Axe ’Em, Jacks!
Two administrators new to Stephen F. Austin State University were among the appointments approved by its Board of Regents during the group’s quarterly meeting Monday.
Andrew Dies was named assistant vice president of student affairs and dean of students. Dies previously served as dean of students at Northern Arizona University, where he was chief student conduct officer and the primary contact for students in crisis, in addition to serving on the emergency management team and the academic standards committee.
He received his Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Kansas at Lawrence and his Master of Education in higher education administration from North Carolina State University in Raleigh. He is currently completing his dissertation at Georgia Southern University for a doctoral degree in educational leadership.
Mickey Diez is serving as SFA Registrar. He has 21 years of experience in higher education, spending 13 of those years as a university registrar. He previously served as the registrar for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Diez holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business Administration from Nicholls State University in Thibodaux. He is currently completing his dissertation for a doctoral degree in educational leadership from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Freddie Avant, associate dean of the College of Liberal and Applied Arts and director of the School of Social Work, was named interim dean of research and graduate studies.
In the Rusche College of Business, Carol Wright, associate professor, was approved as interim chair of business communications and legal studies, and Justin Blount, associate professor, was approved as interim assistant chair of business communications and legal studies. Regents also approved the appointment of Jamie Kurash as visiting assistant professor of economics and finance and Jamie Derrick as lecturer of management and marketing.
In the College of Fine Arts, Professor Gary Wurtz, director of the School of Music, was approved as interim dean of the College of Fine Arts. Nathan Nabb, professor of music, is serving as interim director of the School of Music. Tamey Anglley, associate professor and former associate director of bands, was approved as director of bands.
Regents also approved appointments including Kristen Blossom, assistant professor, and James McDaniel, lecturer, theatre; Andrea Denis, Kathryn Fenton, and Minhae Lee, assistant professors, and Margaret Fay, visiting assistant professor, music; Erik Ordaz Lozano, visiting lecturer/exhibit coordinator, and Selma Morales Roberts, visiting assistant professor, art.
In the Perkins College of Education, Heeok Jeong was appointed assistant professor of education studies, Jennifer Luque as clinical instructor of human sciences, Pietro Sasso as assistant professor of educational leadership, and Keilea Sumrall as assistant professor of kinesiology and health sciences.
Stephanie Strahl was promoted from academic advisor II to academic advisor III in College of Education Academic Services, and Hayley Tutt was promoted from assistant teacher to lead teacher in the Early Childhood Lab. Tiffany Carr was appointed teacher/counselor, and Michelle Brazeil was appointed assistant bursar in the Charter School.
In the College of Liberal and Applied Arts, Andrew Lannen, associate professor of history, was named interim chair of the department, and Emmerentie Oliphant, professor of social work, was named interim director of the school.
Mario Morera-Jimenez was appointed visiting assistant professor of languages, cultures and communication; Alicia Moss was appointed visiting assistant professor, and Stephanie Washington was appointed assistant professor, social work; Rebecca Spears was appointed visiting lecturer of English and creative writing; and Lydia Towns was appointed lecturer of history.
In the College of Sciences and Mathematics, Odutayo Odunuga, professor of chemistry, was named interim chair of the department. Jason Pratscher was appointed assistant professor of mathematics and statistics, and Hacer Varol was appointed assistant professor of physics, engineering and astronomy. Laurel Matthews was promoted from clinical instructor to assistant professor of nursing. In the STEM Center, Cynthia Maurstad was appointed teaching and learning coordinator.
Anusha Shrestha was appointed assistant professor of forestry in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture.
The appointment of Judith Kruwell, associate vice president of finance and administration, as interim vice president was approved by regents. In financial and administrative services, Michaelyn Green was promoted from director of administrative services to director of treasury and student business services. Amy Mooneyham was promoted from accounting clerk III to assistant bursar in the controller’s office.
In financial aid, Irish Beason was promoted from counselor I to counselor II, Matthew Miller was promoted from counselor I to counselor III, Tammy Mitchum was promoted from assistant director to associate director, Donna Story was promoted from counselor II to counselor III, and Sara Williams was promoted from counselor I to counselor II.
Regents appointed Dontae Armstrong and Carl Mackey area coordinators in residence life. Judy Duffin was promoted from residence life operations coordinator to staff services supervisor. Gavin McCarty was promoted from director of print and postal services to assistant director for the student center. Alex Reisinger was promoted from supervisor to manager for the Axe Handle one-stop shop. Raquel Skidmore was promoted from coordinator to director of student success.
In campus recreation, Justin Ellerbe was appointed assistant director, and Jacie Klose and Jasmine Randolph were appointed coordinators. Karissa Rickman was appointed a nurse in health services, and in the post office, Bobbie Stewart was appointed manager. Clare Fite was promoted from counselor to director in counseling services, and Natalie Buuck was promoted from coordinator of disability support services to assistant director of disability services.
Barbara Olds was promoted from manager of e-resources and assessment to manager of technical services in the Steen Library. Beverly Morehouse was promoted from sponsored programs specialist to sponsored programs specialist senior in research and graduate studies.
In admissions, Kimberly Morris was promoted from associate director of admissions to director for enrollment and communication strategies. Emily Jefferson was promoted from coordinator of transfer students for admissions to director for undergraduate enrollment. Courtney Branton was promoted from coordinator to assistant director, and Amy Kobuck was promoted from regional coordinator to senior regional coordinator. Janet McLeroy was promoted from assistant director to program director of admissions.
In athletics, regents approved Chamissa Anderson as women’s basketball assistant coach, Charles Crawford as director athletic program video services, Jon-Paolo D’Este as strength and conditioning assistant, and Kaylee Shores and Jacolby Whitaker as athletic trainers.
Karl Berry was promoted from athletic program director to assistant director of athletics broadcast technology and marketing operations. William Crittenden was promoted from athletic program director-ticket operations and business development to associate director of athletic business development and revenue generation. Chelsea Groves was promoted from assistant program director-strategic communications to program director of athletic social digital media. Jordan Rains was promoted from student compliance specialist to interim director for athletics academic services.
Regents approved the appointment of John Branch, associate director of the Physical Plant, to interim director. They also approved the appointment of Christopher Adams and Taylor Ingram as programmer analyst I in information technology services. Joshua Renfro was promoted from coordinator in the registrar’s office to assistant registrar.
Regents appointed Gabrielle Czapla as photo/videographer I in University Marketing Communications and approved the promotion of Kerry Whitsett from marketing communications specialist-editorial services to marketing communications coordinator-digital.
Al Greule was named associate professor emeritus of mass communications. Troy Davis was named professor emeritus of history, and Robert Szafran was named professor emeritus of anthropology, geography and sociology. Regents approved the retirement of Danny Gallant, former vice president of finance and administration, with 38 years of service to SFA.