UW Trustees Approve Personnel Items

The University of Wyoming Board of Trustees approved the following appointments during its meeting Friday, Nov. 14.

Faculty Appointments

Academic Affairs

School of Environment and Natural Resources

Heidi Jo Albers as professor and Wyoming Excellence Chair. She received a B.S. (1985) in geology and economics from Duke University, a master of environmental studies (1987) from Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and a Ph.D. (1993) in economics from the University of California, Berkeley. Albers has been a professor at Oregon State University since 2004.

College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

Department of Ecosystem Science and Management

John Derek Scasta as assistant professor. He received a B.S. (2004) in rangeland ecology and management from Texas A&M University, an M.S. (2008) in crop science from Texas Tech University, and a Ph.D. (2014) in natural resource ecology and management from Oklahoma State University. Scasta has been a graduate research associate at Oklahoma State University since 2011.

Department of Veterinary Sciences

Kerry S. Sondgeroth as assistant professor. Sondgeroth received a B.A. (1997) in chemistry from the University of New Hampshire, a D.V.M. (2006) in veterinary medicine from Colorado State University and a Ph.D. (2013) in infectious diseases from Washington State University. Sondgeroth has been a postdoctoral research fellow at Washington State University since 2006.

College of Arts and Sciences

Department of Botany

Ellen D. Currano as assistant professor. She received a B.S. (2003) in geophysical sciences and an A.B. (2003) in biological sciences, both from the University of Chicago, and a Ph.D. (2008) in geosciences from Pennsylvania State University. Currano has been an assistant professor of geology and environmental earth sciences at Miami University since 2009.

Department of Chemistry

Elliot Hulley as an instructor. He received a B.S. (2005) in chemistry from Ursinus College, and an M.S. (2007) and a Ph.D. (2011) in chemistry, both from Cornell University. Hulley has been a post-doctoral research associate at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory since 2011.

Department of History

Alexandra C. Kelly as an assistant professor. Kelly received a B.A. (2004) in anthropology, an M.A. (2005) in social sciences from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. (2014) in anthropology from Stanford University. Kelly taught in the department of anthropology at Stanford University.

Department of Music

Crystal Sieger as an assistant professor. She received a B.M. (1992) in music performance from Ohio State University, and an M.M. (1994) in music performance and Ph.D. (2012) in music education, both from the University of Arizona. Sieger has been a lecturer in music education at Case Western Reserve University since 2012.

Department of Theatre and Dance

Kevin S. Inouye as an assistant professor. He received a B.A. (1998) in psychology from Earlham College, and an M.F.A. (2012) in theatre pedagogy performance and movement track from Virginia Commonwealth University. Inouye has been an adjunct instructor of acting at the College of William and Mary since 2012.

Department of Zoology and Physiology

Stephan Santoro as an assistant professor. He received a B.S. (1994) in molecular biology and chemistry from UW and a Ph.D. (1999) in biochemistry and molecular biology from Scripps Research Institute. Santoro has been a postdoctoral research associate at Harvard University since 2003.

College of Engineering and Applied Science

Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering

Karen Wawrousek as an assistant professor. She received a B.S. (2001) in biochemistry from the College of Saint Rose, and a Ph.D. (2009) in biochemistry and molecular biophysics from the California Institute of Technology. Wawrousek has been a lead scientist at Western Research Institute since 2012.

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Domen Novak as an assistant professor. Novak received a B.S. (2008) and a Ph.D. (2011) in electrical engineering from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Novak has been a postdoctoral fellow at the Sensory-Motor Systems Lab in Zurich, Switzerland since 2012.

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Erica Lynn Belmont as an assistant professor. She received a B.S. (2004) in chemical engineering, and an M.S. (2008) in mechanical engineering, both from Tufts University, and a Ph.D. (2014) in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas. Belmont has been a summer researcher at Air Force Research Laboratory since 2013.

Jian Cai as an assistant professor. Cai received a B.E. (2005) in mechanical engineering from the University of Science and Technology of China, and a Ph.D. (2010) in mechanical engineering from Clemson University. Cai has been a postdoctoral research associate at the University of California, Merced since 2010.

College of Health Sciences

School of Nursing

Nancy Irene McGee as a clinical assistant professor. She received a B.S. (2005) and an M.S. (2007) in nursing, both from UW; and a D.N.P. (2014) from the University of Northern Colorado. McGee has been a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner at UW Student Health Services since 2008.

J’Laine Proctor as a clinical assistant professor. She received a BSN (2000), an MSN, FNP (2003) and a PMHNP (2008), all from UW; and a D.N.P. (2014) from the University of Northern Colorado. Proctor has been a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner at Pathways in Laramie since 2007.

College of Law

Jason Robison as an assistant professor. He received a B.S. (2003) in environmental studies from the University of Utah, a J.D. (2006) from the University of Oregon School of Law and an SJD (2013) from Harvard Law School. Robison has been a visiting assistant professor at UW since 2013.

Academic Professionals

College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

Cooperative Extension Service

Caitlin Price Youngquist as assistant extension educator. She received a B.S. (2006) in animal science, an M.S. (2008) in soil science, and a Ph.D. (2014) in soil science, all from Washington State University. Youngqist has been a graduate research assistant at Washington State University since 2011.

Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics

Milton Geiger as assistant extension educator. He received a B.A. (2003) in environmental economics from Colgate University, and an M.S. (2009) in agricultural and applied economics and environmental and natural resources from UW. Geiger has been a non-extended term associate extension educator at UW since 2009.

Department of Animal Science

Jennifer A. Ingwerson as assistant lecturer. She received a B.S. (2005) in animal science from the University of Nebraska, and an M.S. (2007) in animal physiology from Iowa State University. Ingwerson has been a livestock production specialist at Purina Animal Nutrition since 2013.

College of Arts and Sciences

Department of Botany

Chris North as assistant lecturer. He received a B.S. (2002) in geological sciences and biology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and an M.S. (2005) in biological sciences from Eastern Illinois University. North has been an assistant lecturer at UW since 2013.

College of Engineering and Applied Science

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Kevin Kilty as an associate lecturer. He received a B.S. (1975) in physics from Montana State University, and an M.S. (1978) and a Ph.D. (1982) in geophysics, both from the University of Utah. Kilty has been an adjunct professor at UW since 2010.

College of Health Sciences

Division of Social Work

Kari D. Velzke as an assistant lecturer. She received a B.S.T. (2000) and an MSW (2010), both from Minnesota State University. Velzke has been a teaching and research assistant at the University of Sterling since 2012.

Changes in Appointments

Administrators

Academic Affairs

Tami B. Benham-Deal as interim associate vice president.

College of Health Sciences

Dean’s Office

Mary Hardin-Jones as interim associate dean.

Outreach School

UW at Casper

Robert Scott Seville as interim director.

Faculty

College of Arts and Sciences

Department of Modern and Classical Languages

Jean A. Garrison as interim department head.

Department of Political Science

Brent L. Pickett ends his appointment as associate dean of the Outreach School and director of UW at Casper, and returns as a tenured professor in the Department of Political Science.

College of Engineering and Applied Science

Department of Atmospheric Science

Thomas R. Parish as department head.

Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering

Jay A. Puckett ends his term as associate dean and returns to the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering as tenured professor.

College of Health Sciences

Division of Kinesiology and Health

Christine Porter as the Wyoming Excellence Chair in community and public health and assistant professor.

Research Office

Brent E. Ewers as director of EPSCoR.

Academic Professionals

Academic Affairs

Ellbogen Center for Teaching and Learning

Margaret Van Baalen-Wood as associate lecturer.

College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

Cooperative Extension Service

Mary Kay Wardlaw as associate director.