master’s in applied mathematics from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He is now working on his dissertation for his doctorate in education in curriculum and instruction. He has taught in higher education for five years at the University of Pittsburgh, La Roche College, California University of Pennsylvania and the Community College of Allegheny County. While employed at the Penn State Electro-Optics Research Center, he created a robotics camp for students, grades 7-9. He is a native of Pittsburgh.
Visiting Instructor of Music Mitchell J. Greco earned bachelor degrees from SUNY Fredonia in music performance and history and master’s degrees in ethnomusicology from Kent State University and music performance from Appalachian State University. He is currently a doctoral candidate at West Virginia University, where he held a University Provost Fellowship and served as graduate teaching assistant for the World Music Performance Center. He also has taught at Waynesburg University and Washington & Jefferson College, in addition to being adjunct faculty at WLU. He is a native of Rochester, NY.
Instructor of English Katie Hodges received her Bachelor of Arts in English degree from Northern State University and Master of Arts in English degree from the University of South Dakota. She has been an adjunct in English at WLU for three years and also worked locally as a legal proofreader and document processor. She is originally from South Dakota.
Assistant Professor of Education Angela Icard has obtained degrees in Bachelor of Science in Education, Master of Science in Reading and Literacy, and is a doctoral candidate at West Virginia University with a focus on curriculum and instruction. Her research interests include effective professional development for literacy educators, reflective practice, co-teaching, the affective domain of reading, and emergent literacy practices. She has presented her research at over 25 state, national, and international conferences. She is from Moundsville.
Assistant Professor of Computer Information Systems Dr. Gayle Jesse earned three degrees from Robert Morris University: a bachelor’s degree in management information systems, a K-12 teaching degree in business and technology, and a doctoral degree in information systems and communications. She earned an MBA from California University of Pennsylvania. Jesse’s certifications include: Microsoft Master Instructor and Adobe Certified Expert Educator (web specialist). She has been teaching for more than 12 years, formerly at Liberty University, Lynchburg, Va. She resides in Eldersville, Pa.
Associate Professor of Special Education Dr. Stephen Richards earned his doctoral degree in education from Florida Atlantic University. He has been a special education teacher in K-12 schools and a teacher educator for 27 years. A native of North Carolina, he most recently taught at the University of Dayton in Ohio.
Assistant Professor of Spanish Dr. Felipe E. Rojas earned a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish degree at the University of Guelph and a Master of Arts in Spanish at Queen’s University, both located in Ontario. He then earned his doctoral degree in romance languages and literature (Spanish) at the University of Chicago in 2014. His academic interests include sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Spanish literature, queer studies, mythology and literature, Spanish Golden Age politics and religion, and Medieval Spanish literature. Specifically, he is interested in veiled sexual references in theater and how they may allude to the political, religious and historical formation of Spain. He is a native of Chile.
Assistant Professor of English Dr. Amanda Berardi Tennant also is the director of the new WLU Writing Center. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from West Virginia University and earned both her master’s and doctoral degrees in rhetoric from Carnegie Mellon University where her research examined how students from the Appalachian region negotiate identity as they transition into college. She also served as the assistant director of second language writing at Carnegie Mellon. She is originally from Fairmont, W.Va.
Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship Dr. Rickard Briggs was formerly an adjunct professor with the Gary E. West College of Business. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership, a Master of Science in Strategic Leadership and a doctoral degree in executive leadership, all at Mountain State University. Briggs will not only teach entrepreneurship and business management, he will be setting up WLU’s entrepreneurship incubator and performing community outreach. He is from New York City.
Assistant Professor of Special Education Dr. Irene Van Riper has experience as a teacher educator, consultant, researcher and author in education from early childhood and middle school, to higher education in special education. Her work has led her to specialize in autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, and the preparation of teachers for understanding students with disabilities. She was instrumental in developing a graduate program at William Paterson University in autism education and has earned associate level certification from the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators. Van Riper was born in Boston, Mass.
Instructor of General Business Sherry Rocchio earned an associate degree in business administration at West Virginia Northern Community College (WVNCC), a Bachelor of Science in business administration at WLU and an MBA at Franciscan University. Most recently she was an adjunct professor at WLU and she has worked as an accountant at D’Anniballe & Company, Inc. Prior to that she was a contracts administrator for Troy Group and a marketing coordinator for Marsh Bellofram Corporation. She also has adjunct teaching experience at WVNCC, Eastern Gateway Community College and Franciscan University. Rocchio is from Wellsburg, W.Va.
Assistant Professor of Sociology Dr. Kimberly Underwood completed her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology degree from Western Michigan University, Master of Arts in Sociology degree from Central Michigan University, and doctoral degree in sociology from Michigan State University. Most recently, Underwood was a visiting professor at Bowdoin College and prior to that she taught at Grand Valley State University for five years. She is a native of Battle Creek, Mich.
Assistant Professor of Social Work Dr. Eveldora Wheeler earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology degree at West Virginia University, a master’s of social work at the University of Pittsburgh and a MBA from Point Park University, and a doctoral degree in educational psychology from West Virginia University. She also has leadership and management experience in corporate, non-profit, and academic environments.
Assistant Professor of Athletic Training Dr. Meleesa Wohleber earned a Bachelor of Science degree in athletic training from West Virginia Wesleyan College, a Master of Science in Kinesiology degree from James Madison University and doctoral degree in health sciences from Nova Southeastern University. Previously, an athletic trainer at the University of Louisville and the United States Coast Guard Training Center, she most recently worked at the University of Pittsburgh as faculty and co-investigator of injury prevention and performance research initiatives with the United States Air Force and United States Army Special Operations Forces. She is a native of Pittsburgh, Pa.
Assistant Professor of Biology Dr. James Wood earned his undergraduate degrees in biology and environmental studies at the University of North Carolina, Asheville. He earned his master’s in plant biology at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale and his doctoral degree from the University of Georgia’s Odum School of Ecology, where he was a teaching and research assistant. He is a native of North Carolina.
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