Promotions: Northern Kentucky University, Greater Cincinnati Region

Maren Carpenter-Fearing

Associate Professor

School of the Arts

Art and Design Program

Maren Carpenter Fearing earned her bachelor’s and masters from the University of Cincinnati’s prestigious DAAP program. Research interests include branding/packaging, design for nonprofit, design history, information design, typography, universal iconography design, and wayfinding system design.

Joshua Cooper

Associate Professor

Department of Biological Sciences

Dr. Joshua Cooper is an NKU alum who then earned a master’s degree in Botany and PhD in Microbiology from the University of Oklahoma, before starting his tenure-track position in the department of Biological Science during Fall of 2018. Students line up to take every course he teaches, and join his research lab to learn advanced genomic and bioinformatics methods.

Allyson Graf

Associate Professor

Department of Psychological Science

Dr. Allyson Graf champions age inclusivity in all aspects of her work. She regularly teaches lifespan development, human sexuality, and careers in psychology among other core courses, involves students in conducting and publishing aging-related research, and collaborates with colleagues in academia and the community who are committed to reducing age stigma and bias.

JeeEun Lee

Associate Professor

School of the Arts

Art and Design Program

Jee Eun Lee earned an MFA in sculpture from Ewha Woman’s University in Gwangju, Korea followed by an MFA in ceramics from Syracuse University. She has exhibited her ceramic and sculptural work globally most recently here at NKU in a group exhibition of Korean artists exploring individual responses to bicultural identity.

Zeel Maheshwari

Associate Professor

Department of Physics, Geology, and Engineering Technology

Dr. Zeel Maheshwari is an exceptional teacher who designed and taught several Electrical and Electronical Engineering Technology courses like Electrical Machines, Power Electronics and Electrical Power Systems. She is also an active researcher who involves her students and has secured several internal and external research grants.

Kobena Osam

Associate Professor

Department of Political Science, Criminal Justice, and Organizational Leadership

Kobena Osam is a prolific scholar who has made many contributions to our campus. While he has affected students through his engaging courses, his significant work on issues related to diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging has moved NKU forward.

Jen Cellio

Professor

Department of English

Dr. Cellio has been the Director of our Writing Instruction Program since 2009. A scholar in the field of composition and rhetoric as they relate to issues of ability and health issues, Dr. Cellio has also been an outstanding university citizen, contributing greatly to our reaccreditation process and to promoting high impact teaching practices across the university.

Kathleen Fuegen

Professor

Department of Psychological Science

Dr. Kathleen Fuegen examines how physical activity in natural environments affects mental well-being. In her research methods, social psychology, and practicum courses, she helps students develop the critical thinking and problem-solving skills they will need in order to thrive after graduation.

Patrick Hare

Professor

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Dr. Patrick Hare has focused his teaching efforts primarily in physical chemistry, general chemistry, chemical writing, and seminars. Patrick has an active research group studying the interactions of light with molecules of environmental interest, such as estrogens and pharmaceuticals.

Jacqueline Herman

Professor

Department of Mathematics and Statistics

Since arriving at NKU in 2008, Jackie has been an outstanding teacher in the classroom, from introductory statistics coursework in a variety of delivery modes to upper-level content supporting the major. Her research agenda is in the area of statistics education, and her most recent publications have investigated students’ attitudes towards statistics.

Joseph Mester

Professor

Department of Biological Sciences

Dr. Joe Mester joined the faculty of the Biological Sciences department in 2006. In his time at NKU he has taught a wide variety of microbiology and human health related courses and students actively seek him out for mentorship on research projects, where he has guided numerous budding scientists in development and execution of their projects in the broad field of Virology.

Kristine Yohe

Professor

Department of English

Over Dr. Yohe’s 25 years at NKU she has transformed the study and centrality of cultural diversity not only in the English curriculum but across the university. A noted scholar of the Nobel-prize winning writer Toni Morrison (who visited our campus in 2005 when Dr. Yohe brought the Toni Morrison Society Biennial Conference to NKU), she is now also doing ground-breaking work in the field of Affrilachian literature.

Brandelyn Tosolt

Professor

Educational Leadership and Advanced Studies

Dr. Tosolt has been recognized as an outstanding professor and her scholarly work includes playing an active role in shaping and maintaining a national network for educational reform, conducting scholarship at NKU related to campus-wide diversity progress, developing and implementing an embedded research-based teacher preparation program, leading research teams informing NKU’s strategic framework, and conducting scholarship at NKU related to campus climate.

Rebecca Elkins

Associate Professor

School of Kinesiology, Counseling, and Rehabilitative Sciences

Dr. Elkins has teaching expertise in the areas of health education and promotion, and she is certified as a Community Health Education Specialist. Dr. Elkins has a number of publications and her long-term scholarly interest has been on the study of health disparities encountered in the Appalachian community.

Teresa Huber

Associate Professor

School of Nursing

Dr. Huber teaches DNP 805 Quality Improvement in health care and serves as Chair on many doctoral projects in the Doctorate of Nursing program. Dr. Huber, along with colleagues, has conducted multiple studies looking at instructor immediacy and student outcomes in the on-line learning environment.

Karen O'Connell

Associate Professor

School of Nursing

Dr. O’Connell teaches MSN 611 Advanced Pharmacology and serves as chair on many doctoral projects in the Doctorate of Nursing program. Her research work includes faculty immediacy and caring in the on-line environment, and prevention of bullying and lateral violence in military medical facilities.

Reiko Ozaki

Associate Professor

School of Social Work

Dr. Ozaki is a highly effective educator whose primary teaching assignments include: Inclusion, Oppression, and Social Work; Community Organization; and Applied Research. Her research interests focus on domestic violence and DEI related matters (including research pertaining to the refugee community and underrepresented college students).

Vanessa Hunn

Professor

School of Social Work

Dr. Hunn serves as the Associate Dean for the College of Health and Human Services. Her scholarly interests center around inclusive excellence with Asian/Asian American college students; teaching pedagogy and retention of African American college students; success and sustainability among entrepreneurial focused women; and retention of African American faculty.

Lynne Zajac

Professor

School of Nursing

Dr. Zajac teaches Leadership in Organizations and Systems in the DNP program and has served as chair to 27 doctoral projects. Her research focuses on the experiences of diverse graduate students in the on-line environment.

Nicholas Caporusso

Associate Professor

School of Computing and Analytics

Dr. Nicholas Caporusso has been a core contributor to the Applied Software Security degree program, serving as its program coordinator and developing new courses while also offering research experiences classes. His exceptional scholarly work includes over 25 published articles, collaborations with faculty from five different departments, and multiple research grants obtained both externally and internally.

Samuel Cho

Associate Professor

Department of Computing and Analytics

Dr. Samuel Cho, our Software Engineering expert, serves as course coordinator for advanced CSC classes that covers Software Engineering topics and created and teaches additional Applied Software Engineering (ASE) senior level classes, covering the entire advanced software engineering curriculum. As ASE degree program co-director, programming team coach, and collaborator on research projects, Sam is a valuable colleague who actively contributes to the school’s activities.

Sunil Ketty

Associate Professor

School of Media and Communication

Sunil Ketty, was one of the first NKU faculty members to engage with the Kentucky Commercialization Venture to help develop his 3D Polygon Prop Kits. He is well-respected by his students and colleagues for his design skill and expertise, which he puts in service to the community, particularly through the Covington Street Hockey League.

Sara Drabik

Professor

School of Media and Communication

Sara Drabik, the inaugural Media and Journalism Program Head, was the 2022 recipient of both the NKU Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching and Instruction and the Outstanding Teacher Award from the Greater Cincinnati Collegiate Connection. She has taken students around the world as part of the many study-abroad opportunities she has cultivated to prepare compelling documentary work that has been screened in many different venues.

Jaclyn Perrmann-Graham

Associate Professor

Department of Management

Jacki started at NKU as a visiting professor in 2017 and permanently joined our staff as a tenure track faculty member in 2018. Jacki teaches a robust portfolio of 7 different graduate and undergraduate classes while also authoring a total of 11 PRJ publications with another 14 papers in the pipeline and is also currently the director of the Eva and Oakley Farris leadership academy.

Recently Promoted and Tenured Faculty

Promotions

Congratulations to the following faculty for being promoted and tenured, beginning in the fall 2023 semester.

Associate Professor with Tenure

Full Professor

Full Professor

Associate Professor with Tenure

Full Professor

Associate Professor with Tenure

Full Professor

Associate Professor with Tenure

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