St. Norbert College Welcomes New Faculty and Staff

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From St. Norbert College, September 3, 2013
by Stefanie Trinkl, stefanie.trinkl@snc.edu, 920-403-3089

St. Norbert College welcomes the following new faculty and staff members for the 2013-2014 academic year:

Maurizio Azzarello: The St. Norbert College community welcomes Maurizio Azzarello as a visiting instructor of economics. Maurizio received a B.A. in business management and communication from Concordia University and an M.S. in applied economics from Marquette University.

Kristyn Bochniak: Kristyn Bochniak joins the St. Norbert College community as the senior director of residence education and housing. Kristyn earned her B.A. from Hope College and her M.A. in college student personnel from Bowling Green State University.

Kelsy Burke: Kelsy Burke joins the college as an assistant professor of sociology. Kelsy received her B.A. in sociology from Eastern Connecticut State University, her M.A. in sociology from the University of Pittsburgh and her Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh.

Ben Chan: The college community welcomes Ben Chan as an assistant professor in philosophy. Ben received his B.A. from Swarthmore College and his Ph.D. from the University of California-Los Angeles. Ben was most recently Uihlein Teaching Fellow in Ethics at Lawrence University.

Corey Ciesielczyk: Corey Ciesielczyk joins St. Norbert College as the learning specialist in academic support services.

Andrew Ciferni: Father Andrew D. Ciferni, O.Praem., S.T.L., Ph.D., returns to St. Norbert College as the director of the Center for Norbertine Studies and as adjunct professor in the department of religious studies. Andrew graduated from the college in 1964, earned the S.T.L. from the Gregorian University in Rome (1969) and a Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame in 1978. He has served on the college's board of trustees and now serves on two international commissions of the Norbertine order.

Anna Rebecca Finkel: The college welcomes Anna Rebecca Finkel as a new adjunct instructor of Spanish. Anna earned her B.A. from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and her M.A. from Emory University.

Katie Alfare Garber: Katie Alfare Garber is welcomed to the college as an assistant professor of chemistry. She received her B.A. from Franklin and Marshall College and her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Recently at Franklin and Marshall College, she served as a visiting assistant professor of chemistry.

Timothy Glenn: Timothy Glenn joins St. Norbert College as an English teaching fellow. He earned his B.A. from Augustana College and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Tim joins the community most recently from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he taught.

Michael Holstead: The college welcomes Michael Holstead as an adjunct instructor in classical studies. Michael's B.A. is from Pennsylvania State University, his M.A. is from Indiana University and he is working toward his Ph.D. from Indiana University.

Jeffrey Jay: Jeffrey Jay joins the college community from the University of Chicago Divinity School, where he recently earned his Ph.D. He joins the college as a visiting assistant professor of religious studies. He earned his B.A. from Ohio University and his M.A. from the University of Chicago Divinity School.

Bonnie Johnson: Bonnie Johnson joins the St. Norbert College family as an assistant professor of education. She received her M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her most recent position was professor of human development and learning at Dowling College on Long Island, N. Y. Bonnie was an early childhood teacher for 14 years and is the author and coauthor of numerous books, chapters and scholarly articles.

Amanda Kim: The college welcomes Amanda Kim, who recently joined St. Norbert as senior adviser for equity, diversity and inclusion.

Becka LaPlant: Becka LaPlant returns to St. Norbert College as a teaching fellow in philosophy. Becka earned her B.A. from St. Norbert. She went on to earn her M.A. from Northern Illinois University and her Ph.D. from Florida State University.

Amy Lewis: Amy Lewis continues her career at St. Norbert College as an assistant professor of humanities and liberal arts to support the Master of Arts and Liberal Studies program. Amy received her B.A. from Augustana College in English and theatre. She earned her M.A. in English from Illinois State University. Amy received her Ph.D. in English with a modern studies concentration from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her area of interest is slavery and abolition in antebellum America.

Luis Navarro-Ayala: Luis Navarro-Ayala stays on at St. Norbert College as an assistant professor of modern languages and literatures. Luis earned his B.A. from the University of California-Davis and his M.A. and Ph.D. in French and francophone studies from UCLA. Luis has extensive teaching experience at the high school and college levels in California, and is thrilled to join the community at St. Norbert College on a permanent basis after having taught there on a visiting basis for the last two years.

Jamie O'Brien: Jamie O'Brien joins the college on a permanent basis as an assistant professor of business administration. He began teaching at St. Norbert in January 2012 as a visiting assistant professor of business administration. Born in Ballylongford, County Kerry, Ireland, Jamie moved to the U.S. in August of 2011. He earned his B.B.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Limerick.

Zachary Pratt: Joining the college from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Zachary Pratt is a new assistant professor of biology. He received his B.S. from North Central College and a Delta Program Certificate and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Katie Ries: The college community welcomes Katie Ries as an assistant professor of art. Katie received her B.A. from Colorado College-Colorado Springs and her M.F.A. from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

Drew J. Scheler: Drew J. Scheler joins St. Norbert College as an assistant professor of English and director of Writing Across the Curriculum. He received his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in English and classics, and earned his Ph.D. in Renaissance literature and the history of rhetoric from the University of Virginia. Most recently, he served as director of the University of Virginia Writing Center.

Deb Sixel: Deborah (Deb) Sixel joins St. Norbert College as an adjunct assistant professor in education. Deb earned her B.A. from Lakeland College and her M.A. from Marian University. She recently received her Ph.D. in urban education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee specializing in educational leadership. Additionally, Deb holds certification as a teacher, school superintendent, K-12 principal and director of curriculum and instruction. She has been a middle school teacher for 14 years and an administrator for 12.

Melissa Vergara: Melissa Vergara had joined the St. Norbert College community and serves as the director of prevention education and student judicial affairs. In this capacity, she oversees the entire student conduct process and coordinates preventive-education programs focused on risk-reduction strategies. Melissa earned her B.A. from Denison University and her M.S.Ed. from Indiana University.

Sarah Wollersheim Shervey: Joining St. Norbert College as a visiting assistant professor of psychology is Sarah Wollersheim Shervey. Sarah received her B.A. from Saint Mary's University of Minnesota and her M.Ed. from Pennsylvania State University, where she also recently received her Ph.D.