MAC Academic Leadership Development Program (ALDP)

Dr. Sherona Garrett-Ruffin (pronouns: she, her, hers) received a Bachelor of Arts degree (Biopsychology) from Oberlin College, PhD in Neuroscience from Kent State University and a Masters’ degree in Mental Health Counseling from Bowling Green State University.  Currently, Dr. Garrett-Ruffin is Vice Chair of Undergraduate Student Instruction (Psychology) and a Teaching Professor in Psychology. Dr. Garrett-Ruffin serves as Chair of the Undergraduate Psychology Curriculum Committee, member of the BGSU College of Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committee and Faculty Senate Representative.  She also serves as a faculty facilitator for the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE).

Kristen Rudisill is a professor of popular culture and director of the Asian Studies Program at BGSU. She has a doctorate in Asian Studies and an MBA (accounting). She is the author of Honeymoon Couples, Jurassic Babies: Identity and Play in Chennai’s Post-Independence Sabha Theater (SUNY, 2022) and is widely published in the area of Indian theater and dance. Dr. Rudisill is a HERS Institute alum who has served as VP of the Association for Asian Performance, chair of the Department of Popular Culture, chair of the Fiscal Affairs Advisory Committee, and editor of the Indian Theatre Journal. 

Dr. Kimberly Traver is a clinical professor and Chair of the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department.  Prior to joining BGSU in 2008, she worked as a clinical audiologist in the private sector.  Dr. Traver earned her B.S. in Communication Disorders from BGSU, M.S. in Audiology from Wayne State University, and Doctorate of Audiology from the University of Florida.  She is a clinical audiologist in the department’s Speech & Hearing Clinic, supervises speech-language pathology M.S. students in audiology experiences, and teaches the audiology courses in the program.   

Mo Zolfagharian is chair and professor of marketing at the Schmidthorst College of Business, Bowling Green State University. Prior to joining academia, he held managerial and consulting positions in manufacturing and international trade. He has served as department chair and provided consulting in public and private spheres. Dr. Zolfagharian emphasizes creativity and utilizes various quantitative and interpretive methodologies in his research and teaching. While he strives for eclecticism in topics and methods, most of his scholarly works fall in the areas of consumer multicultural identity, adoption of innovations and its consequences, and value cocreation/engagement. He has authored over 100 scholarly works.

Stephanie Walls is an associate professor of political science and the chair of the Natural and Social Sciences Department on the BGSU Firelands campus. Dr. Walls earned her bachelor’s in political science from Ohio University and her master’s and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Cincinnati. She is the author of two books, “Individualism in the United States” (Bloomsbury, 2015) and “American Federalism and Individual Rights” (Lexington Books, 2021), and recently received her college’s Distinguished Creative Scholar Award. Dr. Walls has extensive shared governance experience, including six years on Faculty Senate, three years representing her college on the Senate Executive Committee, two years as faculty chair on the Firelands campus, and as a member of the bargaining team that negotiated the current faculty collective bargaining agreement in place at the University.  

Alexis D. Ostrowski is an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and affiliated with the Center for Photochemical Sciences and Center for Great Lakes and Watershed Studies at BGSU. Dr. Ostrowski’s research group focuses on materials science and photochemistry, and the Ostrowski Lab works to design new photoresponsive materials for wastewater treatment and bioplastics. Dr. Ostrowski started as an assistant professor of chemistry at BGSU in 2012 and was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2018. In 2020, she was awarded the inaugural Thomas Kinstle Professorship at BGSU. She was an NSF-CAREER award recipient in 2017 and received the BGSU Outstanding Early Career award in 2018. Dr. Ostrowski earned a bachelor’s in chemistry from Occidental College in Los Angeles, California, and received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She was an NSF-IGERT fellow at UCSB and following her Ph.D., she received a Ruth L. Kirstein postdoctoral fellowship at The Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. 

Dr. Dena Eber has been a member of the BGSU faculty since 1997. Her doctoral research explored the art and aesthetics of artistic virtual environments (VE), especially the learning and creative process for artists involved with making them. She has conducted additional research on alternative ways of digital image capture and representation. Dr. Eber continues to research the creative and aesthetic aspects of artistic virtual environments and is currently involved with an art and computer science collaboration that is investigating these questions. Her other research includes perception and the creative process surrounding other digital media. She has presented much of this work at national and international conferences and has many publications in national and international journals. Dr. Eber's artistic endeavors include VE art works, imaging and interactive installations. Her latest work deals with issues surrounding embodiment and femininity. She shows her work at numerous national and regional exhibitions.

Jadwiga A. Carlson is a teaching professor in computer science and is passionate about encouraging women to pursue computer science and STEM fields. Carlson’s contributions to various programs that foster a sense of community and inclusion for women in STEM are ongoing. She has served as a faculty advisor for BG Women in Computing student organization since 2010. In addition, in 2016, she developed a new computer science mentorship program for middle school girls called CODE4her, allowing undergraduate female computer science students to mentor middle school girls. Carlson regularly participates in university outreach events such as STEM Day, Women in STEM and Tech Trek. Carlson worked in the industry for over 15 years as a software developer and obtained the Professional Scrum Master (PSM II) certification. She is the recipient of the 2017 College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Lecturer award and BG Center for Leadership 2018 Women of Distinction award. In 2018 Carlson was a College of Arts and Sciences scholarship recipient and was selected to attend HERS Leadership Institute at Bryn Mawr. In 2019 Carlson was appointed an inaugural Diversity and Inclusion Faculty Fellow for the College of Arts and Sciences. In this capacity, she chairs the CAS Diversity and Inclusion Committee. In addition, she works closely with college executive staff and other offices on campus to build and implement initiatives that enhance faculty and staff diversity and support a welcoming and diverse community.

Dr. Phil Dickinson is a teaching professor in BGSU's Department of English and an associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, with responsibilities for curricular planning, assessment and faculty advancement. He received his Ph.D. in American culture studies from BGSU. As an administrator, he is interested in initiatives that propose new and more effective ways to promote the liberal arts habits of mind within curricular structures and institutions more broadly, and in rethinking the general education curriculum as a foundational context for an undergraduate experience in which integrative learning plays a crucial role. As a non-tenure track faculty member with 30 years of classroom experience, issues of academic labor equity are a personal passion. Originally from the U.K., Dickinson moved to the U.S. in 1988. His writing has appeared in Hyperhiz, Journal of Beat Studies, The Beat Review, Black Camera: An International Film Journal, British Writers Supplement and various small press publications.

Dr. Jenn Stucker is an associate professor and chair of graphic design at BGSU, the immediate past chair of Faculty Senate and a faculty associate for the Center for Faculty Excellence. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from BGSU and her Master of Fine Arts degree from Eastern Michigan University. Her work appears in several books on design, such as "Graphic Design: The New Basics," "Introduction to Graphic Design: A Guide to Thinking, Process and Style," and "Collaboration in Design Education." She has also received award recognition in numerous design publications and has presented at several design conferences across the country and internationally on her teaching and research interests of design pedagogy, community engagement and creative placemaking. In April 2017, she was recognized by BGSU with the Outstanding Early Career Award for her creative research activities, and in 2018 was recognized by GD USA as a “2018 Person to Watch.” Currently, she is pursuing her Ph.D. in higher education administration at BGSU.

Dr. Terence Pitre joined the accounting and information systems faculty at BGSU in summer 2019 and serves as department chair and director of the Master of Accounting program. Additionally, he has been appointed as the Robert W. and Patricia A. Maurer Family Distinguished Endowed Professor.  Dr. Pitre earned a bachelor's in finance from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette in 1992, an MBA from Tulane University in 1994 with concentrations in finance and accounting and a doctorate in accounting from Michigan State University in 2004. He has served as a visiting professor at Western Michigan University and Miami University of Ohio and held tenure track/tenured positions at the University of South Carolina, the University of St. Thomas, MN, and California State University–Sacramento, where he served as program director of the MsA program, and most recently, at Minnesota State University, Mankato where was the inaugural Allen Lenzmeier Endowed Professor of Accounting. His research primarily focuses on how the presentation of financial information impacts non-professional investor decision-making. His research has been published in top accounting journals such as the Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Behavioral Research in Accounting, Advances in Accounting and Accounting Horizons. He is the recipient of the 2013 Behavioral Research in Accounting “Best Paper of the Year” award. As a result of his financial and accounting expertise, he been cited several times in popular press outlets such as U.S. News & World Report. He currently serves as an associate editor for Advances in Accounting Behavioral Research and serves as a reviewer for top journals such as Journal of Information Systems (JIS).

Dr. Jerry Schnepp is a technologist, designer and creative problem-solver. He is an associate professor of visual communication technology in the College of Technology, Architecture and Applied Engineering. He teaches courses in Interactive media, usability, user experience and digital photography. He is also the founding director of the Collab Lab -- a hands-on, creative space for students and faculty to engage in collaborative work. Dr. Schnepp earned a Ph.D. in computer science from DePaul University. His research focuses on STEM education, learner experience design, technology for online assessment, interactive mobile learning, innovative interfaces and computerized sign language synthesis. He has developed and evaluated software to help educators be more effective and students to engage in deep learning activities. He regularly collaborates on projects involving cutting-edge technology and new applications. He is the recipient of the 2018 Elliott L Blinn Award for his work supporting undergraduate research and creative work and the 2018 Faculty Excellence Award from the Association of Technology Management and Applied Engineering.

Dr. Sheila Roberts is an Associate Professor in the School of Earth, Environment and Society and an Associate Dean in the College of Arts & Sciences at Bowling Green State University.  Dr. Roberts earned her B.S. in Geological Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines, and her MS and PhD at the University of Arizona.  Dr. Roberts is CO-PI on an NSF ADVANCE Adaption Grant, “BGSU ALLIES:  Building Inclusive Leadership Practices and Policies to Transform the Institution.”  As part of this project, Dr. Roberts is developing online and face-to-face workshops on inclusive leadership practices for chairs and directors and reviewing university policies for onboarding and evaluating chairs, directors, and other faculty administrators. 

Charles Saenz is Professor of Trumpet at Bowling Green State University where he maintains a studio of 30 trumpet majors. In addition, he is Coordinator of Brass and Percussion Studies. He has performed extensively as a soloist both across the United States and Internationally. His solo recording, Eloquentia, has received strong critical praise by both the International Trumpet Guild and the American Record Guide. Saenz is on the Artistic Committee for the 2020 International Trumpet Guild Conference. In 2017, he received the Pro Musica Award for Exceptional Service to Students. His students have been winners in the ITG Solo Competition, Orchestral Excerpts Competition, and Conference Scholarship Competition. 2017 marked the third consecutive year that his students have been finalists in the prestigious Solo Competition.  For more information about Professor Saenz and the Trumpet Studio, please visit bgsutrumpetstudio.com

Dr. Laura Landry Meyer is associate professor and program coordinator of the Human Development and Family Studies program in the School of Family and Consumer Sciences in the College of Education and Human Development. Dr. Landry Meyer earned a B.S. in Child and Family Studies and M.S. in Child and Family Studies and Education from Ohio University and a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies with a focus on gerontology from Ohio State University. Dr. Landry Meyer focuses on the scholarship of teaching and learning and culturally cognizant listening. She is committed to service-learning pedagogies and has served as a faculty mentor. In 2018, she received the Ohio Association of Gerontology and Education Educator of the Year award.

Dr. Lee Nickoson is Professor and Chair of the English Department at Bowling Green State University where she delivers courses on rhetoric, writing studies, and composition. Dr. Nickoson's scholarship explores community-based approaches to writing and the study of writing. Her most recent publication is Composing Feminist Interventions: Engagement, Activism, and Praxis (WAC Clearinghouse Press and University of Colorado Press, 2018), which she co-edited with Kristine Blair. Dr. Nickoson currently serves as co-founding chair of the Conference on College Composition and Communication's Teacher to Teacher Pedagogy Network Forum, and, most recently, as an associate publisher for the WAC Clearinghouse.

Dr. Sarder is a professor & Chair of Engineering Technologies at Bowling Green State
University. Prior to joining BGSU, he worked at the U.S. Air Force Academy as a distinguished research fellow and as an associate professor and graduate program director at the University of Southern Mississippi. He earned his BS in mechanical engineering from Bangladesh University Engineering & Technology, MS in industrial engineering from Wichita State University, and Ph.D. in industrial & systems engineering from University of Texas at Arlington. Dr. Sarder has extensive teaching and research experiences in various areas of industrial & systems engineering. He authored three books, five book chapters and over eighty-five scholarly articles. He was awarded more than $2.5M funding from various agencies including NSF and U.S. Department of Transportation. Dr. Sarder is actively involved with various professional organizations including Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineers (IISE), Transportation Research Board (TRB), Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), and American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE). He served as the founding president of Logistics and Supply Chain division and technical vice president of IISE.

Dr. Jolie A. Sheffer is associate professor of English and American Culture Studies at
Bowling Green State University. Since 2016, she also has served as Director of the
Institute for the Study of Culture & Society at BGSU, for which she develops public
humanities programming and supports interdisciplinary research and teaching. She regularly teaches
courses in American literature and popular culture since the Civil War, race and ethnicity, American
Studies, and literary theory and cultural studies. She is the author of The Romance of Race: Incest,
Miscegenation, and Multiculturalism in the United States, 1880-1930, which was published by Rutgers
University Press in 2013.

Dr. Mary-Jon Ludy is an Associate Professor in the Food & Nutrition Program at
Bowling Green State University. Dr. Ludy earned her B.S. in Dietetics from BGSU,
M.S. in Clinical Nutrition from Tufts University, and Ph.D. in Nutrition from Purdue University. Dr. Ludy
is founding director of BGSU’s Health, Wellness, and You Learning Community. Her research has been
profiled by media outlets, such as the BBC, CNN, The New York Times, Real Simple, and Shape. She was
honored by the Dannon Institute as one of 20 early career nutrition scientists with the biggest chance of
moving the field forward.

Dr. Kate Dailey is the Associate Dean and Associate Professor of English at Bowling Green State University. Dr. Dailey earned her B.A. in English from College of Wooster, her M.A. in English from the University of Massachusetts, and her Ph.D. in English from Bowling Green State University. Dr. Dailey is deeply committed to developing a useful pedagogy for teaching literatures of trauma and oppression and promoting academic success for underserved students. Her article, Three Models for Approaching Literatures of Trauma, can be found in the American Reading Forum Journal.

Dr. Lisa K. Hanasono is an Associate Professor in the Communications Department at Bowling Green State University. Dr. Hanasono earned her B.A. in Speech Communication and Psychology from Miami University, along with her M.A. in Speech Communication, and her Ph.D. in Communication from Purdue University. Dr. Hanasono is deeply committed to faculty development and diversity and has received numerous rewards due to her service. She is currently on the IDEAL-N Leadership Team, funded by an NSF grant from Case Western Reserve University, which aims to advance the careers of post-tenure faculty and create a stronger culture of leadership at Bowling Green State University.

Charles Kanswischer is and a professor and the Director of the School of Art at Bowling Green State University. Kanswischer earned his BFA in Painting and Printmaking from Yale University and his MFA in Painting and Printmaking from the University of Iowa. Kanswischer’s art has been represented in a number of public and private collections including the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Akron Museum of Art, the Cleveland Clinic and the Progressive Insurance Corporation. Kanswishcher was awarded First Prize at the 10th International Drawing Annual by the Manifest Gallery and received seven Ohio Arts Council Individual Artist Excellence Awards, most recently in 2017.