Sherif E. Abdelhamid serves as an Assistant Professor at the Computer and Information Sciences Department. Before joining VMI, he was an Assistant Professor at the College of Computing and Information Technology (AAST - Smart Village Campus, Egypt). He was also an Infrastructure Software Engineer at the Center for Open Science, Virginia, USA.

He obtained his Ph.D. and M.Sc. degrees in Computer Science from Virginia Tech and M.Sc. and B.Sc. degrees in Computer Science from AAST - Alexandria Campus, Egypt.

Sherif's research work spans three main fields, Computer Science, STEM Education, and Public Health. His research interests are in high-performance services-based computing solutions, novel digital educational technologies, and tools for the social network analysis of complex systems. More specifically, his research focuses on designing and building software systems and services (science-as-service) that enable students and domain experts from various fields to access and interact with various learning resources easily and perform data analyses and simulations to study large-scale biological information socio-technical (BIST) complex systems.

George Abry (M.A., Johns Hopkins University) is an instructor in the Department of English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies. Prior to coming to VMI in 2009, he worked as a professional writer and editor in New Orleans, where he was a regular contributor to The Times-Picayune and The Old House Journal, and covered New Orleans tourism for TravelAgeWest, a West Coast travel industry publication. In addition to feature writing, he has worked on a number of technical writing and public history projects for cultural resource management companies, including URS Corporation. Currently teaching ERH103, Mr. Abry lives in Lexington with his wife, Andrea, and their two daughters.

Instructor
English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies

Supply Technician
Military Science and Leadership

Assistant Professor
Civil and Environmental Engineering

Dr. Tanjina Afrin, P.E. is an Associate Professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Virginia Military Institute (VMI).  She received her Ph.D. from Clemson University, SC in Civil Engineering in 2016. She is passionate about teaching and before joining VMI in 2017, she taught at Tri-County Technical College, Clemson University, and Stamford University, Bangladesh. She is the assistant director of VMI Center for Undergraduate Research (VCUR).

Being a native of Dhaka, Bangladesh, she always is very much interested to apply her engineering knowledge to come up with a better solution for urban issues including a better understanding of stormwater management structures and air quality of urban areas. Exploring new areas of research and teaching methods excites her most.

She enjoys working with students. She is one of the faculty mentors VMI chapter of American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and Society of Women Engineers

Area of Expertise

• Stormwater Management
• Low Impact Development (LID)
• Computational Fluid Dynamics

Courses Taught 

• CE 109: Introduction to Civil Engineering
• EGR 269: Engineering skills and disciplines (Tri-County Technical College, SC)
• CE 309: Fluid mechanics
• CE 341: Fluid Mechanics Lab (Clemson University, SC)
• CE 322: Water Resources Engineering
• CE 319W: Water Resources Engineering lab

Areas of Interests 

• LID for developing countries
• Hydraulic characteristics of Green Infrastructures (GI)
• Community participation in stormwater management
• Engineering Education
• Women in Engineering
• Education and Learning Strategies
• Air Quality for urban areas

Related Links and Media

Website:   https://sites.google.com/g.clemson.edu/tanjinaafrin/

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanjina-afrin-phd-e-i-t-360b2776/

Afrin Resume

Dr. Reshef Agam-Segal completed his doctorate in philosophy at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom. Born and raised in Israel, he moved to the United States in 2008. He taught philosophy at Auburn University (AL) before joining VMI in 2012. Dr. Agam-Segal specializes in the philosophy of Wittgenstein, and in moral philosophy, and he has special interests in the logic of figurative language, as well as the relations between philosophy and literature. He has published papers in several professional international journals, including Inquiry, Philosophy, Metaphilosophy, the Journal of Philosophical Research, and the Journal for the History of Analytical Philosophy. He is the co-editor of Wittgenstein’s Moral Thought (Routledge, 2017).

Professor

English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies

Associate Professor
Biology

Expertise:  Plant metabolism, biofuel development from crop residues, genetic engineering

Faculty Positions:

• Associate Professor, VMI Biology, 2014 to 2014
• Assistant Professor, VMI Biology, 2008 to 2014
• Visiting Assistant Professor, Washington and Lee, 2007-2008
• Visiting Assistant Professor, James Madison University, 2006-2007
• Visiting Assistant Professor, Lynchburg College, 2005-2006
• Adjunct Professor, Bridgewater College, 2004-2005 
• VMI Awards Faculty Development Leave, Fall 2012: “Selecting a soybean cultivar for genetic engineering of biofuel traits, with opportunities for cadet research.”
• USDA Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Virginia Tech, 2002-2004: “Investigating the roles of flavonols in plants through molecular analyses of flavonol synthase isoforms.”

Publications:

• Alerding, A.B. and *R.M. Hunter “Increased springtail abundance in a garlic mustard invaded forest,” accepted by Northeastern Naturalist in October 2012.
• *Waalkes, M.R. and A.B. Alerding. 2011. Possible chemical attractant to white tail deer in Campanulastrum americanum. New Horizons: VMI Journal of Undergraduate Writing 5:79-88.
• Alerding, A.B. Garlic mustard: friend or foe? Virginia Native Plant Society Upper James River Chapter Newsletter, Spring 2011, pp. 3-5.
• Owens, D.K., A.B. Alerding, K.C. Crosby, A.B. Bandara, J.H. Westwood, and B.S.J. Winkel. 2008. Functional analysis of a predicted flavonol synthase gene family in Arabidopsis. Plant Physiology 147:1046-1061.

Research:

• Conducting research, especially as a mentor to undergraduates, is an invigorating part of my position at VMI. The foundation of my research program is its interdisciplinary nature. I am a plant biologist trained in physiological, molecular, ecological, and biochemical techniques and it is the hypothesis that drives my research rather than the organism. Focusing on how plants partition carbon resources acquired by photosynthesis to produce unique chemistries, I have worked on unicellular algae, parsley cells in suspension culture, tobacco, soybean, and the genetic model, Arabidopsis. I have completed a project examining community ecology aspects of an invasive species, garlic mustard, and its impact on understory forest communities. Currently, my laboratory is one of three components of the new VMI CLEAR (Clean Energy and Air Resources) center that Drs. Moore, Pennington and I began in fall 2011. This center is working to train a workforce of students to develop sources of sustainable energy from plant biomass residues. The other components are housed in Civil Engineering Department, optimizing biofuel production from crop residues, and in the Department of English and Fine Arts which focuses on developing communication skills in our trained researchers. The research that I am conducting involves the development of a genetically modified plant, the Virginia soybean, to will produce high seed yield and optimized cell wall biomolecules enabling use of its stem residues as a fuel crop. My goal is to apply fundamental knowledge about plant chemistry to the genetic engineering of a dual-use food and fuel crop plant to be cultivated on the same plot of land.

Samuel K. Allen is a Professor of Economics at the Virginia Military Institute. His research in economic history explores workers’ compensation insurance, labor laws, and public housing.  As a microeconomist, he teaches a variety of applied courses including statistics, econometrics, public finance, and labor economics.

Office Hours:

• “Out of Office for Spring 2020

Samuel K. Allen CV

MAJ Kimberly Anderson earned her Ph.D. in English from Florida State University in 2018. She taught at Wittenberg University before joining the faculty at VMI in 2020 as a Visiting Assistant Professor. Her scholarship focuses on gender in French and English Medieval literature and the pre- and early modern technologies of text production. She has published her work in Le Cygne and Neophilologus. At VMI, MAJ Anderson has taught extracurricular workshops on the production of medieval manuscripts and paper-making in the Renaissance period, and works closely with Cadence and Sigma Tau Delta.

Courses taught:

ERH 101—Rhetoric and Composition I

ERH 102—Rhetoric and Composition II

ERH 205 – British Literary Traditions

Visiting Assistant Professor English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies

Jochen S. Arndt is an Associate Professor who teaches advanced courses in African history and a two-semester freshmen course in World history. His research is geographically anchored in Africa, particularly Southern Africa, and explores global themes such as the encounters between Africans and non-Africans through colonialism and armed conflict.

With support from the Social Sciences Research Council and the American Historical Association, Arndt published his first book, Divided by the Word: Colonial Encounters and the Remaking of Zulu and Xhosa Identities (University of Virginia Press 2022; Wits University Press 2022). He has also published award-winning articles on topics including the Cape frontier wars, Zulu history, and the Mexican-American War in the Journal of Southern African Studies, the Journal of the Middle East and Africa, and the Journal of Military History. One of these publications received the Distinguished Writing Award from the Army Historical Foundation (2012). Most recently, he conducted research in the Military, Diplomatic, and Stasi archives in Germany for a project on the Cold War in Angola.

His research has led to invited talks at institutions such as the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research (Wits University), the African Historical & African Languages Seminar (University of Cape Town), the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (Hosei University), and the Japan Association for African Studies (Konan University). Arndt is also an Honorary Research Scholar at the Archive and Public Culture Research Initiative at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Arndt joined VMI in 2016 after receiving degrees from Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas and the University of Illinois at Chicago. The Virginia Military Institute has recognized his teaching with the Thomas Jefferson Teaching Award and the Wilbur S. Hinman Jr. ’26 Award (both in 2020), and his scholarship with the Jackson-Hope Prize for Excellence in Published Scholarly Work and the Dr. D. Rae Carpenter Award (2023, 2017).

In addition to his teaching and research, Arndt serves as Senior Program Director for the VMI Olmsted Study Abroad Program, Deputy Director of the John A. Adams ’71 Center for Military History & Strategic Analysis, and Faculty Advisor to the Class of 2026.

Professor

Mechanical Engineering

Resume

Selected Publications

Hicham Assaoui holds an M.A. in Middle Eastern and North African Studies and a Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching from the University of Arizona. He is a former Fulbright Exchange scholar in Arabic at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. He has taught all levels of Arabic as well as co-taught courses on language acquisition and linguistics. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Arabic at the department of Modern Languages and Cultures at Virginia Military Institute. His research interests include Arabic language and culture, Arabic dialects, linguistics, pedagogy, second language acquisition, and sociolinguistics.

Awards and Decorations

• Meritorious Service Medal
• Army Commendation Medal (1 silver star)
• Army Achievement Medal (2 oak leaf cluster)
• Good Conduct Medal (1 silver clasp)
• Army of Occupation Medial-Berlin
• National Defense Service Medal
• Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
• NCO Professional Development Ribbon(#3)
• Army Service Ribbon
• Overseas Service Ribbon
• Drill Sergeant Badge
• Achievement Medal for Civilian Service

Career Path

Mr. Atkinson enlisted in the Army in December 1972.  He has served in a variety of administrative and supervisory positions throughout the world including Chief, Admin NCO, Army ROTC, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, VA; First Sergeant, 1109th Signal Battalion, Panama; Chief, Mail and Distribution Center, Fort Clayton, Panama; AG, Personnel Service Center, Fort Dix, NJ; Drill Sergeant, Fort Dix, NJ; USA Chaplin School, Fort Monmouth, NJ; HQ Berlin Brigade, Berlin, Germany; USA Reception Station, Fort Dix, NJ.  He also served with the Joint Communication Command Center during Operation Just Cause, Panama.  He is a graduate of the First Sergeant Course, Drill Sergeant School, Advanced NCO Course, and Instructor Course.  Mr. Atkinson retired from the Army in February 1993 after more than 20 years of service.  He has worked in the Army ROTC Battalion as a Civilian since November 1992 as a State and Federal employee.

Education

Associate Degree in Business Administration
Associate Degree in Small Business Management

Personal

Married to Lovie Atkinson, and they have one daughter, one son, and one granddaughter.

Recruiting Operations Officer
Military Science and Leadership

Col. Mary Stewart Atwell came to VMI in 2015. Previously, she taught at Cal Poly State University and Missouri State University. She received her B.A. from Hollins University, her M.A. from the University of Virginia, and her M.F.A. and Ph.D. from Washington University in St. Louis. Col. Atwell teaches courses in British literature and creative writing, specializing in fiction. She serves as the Institute Pre-Law Advisor and the Alumni Network Coordinator in the Department of English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies.

Col. Atwell is the author of the novels The Good Ones (Harper Books) and Wild Girls (Scribner). Her short fiction has appeared in Epoch and Alaska Quarterly Review, among other journals, and in the anthologies Best New American Voices and Best American Mystery Stories. Her articles and essays have appeared in The New York Times, Poets & Writers, and The Writer's Chronicle, and in the anthology Paperback Writer: Literary Advice into the Twenty-First Century (Palgrave).

Professor
English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies

Mohamed’s publications: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=pOxASp0AAAAJ&hl=

Professor
Electrical and Computer Engineering

Col. Spencer Bakich is a professor of international studies and the Director of the National Security Program at VMI, and a Senior Fellow at the University of Virginia's Miller Center. Specializing in strategic studies and American foreign policy, Col. Bakich teaches courses on U.S. national security policy, U.S.-China relations, and military strategy. 

Col. Bakich is the author of The Gulf War: George H. W. Bush and American Grand Strategy in the Post-Cold War Era (Kansas, 2024), Success and Failure in Limited War: Information and Strategy in the Korean, Vietnam, Persian Gulf, and Iraq Wars (Chicago, 2014), and is co-editor of Sources of Great Power Competition: Rising Powers, Grand Strategy, and System Dynamics (Routledge, 2025). Col. Bakich's commentary has been featured in The National Interest, USA Today, The Washington Post, and The Strategy Bridge.

Col. Bakich has participated in governmental and professional workshops and projects, the sponsors of which include the National Intelligence Council, United States Army Training and Doctrine Command, the Project on Civilian-Military Educational Cooperation, and the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum. As a Senior Fellow in Presidential Studies at the Miller Center, Col. Bakich has interviewed numerous senior policymakers, military officers, and Foreign Service officers who served in the George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama administrations. 

A recipient of the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV) Outstanding Faculty Award and VMI’s Distinguished Teaching Award, Col. Bakich earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in Politics at the University of Virginia, and his B.A. magna cum laude from James Madison University.

Professor
International Studies and Political Science

Cmdr. Chip Barber served on active duty in the U.S. Navy for twenty-four years.  Operational tours included Patrol Squadrons in both the Atlantic and Pacific Theaters where he flew over 3,500 hours in the P3 Orion aircraft and earned designation as a Patrol Plane Mission Commander.  He was emergency-deployed for the Yom Kipper War and saw duty as Detachment Officer-in-Charge in numerous locations including Midway Island, Kwajalein, Diego Garcia, and Malaysia.  He was commissioning crew Navigator in USS Peleliu (LHA-5) in which he transited the Panama Canal and crossed the equator.

Shore duty assignments included two tours at the U.S. Naval Academy and one as Executive Officer at the University of Virginia NROTC Unit. At the Naval Academy, as a junior officer, he was course coordinator for the Celestial Navigation Course and Head Varsity Offshore Sailing Coach.  In the latter position, he was coach aboard a 56-foot sloop that won First-in-Fleet in the Transatlantic Race and First-in-Class in the infamous 1979 Fastnet Race in which five boats sank, and nineteen were killed during a severe storm. His twilight tour was as Director of Naval Academy Sailing where his intercollegiate teams won back-to-back National Championships.  He personally coached the First-in-Fleet winner of the 1992 Newport to Bermuda Sailboat Race over more than 180 top professional and amateur crews.

He earned a Naval Specialty in Aviation Antisubmarine Warfare and a Proven Sub-specialty in Education and Training Management.

After retiring from the Navy, Cmdr. Barber founded several successful yachting and security-oriented consultancies. 

His education includes a bachelor's degree in economics from Franklin and Marshall College, a master's degree from George Washington University, and an education specialist degree from the University of Virginia.

David joined VMI as Network Technician in 2011 after 3 years serving as Network/Server Administrator at Dabney Lancaster Community College. David is Network + certified with many years troubleshooting Network, Server and desktop issues.

In 2008 he graduated Dabney Lancaster with an A.S degree in Information Technology with Network specialization.

David was born in Jacksonville, FL and moved to Virginia in 2005.

David currently lives with his son Dace in Buena Vista.

Dr. Baur is an assistant professor in the Department of Human Performance and Wellness. His primary research interests are military/human performance and ergogenic aids. Specifically, Dr. Baur investigates the physiological impact of heavy load carriage in different environments including simulated high altitude.

His teaching responsibilities include Exercise Physiology, The Physiology of Military and Endurance Performance, Boxing Fitness, and Principles of Physical Conditioning.

Dr. Baur is a Lexington, Virginia native. He received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 2008, his Master’s degree from James Madison University in 2013, and his Doctorate from Florida State University in 2017.

Dr. Baur is an assistant professor in the Department of Human Performance and Wellness. Her primary interests involve supporting the health and fitness of the Corps over the short- and long-term – through teaching foundational concepts in training, research that investigates exercise behaviors and perceptions in military environments, and by mentoring cadets in their individual training endeavors. She also currently serves as the Director of Physical Training for the Summer Transition Program.

Her teaching responsibilities include Principles of Physical Conditioning (HPW 205), Speedwork for Running (HPW 326), Passive Stretching and Yoga (HPW 327), and Cardiovascular Training Applications (HPW 413).

Dr. Baur is originally from the Philadelphia area. She received her Bachelor’s degree from James Madison University in 2013, her Master’s degree from Florida State University in 2015, and her Doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2024.

Wade Bell CV

Professor
Biology

Mr. Scott Belliveau '83 is an Instructor in the Department of International Studies and Political Science. Teaching at VMI for more two decades, Mr. Belliveau specializes in American government, the Congress, and the Presidency. He is the author of numerous articles in such publications as the Journal of Military History, the Encyclopedia of the Cold War, and Naval History.  

He received a B.A. in History from Virginia Military Institute in 1983 and M.A. in International Affairs from The American University in 1990.

Lt. Col. (Ret.) William F. Bither served Army ROTC at Virginia Military Institute twice. During his first assignment to VMI, he was the Military Science IV Branch Chief/Detachment Operations Officer from 1996-1999 and during his second tour served as the Military Science I Branch Chief/Detachment Executive Officer from 2001-2005. He recently accepted the VMI position as the Director of Corps Marksmanship and NCAA Rifle Coach.

He graduated from North Georgia College in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science degree and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Infantry. He also holds a Master of Science degree in Education from James Madison University and is also a graduate of the United States Army Command and General Staff College.

In January 1984, His first troop assignment was as a rifle platoon leader in the 2nd Infantry Division, South Korea. In January 1985, he returned stateside and served as a Mortar Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, and Battalion Assistant S4 in the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Lewis, Washington. From May 1985 until May 1989, he performed duties as an Operations Officer and commanded a Motorized Rifle Company in 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, Fort Lewis, Washington. Then, from July 1990 until August 1991, he attended Special Forces Assessment and Selection followed by the Special Forces Qualification Course at Fort Bragg, N.C.

In 1991, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Bither reported to 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group, Germany and served as a Special Forces Detachment Commander from 1991-1994. In August 1994, he was reassigned to Fort Bragg and assumed command of a Special Forces Company in the 3rd Special Forces Group. In 2001, following his initial assignment to VMI, he returned to Ft Bragg as a member of the 18th Airborne Corps, Special Operations Coordination Element.

In April 2005, he was reassigned to Combined Forces Command, South Korea as the Division Chief for Ulchi Focus Lens Exercise Branch. From 2006-2008, he attended the Joint Forces Staff College and was assigned as the Special Operations Plans Officer, Joint Forces Command, Suffolk, Virginia and Army Liaison Officer to I MEF (Marine Expeditionary Force), Fallujah, Iraq.

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Bither’s awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (5th Award), Army Commendation Medal (6th Award), Army Achievement Medal (2nd Award), Iraq Campaign Medal (2nd Award) and the Korean Defense Service Medal. He is also authorized to wear the Master Parachutist Badge, Ranger and Special Forces tabs.

Following his retirement from active duty in 2009, he worked as a military analyst/trainer for two major defense contracting corporations in the Hampton Roads area for over two years.

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Bither is married to the former Cynthia J. Harris of Covington, Georgia. They have three children: Lisa (27), Will (21) and Josh (19).

COL Blandino received his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering under the direction of Dr. Earl Thornton. His primary area of specialization is investigating thermal-mechanical behavior of spacecraft structures using both experimental and numerical modeling techniques.  COL Blandino has a broad engineering background that includes designing HVAC systems for Special Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIF), designing control algorithms for micro air vehicles, evaluating structural dynamics for weapon system integration, and developing novel measurement and modeling approaches for characterizing the behavior of flexible structures. COL Blandino has been a visiting researcher in residence within the Structural Dynamics Branch of the NASA Langley Research Center and the Air Force Research Lab at Wright Patterson AFB. NASA, the National Institute of Aerospace, the United States Air Force, and the Naval Surface Warfare Center-Dahlgren have funded his research. He is a veteran of the United States Air Force and a registered Professional Engineer in the Commonwealth of Virginia. COL Blandino currently holds the Benjamin H. Powell Jr., ’36 Institute Professorship in Engineering.

Professor
Mechanical Engineering

COL Joyce Blandino received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Virginia.  She joined the Mechanical Engineering Department in 2010.  She established the Biomechanics Lab at VMI in 2015.  The lab has a Vicon camera system integrated with force platforms and electromyography equipment.

Christopher M. Blunda teaches advanced courses on the history of the ancient Mediterranean and the two-semester World History course. Before joining the History Department at VMI, he received a bachelor’s degree in Classics from Cornell University, a master’s degree in the History of Christianity from Harvard Divinity School, and a doctorate in History from the University of California, Berkeley. His research focuses on the cultural and intellectual history of the late Roman Empire, particularly asceticism in southern Gaul during the fourth, fifth, and sixth centuries A.D. He is the coeditor, with Susanna Elm, of The Late (Wild) Augustine (Ferdinand Schöningh Verlag/Brill, 2021).

Assistant Professor
History

Lt Col Ryan W.F. Braman is the Director of Staff for AFROTC Detachment 880, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington VA. As Director of Staff, he administers the Detachment Staff, ensuring 12 members maintain training currency, meet readiness requirements, and ensures Detachment functions and services are in line with goals and mission requirements.

Prior to assuming his current position, Lt Col Braman was a Legislative Affairs Officer for USINDOPACOM where he facilitated engagements and discussion between legislative members and Senior USINDOPACOM staff. Before serving in Legislative Affairs, Lt Col Braman was selected as the plankholder Senior Command Duty Officer for the Joint Interagency Task Force –West, where he managed and ran the day to day operations and coordinated international narcotics interdictions for the Counternarcotics Operations Center.

Lt Col Braman received his commission from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2000. He is a graduate of the Air Defense Command and Control Course and Special Operations Top-off Intelligence Course. He has supported humanitarian missions in Indonesia, Japan, Nepal and the Philippines and deployed in support of counter-terrorism efforts during Operation Enduring Freedom – Philippines.

EDUCATION 

2000 Bachelor of Science degree in International Relations, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO
2004 Squadron Officer School, by correspondence
2005 Master’s degree in Business Administration, University of Maryland-University College, MD
2014 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, AL
2018 Master’s degree in Ocean & Resource Engineering, University of Hawai`i, HI

ASSIGNMENTS

1. Student, Basic Intelligence Officers Course, 315^th Training Squadron, Goodfellow AFB, Texas
2. Chief of Intelligence Operations Branch, 353^rd Special Operations Support Squadron, Kadena AB, Japan
3. Chief of Special Tactics Intelligence, 320^th Special Tactics Squadron, Kadena AB, Japan
4. Planner, War Plans and Contingencies Branch, USPACOM Intelligence Directorate, Honolulu, HI
5. Security Cooperation Planner, Theater Security Cooperation Branch, USPACOM Intelligence Directorate, Camp Smith, HI
6. Deputy Chief of Intelligence Analysis, Intelligence Directorate, Joint Interagency Task Force-West, Camp Smith, HI
7. Mainland Southeast Asia Senior Analyst, Southeast Asia Division, Joint Intelligence Operations Center, Aiea, HI
8. Operations Officer, Air Force Element, Joint Reserve Detachment-Honolulu, Aiea, HI
9. Counterpiracy Planner, South Asia Division, Joint Intelligence Operations Center, Aiea, HI
10. student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, AL
11. Foreign Deployed Analyst Program Manager, Intelligence Directorate, Joint Interagency Task Force-West, Camp Smith, HI
12. Foreign Disclosure and Plans Officer, USPACOM Strategic Outcomes Directorate, Camp Smith, HI
13. Senior Command Duty Officer, Counternarcotics Operations Center, Joint Interagency Task Force-West, Camp Smith, HI
14. Chief of Joint Cyberspace and Information Operations, Prevent and Defeat Division, Defense Intelligence Agency, Charlottesville, VA
15. Legislative Affairs Officer, USINDOPACOM Indo-Pacific Outreach Division, Camp Smith, HI

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Joint Service Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal
Joint Service Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION

Second Lieutenant        31 May, 2000
First Lieutenant              31 May, 2002
Captain                          31 May 2004
Major                             1 September 2010
Lieutenant Colonel        18 October 2017

(Current as of July 2020)

COL Scott Brannon serves as the Professor of Military Science for the Virginia Military Institute. A native of Boaz, Alabama, he enlisted in the Army in 1996 and was assigned to the 10th Mountain Division (Light) in Fort Drum, New York where he served as a Team Leader. 

COL Brannon was commissioned in 1999 through the Officer Candidate School and branched into the Infantry.  Following Officer Candidate School and follow-on courses at Fort Benning, COL Brannon was assigned to 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Benning, Georgia where he served as Rifle Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, and Scout Platoon Leader.

In 2004, upon completion of the Infantry Officer’s Career Course, COL Brannon was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team (Rakkasans), 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) where he served as a Rifle Company Commander.  In 2007, COL Brannon was selected to take a second command and was assigned to the Ranger Training Brigade, Fort Benning, Georgia where he served as the Brigade Assistant Operations Officer, and later to 4th Ranger Training Battalion where he served as a Company Commander.

After completing Intermediate Level Education in 2009, COL Brannon was assigned to the 2nd Battalion 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina where he served as the Battalion Operations Officer.  In 2010, COL Brannon was assigned to HHC Brigade, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina where he served as the Brigade Operations Officer.

In 2012, COL Brannon was selected as an Army Interagency Fellow and was posted to Washington, D. C. in order to advise and assist the United States Border Patrol.  In 2013, he was assigned to the Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, Louisiana where he has served as the Brigade Operations Officer Observer/Coach/Trainer and the Senior Commander of Live Fire Division.

In 2016, COL Brannon was assigned to 1st Battalion, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment where he served as the Battalion Commander and after command served as the Executive Officer for the Commanding General of the Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning.

COL Brannon has six deployments in support of the Global War on Terror.  He served as a Company Executive Officer (Operation Noble Eagle & Operation Desert Spring), Platoon Leader & Company Commander (OIF I & III), Battalion Operations Officer (OEF IX), and Brigade Operations Officer (OEF XII).  He holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Criminal Justice and a Bachelor’s of Arts in Political Science from Jacksonville State University and a Master of Science in Adult Education from Kansas State University, as well as, a Master’s of Science in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Air War College. 

His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star with V device, Bronze Stars Medal (3OLC), Meritorious Service Medals (3OLC), Army Commendation Medal (1SOLC), Army Achievement Medal (1SOLC & 2OLC), the Presidential Unit Citation, the Valorous Unit Award, the Meritorious Unit Citation (1OLC), the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with 3 Campaign Stars, the Iraqi Campaign Medal with 4 Campaign Stars, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon (with numeral 2), the NATO Medal, the Master Parachutist Badge, the Pathfinder Badge, the Air Assault Badge, the Combat, and Expert Infantry Badges, Canadian, Chilean, Columbian and Netherlands Jump Wings, and the coveted Ranger Tab. 

COL Brannon is married to the former Stephanie Gentry of Boaz, Alabama. They have two beautiful daughters, Samantha and Mackenzie, and a wonderful son AJ. 

Specialty: Analytical Chemistry, Chemical Education, Archaeological Chemistry, Forensics 

Biography: Dr. Braun, a native of McPherson, KS, has been a chemistry professor since 2007. In 2018, he joined the faculty at VMI where he teaches courses in general chemistry, analytical chemistry, instrumentation, and archaeological chemistry. He earned a B.A. in anthropology and a B.S. in chemistry before obtaining his Ph.D. at the University of Arizona in the groups of Dr. Craig Aspinwall and Dr. Joseph Perry. His graduate research focused on the characterization and application of multiphoton chromophores in micro and nanolithography and on enhancing the electrophoretic detection of neurotransmitters using Hadamard transforms. This was followed by a post-doctoral research position in Dr. J. Michael Ramsey’s group at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill centered on DNA sequencing using micro and nanofluidics. When not working with cadets, Dr. Braun enjoys exploring the region’s vast natural and historical sites with his wife and three daughters. 

Academic Interests: Research in the Braun group is divided between three areas: archaeological chemistry and the analysis of archaeological pottery lipid residues; the degradation of inks and pigments as applied to forensic document analysis; and chemical education as it pertains to the development of novel, context-based curricula/resources and the implementation of pedagogical best practice. Additional research interests include the synthesis and analysis of biofuels, characterization of hazardous chemicals used in museums and taxidermy, and signal multiplexing in separation science. 

Select Scholarship (Undergraduate researchers underlined) 

BOOK CHAPTERS

J. Labby, K. L. Braun. Preface - Chemistry’s Diverse Application in Art and Archaeology. In Contextualizing Chemistry through Art and Archaeology: Inspiration for Instructors; Braun, K. L.; Labby, K. L., ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, D.C., 2021.

L. Braun. Integrating Archaeological and Interdisciplinary Collaborations with Museums into the Chemistry Curriculum. In Contextualizing Chemistry through Art and Archaeology: Inspiration for Instructors; Braun, K. L.; Labby, K. L., ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, D.C., 2021.

L. Braun. Enhancing the General Chemistry Laboratory using Integrated Projects Based on Real-world Questions. In Active Learning Methods in General Chemistry; Blaser, M, Stewart, J. J., Clark, T.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2019.

JOURNAL ARTICLES (Undergraduate co-author)

S. Harper, F. V. Macdonald, and K. L. Braun. Lipid Residue Analysis of Archaeological Pottery: An Introductory Laboratory Experiment in Archaeological Chemistry. J. Chem. Ed. 2017, 94(9), 1309-1313.

AUTHORED BOOKS

K. L. Braun, S. Mohammad, N. Heldt. Interactive Instructor’s Guide for Gilbert, Kirss, Bretz, and Foster. Chemistry: The Science in Context; 6th Ed.; W.W. Norton & Company, Inc: New York, NY, 2020.

Anthony, K. L. Braun, H. Mernitz. ChemConnections Activity Workbook; W.W. Norton: New York, 2013.

EDITED BOOKS 

Contextualizing Chemistry through Art and Archaeology: Inspiration for Instructors; Braun, K. L.; Labby, K. L., ACS Symposium Series, Vol 1386; American Chemical Society: Washington, D.C., 2021 

GRANTS 

Braun, K. L., Heilpern, N. ‘23. Lipid Residue Analysis of Pottery Fragments Recovered from the Arikara Village of Greenshield, North Dakota Archaeological Society, Cynthia Kordecki Scholarship (2021) 

STUDENT PRESENTATIONS 

J. Wiltshire, K. L. Braun. The Effects of Degradation on the Differentiation of Quested Documents by Micellar Electrokinetic Chromatography. VMI Undergraduate Research Symposium, April 26, 2021. (Talk)

J. Wiltshire, K. L. Braun. Influence of degradation on the analysis of questioned documents by capillary zone electrophoresis. ACS Spring National Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, March 2020. (Virtual Poster)

V. Macdonald, K. L. Braun, W. Green. Mapping Subsistence Patterns at an Arikara Site Using GC/MS Pottery Lipid Residue Analysis. Three Rivers Archaeological Society, Beloit, WI, November 2017. (Talk

V. Macdonald, K. L. Braun, W. Green. Mapping Subsistence Patterns at an Arikara Site Using GC/MS Pottery Lipid Residue Analysis. 75th Plains Anthropological Conference, Bismarck, ND, October 2017. (Talk)

PRESENTATIONS

K. L. Braun. Integrating Archaeological and Interdisciplinary Collaborations with Museums throughout the Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum. Biennial Conference on Chemical Education. West Lafayette, IN, July 2022.

K. L. Braun and N. J. Heilpern. Lipid Residue Analysis of Pottery Fragments Recovered from the Arikara Village of Greenshield. North Dakota Archaeological Association Annual Spring Meeting, Bismarck, ND, April 23, 2022.

K. L. Braun. Teaching Chemistry through the Lens of Archaeology. 263rd American Chemical Society National Meeting & Expo, San Diego, CA, March 20-24, 2022.

K. L. Braun. Applying Chemical Instrumentation in the Museum. 253rd American Chemical Society National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, April 2017.

Featured in – Arnaud, C. H. New Approaches to Undergraduate Lab Classes. C&EN, 2017, 95(16), 26-27. 

POSTERS

K. L. Braun. Teaching Chemistry through the Lens of Archaeology. 263rd American Chemical Society National Meeting & Expo, San Diego, CA, March 20-24, 2022. [Invited poster]

HONORS 

2022 VMI Research Laboratories, Inc, Wilbur S. Hinman, Jr. 26’ Research Award in the Natural Science  

*Recognizes excellence in stimulating, encouraging, and conducting research. 

Professor
Physics and Astronomy

Lt. Col. (Retired) John J. Brown enlisted in Arkansas Army National Guard in 1976 as a 12B Combat Engineer, joining the 239th Engineer Co, 39th INF BDE (SEP). In 1980, he received his commission and joined Company A (Admin), 39th SPT BN, 39th INF BDE (SEP), Arkansas ARNG under the Early Commissioning Program. There he served as assistant Postal Officer and later Personnel Management Officer. He entered active duty upon receiving his BS degree in Parks & Recreation from Arkansas Tech University in December 1983. He attended the Field Artillery Officer Basic course in FT Sill, OK, then reported to 3/6 Field Artillery (GS), 1st Infantry Division at FT Riley, KS. While assigned there, he served as the Reconnaissance Survey Officer and then Platoon Leader for C Battery (MLRS).

Upon leaving active duty in 1987, he joined the 489th Combat Engineer Battalion (Wheeled) in Little Rock, Arkansas. He served on the battalion staff as Assistant Operations Officer, Motor Officer, Communications Officer and Battalion S-4. In 1993, he assumed command of the 299th Engineer Company (Wheeled). During his command, he converted the company to a multifunctional bridge unit. He returned to the 489th Engineer Battalion (MECH) in 1994 where he served as the Battalion Operations Officer. In 1997, he transferred to the 3/379th Logistical Support Battalion, 7th BDE, 95th Training Division (IT) as a Team Chief in support of the Army Reserve Schools. In December 2002, he assumed command of the 3/379th Logistical Support Battalion in Barling, Arkansas. In 2006, He transferred to the 80th Training Division (IT) in Richmond, Virginia. There he served in the G-3 section. He was assigned a Schools Officer under the G-7 when the division became the 80th Training Command (TASS) for the Army Reserve. In 2009, he transferred to the 1st Brigade (Quartermaster), 94th Division (FS) in Charleston, West Virginia where he served as the Brigade S-3 in charge of operations for the Army Reserve Quartermaster School. Lt. Col.  (R) Brown retired from service in February 2012.

Personal

Lt. Col. (R) Brown is from Russellville, Arkansas. He is married to Annetta Joy Alexander formally of Casa, Arkansas. They have four children and five grandchildren.

Assistant Professor
Military Science and Leadership

Col. Julie Phillips Brown is an interdisciplinary poet, visual artist, literary critic, and editor. She is the author of The Adjacent Possible (Green Writers Press, 2021), winner of the Hopper Poetry Prize, and a recipient of the Freund Prize from Cornell University. Her scholarship focuses on the intersections of 19th-21st century poetry and poetics with visual art, the history of the book and book arts, digital technology, and race, gender, and sexuality. Her poems and essays have appeared in Ariadne, Borderlands, Columbia Poetry Review, Contemporary Women’s Writing, Crab Orchard Review, Denver Quarterly, interim, Jacket2, Nashville Review, The Rumpus, Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature, Vassar Review, and elsewhere. A native of Philadelphia, Lt. Col. Brown loves living in Lexington and working with cadets to support their writing, visual art, and research projects.

Professor English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies

Awards and Decorations

• Bronze Star Medal  (with one  Oak Leaf Cluster)
• Army Commendation Medal   
• Army Achievement Medal (with two Oak Leaf Clusters)
• Good Conduct Medal
• Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal
• Joint Meritorious Unit Award
• National Defense Service Medal
• Korean Defense Service Medal 
• Iraqi Campaign Medal   
• Global War on Terror Service Medal  
• Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal  
• Overseas Ribbon (with one Oak Leaf Cluster)
• Armed Forces Reserve Medal (with “M” device)  
• NATO Medal
• Combat Infantry  Badge  
• Drill Sergeant  Badge

Career Path

SFC Donald Bryan is originally from Buchanan, Virginia.  In May 1991, he graduated from The College of William and Mary with a BA in History and Government.  He served four years on active duty as a tanker with duty stations in Korea and Fort Riley, Kansas.  After graduating college, he joined the Army Reserve and served as a drill sergeant for three years.  After a nine year break in service SFC Bryan once again joined the Army Reserve in September of 2003 and has since served two tours in Iraq: 2004-2005 as an MTT attached to the 1^st Infantry Division and 2007 -2008 as a CA Team Sergeant attached to the 2^nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment.  SFC Bryan is now assigned to 2-319^th Regiment (USAR) in Covington, VA as a Senior Instructor.  SFC Bryan is also currently assigned as an Assistant Professor of Military Science at the Marshall-New Market Army ROTC Battalion at Virginia Military Institute. 

Personal

SFC Bryan is married to the former Kristin Rea from Catawba Virginia.  They have two children, Emily (11) and Morgan (9).

Instructor
Military Science and Leadership

Assistant Professor

Biology

Expertise: Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Virology, Cell Biology

Faculty Positions:

• Assistant Professor, VMI Biology 2024-Current
• Biology Instructor, VMI Biology 2020-2024
• Visiting Assistant Professor, Ferrum College, 2018-2020
• Biology Instructor and Program Director for Sciences, ECPI University Roanoke Campus, 2016-2018
• Visiting Assistant Professor, Hampden-Syndey College 2016
• Adjunct Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech, 2015-2018

Publications

• Submitted for Review: Joud Aldaroub, Chrissy M. Walsky, Rylee E. Ewell, Frank O. Aylward, Ann M. Stevens, and Alison Kernell Burke. Isolation and characterization of four      novel Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteriophages from oysters. Submitted to PLoS One                  September 2025.
• Christopher J. Rawson, London Nemmers, Stacey Criswell, Ashleigh B. Smythe, Alison K. Burke, Eugene Marais, Gillian Maggs-Kolling, Amy M. Treonis. Description of                                Panagrolaimus namibiensis sp. (Rhabditida: Panagrolaimidae), an Anhydrobiotic   Nematode from the Namib Desert of Namibia. J Nematology Oct. 2024;56(1):20240039.
• Holly Packard, Alison Kernell Burke, Roderick V. Jensen, Ann M. Stevens. Analysis of the in planta transcriptome expressed by the corn pathogen Pantoea stewartii Stewartii     via RNA-Seq. PeerJ April 2017.
• Kernell Burke, A, Duong, DA, Jensen, RV, and Stevens AM. Analyzing the Transcriptomes of Two Quorum-Sensing Controlled Transcription Factors, RcsA and LrhA, Important for Pantoea stewarti  PLoS One Dec. 2015.   
• Kernell Burke A, Guthrie LTC, Modise T, Cormier G, Jensen RV, McCarter LL, Ann M. Stevens (2015) OpaR Controls a Network of Downstream Transcription Factors in Vibrio      parahaemolyticus PLoS ONE 10(4): e0121863.            
• Ramachandran, R., Kernell Burke, G. Cormier, R. V. Jensen, and A. M. Stevens. 2014. Transcriptome-based analysis of the Pantoea stewartii quorum-sensing regulon and                   identification of EsaR direct targets. Appl Environ Microbiol 80:5790- 5800.
• Jensen, R. V., S. M. Depasquale, E. A. Harbolick, T. Hong, L. Kernell, D. H. Kruchko, T. Modise, C. E. Smith, L. L. McCarter, and A. M. Stevens. 2013. Complete Genome         Sequence of Prepandemic Vibrio parahaemolyticus BB22OP.

Biography

Maj. Alison Burke is an Assistant Professor of Biology and the Health Professions Adviser at Virginia Military Institute. She earned her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Virginia Tech, where she studied quorum sensing in Vibrio parahaemolyticus, an emerging seafood-borne pathogen. Her research focuses on bacterial communication, bacteriophage therapy, and environmental microbiology, with current projects exploring phage-based methods to reduce Vibrio contamination in oysters and collaborative metagenomic studies of marine and terrestrial ecosystems.

As VMI’s Health Professions Adviser, Maj. Burke mentors cadets pursuing medical, dental, veterinary, and other allied health-related careers. She provides individualized academic advising, helps students navigate application processes, and builds partnerships with professional programs including Eastern Virginia Medical School at ODU, Virginia Commonwealth University, Mary Baldwin University, and Texas A&M University Military Medicine Program.

Maj. Burke is passionate about connecting students to meaningful research and experiential learning opportunities that prepare them for future careers in science and health. Her expertise includes molecular biology, microbial genomics, phage biology, and undergraduate research mentorship.

Darrell Campbell joined VMI in November 1997 after five years in private industry with Des Champs Labs, the leading provider of custom heat recovery HVAC units.

Darrell is a technical professional with more than 12 years experience in design and 16 years computer applications. He is knowledgeable of hardware, operating systems and networks. Darrell holds an AAS in Electronics and an AAS in Mechanical Design.

Prior to the higher education sector, Darrell was a Sales and Design Engineer in the private sector. His major accomplishments include learning and installing the Colleague software, participation in planning and implementation of rebuilding VMI’s administrative network, coordinating ISO implementation.

Darrell lives in Montvale with his wife Elaine and two (twin) sons.

A native of Virginia, Col. Abbey Carrico has been at VMI since 2013. Professor of French, she is the head of the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures where she teaches all levels of French and holds the Lieutenant General John W. Knapp ’54 Chair of Academic Excellence. In 2019, she was awarded the Thomas Jefferson Teaching Award, presented to a VMI faculty member “who is deemed especially talented at inspiring students in the development of their intellect and character.” Since her time at VMI, Col. Carrico has created a teaching forum, “Pedagogy 400,” co-directed the summer study abroad program in Paris, and served as an Assistant Inspector General/Title IX Coordinator. Her scholarly research centers on representations of the environment in 19^th-century French literature and has been published by top journals and presses including Revue Flaubert, Dix-Neuf, Classiques Garnier, Les Cahiers naturalistes, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, and the Modern Language Association. She is active in the Foreign Language Association of Virginia and has presented her teaching strategies at the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Convention. Col. Carrico received her BA in French and concentration in Education from the University of Richmond, her MA in History (European Area Studies) from Virginia Tech, and her Ph.D. in French Literature from Emory University. 

Select publication and presentation links:

Foreign Language Teaching and the Environment: Theory, Curricula, Institutional Structures (Modern Language Association)

Flaubert voyageur Classiques Garnier)

Water Imagery in George Sand’s Work (Cambridge Scholars Publishing)

Dictionnaire Gustave Flaubert  (Classiques Garnier)

“Progressive Waters: Memory, Narrative and Localism in Émile Zola’s L’inondation” (Dix-Neuf)

“The Meaning of Water” (NPR’s With Good Reason) 

“The Ecology of Emotions: Exploitation of Nature in Balzac’s Le Lys dans la vallée” (The Balzac Review, Classiques-Garnier).

Instructor
Military Science and Leadership

Chaplain (Colonel) John P. Casper '04 was born and raised in Norfolk, VA and is a 2004 VMI graduate. Upon graduation, he was employed at VMI with the Admissions Office as a recruiter and then as Assistant Director of Admissions until 2009. During this time, Chaplain Casper also served VMI in numerous capacities including as an Assistant Investigator for the Inspector General’s Office as well as a tactical officer in barracks.

In July of 2009, Chaplain Casper left the Institute to attend seminary at Regent University’s School of Divinity in Virginia Beach. While in seminary, Chaplain Casper was engaged in full-time pastoral ministry as a Youth and Young Adult Pastor in a local church.

In December of 2013, Chaplain Casper was selected as the Institute’s first Associate Chaplain to the Corps of Cadets. Chaplain Casper served VMI as the Associate Chaplain for nearly a decade before his selection as Institute Chaplain in the Summer of 2023.

Chaplain Casper holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from VMI, as well as Master’s Degrees in Theology (M.A. Theol.) and Christian Education (M.Ed.) from Regent University in Virginia Beach, VA. He holds a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) in Pastoral Counseling from the J.W. Rawlings School of Divinity at Liberty University. His research focused on college student bereavement and how institutions of higher education can better care for students that have experienced the death of a loved one.

Chaplain Casper’s awards include the VMI Longevity Award and the VMI Achievement Medal with bronze oakleaf cluster.

Professor
Modern Languages and Cultures

Dallas Clark matriculated from Salt Lake City, Utah, with the Class of 1999. 

Dallas was an Economics and Business major at VMI and received an MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University. Originally, he worked in the private industry before returning to VMI to work in the VMI Alumni Association, where he was responsible for new cadet recruiting, chapter promotions, and alumni placement.  In 2006, he joined VMI in the business office as the Institute Planning Officer.

In that role, he was responsible for the Institute Strategic Plan, facilities master planning, emergency preparedness, and a series of other responsibilities before he was named the associate deputy superintendent for finance, administration, and support. 

After his appointment as vice president and chief advancement officer at Southern Virginia University, he returned to VMI as the director of finance, administration, and support and began his duties on February 2017.  He oversees a broad spectrum of offices including finance and budget, auxiliary services, facilities management, infirmary, counseling, and the VMI museum system.

He has also previously served on various community organizations including the Lexington/Rockbridge United Way, Lexington/Rockbridge Chamber of Commerce and the House Mountain Management Committee. Clark served as the chair of the Council of State Senior Business Officers from 2019-2020.

He graduated from both the College Business Managers Institute and the Next Generation Chief Business Officers courses from the University of Kentucky.

Clark and his wife are the parents of two daughters.

Barry R. Cobb CV

Professor
Economics and Business

Maj. Adam Cody studies and teaches rhetoric as the art of effective communication. He earned a doctorate in Communication Arts and Sciences from The Pennsylvania State University in 2020 and joined the Virginia Military Institute’s academic faculty later that same year.

In his capacity as Assistant Professor of Rhetoric, Composition, and Oral Communication, it has been Maj. Cody’s pleasure to teach ERH 103: Fundamentals of Public Speaking, ERH 201: Rhetorical Traditions I (covering the ancient, medieval, and Renaissance periods), ERH 202: Rhetorical Traditions II (covering the modern and post-modern periods), ERH 301: Rhetoric and Public Address, ERH 302: Civic Discourse, and ERH 421: One Text - Thucydides. Students in Maj. Cody’s classes may expect to encounter practical exercises and open discussions designed to hone their abilities with the transferable skills of communication.

As a scholar, Maj. Cody is a historian of arguments and narratives relating to topics of democracy, citizenship, and empire, with a particular focus on the Greco-Roman rhetorical tradition. His most recent publication, “Dialectics, Post-Dialectics, and the Democratic Argument of Lysias XII,” argues that post-dialectical persuasive forces, such as fascistic argument, can be explained in dialectical terms as practices of strategic maneuvering. The essay goes on to identify the concept of “democratic argument,” a type of post-dialectical persuasion that seeks to control the terms of discourse by negating disinterested choice. Ongoing and future projects focus on the forensic speeches of 5th-century BCE Attic orator Antiphon of Rhamnus and on the 4th-century BCE textbook Rhetorica ad Alexandrum.

Maj. Cody also supports the Writing Center as the Oral and Digital Communication Specialist. He encourages any cadets who are interested in or would like help with public speaking to arrange a meeting with him.

Assistant Professor
English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies

Master Sgt. Robert L. Coleman II was born in Lexington, Virginia. He joined the VaARNG in March of 1988 and attended OSUT (One Station Unit Training) at Fort Benning, Georgia to be an Infantryman.

During his career, Master Sgt. Coleman served as an Infantry Team Leader, Machine Gun Section Leader, Squad Leader, Platoon Sergeant, and First Sergeant. He participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom as a member of a Military Transition Team (MiTT); He trained to deploy forces as an Observer Controller-Trainer (OCT) for missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kosovo.

Master Sgt. Coleman has been assigned to the following units: A CO - 116th Infantry Lexington, Virginia; 317th Infantry Regiment HQ Lynchburg, Virginia; USARC Recruiting Command with duty in Staunton, Virginia; 80th Division attached to C CO, 3rd Special Forces Group in Tall A’Far, Iraq; 205th Infantry Brigade Fort Ben Harrison attached to Camp Atterbury, 811th Ordnance CO Dublin, Virginia; B CO, 2-319th REGT, Covington, Virginia; A CO – 317th REGT, Charlottesville, Virginia; 4-413th ROTC BN, 1st BDE, 104th Division, Fort Knox, Kentucky attached to Virginia Military Institute ROTC.

Master Sgt. Coleman’s military and civilian education includes the Primary Leadership Development Course, Basic Non-Commissioned Officer Course, Army Recruiter Course, Drill Sergeant Academy, Observer Controller Academy, Ammunition Specialist Course, Advanced Non-Commissioned Officer Course, Duty Appointed Reenlistment NCO, Army Basic Instructor Course, Equal Opportunity Leaders Course, Foundation Instructor/Facilitator Course and holds a bachelor’s degree from Liberty University in Multi-Disciplinary Studies concentrated in History and Economics.

Master Sergeant Coleman’s awards include the Combat Infantry Badge, Drill Sergeant Identification Badge, U.S. Army Recruiter Badge with Three Sapphire Achievement Stars, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, ARCOM (3), AAM (2), AGCM, ARCAM, ASR, OSR, ARCOT, AFRMM, GWOTS, ICM, NDSMB.

Jenny Crance is a family nurse practitioner (see description below) and has been at VMI since November of 2011. She has experience in women’s health, family and emergency medicine. She is native to Rockbridge County.

Jenny received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from James Madison University in 2006. She worked at a level one trauma center as a Registered Nurse, before returning home to work at the local emergency department and pursue her nurse practitioner degree. She received her Master of Science in Nursing, specializing in family nurse practitioner studies, from the University of Virginia in 2009. She later went on to complete her Doctor of Nursing Practice from James Madison University in 2019.

A nurse practitioner is an advanced practice nurse who has completed a graduate-level education. Nurse practitioners treat both physical and mental conditions through comprehensive history taking, physical exams, and ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests. NP's can diagnose a wide range of acute and chronic diseases and provide appropriate treatment for patients, including prescribing medications. NP's make prevention, wellness, and patient education priorities.

Adjunct Professor
Mechanical Engineering

Resume

Valentina Dimitrova-Grajzl received her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 2006. She also holds a Master’s degree from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor’s Degree from Wittenberg University. She was previously an assistant professor at the Department of Public Policy at the Central European University and a visiting assistant professor at Washington and Lee University’s Economics Department. Her teaching and research focus on the economics of institutions, post-socialist economies and politics, economic history, and law and economics.

Professor
Economics and Business

Valentina P. Dimitrova-Grajzl CV

Timothy Dowling has been teaching history at the Virginia Military Institute since August 2001.  Since that time, he has authored a book on the Brusilov Offensive of 1916, edited a two-volume set entitled Russia at War as well as two volumes of Personal Perspectives on the world wars, contributed numerous articles to encyclopedias, and published book reviews in the Journal of Military History, the Canadian Journal of History, Mars & Clio, Global War Studies, and for the H-German electronic network.  He is currently working on a second book concerning the Battle of Mukden during the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905).

Before moving to Lexington, Dr. Dowling taught at the Vienna International School in Austria and served as an adjunct assistant professor at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. He earned his doctoral degree from Tulane University in New Orleans in 1999, writing a dissertation on the planned city of Eisenhüttenstadt as a model for constructing socialism in the German Democratic Republic.  From 1989 to 1993, he worked at the American Embassy in Moscow, Russia, and traveled extensively through the former Soviet Union.  Dr. Dowling has lived for extended periods in Tokyo, Vienna, Berlin, and Munich.  He frequently leads VMI study abroad programs to Budapest, Hungary, and he recently completed a semester as a visiting Fulbright Scholar at the National University of Public Service there.  He also serves as the book review editor for the Journal of Military History.

Professor

History

Dr. MaryBeth Drake is a lifelong learner and teacher with a BA in Special Education from Greensboro College, a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Hollins University, a Master of Science in Education from Nova Southeastern University, and a Ph.D. in Education from Walden University. She is especially interested in the experiences of first-year college students and the challenges they face. She has been teaching college-level English composition courses since 2005. Currently, she teaches Advanced Composition courses online for Johnson & Wales University. MaryBeth is also an artist and is a member of the Nelson Gallery in downtown Lexington, Virginia.

Chad Dunbar began working at VMI in July 2010 as an IT technician. A graduate of ECPI Technical College, he began his career in 1999 with Professional Network Services as a network cable installer. After leaving PNS, he spent two and a half years with Engineering Design Systems, traveling around the state performing desktop support services for clients. Prior to his hiring at VMI, Chad worked at the Orvis distribution center in Roanoke for five years as a helpdesk and desktop support technician.

Chad resides in Buena Vista with his wife and son.

Human Resources Assistant
Military Science and Leadership

Kacie D’Alessandro, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Military Institute (VMI). Kacie C. D'Alessandro is a dedicated Civil Engineering Ph.D. with a rich educational background, having earned her Ph.D. from Virginia Tech in 2013, following an M.S. from Clemson University in 2017, and a B.S. from the same institution in 2016. Driven by a passion for education, she's held positions at renowned institutions, including Virginia Military Institute and Washington and Lee University, where she taught civil engineering.

Kacie brings a wealth of experience, having served as a Research and Teaching Assistant at Virginia Tech and Clemson University. She holds several certifications and is an active member of professional organizations, such as the American Concrete Institute and the Society of Women Engineers.

Recognized for her expertise, Kacie has received numerous honors and awards, including the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges Mednick Fellowship in 2018 and the Outstanding Conference Paper Award in 2014. Her commitment to service is evident through her involvement in various committees, outreach programs, and leadership roles.

In recent years, Kacie has made significant contributions to her field through publications and presentations, highlighting her dedication to advancing engineering education. Her commitment to professional development is underscored by her participation in workshops and webinars, ensuring she remains at the forefront of her discipline.

Kacie C. D’Alessandro Resume

Col. Kevin Faust graduated from Virginia Military Institute with a Bachelors of Arts Degree in International Studies. A member of the class of 1996, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the US Air Force.

After completion of the Air Force’s Intelligence Course, Col. Faust was assigned to the 609 Air Intelligence Squadron (AIS). From April 1997 to April 1998, he served as the Deputy Chief of Air Defense Analysis. He continued to serve in the 609 AIS from April 1998 to April 2000 as the Chief of Human Intelligence (HUMINT) Collection Management. In April of 2000, Col. Faust was assigned to the Defense HUMINT Service (DHS), and served as a strategic debriefer for three years. Following this assignment, Col. Faust wrapped up his Air Force service with a one year assignment in Seoul, South Korea. He was assigned as a targeting officer with Special Operations Command Korea (SOCKOR).

Col. Faust is a graduate of the Air Force Intelligence School, the Intelligence Collections Managers Course, the Defense Strategic Debriefer’s Course, and Squadron Officer’s School. He received a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Massachusetts, Boston in 2004.

Returning to VMI in the fall of 2005, Col. Faust served as the Assistant Commandant for Personnel and Logistics for six years, the Assistant Commandant for Cadet Government for ten years, and is now serving as the Deputy Commandant.

Col. Faust’s awards and decorations include the Joint Commendation Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Korea Defense Service Medal and the NATO medal. Major Faust’s overseas duty included deployments to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Prior to returning to VMI, Col. Faust spent one year teaching Middle School in Rockbridge County, Virginia.

Col. Faust is married to the former Allie Skukan of Chicago, Illinois. They have two adult children.

Dr. Feinauer is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Military Institute, Campus Representative for the Goldwater Scholarship, Chair of the Institute Honors Committee, and Director of Research for VMI Research Labs. His scholarly work spans several areas including: automation and control theory, system identification, machine learning applications, energy infrastructure resilience, first-year engineering education experiences, engineering design education, incorporating innovation and entrepreneurship in the engineering classroom, and P-12 engineering outreach. He holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Kentucky.

Lieutenant Chris Fontana was born in Elgin, IL, and grew up in Algonquin, IL.  He graduated from Northern Illinois University in 2010, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology.  In 2014, LT Fontana commissioned into the Navy as a Surface Warfare officer through Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI.

In 2014, he reported to USS RODNEY M. DAVIS (FFG-60) in Everett, WA.  He served as the Main Propulsion Officer and completed a deployment to the 7th Fleet AOR.

In 2015, LT Fontana reported to USS STOCKDALE (DDG-106) in San Diego, CA.  He served as the Auxiliaries Officer and the Assistant Operations Officer and completed a deployment to the 7th Fleet AOR.

In 2018, he reported to Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey CA. He was a student in the National Security Affairs Department and earned a Master of Security Studies in Homeland Security and Defense and completed Joint Professional Military Education Phase I.

In 2019, he reported to the Naval ROTC unit at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, VA as a Naval Science instructor.  He teaches Navigation and Naval Operations.

Lieutenant Fontana’s personal awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals (with two Gold Stars) as well as multiple unit and service awards. 

Col. Dennis Foster is Department Head and Professor of International Studies and Political Science at Virginia Military Institute. He teaches courses on international politics, American foreign policy, terrorism, domestic politics, and war, religion and war, and research design.

His research, which has appeared in such outlets as the British Journal of Political Science, International Studies Quarterly, Political Psychology, Journal of Conflict Resolution, and Foreign Policy Analysis, focuses on the impact of domestic factors on international conflict propensity, leadership psychology and war, the determinants of strategy choice by insurgent (especially terrorist) groups, and conventional and nuclear deterrence.

Department Head
Jackson-Hope Distinguished Professor
International Studies and Political Science

Lieutenant Colonel Clifford Franklin, Operations Officer, AFROTC Detachment 880, located at Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Virginia.  As Operations Officer, he supervises all unit operations, recruiting, and education functions; oversees cadre training and professional development; leads, recruits, trains, counsels and evaluates 383 highly qualified young men & women as prospective AF officers; supervises cadre and all detachment activities; and serves as the interim commander in the absence of the commander.

Lieutenant Colonel Franklin was born in Montgomery, Alabama. He is a graduate of Auburn University at Montgomery, Auburn University, and the University of Tennessee. Lieutenant Colonel Franklin enlisted in the Alabama Air National Guard in 1988 and reached the rank of Staff Sergeant as an Aircraft Maintenance Technician on the F-16. He earned his commission and rank of Second Lieutenant in 2001 after attending the Academy of Military Science (AMS) at McGhee-Tyson ANGB, TN. Since, Lieutenant Colonel Franklin has served in Force Support, Aircraft Maintenance, and as Inspector General in the Air National Guard. He holds a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) for promotion to Colonel in the Air National Guard. Presently, he serves as an AFROTC Assistant Professor of Aerospace Studies (APAS) via the Voluntary Limited Period of Active Duty (VLPAD) Program.

EDUCATION

1992 - Bachelor of Science; Secondary Education; Auburn University at Montgomery; Montgomery, AL
1996 - Master of Communication Disorders (MCD) in Audiology, Auburn University; Auburn, AL
2001 - Academy of Military Science (AMS), in residence
2002 - Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) Services 101 and Mortuary Affairs Course
2004 - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Speech & Hearing Science, University of Tennessee; Knoxville, TN
2008 - Squadron Officer School (SOS), by correspondence
2014 - Accelerated Aircraft Maintenance Officer Course (AAMOC) 
2014 - Air Command and Staff College (ACSC), by correspondence
2018 - Air War College (AWC), by correspondence
2018 - Inspector General Training Course (IGTC), in residence
2019 - AFROTC Assistant Professor of Aerospace Studies (APAS) Course, in residence

ASSIGNMENTS

1. October 1988 – April 2001, F16 Crew Chief, 187 Fighter Wing, Dannelly Field, Montgomery, Alabama
2. April 2001 – June 2004, Commander, 187 Services Flight, Dannelly Field, Montgomery, Alabama
3. April 2006 – April 2009, Commander, 189 Services Flight, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas
4. April 2009 – July 2012, Force Support Officer, 189th Force Support Squadron, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas
5. July 2012 – July 2014, Commander, 189 Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas
6. July 2014 – May 2018, Deputy Commander, 189^th Maintenance Group, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas
7. May 2018 – June 2019, Director, Complaints Resolution, 189^th Airlift Wing, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas
8. June 2019 - Present, Operations Officer, AFROTC Detachment 880, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, VA

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

Air Force Meritorious Service Medal with two devices
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with five devices
Air Force Reserve Forces Meritorious Service Medal with eight devices
National Defense Service Medal with one device
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Air Force Longevity Service with three devices
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with one device
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon, Pistol
Air Force Training Ribbon with one device
Alabama Faithful Service Medal
Arkansas Service Ribbon

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION

Airman First Class, October 22, 1988
Senior Airman, September 1, 1990
Staff Sergeant, September 1, 1993
Second Lieutenant, April 20, 2001
First Lieutenant, June 22, 2003
Captain, June 22, 2005
Major, August 1, 2009
Lieutenant Colonel, January 10, 2015

(Current as of August 2020)

Professor
Psychology

Joseph R. Gearhart CV

Adjunct Professor
Economics and Business

Associate Professor
Economics and Business

Office Hours:  11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Mondays
                       10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays

Research Interests:  IT-business strategic alignment, power & politics in the workplace, drivers of IT use

Jennifer Pullin CV

Col. Imran Ghani is a Professor of Software Engineering at VMI. He received his Ph.D. from Kookmin University (South Korea) in 2010, M.S Computer Science from UTM (Malaysia) in 2007, and Master of Information Technology Degree from UAAR (Pakistan) in 2002. Col. Ghani has more than 5 years of industrial experience. He has a great deal of experience in Agile software development frameworks, models and processes including Scrum, Kanban, Lean, XP and hybrid models and processes. He worked in several software houses focusing on web development, databases, requirements engineering, and software testing. In 2019, he published a textbook, "Introduction to PHP Web Services: PHP, Javascript, MySQL, SOAP, RESTful, JSON, XML, WSDL" which is currently available on Amazon.com. Col. Ghani is an active researcher with over 120+ publications in peer-reviewed quality journals and conference proceedings. His research interests include agile software development, secure software engineering, and semantic web.

Professor
Department Head
Psychology

Originally from the Big Sky state, Maj. Gornick earned her bachelor's (2007), master's (2010) and doctorate (2013) degrees from the University of Montana in Missoula. Maj. Gornick’s interests in psychology revolve around research psychology in general (focus on research methods and statistics) and social psychology (emphasis on political psychology). Before joining the faculty ranks at VMI, she taught courses and conducted research at the University of Montana, University of Texas: El Paso, and Roanoke College. While she has taught Introductory Psychology, Social Psychology, Statistics, and Research Methods; her favorite courses are Political Psychology and Psychology of Genocide. At VMI, she is currently specializing in PS 344: Leadership in Organizations. When not teaching, researching, mentoring, advising, etc., Maj. Gornick is a prolific knitter, enthusiastic tabletop/RPG gamer, exuberant corgi owner, an avid hiker, and somewhat successful baker. She also believes that hedgehogs are awesome.

Assistant Professor
Psychology

Col. David Gray, Ph.D., US Army (Retired), assumed duties as Director of the Center for Leadership and Ethics in August 2014.  He manages the Center’s programs to enhance the Corps of Cadets’ leadership, character, and ethical development, as well as challenging them through an annual series of conferences on topics of national and international importance.

Col. Gray is a 1980 Honors Scholar and Distinguished Military Graduate from Western Illinois University.  He has earned masters and doctorate degrees in military history from The Ohio State University and a masters degree in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.   Col. Gray was selected as a Federal Executive Fellow at Brookings Institution from 2003-2004.

During his military career, Col. Gray exercised executive leadership in command and staff positions of increasing responsibility across the globe.  He commanded progressively larger units from an infantry platoon through a multi-functional brigade combat team.  His overseas deployments included Haiti, the Balkans, Afghanistan, and Iraq.  He commanded the 1^st Brigade Combat Team, 101^st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Iraq from 2005-2006.  He worked as an operations officer and strategist during tours on the Joint and Army Staffs in Washington D.C.

Col. Gray has served as a faculty member and academic leader at several public and non-profit educational institutions including:  West Point, University of Maryland, Valley Forge Military Academy and College, and The Ohio State University.  He served as Chair and Professor of Officership at the Simon Center for the Professional Military Ethic at the United States Military Academy.  Col. Gray joined VMI after serving as the Director of Strategy and Campaigning at the Saudi War College in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  Col. Gray’s research and publications focus on topics in modern military history, policy/strategy, and leadership.

Col. Gray and his wife Karen reside in Lexington.  They have three daughters:  Stephanie, Jennifer, and Megan.

Professor & Head
Mechanical Engineering

Ph.D. - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
M.S. - University of South Carolina
B.S. - University of South Carolina

709 Nichols
Virginia Military Institute
Lexington, VA  24450

P:  (540) 464-7533
F:  (540) 464-7663
E:  hardinj@vmi.edu 

Resume

Professor
Chemistry

Specialty: Physical Chemistry &Synthesis of Inorganic Complexes for Applications in Electrocatalysis and Renewable Energy

Daniel Harrison is a 2005 VMI chemistry graduate. He was awarded his Ph.D. at the University of Virginia where he studied the ability of inorganic compounds to modify the standard organic chemistry of aromatic molecules. Many of the novel compounds he synthesized are at the National Institutes of Health: Molecular Library for Small Molecule Repository to evaluate their biological activity. Daniel continued his research career as a Post-Doctoral research associate with Thomas J. Meyer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Energy Frontier Research Center: “Solar Fuels.” There he studied the catalytic conversion of H₂O and CO₂ into usable fuels for applications in renewable energy technology. Daniel returned to VMI in January 2013 and is currently teaching Physical Chemistry. At VMI, his research efforts focus on utilizing electrochemical methods to analyze inorganic molecules that his students synthesize, in order to determine their ability to produce usable combustible fuels from electricity. His research is a part of a larger global effort to produce renewable fuels and help develop a carbon neutral economy. Daniel originally became interested in science because of his fascination with colors, fireworks, and a desire to understand and explain our physical surroundings with concrete descriptions.

Recent Publications:

2015

• Jacob T. Hyde, Kenneth Hanson, Aaron K. Vannucci, Alexander M. Lapides, Leila Alibabaei, Michael R. Norris, Thomas J. Meyer, and Daniel P. Harrison. “Electrochemical Instability of Phosphonate-Derivatized, RuIII Polypyridyl Complexes on Metal Oxide Surfaces.” ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 2015, 7 (18), 9554-9562.
• Daniel P. Harrison, Logan S. Carpenter, Jake T. Hyde. “Reductive Electropolymerization of a Vinyl containing Poly-pyridyl Complex on Glassy Carbon and Fluorine-Doped Tin Oxide Electrodes.” Journal of Visualized Experiments, 2015, (95), e52035, doi:10.3791/52035 (2015).
  
  The Journal of Visualized Experiments article can be accessed via https://app.jove.com/t/52035 

2013

• Christopher R. Turlington, Daniel P. Harrison, Peter S. White, Maurice Brookhart, and Joseph L. Templeton. “Probing the Oxidation Chemistry of Half-Sandwich Iridium Complexes with Oxygen Atom Transfer Reagents.” Inorganic Chemistry, 2013, Article ASAP.
• Daniel A. Torelli, Daniel P. Harrison, Alexander M. Lapides, and Thomas J. Meyer. “Strategies for Stabilization of Electrodeposited Metal Particles in Electropolymerized Films for H₂O Oxidation and H⁺Reduction.” ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 2013, 5, 7050-7057.
• Christopher R. Turlington, Daniel P. Harrison, Peter S. White, Maurice Brookhart, and Joseph L. Templeton. “Probing the Oxidation Chemistry of Half-Sandwich Iridium Complexes with Oxygen Atom Transfer Reagents.” Inorganic Chemistry, 2013, 52, 11351-11360. DOI: 10.1021/ic4016405.

Research:

• Electropolymerization of a Vinyl-containing Poly-pyridyl Complex on Glassy Carbon and Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide Electrodes 

Associate Professor
Applied Mathematics

Meagan Herald is an applied mathematician trained in mathematical biology, whose research uses mathematical models to understand the mechanisms of chronic respiratory inflammation.  Several respiratory diseases result in respiratory inflammation even though these diseases have different origins.  For instance patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) , a genetic disorder , or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), often associated with environmental causes, suffer from chronic respiratory inflammation [1, 2, 3, 4].  Inflammation scars the respiratory tissue reducing the health of the individual.  Patients with these diseases often succumb due to respiratory problems.  Using nonlinear differential equations, Herald creates realistic models which are based on the underlying biology and immunology.  Analysis of these models uses various techniques such as bifurcation and stability analysis as well as numerical simulations.  Understanding the mathematical models leads to biological predictions that may help explain behaviors of the system, help researchers focus experiments, or even suggest possible therapeutic targets.

1.  V. DeRose.  Mechanisms and markers of airway inflammation in cystic fibrosis.  European Respiratory Journal, 19:333-340, 2002.

2.  R. O’Donnell, D. Breen, S. Wilson, and R. Djukanovic.  Inflammatory cells in the airways in COPD.  Thorax, 61:448-454, 2006.

3.  R. Tirouvanziam, S. de Bentzmann, C, Hubeau, J. Hinnrasky, J. Jacquot, B. Peault, and E. Puchelle.  Inflammation and infection in naïve human cystic fibrosis airway grafts.  American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology, 23:121-127, 2000.

4.  J. B. West.  Pulmonary Pathophysiology: The Essentials.  Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, sixth edition, 2003.

Associate Professor
International Studies and Political Science

Professor
International Studies and Political Science

Ruth Ann joined VMI in 2009 as an Administrative Assistant in the Dean’s Office. In 2012, she joined the IT department as a programmer/analyst. Prior to joining VMI, Ruth Ann provided database development and support for NCR computer manufacturing facilities in Columbia, SC and Dublin, Ireland. She also developed manufacturing support systems for Corning Inc. in Canton, NY.

Ruth Ann provides database application development and support for the Ellucian Colleague database and Entrinsik Informer. Ruth Ann holds a BS in Computer Science and Math from Furman University.

Ruth Ann lives in Lexington with her husband Steve, and two daughters.

Instructor
Biology and Chemistry

LTC Hodde joined the Department of English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies at VMI as an Assistant Professor in 2016, and was awarded tenure in 2023. She previously taught at the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia, Mary Baldwin University, and Hollins University, where she offered undergraduate and graduate courses in teacher education, literacy, children’s literature, and the humanities. She holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, with a concentration in Reading, Writing, Literacy, and Culture, from the University of Illinois at Chicago, an M.A. in Humanities from the University of Chicago, and a B.A. in English and Drama from William Smith College. She also has over twenty years of experience developing curricula and outreach programming for nonprofit organizations, K-12 schools, and creating community theater projects, such as A Wild Notion, funded by the VA Commission on the Arts, and performed at Boxerwood in October 24.

LTC Hodde teaches courses in community-based writing and fieldwork (ERH 411), contemporary drama and literature (ERH 203 & 230), writing for nonprofits and technical communication (ERH 312/314) and Writing and Rhetoric (101/102). She also advises students on Fieldwork opportunities for completing the English Major and enjoys designing projects in educational research and community writing with cadets. Recent cadet fieldwork includes the Rockbridge Memoir Project with local writers, and Expeditionary Learning with Rockbridge County Schools grades 5-12.

Her research and teaching explore intersections between creative discourse, pedagogy, and multimodal forms of social literacy, including community-based narratives, documentary theatre, and arts-based learning. She has presented scholarship at numerous conferences for the LifeWriting Conference, the American Education Research Association, the Modern Language Association, the Comparative Drama Conference, and is at work on several research projects in memoir and performance discourse. Her case study, “Dramagirls Worldcraft: Teaching Artist Platforms for Spectacle Theatre” appears in July 2023 issue of the International Journal of Education and the Arts (IJEA). Her chapter, “Up Close and Wide Awake: Participating in Anna Deavere Smith’s Social Theater” appears in the book, Teaching Critical Performance Theory in Today's Studio, Classroom, and Communities (Routledge, 2020).

Associate Professor
English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies

Adjunct Professor
Economics and Business

Professor
International Studies and Political Science

Curriculum Vitae

New Book:  Tradition and the Deliberative Turn (Albany:  SUNY Press, 2023)

Wakeel I.A. Idewu, a native of New Orleans, joined the VMI faculty in 2009. He received a bachelor of science in civil engineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a master of science in engineering science from Louisiana State University. He also earned a doctorate in civil engineering from Louisiana State University.

With over 10 years of experience postgraduate teaching and transportation engineering, Idewu is an expert in simulation modeling using the Vissim platform and provides creative solutions to both common and uncommon transportation engineering problems. The broad scale of his past work includes the design and analysis of a new rail line in Anacostia, innovative pedestrian signals and intersections, and reconfigurations of work zone lane closures.

At 19, Idewu traded in his football cleats for engineering books. His athletic feats in high school gave him recognition as the best linebacker in the city of New Orleans at the time and earned him a scholarship to play football at the collegiate level. However, his dreams of playing football professionally were eventually overshadowed by his aspirations of becoming an engineer.

Drawn by the creative freedoms of a career in engineering, Dr. Idewu merged his profession with his past, by combining the creativity, adaptability, and perseverance he learned in football. 

He now employs those same life lessons in his family life and work. Idewu primarily focuses on interdisciplinary academic mentoring and interdisciplinary research in transportation engineering. Working across disciplines, Idewu continues to mentor students from 10 different majors helping them increase their academic scores and professional potential. Students have also worked with Idewu to conduct transportation research related to psychology, chemistry, mechanical engineering, computer science, and electrical engineering.

Although a registered engineer in Virginia, his proudest accomplishment to date is growing with his wife, Roslyn, through tough and happy times as they raise their four young children. He, along with his wife and family, is in continuous pursuit of a self-prescribed mission: Investing their God-given gifts in people and creatively using opportunities to fuel potential in every generation.

Area of Expertise

Traffic Control and Operation

Courses Taught 

• Introduction to Civil Engineering
• Surveying Lab
• Properties of Engineering Materials
• Introduction to Transportation Engineering
• Transportation Planning and Design

Areas of Interests

• Automated and Connected Vehicles
• Work Zone Traffic Control Configurations
• Congestion Decreasing Techniques at Intersections
• Education and Learning Strategies

Current and Past Project Topics in Engineering

• Design and Evaluation of Automated/Connected Vehicles
• Measuring and Modeling the Affects Vehicular Traffic on Nearby Neighborhoods Air Quality
• Evaluating the Effectiveness of Speed Monitors Placed on Low-Speed Roads  
• Work Zone Traffic Flow: Design and Analysis of Alternating Merge Maneuvers in Roadway Construction Areas
• Estimating Lane Capacities in Work Zones Using Hurricane Evacuation Data

Related Links

Transportation Engineering Video Lessons https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCja59bSZGROChAHISEte1zQ/featured

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wakeel-idewu-ph-d-p-e-9413a06 

Col. Idewu Resume

Col. Catharine Ingersoll began teaching at VMI in 2015. She received her Ph.D. and M.A. degrees in Art History from the University of Texas at Austin, and earned a B.A. in Art and a B.A. in Music from Washington College in Maryland. Prior to her work at VMI, she held an Albrecht Dürer Fellowship at the Germanisches National Museum in Nuremberg, Germany.

Col. Ingersoll’s research focuses on the art of southern Germany during the late medieval and Early Modern periods, particularly in terms of the interdisciplinary intersections among patronage, politics, religion, and visual and material culture in the duchy of Bavaria. She has published numerous articles and book reviews; with Alisa McCusker and Jessica Weiss, she edited a volume of essays, Imagery and Ingenuity in Early Modern Europe: Essays in Honor of Jeffrey Chipps Smith (Brepols, 2018). Col. Ingersoll routinely presents her research at conferences in North America and in Europe.

In addition to offering a regular rotation of art history and visual culture courses (such as The Language of Art and History of Art I and II), Col. Ingersoll is frequently sought out by cadets as an advisor to independent studies, Capstones, and Honors projects. She also spearheads the Art History and Visual Culture minor/concentration, maintains the @vmi_ahvc Instagram account, and is the faculty advisor to the Cadet Art Group.

Professor
English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies

A Professor of English, Col. Michelle Iten teaches courses in civic discourse; the history and theory of rhetoric; language and style; rhetoric and democracy; writing for military officers; and writing for business. She earned her B.A. in English / Writing and M.A. in English / Rhetoric from St. Cloud State University, Minnesota, where she served as assistant director of the writing center and later as a full-time instructor teaching courses in research writing, creative nonfiction, business writing, and rhetorical theory. After career experience in corporate communications, public relations, and magazine publishing, she earned her Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition from Texas Christian University, where she held multiple research and teaching fellowships.  

Col. Iten’s research areas are in rhetorical democracy and in the theory and teaching of written rhetorical argument. Ongoing research projects include the rhetorical nature of contemplative practices in democracy, democracy and the self, democratic time, and links between Kenneth Burke and John Dewey. Other research and teaching interests include propaganda theory and criticism, rhetorical approaches to political virtues, and emotional intelligence in everyday democratic interactions. An active member of the Rhetoric Society of Europe and the Rhetoric Society of America, she has published on social class in argument pedagogy, the rhetorical theorization of democracy, and contemplative practices as part of civic discourse pedagogy. Col. Iten is the author of an upcoming monograph, A Rhetoric for Expanding Democracy: Unleashing the Excess (Lexington Books: 2026).

Col. Iten is particularly committed to undergraduate education in rhetoric and advancing student writers’ abilities to develop democratic character, argue with rationality, and write with precision and power.

A Sample of Col. Iten’s Publications, Presentations, & Cadet Research Projects 

• “The First Discipline is Class: Aiming at Inclusion in Argument across the Curriculum,” The Writing across the Curriculum Journal, 2017 
• “Inventing in Our Own House: Theorizing Democracy from the Standpoint of Rhetoric,” Re-inventing Rhetoric Scholarship, Parlor Press, 2019 
• “Contemplative Practices as Rhetorical Action for Democracy,” Journal of Contemplative Inquiry, 2020 
• “Seeking a Democratic Self,” Journal of Thought, 2023 
• “Thinking with ‘Energy’: How Keyword as Method Illuminates Rhetorical Democracy,” Carolina Rhetoric Conference 2019
• “Becoming Symbol-wise in Democratic Relations: The Whole Self as Rhetorical Action,” Rhetoric Society of Europe Conference 2019
• English Honors Advisor for “A Theory of Rhetorical Appeals to Psychological Certainty: Audience, Motive, Strategies” by Cadet Emma C. Quirk, 2018
• English Honors Advisor for “Fascism as Faith: Nationalist Spain and the Rhetoric of Francisco Franco,” by Cadet Andrew M. Hunt, 2019  

Professor
English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies

As the holder of the John Biggs ´30 Chair in Military History, Professor Jensen teaches courses on modern Europe, modern Spain, European warfare, and the history of insurgency.  He is the author of Irrational Triumph: Cultural Despair, Military Nationalism, and the Ideological Origin of Franco's Spain (2002), Franco (2005), Cultura militar española (2014), and various articles and book chapters.  He also edited Warfare in Europe, 1919-1939 (2008) and co-edited (with Andrew Wiest) War in the Age of Technology: Myriad Faces of Modern Armed Conflict (2001).  He is working on a book tentatively titled Spanish Ways of War and Occupation:  Conquest, Culture, and the Guerrilla Myth in Spain and Morocco, 1912-1956.

Professor
Holder of the John Biggs '30 Cincinnati Chair in Military History

I am an associate professor of economics at Virginia Military Institute, with research and teaching interests in Applied Microeconomics. I have been using behavioral and
experimental methods to study real-world policy and practice-relevant issues. My recent work examines individual choices from incentivized experimental settings, and it highlights the importance of personality traits in explaining individual risk and time preferences, entrepreneurship, and prosocial behaviors. I have also developed an interest in Public Economics. Currently, I am working on several projects related to education, coordination in games, charitable giving, and volunteering.

Areas of Interest 

• Behavioral Economics
• Experimental Economics
• Public Economics

Fall 2020 Office Hours: T 1300 – 1600 & F 1200-1400 via Zoom or by appointment

Publications and Working Papers: View my research at Google Scholar

Professor M. Houston Johnson V specializes in the history of the 20th century United States, with an emphasis on aviation history and the New Deal era. He teaches courses including The Progressive Era, The New Deal, War and Society in 20th Century United States History, The Vietnam War, and Historical Methodology; he also offers capstone seminars on the New Deal Era and World War II. His book, Taking Flight: The Foundations of American Commercial Aviation, 1918-1938 (Texas A&M University Press, 2019), explores the federal government’s role in promoting the development of commercial aviation between the world wars. He has published articles on aviation infrastructure in the Journal of Policy History and the Journal of East Tennessee History; essays on the air war in the European theater of World War II and Lieutenant General Leonard Gerow’s role in the Normandy campaign are forthcoming with Oxford University Press and Global War Studies, respectively. Johnson also served as the Associate Editor of the Sage Encyclopedia of Military Science.

Johnson came to VMI in 2012 after receiving degrees from Roanoke College and the University of Tennessee. The Virginia Military Institute has recognized his teaching with the Wilbur S. Hinman, Jr. ’26 Research Award (2017; 2019), and his scholarship with the Jackson-Hope Prize for Excellence in Published Scholarly Work (2020). Johnson has served as the Head of the Department of History since 2020; his other activities include service as a Program Director for the Olmsted Foundation study abroad program.

Professor and Department Head
History

Jack B. Johnson, Jr., Ph.D., is a Professor within the Department of Human Performance and Wellness at the Virginia Military Institute. He has been teaching and coaching at the Virginia Military Institute since 2006. Prior to arriving at VMI, Dr. Johnson was a strength and conditioning coach at Radford University (1995-1998) and Virginia Tech (1998-2006).

He received his bachelor’s degree from Emory and Henry College in 1995. He received his Master’s degree from Radford University in 1998 and his Ph.D. from Virginia Tech in 2001.

He lives in Lexington, Virginia with his wife Anne and they have two children – Jack and Emma.

Melinda joined the VMI family in December 1979. She began at VMI as a COE student attending Parry McCluer High School in the morning and working in the VMI Air Force ROTC department in the afternoon. She worked for the Air Force ROTC department from December 1979 – June 1980 and then went to work full-time in the VMI File Room in January 1981. She worked in the VMI File Room until she married in May 1981 and moved out of state. She returned to the area and went to work in the Commandant’s Office in June 1984. She worked in the Commandant’s Office from June 1984 until January 1988 and then moved to the Computer Center, which is currently the Information Technology Department.

Melinda lives with her husband Mike in Buena Vista, VA.

Instructor
Physical Education

Capt. Joyce has been teaching at VMI since 2002. He is also the assistant director of Rat Challenge and is primarily in charge of overseeing the onsite activities, with oversight of the Low Initiatives.   Additionally, he is the director or Teacher Education at VMI. 

Capt. Joyce’s teaching responsibilities include: boxing, swimming, wrestling, volleyball, tennis, basketball, combatives, Principles of Conditioning, racquetball and CPR. 

Capt. Joyce’s area of focus is on the benefits of outdoor adventure programs such as Rat Challenge as they pertain to first-year cadets. He also has an interest in exercise intervention in chronic disease. 

Capt. Joyce received his Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from Springfield College in 1988. He received his Master’s degree in education from Old Dominion University in 1998. He is currently finishing up his Ed. D. at the University of Virginia in higher education administration. He lives in Lexington with his wife Leslie and their three children - Mitch, Bryan, and Elsa.

Office Hours:  Capt. Joyce is available throughout the day or by appointment. Please contact him at:joyceca@vmi.edu or by phone (540) 464-7558.

Associate Professor
Civil and Environmental Engineering

Jai Kyoung Jung, Ph.D., P.E., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI). He earned his Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Cornell University. His diverse research interests encompass computational and experimental approaches to various aspects of infrastructure, focusing on underground energy and water transportation systems, soil dynamics, earthquake engineering, sustainable construction, and trenchless construction methods.

Dr. Jung has an accomplished background, having contributed significantly to research initiatives. Notably, he engaged in research projects at Virginia Tech as a post-doctoral research fellow and later at the University of Waterloo as a research associate. These experiences were pivotal in establishing a sustainable infrastructure knowledge database for underground systems and advancing trenchless technologies.

Currently, Dr. Jung is further expanding his research scope to encompass multidisciplinary domains. These include the spatial assessment of natural and anthropogenic hazards, exploring human structure-ground interaction, and investigating human performance and rehabilitation.

Before his appointment at VMI in 2018, Dr. Jung shared his expertise as an educator at Youngstown State University.

Jung Resume

Dr. Molly Kent is an Associate Professor of Biology at the Virginia Military Institute, where she teaches courses in introductory biology, neuroscience, physiology, and endocrinology. She earned her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her B.S. in Biology with an emphasis in Neuroscience from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Dr. Kent’s research explores neurobiological and behavioral adaptations to stress and environmental complexity, with a particular focus on comparative studies between wild and laboratory animals. Her work has been published in leading journals such as Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, Hormones and Behavior, and Neuroscience. A passionate mentor, she has guided over 30 undergraduate research projects and numerous honors theses, fostering student engagement in scientific inquiry. Dr. Kent is also active in professional service, currently serving on the Executive Council of the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society and as Director of the VMI Center for Undergraduate Research. Her teaching and research have been recognized with multiple institutional and international commendations for excellence and innovation.

Professor
Psychology

Patrick J. (PJ) Klinger teaches the two-semester World History course as well as upper-division courses in environmental history and climate history. He is a graduate of Marshall University, East Carolina University, and the University of Kansas. Major Klinger's interdisciplinary research examines the role that weather and climate has on the interconnections between humans and the natural world. His current research projects explore how environmental and climatic changes influenced trade, political decisions, thought processes, human subsistence, adaptability, and ideas of resiliency from the early modern period to the present, while simultaneously inspiring new ways of perceiving, interpreting, and representing nature and provoking changes in the sea and land.

Col. Knepper arrived at VMI in the fall of 2014. A recipient of the Thomas Jefferson Teaching Award and holder of the Bruce C. Gottwald, Jr. ’81 Chair for Academic Excellence, Col. Knepper teaches a wide range of courses, including American Literary Traditions, Ways of Reading, the ERHS capstone sequence, and a seminar on Moby-Dick. He especially enjoys teaching Philosophy and Literature, where he can discuss big questions with cadets, and American Modernism, which features favorite authors such as Claude McKay, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Robert Frost, Ernest Hemingway, Willa Cather, Zora Neale Hurston, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. He has directed capstone projects, SURI projects, independent studies, and honors theses on a variety of topics, from the poetry of Langston Hughes to the philosophy of Simone Weil, from Edgar Allan Poe’s Gothic conventions to Byzantine iconography. Col. Knepper is the faculty adviser of VMI’s chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the international English honor society, and helps organize an annual trip for cadets to the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Virginia. 

Col. Knepper studied American literature in graduate school at the University of Virginia, and this remains a major teaching and research interest. He currently serves as an associate editor for the Robert Frost Review. He writes metrical poems in the tradition of Frost and is the founding editor of New Verse Review: A Journal of Lyric and Narrative Poetry.

Since arriving at VMI, he has become increasingly interested in the intersection of philosophy, aesthetics, and religion. He is particularly interested in the contemporary philosophers William Desmond and Byung-Chul Han. In 2022, SUNY Press published his book Wonder Strikes: Approaching Aesthetics and Literature with William Desmond. In 2024, Polity published Byung-Chul Han: A Critical Introduction, which he co-wrote with Ethan Stoneman and Robert Wyllie. He also edited the volume, A Heart of Flesh: William Desmond and the Bible, which was released in 2023 by Cascade Books. 

Professor  
English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies 

Professor
Human Performance and Wellness

Dissertation: An analysis of football player position group, height, weight, and relative body weight and their relationship to scores on the Functional Movement Screen™
Masters Project: The Effects of Two Strength Training Methods on Skinfold Measurements, Strength Gains and Flexibility in College Age Female Athletes
Double minor in Athletic Training and Psychology

A.A.S. Physical Therapist Assistant, Orange County Community College, Middletown, NY

Academic/Research Interest:

• Health and Fitness for Older Adults and Special Populations
• Movement Analyses/Biomechanics
• Exercise Adherence

I am an Assistant Professor of Economics specializing in Urban Economics, Industrial Organization, and Applied Microeconomics. Some of my current research deals with Internet provider competition, the impact of housing demolition programs, and market power in electricity markets. I received my Ph.D. from Florida State University in 2018, an M.S. in Applied Economics from Marquette University, and a B.A. in Economics from St. Norbert College. I also studied abroad at the American University in Cairo in 2009. Prior to beginning my doctoral studies, I was a market analyst for an electric utility in Wisconsin.

Steven Landgraf CV

Dr. LaRocca is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, and he earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Alabama. A licensed clinical psychologist, he completed his clinical psychology internship at the Veterans' Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, followed by conducting psychological assessments and PTSD research at the War Related Illness & Injury Study Center as a part of a VA Palo Alto-Stanford University postdoctoral fellowship. Dr. LaRocca is interested in interpersonal influences such as leadership and social support, and how they may impact psychological well-being among veterans and other populations. More generally, Dr. LaRocca’s research has encompassed the impact of socio-behavioral influences on mental health in middle and older adulthood. His research interests also extend to positive psychology, including posttraumatic growth and its relation to other measures of well-being. Dr. LaRocca draws from his prior experience as an Army officer, as well as his training in psychology and leadership to contribute to the education and professional development of cadets at VMI.

Dr. Sabrina S. Laroussi is an professor of Spanish at Virginia Military Institute where she teaches courses on Spanish and Latin American literature, cultures and film, in addition to Spanish language courses. Before coming to VMI, she was a visiting assistant professor at the College of Charleston and received her degrees at the Université d’Alger in Algeria (BA), Universidad de Alcalá in Madrid (MA) and Texas Tech University (MA and Ph.D.). 

At VMI, she co-directs La mesa de español with Col. Bulger-Barnett and the summer study abroad program in Alcalá de Henares (Madrid). She also serves as the chapter adviser for the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, Sigma Delta Pi, and co-adviser for VMI Building Bridges Club. 

Academic Research and Teaching Interests

• 20^th – 21^st Century Peninsular and Latin American Literature and Culture
• Contemporary Spanish-Language Film
• Literary Theories of the Grotesque
• Cultural Ramifications of Drug Trafficking in Colombia, Mexico, and Galicia
• Metafiction and Intertextuality in Literature and Film
• Representation of Death and Violence in Contemporary Hispanic Narrative

Courses Taught at VMI

• SP101: Elementary Spanish I
• SP102: Elementary Spanish II
• SP201: Intermediate Spanish I
• SP202: Intermediate Spanish II    
• SP303WX: Spanish Composition and Conversation (content developed)
• SP305: Survey of Spanish Literature I
• ML311: Internship in Spanish
• SP312: Culture and Civilization of Spain
• SP313: Advanced Spanish Grammar
• SP322: Hispanic Cinema (content developed)
• SP426: Contemporary Spanish Literature I
• SP424: Narcos, Hitmen and Religion. Drug Trafficking Culture in Colombian Literature and Media (course developed)
• SP450: Modern Language Capstone Course 
• “The Narco as Neo-cultural and Transatlantic Model. Literary, Audiovisual and Artistic Critical Approaches” (2020, content developed)
• “Self-Reflection in Contemporary Hispanic Fiction and Film” (2022, content developed)
• SP481: Survey of Spanish Culture and Society (course developed, taught in Spain)
• ML498 & ML499: Reading and Writing for the Honors Thesis in Modern Languages and Cultures
• Cadet Steven Foster Jr., “Narcos, Sicarios and Narcocorridos: The (De)humanization of Mexican Drug Trafficking Figureheads in Media,” 2017- 2018
• Cadet Christopher Soo, “Narco Souvenirs for Sale: The Fight Against the Touristification of Colombia’s Narco Heritage,” 2021- 2022

Publications:

Co-Edited Volumes

• With Yasmina Romero Morales (Universidad de La Laguna) and Luca Cerullo (Università degli Studi di Palermo). Reescrituras del paradigma. Alteridad y género en el mundo literario hispánico. SÍLEX Ediciones, fall 2022. Reviewed in Impossibilia. Revista Internacional de Estudios Literarios
• With Iana Konstantonova (Southern Virginia University). Crear entre mundos: nuevas tendencias en la metaficción española. Colección Diálogos peninsulares, Albatros Ediciones, fall 2021. Reviewed in Bulletin of Hispanic Studies, Hispania, Hispanófila, Symposium: A Quarterly Journal in Modern Literatures, Romance Quarterly

Book Chapters

• “Cuando Almodóvar desnuda a Pedro y viceversa: la meta(auto)ficción en Dolor y gloria.” Crear entre mundos: nuevas tendencias en la metaficción española. Edited by Iana Konstantinova and Sabrina S. Laroussi. Diálogos peninsulares, Albatros Ediciones, 2021, pp. 38-50. 
• “Violencia y blasfemia: lo grotesco en La Virgen de los sicarios y Rosario Tijeras.” Perspectivas sobre el género negro hispano. Edited by Jorge Zamora and Rodrigo Pereyra. Editorial Libros Medio Siglo, 2017, pp. 119-35.

Articles

• “¿Víctima o heroína? El modus vivendi y operandi de Rosario Tijeras.” The SCOLAS Journal, Southwest Council of Latin American Studies, vol. 4, 2022, pp. 79-90. (published in 2023)
• “Entre lo católico y lo narco: una lectura grotesca de María, llena eres de gracia.” Bulletin of Hispanic Studies, vol. 98, no. 10, 2021, pp. 1031-40.
• “Contigo en la distancia: Colombia, Galicia y el negocio narco entre la realidad y la ficción, entre el humor y el dramatismo.” Studies in Latin American Popular Culture, vol. 39, 2021, pp. 120-33. 
• “Nacho Carretero y Fariña. La historia de un periodismo de investigación que tumbó el tabú del narco en Galicia.” Letras Hispanas, vol. 16, 2020, pp. 92-101.
• “Dicotomía grotesca de la mujer en la narconovela colombiana: ¿virgen o puta?” Forum, vol. XXII, 2015, pp. 65-84.
• “Destino fatídico y tremendismo gore: la monstruosidad de Pascual en La familia de Pascual Duarte.” Hispanet Journal, vol. 5, April 2012, pp. 1-20.

Book Reviews

• James H. Creechan. Drug Wars and Covert Netherworlds, Journal of Strategic Security, vol. 15, no. 2, 2022, pp. 89-93.
• Aldona Bialowas Pobutsky. Pablo Escobar and Colombian Narcoculture. Hispanófila, vol. 191, 2021, pp. 217-18. 
• Nilda Garcia. Mexico’s Drug War and Criminal Networks. Journal of Strategic Security, vol. 13, no. 3, 2020, pp. 157-59. 
• Kristine Vanden Berghe. Narcos y sicarios en la ciudad letrada. Letras Hispanas, vol. 15, 2019, pp. 151-52.
• Oswaldo Zavala. Los cárteles no existen. Narcotráfico y cultura en México. Dura. Revista de literatura criminal hispana, no. 1, 2019, pp. 178-81. 
• Guadalupe Pérez-Anzaldo. El espectáculo de la violencia en el cine mexicano del siglo XXI. Middle Atlantic Review of Latin American Studies, vol. 2, no. 1, 2018, pp. 164-65.
• Andrea F. Castro, Alejandro Herrero-Olaizola, and Chloe Rutter-Jensen, eds. Territories of Conflict. Studies in Latin American Popular Culture, vol. 36, 2018, pp. 190-92.

Adjunct Professor
Computer and Information Sciences

Professor
Director of Cyber Defense Lab

Adjunct Professor
Physics and Astronomy

Professor
Biology

Curriculum Vitae

Expertise: Molecular biology, genetics, and DNA biogeography of the distribution of noxious microorganisms

Faculty Positions:

• UMass Dartmouth, Biology Department, 2005-2009
  Longwood University, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, 2009-2010
  Virginia Military Institute, 2010-Present
• NASA Exobiology Post-Doctoral Fellow, Harvard University, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, 2003-200

Mr. Chip Lilly graduated with an English/Education degree from Berea College, KY.  He enlisted as a Cavalry Scout in 1998 and has served in the US Army Reserves until the present.  Holds the rank of Sergeant First Class.   Upon completing PLDC, then SGT Lilly attended US Army Drill Sergeant School in 2002 and began training initial recruits at Basic Combat Training at Ft. Knox, KY and Ft Jackson, SC.  After graduating from Combat Leaders Course at Ft Benning Mr. Lilly was deployed to Tal Afar, Iraq taking part in Operation Restoring Rights as a member of an embedded Military Transition Team with 3/1/3 Iraqi Army.  In 2008 he deployed to Afghanistan to train BN sized Afghan Army elements as senior NCO of another embedded training team.  He reclassified as 11B Infantryman.  In 2012 he was selected and deployed to Saudi Arabia to train Facility Security Forces for the Department of State and CENTCOM.

Among Mr. Lilly’s awards and decorations is the Bronze Star Medal. Meritorious Service Medal, Combat Action Badge, and Drill Sergeant Badge.

Since 2009 Mr. Lilly has been a DOD contractor and Military Science Instructor at Fordham University and Marist College, NY, University of Virginia and Liberty University and currently at VMI.  He and his wife, Tammy own Lilly Title and settlement. They have three children, Isaac, Kerstin and Alexandra and seven grandchildren.       

Dr. Lu is an Assistant Professor of Chinese at Virginia Military Institute. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Chinese Linguistics. Her research interests include teaching Chinese as a second language, prosody, interface between language and music, and second language acquisition. Before joining VMI, Dr. Lu taught at Wake Forest University, College of William and Mary, University of Iowa, and Luther College. At VMI, she teaches all levels of Chinese language classes and culture classes.

Professor
Economics & Business

Raymond MacDermott CV

Published Work

• Trade Agreements and the Environment: An Industry-Level Study for NAFTA
  Global Economy Journal, 2006
• Regional Trade Agreements and Foreign Direct Investment
  North American Journal of Economics and Finance, 2006
• Evidence Linking Exchange Rates and Foreign Direct Investment
  International Trade Journal, 2008
• Grade Dropping in Intermediate Macroeconomics
  forthcoming in the New York Economic Review

Working Papers

• A Panel Study of the Pollution-Haven Hypothesis, revise and resubmit at the Global Economy Journal
• Grade Dropping, Strategic Behavior, and Student Satisficing, under review at the Journal of Financial Education
• A Panel Study of Foreign Direct Investment and Trade
• Student Perceptions of Current and Ideal Learning and Grade Orientations in Economics Courses, with Lester Hadsell and Mary Ellen Mallia
• Immigration and Foreign Direct Investment with James Bang
• The Effects of the EMU on FDI through the Elimination of Exchange Rate Volatility
• The Effect of Natural Disaster on International Trade

Book Chapters

• The Environment and Trade, with Atin Basu and James Bang
• Environmental regulations and the flow of FDI: The Pollution Haven Hypothesis, Foreign Direct Investment, forthcoming

Bruce N. MacDonald CV

Adjunct Professor
Business and Economics

Associate Professor
Biology

Dr. Mary Beth Manjerovic is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at the Virginia Military Institute. She earned a PhD in Conservation Biology from the University of Central Florida, a MS in Wildlife and Fisheries Resource Management from West Virginia University, and a BS in Zoology from the University of Maine. Dr. Manjerovic’s research focuses on the ecology of infectious diseases, wildlife health, and conservation management of mammals and amphibians. Her work integrates field ecology, molecular genetics, and physiological approaches to address applied questions related to zoonotic disease surveillance, wildlife ecology, and threats to wildlife such as chronic wasting disease in deer and white-nose syndrome in bats.

Dr. Manjerovic has extensive experience collaborating with federal, state, tribal, and nonprofit partners to develop science-based management and conservation strategies. She has published widely in peer-reviewed journals and has secured competitive funding to support research, student mentorship, and innovative teaching initiatives. At VMI, she teaches courses across the biology curriculum, including General Biology, Animal Behavior, and Conservation Biology, and coordinates undergraduate research experiences. She is deeply committed to student mentorship, regularly supervising independent research and supporting cadet scholarship through honors, summer research, and conference presentations.

Rebekah L. Martin, Ph.D., is a dedicated civil engineer with a passion for education and research. She earned her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech in 2020 after completing her BS at Bucknell University in 2013.

Currently an Assistant Professor at VMI, Rebekah's academic journey started as a Research and Teaching Assistant at Virginia Tech, studying the growth of waterborne pathogens in building plumbing systems. She is a certified Engineer in Training and an active member of many professional engineering organizations.

Rebekah's contributions have earned her numerous honors, including the Outstanding PhD Award from the University Council on Water Resources for her dissertation work. Her commitment to service extends beyond academia, with roles as an Assistant Moderator at WaterJAM and a Scholarship Reviewer for the Society of Women Engineers. She is a prolific author and presenter, sharing her insights on engineering and water resources through various publications and conferences. Rebekah continues her professional development through programs like the Academic Leadership for Women in Engineering and the Master Class on Effective Teaching.

Rebekah Martin’s career exemplifies her dedication to advancing the field of civil and environmental engineering while fostering the growth of future engineers through teaching and mentorship.

Rebekah L. Martin Resume

Jeff Matteson joined VMI in August of 1998 after nine years with Rockbridge County Schools. The last 3 years as a Computer Technician.

Jeff has over 13 years troubleshooting, repairing, and installing computers. He has received his A+ certification.

Jeff’s major accomplishments include network wiring for the county schools, acquiring new pc computer standard for VMI, and hardware recommendations for Faculty and Staff. On the cadet side, he has established computer recommendations and the cadet computer pamphlet.

In July 2012 Jeff took over as Network Technician.

Jeff lives in Lexington with his wife Corey and their two sons.

Associate Professor
Chemistry

Specialty: Biochemistry & Enzymology

Dr. McCain is a biochemist with research interests in the study of enzymes. His research involves studying the detailed mechanisms of enzymes using techniques such as enzyme kinetic assays, UV-Vis spectrometry, bacterial transformation, protein expression and purification, chromatography, and site-directed mutagenesis. Prior to coming to VMI, Dr. McCain did his thesis research in the laboratory of Zhong-Yin Zhang at Albert Einstein College of Medicine where he studied the mechanisms of protein phosphatases.

Col. Christina McDonald joined the VMI faculty as the first Institute Director of Writing in 2002. In addition to teaching courses in first-year and advanced composition, the history of rhetoric, and the rhetorics of particular discourse communities, she is responsible for ensuring the integrity of writing instruction in the disciplines across Post to ensure that VMI graduates are able to communicate effectively for a variety of occasions and purposes.

For nine years before coming to VMI, Col. McDonald taught undergraduate and graduate courses in both literature and writing at James Madison University, where she served as director of composition and founding head of the Writing Program, an independent academic unit in the College of Arts and Letters. An honors graduate of Rollins College, she earned her Ph.D. in English, with a specialization in rhetoric and composition studies, at Texas Christian University under the mentorship of Gary Tate, Winifred Bryan Horner, and Jim Corder. 

Col. McDonald organizes VMI’s nationally recognized Spilman Symposium on Issues in Teaching Writing, and she has become a popular invited speaker on using writing to promote reflective learning, particularly in electronic environments. Her publications include two books, Teaching Writing: Landmarks and Horizons (Southern Illinois University Press, 2002) and Teaching Composition in the 1990s: Sites of Contention(Harper Collins, 1994).

Professor
English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies

Cadet-initiated Research on rhetorical analysis and application:

• Cadet Michelle McCusker ’14 (English major), Institute Honors Thesis, “Why Aren’t We All Healthy? A Rhetorical Analysis of the Dominant Narrative of Health,” (in-progress). 
• Cadet Kylen Schmidt ’15 (English major), Summer Undergraduate Research Project, “An Ethnographic Study of Cowboy Culture in the American West,” a rhetorical study of how the language, literature, art, and music of cowboys intersected and influenced one another and contributed to the identity of the American West and the iconic figure of the cowboy, Summer 2013. 
• Cadet Michelle McCusker ’14 (English major), Summer Undergraduate Research Project: “Rhetoric, Community, Advocacy: Making the Case for a System of Sustainable Health Care in Rockbridge County,” the first research with a service-learning orientation to be funded by V-CUR, culminating in a published strategic plan for the Rockbridge Area Health Needs Assessment, Summer 2012.
• Cadet Cabell Willis ’14 (History major with writing minor), Summer Undergraduate Research Project. Archival research and an ethnographic study, “Writing Under Cover: The Literacy Practices of VMI Cadets,” Summer 2012. 
• Cadet Matthew Waalkes ’13 (Biology major with writing minor), Independent Study project, a written and visual documentary of VMI’s of Engineers Without Borders chapter’s inaugural trip to Bolivia, Fall 2011.
• Cadet Alex Houser ’10 (Biology major with writing minor), Independent Study project, The Rhetoric of Medicine, culminating in a research paper, “Alternative Medicine in America,” Spring 2010. 
• Cadet Josh Kenny ’09 (Biology major with writing minor) and Cadet Alex Snyder (Chemistry major with writing minor), joint Independent Study project, Rhetoric and Scientific Discourse, Spring 2009.
• Cadet Dominik Wermus ’10 (Physics major with writing minor), Independent Study project. Contemporary Rhetoric and Physics, which led to a 10-page research paper, “Scientific Rhetoric in the Modern World,” Fall 2009.
• Cadet Will Flathers ’08 (Electrical Engineering major with writing minor), Independent Study in Reading Classical Rhetoricians: Plato, Aristotle, and Cicero, Spring 2008. 
• Cadet Will Flathers ’08 (Electrical Engineering major with writing minor), Independent Study project, “Bombs Away! Portrait of a World War II Pilot.” A research-based nonfiction narrative account of George William Flathers’s wartime service as a B-17 pilot, from 1942 to 1944, Fall 2007.
• Cadet John Terminato ’07 (History major with writing minor), Institute Honors Thesis, “‘Testing’ the Goals of Education: One Student at a Time—A Case Study of the No Child Left Behind Act’s Effects on the Future of Education in Pennsylvania.”
• Cadet Matthew Sharpe ‘04 (Computer Science major with writing minor, Class of 2004), Institute Honors Thesis, “The Role of Rhetorical Studies in Software Engineering and Human Computer Interaction.”

Col. McDonald received the VMI Distinguished Teaching Award in 2006 and was elected as a faculty initiate to the VMI Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa in 2010. In 2011, the Superintendent presented her with the VMI Meritorious Service Medal.

Colonel Rob McDonald joined the VMI faculty in 1992. While serving as Associate Dean of the Faculty since 2001, he has continued to teach as a professor of English and fine arts. Recent offerings include Southern literature, creative writing (nonfiction), and a special seminar—developed in collaboration with cadets—titled Text + Image.

Colonel McDonald is a widely published scholar whose books include Reading Erskine Caldwell: New Essays; Teaching Writing: Landmarks and Horizons (ed. with Christina Russell McDonald); Southern Women Playwrights: New Essays in Literary History and Criticism (edited with Linda Rohrer Paige); Erskine Caldwell: Selected Letters, 1929-1955; The Critical Response to Erskine Caldwell; and Teaching Composition in the 90s: Sites of Contention (edited with Christina G. Russell). From 2005-2015, he served as editor of of the journal Studies in American Culture.

For more than a decade, Colonel McDonald has been exploring photography as a creative extension of his academic interests in the literature and culture of the South. His work has been featured in numerous exhibitions and book publications.

Colonel McDonald’s photographs are in the collection of numerous private and public collections, including the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth. In 2013, he became the Institute’s first recipient of a fellowship from the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. In 2019, he received a professional fellowship from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

VMI has recognized Colonel McDonald with several awards, including the Thomas Jefferson Teaching Award (1997), the Matthew Fontaine Maury Award for Excellence in Faculty Research (1998), the VMI Distinguished Teaching Award (2001), and the Wilbur S. Hinman, Jr. Award for Undergraduate Research (2009 and 2010). 

In 2007, the Superintendent presented Colonel McDonald with the VMI Achievement Medal in recognition of his contributions to the Institute.

SFC Moses McFadden Jr. (Ret) is a newly assigned Supply Technician with the AROTC. He served in the Army as a Supply Sergeant for 20 years and retired in 2006. He deployed to Operation Desert Storm/Shield and was assigned to numerous duty assignments during his military career. His last assignment was in Guam where he served as a Logistic Advisor to the Guam National Guard and Reserve units.

Supply Technician
Military Science and Leadership

Professor
Mechanical Engineering

Col. Emily Miller is the Navas-Read Professor of English Literature and Head of the Department of English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies. She taught at Wake Forest University and Washington and Lee University, where she directed the Writing Center, before joining the VMI faculty in 1988.

After earning both a B.A. and an M.A. at the College of William and Mary, Col. Miller attended the University of Virginia, where she completed her doctorate in English. During her thirty five years at Virginia Military Institute, she has taught Shakespeare as well as British Literature and freshman writing, among other subjects. One of her most popular courses has been an Institute Honors Seminar titled “Power and Politics in Shakespeare.” She has regularly arranged for cadets from her Shakespeare courses to present their papers at professional conferences. Her own research has focused on Shakespeare, assessment, and curricular development.

The first woman appointed to be a department head at VMI, Col. Miller has served in this capacity since 1992. During the last decade, her department implemented a new interdisciplinary English major. While national trends have shown sharp declines in the number of English majors, VMI’s English major is thriving. Col. Miller, along with colleagues, has made numerous presentations at national conferences on the curricular design and ongoing development of this program.

In addition to being a member of VMI’s Academic Board, she has served on many Institute committees, e.g., the Academic Planning and Review Committee, the Professorships and Chairs Selection Committee, the Academic Policy Committee, SACS Self-Study Committees, the Institute Honors Committee, the Core Curriculum Oversight Committee, Dean and Superintendent Search Committees, and the Institute Planning Committee.

Col. Miller’s contributions to the Institute have been recognized with the 2007 Virginia Military Institute Achievement Medal, the 2018 Jackson-Hope Prize for Excellence in Academic Advancement, and the 2021 Virginia Military Institute Meritorious Service Award.

MENTORED STUDENT PROJECTS  2018-22

Delaney, John. “A Comic Community in Conflict: The Struggle Between Comedy and Seriousness in William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice.” 2022 Honors Thesis.

Butler, Colin, “Shakespeare’s Henry V: Honor Is What You Put In; Honor Is What You Put Out.” Conference of the South Atlantic Modern Language Association, Virtual, November 2021.

Diller, Zachary, “Hamlet and Early Modern Attitudes towards Suicide.” Conference of the South Atlantic Modern Language Association, Virtual, November 2021.

Hamner, Daniel, Henry V and the Education of Women. Conference of the South Atlantic Modern Language Association, Virtual, November 2021.

Rezendes, Rhett, “Ophelia’s Death and Early Modern Attitudes towards Suicide.” Conference of the South Atlantic Modern Language Association, Virtual, November 2021.

Wegrzyn, Thaddeus,“Henry IV and Royal Rebellions in Early Modern England.” Conference of the South Atlantic Modern Language Association, Virtual, November 2021.

Delaney, John, “Portia’s Challenge to Early Modern Views of Women in The Merchant of  Venice.” Conference of the South Atlantic Modern Language Association, Virtual, November 2020.

Hoffman, Michael, “Henry V as the Ideal Military Leader in Early Modern Culture.” Conference of the South Atlantic Modern Language Association, Virtual, November 2020.

McKee, Brendan, “Shylock and Early Modern Views of Jews.” Conference of the South Atlantic Modern Language Association, Virtual, November 2020.

Gummo, Joseph, “Strong Women in Shakespeare’s Plays: Challenging and Reflecting Early Modern Views.” Conference of the American/Popular Association in the South,    Wilmington, NC, September 2019.

Hughes, Joseph, “Suicide in Hamlet.” Conference of the American/Popular Association in the South, Wilmington, NC, September 2019.

Smilie, Bryant, “Et Tu, Queen Elizabeth?: Fears of Tyranny in 1599 England.” Conference of the American/Popular Association in the South, Wilmington, NC, September 2019.

Wainwright, Nicholas, “Natural Power: How Women Exercised Power against Institutionalized Constraints in Early Modern Theater.” Conference of the American/Popular Association in the South, Wilmington, NC, September 2019.

Wilkinson, Reid, “Melancholy: the True Killer in Hamlet.” Conference of the American/Popular Association in the South, Wilmington, NC, September 2019.

Johnson, Carter, “Wrestling with God: Hamlet and the Divine.” Conference of the American/Popular Culture Association in the South. New Orleans, October 2018.

Worsham, Rives, “Shifting Attitudes of Honor and the Victory of Nationalism in Henry IV, Part One.” Conference of the American/Popular Culture Association in the South. New Orleans, October 2018.

Dr. Moosman earned her Ph.D. in Health Sciences from Northern Illinois University, where her dissertation research examined college students’ dietary patterns and identified key predictors of specific dietary behaviors and intentions to change them. She received her M.S. in Biology from Eastern Kentucky University and B.S. in Biology from University of Rhode Island. She was an NCAA four-year letter winner and co-captain of the University of Rhode Island swimming and diving team and has been a life-long athlete competing in Brazilian jiu jitsu, swimming, triathlon, rowing, field hockey, and soccer. She is a USA Triathlon (USAT) certified coach. Her research interests include developing strategies and promoting behaviors that support improved health and dietary outcomes among young adults.

 Dr. Moosman teaches Wellness Concepts (HPW 105), Basic Swimming Survival (HPW 201), Nutrition & Cardiovascular Health (HPW 306), Swim Fitness (HPW 311), Global Food and Nutrition (HPW 313), Advanced Swimming & Survival (HPW 403), Nutrition (HPW 433), and Snorkeling (Study Abroad; HPW 470).

Professor
Biology

Teaching:  I teach courses ranging from introductory biology to upper level courses such as ecology, vertebrate biology, biostatistics, environmental issues, and tropical marine biology.  Many of my upper-level courses have a strong experiential/field component to provide hands-on learning opportunities and encourage a deeper level of understanding.

Research: Bat Ecology and Conservation  

Publications:

• Moosman, P.R., Jr., E.K. Pody*, D.M. Marsh, and T.J. Brust*. 2023. Differential selection of roosts by Eastern Small-footed Myotis relative to rock structure and microclimate. Journal of Mammalogy https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyad037
• Grilliot, M.E., Tracy, W.A.*, and Moosman, P.R. 2023. Geographic distribution note of little brown skink (Scincella lateralis) in Rockbridge County, Virginia. Herpetological Review 54 (1)
• Alston, J.M., D.A. Keinath, C.K.R. Willis, C.L. Lausen, J.M. O’Keefe, J.D. Tyburec, H.G. Broders, P.R. Moosman, T.C. Carter, C.L. Chambers, E.H. Gillam, K. Geluso, T.J Weller, D.W. Burles, Q.E. Fletcher, K.J.O. Norquay, and J.R. Goheen. 2023. Environmental drivers of body size in North American bats. Functional Ecology 37:1020-1032. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14287
• Reynolds, D.S., K. Shoemaker, S. von Oettingen, S. Najjar, J.P. Veilleux, and P.R. Moosman. 2021. Integrating multiple survey techniques to document a shifting bat community in the wake of white-nose syndrome. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 12:395–411. https://doi.org/10.3996/JFWM-20-043
• Moosman, P.R., Jr., D. Marsh, E.K. Pody, M.P. Dannon, and R.J. Reynolds. 2020. Efficacy of visual surveys for monitoring populations of talus-roosting bats. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 11:1-12. DOI: 10.3996/122019-NAF-002
• Moosman, P.R., Jr., P.R. Anderson, and M.G. Frasier. 2017. Use of rock-crevices in winter by big brown bats and eastern small-footed bats in the Appalachian Ridge and Valley of Virginia. Banisteria 48:9-13.
• Hann, Z.A., M.J. Hosler, and P.R. Moosman, Jr. 2017. Roosting habits of two eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis) in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Northeastern Naturalist, 24.
• Huth, J.K., A. Silvis, P.R. Moosman, Jr., W.M. Ford, and S. Sweeten. 2015. A comparison of survey methods for documenting presence of Myotis leibii (eastern small-footed bats) at roosting areas in western Virginia. Virginia Journal of Science, 66:413-425.
• Moosman, P.R., Jr., D.P. Warner, R.H. Hendren, M.J. Hosler. 2015. Potential for monitoring eastern small-footed bats on talus slopes. Northeastern Naturalist, 22:1-13.
• Moosman, P. R., Jr., J. P. Veilleux, G. W. Pelton, and H. H. Thomas. 2013. Changes in capture rates in a community of bats in New Hampshire during the progression of white-nose syndrome. Northeastern Naturalist, 20:552-558.
• Thomas, H. H., P. R. Moosman, Jr., J. Pierre Veilleux, and J. Holt. 2012. Foods of bats (Family Vespertilionidae) from five sites in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Canadian Field-Naturalist, 126:117-124.
• Moosman, P. R., Jr., H. H. Thomas, and J. P. Veilleux. 2012. Diet of the widespread insectivorous bats Eptesicus fuscus and Myotis lucifugus relative to climate and richness of bat communities. Journal of Mammalogy 92:491-496.
• Austin, K. B., P. R. Moosman, and H. H. Thomas. 2011. Eavesdropping on echolocation: Recording the bat's auditory experience. Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBC, 2011 Annual International Conference of the IEEE, pp.7682-7686, Aug. 30 2011-Sept. 3 2011.
• Sharkey, E. K., A. South, P. R. Moosman, C. K. Cratsley, & S. M. Lewis. 2010. Assessing condition-dependence of male flash signals in Photinus fireflies. Journal of Insect Behavior 23:215-225.
• Moosman, P. R., Jr., C. K. Cratsley, S. D. Lehto, and H. H. Thomas. 2009. Do courtship flashes of fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) serve as aposematic signals to insectivorous bats? Animal Behaviour 78:1019-1025.
• Austin, K. B., H. H. Thomas, P. R. Moosman, Jr., P. Lustig, B. Crepeau, B. Huff, K. Veasna, M. Tatro, & R. Farnsworth. 2009. Capturing the auditory experience of behaving bats: a preliminary study. Proceedings of the International Conference of Computing in Engineering, Science, and Information, pp. 123-126.
• Veilleux, J. P., P. R. Moosman, Jr., D. S. Reynolds, K. A. LaGory, L. J. Walston, Jr. 2009. Observations on summer roosting and foraging behavior of a hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus) in southern New Hampshire. Northeastern Naturalist 16:148-152.
• Veilleux, J. P., H. H. Thomas, and P. R. Moosman, Jr. 2008. Bats of Pisgah State Park, New Hampshire. Northeastern Naturalist 15:25-34.
• Moosman, P. R., Jr., H. H. Thomas, and J. P. Veilleux. 2007. Food habits of eastern small-footed bats (Myotis leibii) in New Hampshire. American Midland Naturalist 158:354-360.
• Moosman, D. L. and P. R. Moosman, Jr. 2006. Subcutaneous movements of visible implant elastomers in wood frogs (Rana sylvatica). Herpetological Review 37:300-301.
• White, J. A., P. R. Moosman, Jr., C. H. Kilgore, and T. L. Best. 2006. First record of the eastern pipistrelle (Pipistrellus subflavus) from southern New Mexico. Southwestern Naturalist 51:420-422.
• Moosman, D. L., and P. R. Moosman, Jr. 2005. Natural History Note: Bufo americanus, Rana catesbeiana, Microhabitat. Herpetological Review 36:298.
• Moosman, P. R., Jr., D. L. Moosman, and J. C. Pillow. 2005. Geographic distribution. Ambystoma talpoideum (mole salamander). Herpetological Review 36:198.
• Williams, M. I., R. D. Birkhead, P. R. Moosman, Jr., and S. M. Boback. 2004. Agkistrodon piscivorus (eastern cottonmouth) diet. Herpetological Review 35:271-272.
• Palmer-Ball, B., Jr. and P. R. Moosman, Jr. 2002. Some notes from the 2001 breeding season. The Kentucky Warbler 78.

VMI's 11th deputy superintendent for academics and dean of the faculty is Brig. Gen. Robert "Bob" Moreschi. He has served in this capacity since July 2018, having previously been a member of the faculty since 2002 and head of the Department of Economics and Business (ECBU) from 2013 to 2018.

As VMI's chief academic officer, he oversees curriculum, majors, support services, governance, faculty, staff, and all things relating to the academic program.

After graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1988 with a Ph.D. in economics, Moreschi steadily climbed the corporate ladder at several Chicago-based investment and money management firms for 14 years. For 13 of those years, he was also an adjunct professor, teaching finance to undergraduate and MBA students.

In 2002, because of his love of teaching, he embarked on a career change, joining VMI's faculty as an associate professor of finance, became a full professor in 2007 and was tenured in 2008. In 2013, he was appointed head of VMI's ECBU department. As department head, he led the program's reaffirmation of accreditation with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) – an impressive feat for a college of VMI's size, as less than 6% of all AACSB accredited schools are undergraduate degree-granting only institutions.

In 2016, Moreschi was named the John and Jane Roberts Institute Professor in Free Enterprise Business. In 2018, he was awarded the Nanette and Thomas Watjen 1976 Chair in Economics and Business. During his years on the faculty, he served on numerous Institute and department committees, including the Core Curriculum Oversight Committee, the Chairs and Professorships Committee, and was the first chair of the Discrimination Appeals Committee. He was also the faculty representative to the VMI Foundation Board of Trustees and for 16 years served as faculty advisor to the Cadet Investment Group.

Moreschi is a contributing member of two chief academic officer groups: The Virginia College/University Provosts and the Southern Conference Provosts. An active member of the community and his profession, Moreschi is an elder of the Lexington Presbyterian Church and formerly served on the Audit and Oversight Committee at the Kendal at Lexington retirement community and on the board of the Lexington/Rockbridge United Way. He served as President and member of the Board of Directors of the Academy of Financial Services (AFS), an international organization of academics and practitioners interested in financial planning research and education, and for many years since joining VMI actively consulted to financial and investment firms.

Professor
Mechanical Engineering

Curriculum Vitae

Publications:

• Nell, W. W., "Design Considerations for a Large Trebuchet", Timber Framing, 44, June 1997.

Charles S. Luck, Jr., ’20 Institute Professor in Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering

Col. Newhouse came to the Virginia Military Institute in 2008 after teaching three years at Texas Tech University.  Before teaching at TTU, he received his Ph.D. at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 2005.  His dissertation work focused on developing a better way to connect large precast bridge girders to improve their long-term durability.  The work lead to a new state standard.

From 1994 to 2002, Col. Newhouse worked for MMM Design Group in Norfolk, VA, as a consulting structural engineer where he designed bridges, buildings, and wharves.  He also performed over 280 NBIS and PONTIS bridge inspections.  He was instrumental in the design of a 3700-foot section of bridge structure for the Pinner’s Point Interchange Project in Portsmouth, VA, and designed an innovative ring-whale structure that allowed the contractor to construct a large intake structure without any interference from struts.

At VMI, Col. Newhouse has served as an assistant officer in charge of barracks and class advisor for the class of 2016. He currently serves as the Dean’s Representative for Permits and Calendars and the Deputy Department Head.  In the CEE department, he served as the ASCE Student Chapter Advisor for eight years.  Col. Newhouse is also an officer in the American Society of Engineering Educator’s Southeast Section and is an ExCEEd graduate.

Col. Newhouse was married in 1994 and obtained his PE license in 1997.  He has two kids, Benjamin and Lydia.

Area of Expertise

Col. Newhouse is a structural engineer specializing in the design of concrete and prestressed concrete.  He has extensive bridge design and inspection experience.  He has used his design and inspection experience at VMI to help cadets make the connection between academic theory and real-life problem-solving.  This focus has lead him to write several papers for ASEE that focus on ways to improve learning in engineering curricula.  He advocates for cadets to take and pass the FE exam.  He has also written a course pack/textbook for CE 301, “A Baker’s Dozen of Structural Topics Every Civil Engineer Should Know.”

Courses Taught at VMI

CE109/110      CE Fundamentals I and II

CE 121L         Survey Lab

CE 203            Statics

CE 206            Solid Mechanics

CE 301            Structural Theory

CE 302            Civil Engineering Dynamics

CE 307            Properties of Engineering Materials

CE 327            Reinforced Concrete Design

CE 402            Structural Mechanics

CE 416            Fundamentals of Engineering

CE 423            Structural Steel Design

CE 428            Topics in Structural Design

CE 429            Advanced Structural Theory

CE 443            Independent Research

Courses Taught at TTU

CE 3341          Principles of Structural Design

CE 4343          Design of Concrete Structures

CE 5329          Advanced Bridge Design

CE 5343          Advanced Reinforced Concrete

Courses Taught at VT

CEE 3424       Reinforced Concrete Design

CEE 3684       Civil Engineering Materials

Newhouse Resume

is an art historian who holds a bachelor's degree from Bradley University and a master's degree from Northern Illinois University. She also completed doctoral coursework and was admitted to Ph.D. candidacy in the Department of History of Art at the Ohio State University. Her university-level teaching experience includes lecturing in Introductory Art History course as well as leading seminars in Contemporary, Eastern European, Soviet, and Post-Soviet studies. Natalie’s research focuses on memory, socialism, post-colonialism, activism, globalism, visual rhetoric, national identity, and theories and concepts of space. In addition to working at VMI, she also teaches classes at Southern Virginia University, is a freelance graphic designer, and sits on the Boxerwood Volunteer, Events, and Promotion Board. In her off-hours, she enjoys reading, gardening, and cooking.

Lieutenant Colonel Osborne teaches a two-semester freshmen course on World history as well as advanced courses on British history, European History, World War I, the Indian sub-continent, and sea power. The latter topic comprises two classes being 1588-1905 and 1905 to the present. 

Lieutenant Colonel Osborne’s research focuses primarily on the impact of sea power in war and peace, particularly in the twentieth century. He has published five books, among them being Great Britain’s Economic Blockade of Germany in World War I, 1914-1918 and The Battle of Heligoland Bight that were published in 2004 and 2006 respectively. Most recently he has authored a work on the 1918 Battle of Megiddo published through Helion Publishing in 2023. He has also appeared in eleven encyclopedias, writing on topics in naval warfare, imperialism, and diplomacy. Additionally, he has authored several articles. Currently, Lieutenant Colonel Osborne is working on a book concerning blockade running during the 1861-1865 American Civil War. 

Associate Professor
History

Dr. Wesley B. O'Dell is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of International Studies and Political Science. His research and teaching concentrate on the subject of Great Power rights and responsibilities and its application to military and commercial activity in outer space. He has previously held appointments at the George C. Marshall Foundation and on the faculties of Washington & Lee University and Southern Virginia University.

Dr. O'Dell holds a B.A. in Politics, History, and Classics from Washington & Lee University, an MPhil in Modern European History from the University of Cambridge, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University. He lives in Lexington with his wife, Natalie, and young children.

Tom Panko is Head of Technical Services in Preston Library and an Adjunct Professor of Computer and Information Sciences at the Virginia Military Institute.  He earned a BSBA with an emphasis in Management Information Systems and an MBA from the University of Southern Mississippi.  Tom has over 20 years of experience in the information services and technology industries.  He has worked in the public and private sectors over the course of his career and his professional responsibilities included work as a technician, installer, operator and administrator of multiple IBM minicomputer systems as well as various microcomputer-based systems. Tom has also served as a network administrator on multiple networks and worked as a programmer and systems analyst for many years. 

On a personal level, Tom was a proud artilleryman in the USAR and Virginia National Guard.

Adjunct Professor
Computer and Information Sciences

Instructor
Biology

Gwendolyn G. Parson, Writing Center Consultant, is certified  by the Virginia Department of Education in English/Language Arts.  An educator for twenty years,  Mrs. Parson is proficient in student conferencing and writing instruction. Mrs. Parson earned a BS and MS in Education from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama.

Mrs. Parson joined Virginia Military Institute's Writing Center staff because she enjoys the process of writing. She said, "Although many people do not consider themselves good writers, I seldom meet students who do not like to talk.  I believe that clear written expression begins with critical thinking and oral communication. It is through conferencing that students create concise writing that best communicates their thoughts and beliefs to their intended audience.  It is rewarding to be part of that conversation between the students and the assignment." 

Lt. Col. Timothy J. A. Passmore, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of International Studies and Political Science. Maj. Passmore specializes in international law and organizations, civil conflict management, and U.S. foreign policy. His current research addresses the role of UN peacekeeping in reducing civil war violence and promoting military reform and democratic stability.   

He received a Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of Colorado Boulder, and an MLitt from the University of St. Andrews. He is originally from London, England. 

Website: http://tjapassmore.com

Assistant Professor
Applied Mathematics

Blain Patterson earned his PhD in mathematics education from North Carolina State University in 2019. His research focuses on teacher content knowledge as well as improving teaching and learning in undergraduate mathematics classrooms.

Sarah Ritchey Patterson is currently an assistant professor at the Virginia Military Institute in the Applied Mathematics Department. She earned a B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science from Youngstown State University in 2013 and a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Duke University in 2019. Her research interests include computational fluid dynamics, fluid-structure interaction problems, mathematical modeling, and pedagogy of mathematics and computation science. Sarah actively advises undergraduate research projects and uses this perspective to enhance her teaching.   Sarah is also the assistant director for the Math in Italy Study Abroad Program.

LTC Daren Payne grew up in Stafford County Virginia and began his military career as a cadet at the Virginia Military Institute where he was commissioned into the US Army Corps of Engineers in 1990.

His early assignments included the 44^th Engineer Battalion, 2^nd Infantry Division in Korea; 46^th Engineer Battalion, 1^st Aviation Brigade (Air Assault) at Fort Rucker, AL and service as company commander with the 11^th Engineer Battalion, 24^th Infantry Division and 3^rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, GA.  Following company command he served at Fort Hood, TX and at the US Army Evaluation Center in Alexandria, VA until his deployment to Iraq with US Army Corps of Engineers in support of the 1^st Infantry Division in 2004-2005.

In 2005 LTC Payne returned to the 46^th Engineer Battalion, 20^th Engineer Brigade at Fort Polk, LA where he served as Battalion S-3 and Executive Officer during Hurricane Katrina and Rita recovery and the unit’s deployment to Ramadi, Iraq 2005-2006.  In 2007 he became the Deputy Commander for the USACE Mobile District deploying again to Iraq in 2010.    

In 2011 LTC Payne assumed command of 1/345^th Engineer Training Support Battalion at Fort Jackson, SC and relocated the unit to Camp Atterbury, IN where he oversaw training of over 3,000 soldiers deploying to Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Africa.  His final assignment in the Army was Division Engineer for the 3^rd Infantry Division where he participated in Hurricane Matthew response efforts as well as missions to Afghanistan and Qatar in 2015.

Retiring from the Army in 2017, LTC Payne accepted a position as a project manager in the VMI construction office.  In 2019 he was promoted to Deputy Director of Construction prior to assuming his current role in 2022 as Director for Construction and Engineering. 

LTC Payne’s military awards include the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, the Airborne, Air Assault and Combat Action badges. He completed the Engineer Officer Basic and Advanced Courses as well as the Command and General Staff Officer Course.  He holds a BA from VMI and an MS in Environmental Engineering from the University of Florida and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and licensed Erosion Sediment Control/Storm Water Management Program manager in Virginia.

Madeleine Forrest Ramsey teaches the two-semester U.S. History course and American Constitutional History as well as upper-division classes on Antebellum America, the Civil War and the U.S. South. Her research focuses on the American Civil War in Virginia, studying how the war affected the lives of southerners on the local level. She also examines questions of citizenship during and after the Civil War and the ways in which ex-Confederates fought to regain power and control during Reconstruction. Her chapter, “Occupiers in a Strange Land: A Virginia Community’s Wartime Experiences in 1862,” is part of an edited collection entitled Hundreds of Little Wars: Community, Conflict, and the Real Civil War (LSU Press, 2025). She holds degrees from Randolph-Macon College, Clemson University, and the University of Arkansas. 

Col. Patrick Rhamey is a professor in the Department of International Studies and Political Science and serves on the board of the TransResearch Consortium. 

He received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Arizona.  His publications include work on the behaviors of major and regional powers, comparative regionalism, and the international politics of sport.  He is also the author of Power, Space, and Time: An Empirical Introduction to International Relations, which provides students with a brief introduction to hierarchical theories of international politics as well as frequently used data sources.

Professor
International Studies and Political Science

Dr. Duncan Richter is the Charles S. Luck III ’55 Institute Professor. He teaches courses on ethics, religion, and aesthetics. He received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Virginia in 1995, his M. Phil. in Philosophy from the University College of Swansea in Wales in 1989, and his B.A. in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Oxford University in 1988. 

His research focuses on ethics and the philosophical work of Ludwig Wittgenstein and Elizabeth Anscombe. He is the author of seven books and numerous papers.

His teaching has won him two awards at VMI, and in 2008 he won an Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.

Professor
Civil and Environmental Engineering

Zebulen A. Riley CV

Adjunct Professor
Economics and Business

Professor
Civil and Environmental Engineering

Rogers Resume

Maj. Megan Roosevelt is an Assistant Professor in the Department of International Studies and Political Science. Her research focuses on the intersection of trade policy, special interest politics, and immigration.

She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Colorado Boulder. She has published research on economic determinants of hostility toward migrants and linguistic minorities, as well as on the role of corporate lobbying in setting trade policy in different domestic contexts. She also contributes to a research team affiliated with USAID’s Feed the Future program, analyzing food systems and their resilience to external shocks. Undergraduate course offerings include American Foreign Policy and International Political Economy.

Lieutenant Colonel Michael B. Rose serves as the Education Officer and Aerospace Studies instructor at Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AF ROTC) Detachment 880 at Virginia Military Institute (VMI), Air University, AETC, Lexington, Virginia. In this role, he oversees curriculum development for 315 VMI cadets, ensures recruiting and accessions standards are kept, and instructs and influences highly qualified prospective Air Force officers.

Prior to this assignment, Lt Col Rose was a Branch Chief for AF Tactical Exploitation of National Capabilities (TENCAP) at Schriever AFB, CO where he designed  the Talon PHOENIX program – a stealth aircraft mission planning environment, and helped develop the Talon THRESHER program – the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) premier air domain awareness tool.

Lt Col Rose was also an RQ-4 Evaluator Pilot at Andersen AFB, Guam and Grand Forks AFB, ND. Prior to cross-training into the RQ-4 he was an EC-130H Pilot at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ.

Lt Col Rose has deployed in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, and to the Combined Air and Space Operations Center (CAOC) as a Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) Liaison Officer. He amassed nearly 1200 combat hours on over 200 combat missions. He amassed nearly 300 combat support hours in support of Operation INHERENT RESOLVE and Operation FREEDOM SENTINEL.

Additionally, he served a 2-yr special duty assignment as a Presidential Advance Agent where, in coordination with the Presidential Airlift Group (PAG) and the White House Military Office (WHMO), Lt Col Rose led 15-member staffs to execute airfield plans for worldwide Air Force One travel.

Lt Col Rose also served as the Troop Commander, Officer-in-Charge and Tour Director of the Air Force’s Las Vegas-style performance ensemble ‘Tops in Blue’. In this capacity, he led 37 Airmen on a 10-month, 85K-mile global tour where he led a $9M, 64K lb-equipment, 90-minute show at 71 military installations worldwide, where he was both roadie and band keyboardist.

EDUCATION:

2005 Bachelor of Science degree, Aeronautical Engineering, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado

2006 Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama

2009 Squadron Officer School, by correspondence

2011 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama

2013 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Certification, Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota

2013 Master of Arts, Political Science International Relations, American Military University, Charles Town, West Virginia

2018 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence

ASSIGNMENTS:

1. August 2005 - March 2006, Student, Academy Flight Screening, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado
2. April 2006 - October 2006, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Columbus AFB, Mississippi
3. November 2006 - October 2007, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Corpus Christi Naval Air Station, Texas
4. November 2007 - February 2008, Student, C-130 training, Little Rock AFB, Arkansas
5. March 2008 - May 2012, EC-130H Pilot, Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona
6. June 2012 - August 2012, Student, RQ-4 training, Beale AFB, California
7. September 2012 – October 2016, Chief of Training, RQ-4 Evaluator Pilot, Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota
8. March 2015 – January 2016, Tops in Blue Troop Commander/Tour Director, San Antonio, Texas
9. October 2016 – April 2017, Assistant Director of Operations, RQ-4 Evaluator Pilot, Andersen AFB, Guam
10. April 2017 – June 2020, Branch Chief, AF TENCAP, Schriever AFB, Colorado
11. July 2020 – Present, Aerospace Studies Instructor, AF ROTC Det 880, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, VA

FLIGHT INFORMATION:

Rating: Senior Pilot

Flight Hours: 2465 total, 170 instructor pilot hours, 1184 combat hours, and 293 combat support hours

Aircraft flown: T-37, T-44, C-130E, EC-130H, TC-130H, EQ-4B, RQ-4B

MAJOR DECORATIONS:

Air Medal (9OLC)

Aerial Achievement Medal (2OLC)

Meritorious Service Medal (1 OLC)

Air Force Commendation Medal

Meritorious Unit Award (4OLC)

Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (2OLC)

Combat Readiness Medal (1OLC)

Afghanistan Campaign Medal (2OLC)

National Defense Service Medal

Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal

Global War on Terrorism Service Medal

Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border (4OLC)

Air Force Longevity Service (3OLC)

Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon (Pistol)

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Medal - ISAF

MAJOR AWARDS:

Top Academic Performer, Initial Flight Screening, 2005

Outstanding Contributor, Air and Space Basic Course, 2006

Superior Performer, Operational Readiness Exercise, 2009

Aircrew of the Month, 43 Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron, 2009 (x2)

Military Volunteer of the Quarter, 348 Reconnaissance Squadron, 2013

CGO of the Quarter, 348 Reconnaissance Squadron, 2013

Military Volunteer of the Year, 69 Reconnaissance Group, 2013

Military Volunteer of the Quarter, 69 Reconnaissance Group, 2014

Military Volunteer of the Quarter, Team Grand Forks AFB, 2014

CGO of the Year, 69 Reconnaissance Group, 2014

Hawk Leadership of the Year Award, 69 Reconnaissance Group, 2014

CGO of the Year, Team Grand Forks AFB, (69 RG and 319 ABW) 2014

Military Volunteer of the Year, 69 Reconnaissance Group, 2014

FGO of the Quarter, 69 Reconnaissance Group, 2016

FGO of the Quarter, ACC Det 1, AF TENCAP, 2017

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION:

Second Lieutenant         01 June 2005

First Lieutenant             01 June 2007

Captain                         01 June 2009

Major                            01 Sept 2015

Lieutenant Colonel         01 Mar 2020

Current as of July 2020

Career Path

Katherine Gilliam Ruffin was born and raised in South Boston, Virginia.  She earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Human Services and Psychology in 1981 from Elon University, North Carolina.

Ms. Ruffin worked for a year after completing her degree as a College Admissions Counselor.  She moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1982, pursuing a career in Transportation Sales and marketing covering both National and International Markets.  From 1995-1999 Ms. Ruffin worked for Wachovia Bank in the Trust and Estate Department as an Estate Manager.

Personal

Kathy and her three children, Robert Galloway Ruffin III., Dabney Elizabeth Ruffin, and Katherine Brown Ruffin moved to Lexington, Virginia in 1999.  Ms. Ruffin was the Program Support Technician for VMI Army ROTC from 1999-2004.  In 2004 she was hired by Communication Technologies from 2004-2010 as a contract Human Resource Assistant in the Army Department.  Hired as Administrative Assistant 2010-present.

Administrative Assistant
Military Science and Leadership

Staff Sgt. Joe Schablik was born in Custer, Oklahoma.  He joined the Army in October 2004 and attended AIT (Advanced Individual Training) at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, to be a Human Resources Specialist.

During his career, Staff Sgt. Schablik served as a Joint Military Mail Terminal Postal Team leader, Casualty Liaison Team Leader, Administrative Special Assistant to the United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, United States Forces of Korea Commander, Executive Administrative Assistant to the United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, United States Forces of Korea Commander, Executive Administrative Assistant to the Commander, Deputy Chief of Staff Operations and Intelligence Administrative Assistant, Task Force Battalion S1 NCOIC, Battalion S1 and Operations NCOIC, and Army ROTC instructor.  He deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Staff Sgt. Schablik has been assigned to the following units: 19th Adjutant General Theater Support Command, South Korea, 8th Army Troop Command, South Korea, 82nd Adjutant General Personnel Service Battalion, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, U.S. Forces Korea, 8th Army Support Element, South Korea, American Forces North, NATO, Mons Belgium, 2nd Infantry Division, Combined Division, South Korea, Joint Communication Support Element, Tampa, Florida. He is currently assigned as a Military Science IV Instructor for the Army ROTC department at the Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Virginia.

Staff Sgt. Schablik's military and civilian education includes the Cadre Faculty Development Course, Combat Lifesaver Course, Master Educator Course, Unit Prevention Leader, Basic Combatives Course, Tactical Combatives Course, Advanced Leaders Course, Basic Leaders Course, Manager Development Course, Supervisor Development Course, and the Human Resources Management Course. 

Staff Sgt. Schablik was selected as the NCO of the month for the AFNorth Battalion at Mons, Belgium in 2013.  His awards and decorations include the Joint Service Commendation Medal (3OLC), Joint Service Achievement Medal (1OLC), AAM (1OLC), AGCM (5th award), NDSM, ACM-CS, GWTSM, NOPDR, ASR, OSR, NATOMDL, EXW-NCDI and DMB-DWV.

Dr. Schroepfer earned his B.A. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from the University of California at Berkeley and his Ph.D. in Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures from the University of Texas at Austin. He has taught all levels of Arabic courses offered at VMI. His research revolves around Arabic dialectology and sociolinguistics in Arabic-speaking communities, with a particular interest in Egypt. He is an author of the book A Grammar of Arabic (Routledge). His articles have been published in University of Pennsylvania Working Papers in Linguistics, International Journal of Arabic Linguistics, Die Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morganlandes, The Semitic Languages (Routledge), and Arabic Dialectology: Methodology and Field Work (Harrassowitz).

I teach advanced courses on the U.S.—Mexico Borderlands and Latin America. My scholarly work primarily focuses on the interplay between race, gender, and sexuality on the northern region of the Spanish Empire, present-day Texas and Northern Mexico. My current book project, Forbidden Affairs: Sexual Deviance in the Spanish Texas-Coahuila Borderlands (under contract with Texas Tech University Press) investigates the multitude of ways colonial officials and community members responded to “illicit” sexual matters.

Capt. Michael J. Sebastino is VMI’s associate dean for academic administration and planning. From 2003 to 2009, Sebastino was the Institute’s grants, contracts, and intellectual property administrator.  In this position, he established strong working relationships with state and federal agencies, the VMI Foundation, and faculty and staff across post. He supported the development of the undergraduate research initiative and played a key role in organizing the academic program’s funding requests and in reporting to the Jackson-Hope Board of Overseers.

Sebastino holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from The Citadel and a master of business administration degree from Old Dominion University. Prior to his arrival at VMI, he worked as a licensing associate at Brookhaven National Laboratory, and he is a retired, commissioned officer who served for 30 years in both the active and reserve components of the U.S. Navy.

Professor
Economics & Business

Curriculum Vitae

Elise Sheffield has been a part-time member of the Writing Center team for thirteen years. A Rockbridge County native, she holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Brown University, a master’s degree in theology, and a second master's in conservation biology from Miami (OH) University. Previously a college instructor of composition and literature, she is also the education director for Boxerwood Nature Center just outside Lexington.  Over the past decade, she has secured over $2 million in grants for area non-profits as a result of her ability to write clear and convincing prose. “To me, good writing reflects good thinking and is itself an act of leadership,” says Elise, whose favorite part about her job is helping cadets to develop those same life-long skills.   

Mohammed Shihab obtained his M.A. from the University of Virginia (Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic Language and Culture) and his B.A. in English Language and Linguists from the University of Baghdad. He also holds an associate degree in Civil Engineering from Institute of Technology in Baghdad.

Before coming to VMI in fall 2015, Mr. Shihab taught Arabic language and culture at UVA, where he developed a course entitled “The Art of Arabic Calligraphy” based on his specialty as an Arabic calligrapher. He has taught a variety of topics, including the Arabic language (all levels), Arabic media, and Arabic societies. Moreover, he is a native Arabic speaker and is able to communicate in more than six dialects (Iraqi, Egyptian, Syrian, Lebanese, most dialects of Arab Gulf countries as well as Modern Standard Arabic). He has experience tutoring and working with upper-level college and post-graduate students from the Defense Language Institute (DLI) and the Department of State.

Mr. Shihab has more than five years of experience in both written and oral, written translation (documents, literary works, conferences, etc.), and has many research interests, including Middle East Affairs, troubled societies in the Middle East and related problems, and Arabic language and poetry.

Instructor
Modern Languages and Cultures

Instructor
English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies

Associate Professor
Economics and Business

Jeffrey S. Smith CV

Publications:

• "Historical Performance of Private Equity: Cross-Country Evidence," in Private Equity: Opportunities and Risks. Oxford University Press, 2015.
• "Retirement Pay and Officer Retention," with Jim West, NBER Working Paper #18502, published November 2012
• "The Return Characteristics of Diamonds," with Ken Small and Erika Small, Journal of Investing, 22(1), pp 132-143, 2013
• "An Examination of Diamonds as an Alternative Asset Class: Do They Have What It Takes to Make a Portfolio Sparkle?" The Journal of Wealth Management, 15(3), pp 67-74, 2012 (with Ken Small and Erika Small)
• "New Information Regarding Consumption and Wealth Asymmetries," Academy of Economics and Finance Journal, 2011 vol 2. (with Mark Tuttle).
• "Weighing the Risks - Are Exchange Traded Notes Right for Your Clients?" Journal of Financial Planning, October 2010, pp 56 - 65, (with Ken Small).
• "Warfare, Civil Conflict, and the Spatial Impacts on Domestic Investment: Evidence from South America, 1950 - 2000," Peace Economics, Peace Science and Public Policy, 15:1, 2009, pp 1 - 12, (with Mike Hicks.)
• "Disaggregated Business Fixed Investment - The Response of Structures and Equipment to Macroeconomic Fluctuations and Policies," Midwestern Business & Economic Review, Fall 2008, (with Mark Tuttle.)
• "Does Defense Spending Really Promote Aggregate Output in the U.S.?" Defense and Peace Economics, 19:6, 2008, pp 435 - 447, (with Mark Tuttle.)
• "A Market Reaction to DoD Contract Delay - Does the Market Reward Poor Performance?" Review of Financial Economics, 17:1, 2008, (with Capt Robert Carden and Major Sonia Leach.)
• "The Hot Stock Tip from Debbie: Implications for Market Efficiency," Journal of Behavioral Finance, 8:4, 2007, (with Ken Small.)
  "Ownership Structure and Golden Parachutes: Evidence of Credible Commitment or Incentive Alignment," Journal of Economics and Finance, 31:3, 2007, (with Ken Small.)
• "People vs. Prairie Chickens Revisited: Stated Preference with Explicit Non-Market Tradeoffs," Defense and Peace Economics, 18:3, 2007, pp 223 - 244, (with Mike McKee.)

In the fall of 2013, Mattie Quesenberry Smith joined the Department of English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies at VMI where she teaches Introduction to Writing and Rhetoric I & II.

In December 2024, Smith earned a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VPI & SU) where she concentrated on ways to design integrative STEM instruction that supports learning transfer across disciplines and practices. Smith is enthusiastic about integrating STEM and humanistic studies instruction to support critical thinking in hands-on design-based technology and engineering classrooms. Her qualitative research explores ways to instrument critical reflective writing to identify, describe, and support design-based critical reflection within the iterative phases of technology and engineering design thinking necessary for project-based learning.

Smith is a poet, and her poems have appeared in Poetry X Hunger, The Timberline Review, Phi Kappa Phi Forum Magazine, and New Verse Review. Her poems also appear in several anthologies, such as Tupelo Press’s 30/30 Anthology, Poems from the Bridgewater International Poetry Festival, and Elvis in Oz. Finishing Line Press distributes her chapbook Mother Chaos: Under Electric Light.

In November 2024, Governor Glenn Youngkin appointed Smith Virginia’s Poet Laureate, and she serves the Commonwealth in that role through June 2026. On July 31, 2025, the Academy of American Poets awarded Smith an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship, 2025-2026, which funds “Perseverance and Resilience: Supporting Veterans through Poetry,” her proposed veterans poetry project (VPP). This statewide program engages and supports veterans through a poetry contest, ten regional poetry workshops in Virginia, two public poetry readings, and an anthology publication opportunity for veterans’ poetry and artwork engendered by the contest, workshops, and a call for veterans’ art. 

As a screenwriter, Smith shares awards with husband and colleague, Douglas N. Smith, Instructor of the Fundamentals of Public Speaking at VMI. Their documentary film, Between Two Fires, garnered a CINE Eagle and Best Documentary of the Show in the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also awarded this documentary film a Bronze Oscar for excellence in graduate student filmmaking. International Historic Films distributes Between Two Fires.

Altogether, Smith’s creative writing explores the influence of science and technology on the poetic imagination, especially figurative language. Intrigued by dynamical systems and emergent complexity, she and her husband have been writing about unforeseen, chaotic impacts natural events have unleashed throughout the history of humanity. Their recent collaboration includes a completed screenplay for a major film project, “Eagle in the Snow,” adapted from the novel Eagle in the Snow, written by Wallace Breem. This Roman epic is set on the Rhine River, New Year’s Eve, 406 A.D., when the river froze, and five barbarian tribes crossed, catalyzing the fall of Rome. Most recently, this project appears re-imagined in four twenty-two-page comics distributed by comiXology.com.

Professor
Department Head
Chemistry

Specialty:  Organic Chemistry & Synthetic and Medicinal Chemistry 

Dr. Smith is an organic chemist with research interests in natural products chemistry and synthetic methodology. One aspect of this work is the synthesis of novel nitrogen-containing natural products; particularly indole alkaloids from sea sponges and pyrazole alkaloids from traditional folklore plants. Another aspect of research is the use of vinamidinium salts as synthetic intermediates to construct nitrogen-containing heterocycles. Prior to coming to VMI, Dr. Smith was a postdoctoral chemist at Research Triangle Institute in North Carolina working on a project to chemically inactivate nerve agents.

Recent Publications:

2013

• Stanton Q. Smith, Sean T. Dudek, Shu-Hui He, Jarod A. Girod, and Shane R. Nunes  “The Application of Vinamidinium Salts to the Synthesis of 1,2,4-Trisubstituted Pyrroles” Tetrahedron Letters 2013, 54, 3965-3966.
• John T. Gupton III, Nakul Telang, Dominic F. Gazzo, Peter J. Barelli, Kristin E. Lescalleet, Jonathon W. Fagan, Brandon J. Mills, Kara L. Finzel; Rene P. Kanters, Kyle R. Crocker, † Sean T. Dudek, † Corinne M. Lariviere,† Stanton Q. Smith, Kartik M. Keertikar, Christopher Warme, Wendy Zhong;  “Preparation of indole containing building blocks for the regiospecific construction of indole appended pyrazoles and pyrroles”  Tetrahedron 2013, 69, 5829-5840.

2010

• John T. Gupton, Nakul Telang, Xin Jia, Benjamin C. Giglio, James E. Eaton, Peter J. Barelli, Mona Hovaizi, Kayleigh E. Hall, R. Scott Welden, Matthew J. Keough, Eric F. Worrall, Kara L. Finzel, Emily J. Kluball, Rene P.F. Kanters, Timothy M. Smith, Stanton Q. Smith, Shane R. Nunes†, Mathew T. Wright†, and Jennifer M. Birnstihl “Further studies on vinamidinium salt amine exchange reactions, borohydride reductions, and subsequent transformations.”  Tetrahedron, 2010, 66, 8485-8493.
• Mathew T. Wright, David G. Carroll, Timothy M. Smith, and Stanton Q. Smith “Synthesis of alkylpyrroles by use of a vinamidinium salt.” Tetrahedron Letters 2010, 51, 4150-4152.

Professor 
Biology 

Expertise:  Parasitology, Invertebrate Zoology, Nematology, Evolutionary biology, systematics, and taxonomy, Marine free-living nematodes 
 
Research: My research focuses on the evolution and ecology of invertebrate animals. While my primary research interest is in the evolution and diversity of free-living nematodes, students in my lab also research other invertebrates, especially parasites. 

Free-living marine nematodes —  Marine sediments support by far the greatest diversity of nematode species, and I aim to understand their diversity, evolution, and taxonomy. 

Parasite ecology and evolution — My students and I study a variety of parasitic worms.  Examples include the diversity and distribution of leeches infecting turtles, the community of parasites in muskrats, and the attraction of a beetle host to a larval tapeworm. 

Select publications:

• Jones, Anne C., Mason C. Martin, Tappey H. Jones, Roger Ramirez-Barrios, and Ashleigh B. Smythe. 2025. Volatiles in feces of rats infected with the tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta. Journal of Parasitology 111(2):188-194.
• Rawson, Christopher J., Nemmers, London, Criswell, Stacey, Smythe, Ashleigh B., Burke, Alison K., Eugene Marais, Gillian Maggs-Kölling, Treonis, Amy M. 2024. Description of Panagrolaimus namibiensis sp. (Rhabditida: Panagrolaimidae), an anhydrobiotic nematode from the Namib Desert of Namibia. Journal of Nematology Vol. 56: e2024-1.
• Mohammed Ahmed, Nickellaus G. Roberts, Funmilola Adedidran, Ashleigh B. Smythe, Kevin M. Kocot and Oleksandr Holovachov. 2022. Phylogenomic analysis of the phylum Nematoda: conflicts and congruences with morphology, 18S rRNA, and mitogenomes. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, Vol. 9, January, 2022.
• Ashleigh B.  Smythe.  2020.  Nematoda and Pan-Nematoda.  In: First Book of Phylogenetically Defined Names: A Companion to the PhyloCode.  K. de Queiroz, P. Cantino, and J. Gauthier, eds.  University of California Press. 
• Ashleigh B. Smythe, Oleksandr Holovachov, Kevin M. Kocot. 2019.  Improved phylogenomic sampling of free-living nematodes enhances resolution of higher-level nematode phylogeny. BMC Evolutionary Biology 19:121. 
• Ashleigh B. Smythe.  2015.  Evolution of feeding structures in the marine nematode order Enoplida.  Integrative and Comparative Biology 55(2): 228-240. 
• Soraya Naem and Ashleigh B. Smythe. 2015. Tegumental ultrastructure of adult Quinqueserialis quinquiserialis (Trematoda: Notocotylidae): an intestinal parasite of muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus). Parasitology Research 114 (7): 2473-2480. 
• Ashleigh B. Smythe, Kristin Forgrave*, Amanda Patti*, Rick Hochberg, and Marian Litvaitis. 2015. Untangling the ecology, taxonomy, and evolution of Chaetogaster limnaei (Oligochaeta: Naididae) species complex. Journal of Parasitology 101(3) p. 320-326. (*Undergraduate co-author) 
• Inga A. Zasada, Amy Peetz, Dana K. Howe, Larry J. Wilhelm, Daravuth Cheam, Dee R. Denver, Ashleigh B. Smythe.  2014.  Using mitogenomic and nuclear ribosomal sequence data to investigate the phylogeny of virus-vectoring Xiphinema americanum-group nematodes. PLoS One Vol. 9 (2). 
• Ashleigh B. Smythe, Michael J. Sanderson, and Steven A. Nadler. 2006. Nematode small subunit phylogeny correlates with alignment parameters. Systematic Biology 55(6): 972-992. 
• Ashleigh B. Smythe and Steven A. Nadler. 2006. Molecular phylogeny of Acrobeloides and Cephalobus (Nematoda, Cephalobina) reveals paraphyletic taxa and recurrent evolution of simple labial morphology. Nematology 8(6): 819-836. 
• B. Smythe and W.F. Font. 2001. Phylogenetic analysis of Alloglossidium (Digenea: Macroderoididae) and related genera: Life-cycle evolution and taxonomic revision. Journal of Parasitology 87 (2): 386-391. 

www.jimsquire.com

Professor
Electrical and Computer Engineering

Adjunct Professor
Economics and Business

Roscoe B. Stephenson's Resume

Jillian O’Rourke Stuart is an associate professor of psychology at Virginia Military Institute. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Mary Washington and her doctorate in Social Psychology at the University of Iowa. LTC Stuart teaches courses on research methods, statistics, and social psychology. Her research focuses on social and motivational influences on decision making with particular emphasis on health decision making.

Associate Professor
Psychology

Bruce J. Summers CV

Adjunct Professor
Business and Economics

Prof. Sunnen received his Ph.D. in Germanic Languages & Literatures from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1990.  Although a medievalist by virtue of his interest in Arthurian tales and their Germanic versions, he has concentrated his research and teaching on 20th-century Germany in recent years.  His main interests at present revolve around the Resistance (both military and civilian) in Germany against the Nazi regime and the efforts to save refugees from war-torn Europe.  He is also the faculty liaison for VMI’s exchange with Helmut-Schmidt-Universität (also known as the Universität der Bundeswehr, Hamburg).

Professor

Associate Professor
Civil and Environmental Engineering

Matthew (Matt) Swenty holds both bachelor's and master's degrees in Civil Engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology (MO S&T). He gained experience as a bridge engineer at the Missouri Department of Transportation Bridge Office in Jefferson City, Missouri, designing, inspecting, and rating state inventory bridges. After obtaining his professional engineer's license (PE), he pursued a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering at Virginia Tech, focusing on structural engineering, and served as a Via Fellow, teaching structural engineering courses.  He then worked at the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center on precast concrete bridge and ultra high performance concrete research.

Returning to academics, Matt joined the Civil Engineering Department at VMI.  He teaches structural engineering, introduction to engineering,  and engineering mechanics courses. He enjoys mentoring students on bridge related research projects, collaborating with engineering groups like ASEE, PCI, and ACI, and helping lead the VMI ASCE student chapter. Additionally, he has served on numerous national committees with ASCE and ASEE.  He is also actively engaged in civil engineering policy, curriculum development, and bridge related research projects.

Area of Expertise

• Structural Engineering
• Reinforced Concrete, Prestressed Concrete, and Bridge Design
• Precast Concrete Bridges
• Civil Engineering Materials

Courses Taught  

• CE 109/110 - Civil Engineering Fundamentals I & II
• CE 206 - Solid Mechanics
• CE 302 - Engineering Dynamics
• CE 301 - Structural Theory
• CE 327 - Reinforced Concrete Design
• CE 402 - Advanced Mechanics
• CE 423 - Steel Design
• CE 428 - Topics in Structural Design (Prestressed Concrete & Introduction to Bridge Design)

Areas of Interests

Matt’s research interests include the investigation of innovative connections in precast concrete structures, the use of ultra-high performance concrete, and the analysis of the long-term performance of bridge structures.  Additionally, he enjoys working with engineering policies on licensure, civil engineering curriculum design, and innovative techniques used for teaching in higher education. 

Current and Past Project Topics in Engineering 

• “Characterization of Materials Used in Field-Cast Connections”
• “Effects of early age differential displacements on concrete–bar bond in the connections of staged constructions.”
• “The Use of UHPC as a Laminate for Tensile Reinforcement on Precast Concrete Beams”
• “Professional Licensure: The Core of the Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge”
• “Methods of Correlating Precast Concrete Surface Roughness to Tensile Bond Strength in Connections”
• “Horizontal Integration of the Same Design Project in Multiple Structural Engineering Courses”
• “Engineers Guide to Pre-licensure Experience”

Swenty Resume

Lt. Col. Pennie Ticen has been a member of the English faculty at VMI since the fall of 2003. She earned her graduate degrees from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where she focused on modern and contemporary British Literature, writing her dissertation on post-colonial epics. One of her focus areas is in South-Asian Indian literature, especially the novels of Salman Rushdie, various retellings of the Indian epic The Ramayana, and the essays of Arundhati Roy. She has been an active member of the South Asian Literary Association for 25 years, where she has presented papers, co-chaired conferences, served as treasurer and been a member of the executive committee.

Lt. Col. Ticen regularly teaches courses in Writing and Rhetoric, British Literary Traditions, Literature of Indian Independence, and Empire Writing, as well as seminars on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Salman Rushdie. She also teaches Fieldwork courses, with recent sections focusing on Cadet Life at VMI and Women and African-Americans at VMI. She enjoys working closely with cadets and has shepherded them through SURI projects, conference presentations, department honors theses, capstone projects, and independent studies on a variety of topics.

Associate Professor
English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies

Sample of Lt. Col. Ticen’s Recent Scholarship:

• Forthcoming 2024, Encyclopedia of Indian Writing in English, entries on “Salman Rushdie,” “Imaginary Homelands,” and “The Veiled Suite: The Collected Poems, Agha Shahid Ali”
• “’where hierarchies melt and curiosity takes precedence’: Using Yengde’s Caste Matters to Complicate Student Ideas of Caste,” South Asian Literary Association Conference, 2022
• “Rushdie’s America,” Interviewed on “With Good Reason,” for “Reading and Writing Ourselves,” September 2021: https://www.withgoodreasonradio.org/episode/reading-and-writing-ourselves/
• “Trained in Post-Coloniality, Hired in World Literature, Revised into Cultural Rhetorics: Situating South Asian Literature within a Changing Curriculum,” South Asian Literary Association, 2020
• “Updating the Interregnum: Salman Rushdie’s “Anti-chutnification” in The Golden House”, South Asian Literary Association, 2019

Sample of Cadet Research Projects:

• SURI Advisor for “We Take What We Want: Kipling in the Postcolonial Age,” Cadet Chris Hulburt, 2020
• Conference Presentation Advisor for “Cast Between Two Worlds,” Cadet Chris Hulburt, MARCUS 2020
• English Honors Advisor for “Modern Eve: A Female Cadet’s Critique of Feminist Criticisms of Paradise Lost,” Cadet Kate Dixon, 2018
• Capstone Advisor for “Frankenstein in Film,” Cadet Mason Day, 2020
• Capstone Advisor for “Allegory in The Lord of the Rings,” Cadet John Stann, 2020
• Independent Study: “Robert T. Kerlin Resources,” digitized on Preston Archives, Cadet Fredrick Walker, 2014: https://www.vmi.edu/archives/genealogy-biography-alumni/featured-historical-biographies/robert-t-kerlin-resources/

Professor

Col. Timmes is a VMI graduate (Class of 1992) and a professional engineer who served for over 25 years in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps.  As an Army Environmental Engineer, he conducted extensive drinking water and wastewater system characterizations and public health threat assessments throughout the U.S. and overseas in Macedonia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Italy, Germany, and Norway.  He commanded the Headquarters Company of the U.S. Army Chemical Activity-Pacific on Johnston Atoll during its closure as a chemical agent demilitarization site and served as a Jumpmaster with the 82d Airborne Division.  He taught a variety of academic subjects on the faculty at the US Military Academy (West Point) for six years.  Col. Timmes commanded the U.S. Army Center for Environmental Health Research in Fort Detrick, Maryland, and served as the Director for Environmental Health Sciences and Engineering at the Army Public Health Center before retiring from Active Duty to join the VMI Civil and Environmental Engineering Department.

Area of Expertise

Col. Timmes has a Masters Degree and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering, specializing in lead and copper corrosion control and coagulation pretreatment options prior to membrane filtration.  His academic and research interests include water quality, electrocoagulation, military field drinking water, water treatment plant optimization, and water system vulnerability assessments.

Courses Taught  

CE306L – Civil Engineering Labs II
CE309 – Fluid Mechanics
CE319W - Water Resources Laboratory
CE321W - Intro to Environmental Engineering
CE409 - Environmental Site Remediation
CE415 - Environmental Engineering Unit Process Design
CE416 - Fundamentals of Engineering
CE443 - Independent Research
CE447W – Civil Engineering Design Capstone I
CE448 – Civil Engineering Design Capstone II
CE451W – Civil Engineering Seminar
HN100 - Honors Forum
HNS375W - Environmental Honors Seminar
HN400 - Honors Thesis

Areas of Interest

Col. Timmes serves on the Faculty Advisory Council, as the faculty representative to the VMI Sting Ensemble, and as a Superintendent Representative to the Honor Court.

Education

• Ph.D., Environmental Engineering, Penn State, University Park, PA, 2009
• M.S.E., Environmental Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 2000
• B.S., Civil Engineering, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, VA, 1992

Academic Experience

• Virginia Military Institute (VMI), Professor, 2020- Present
• Virginia Military Institute (VMI), Associate Professor, 2017-2020
• US Military Academy (West Point), Assistant/Associate Professor, 2009 – 2012
• US Military Academy (West Point), Instructor/Assistant Professor, 2003 – 2006
• Uniformed Services University, Adjunct Assistant Professor, 2008-2024
• Pennsylvania State University, Adjunct Assistant Professor, 2009-2012, part time

Non-Academic Experience

• Director, Environmental Health Sciences and Engineering, U.S. Army Public Health Center, APG, MD, 2016-2017. Managed 150 scientists, engineers, and support staff with a $20M annual budget to consult/provide solutions to worldwide issues involving water, wastewater, hazardous waste, air pollution, entomology, and noise pollution. 
• Commander, U.S. Army Center for Environmental Health Research, Ft. Detrick, MD, 2013-2016. Supervised over 50 scientific and support staff and an annual research budget over $18M. Planned, directed, and advanced medical research and product development for biomarker diagnostics, environmental health surveillance, and environmental health technologies in support of Force Health Protection. 
• Environmental Science and Engineering Officer in the U.S Army Medical Service Corps, 1992-2017.

Certifications or Professional Registrations

• Accreditation Board of Engineering Technologies (ABET) Program Evaluator (EAC), 2007
• Board Certified Environmental Engineer, AAEES, 2005
• Professional Engineer, Maryland, No. 25421, 2000
• Professional Engineer, Virginia, No. 059419, 2018

Associate Professor
Physics and Astronomy

Publications

Research:

• nonlinear optical properties of fullerenes materials
• self-assembled organic thin films
• nanotechnology
  

Professor
Physics and Astronomy

Department Head, Physics and Astronomy

Lt. Col. Doug Wainwright is the CIS Department IT Manager and Instructor. He earned an MDE in Distance Education at University of Maryland University College (UMUC). He came to VMI after 24 years in IT and Cybersecurity providing network engineering services and information security compliance support for DoD, DoJ, and DHS. From 1996 to 2013 Doug worked in support of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) as a System Administrator, and Network Engineer integrating and troubleshooting DoD network encryption equipment in Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNET) enclaves. 

As a Communications Security (COMSEC) Custodian, he developed training courses and provided instruction in the integration and operation of DoD network encryption equipment to active duty military personnel and government contractors. 

Served as VMI Information Security Officer (ISO) from 2014 to 2016. Responsible for the VMI information security operations, maintenance, and compliance with State of Virginia standards. 

Lt. Col. Wainwright is an Adjunct Instructor for the UMUC Cybersecurity undergraduate program teaching online classes.

Lt. Col. Wainwright currently maintains the following professional certifications: Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and CompTIA Security+

IT Manager
Computer and Information Sciences

Clifford T. West, Jr. CV

Professor
Economics and Business

Maj. McLaren G. Westland is an assistant professor of Military Science at the Virginia Military Institute, Lexington Virginia where he is responsible for training, advising, and mentoring VMI Cadets in a classroom and field environment IOT prepare the Cadets for their summer camp exercise at FT Knox, Kentucky.

Born in Wyndott, Michigan, Maj. Westland is a 1993 graduate of James River High School. Soon after high school, he enlisted in the Regular Army as a private where he served as an Infantryman with the 7th and 25th Infantry Divisions (LT) at Fort Lewis, Washington then earned an honorable discharged in 1998. In 2005, he enlisted in the Army Reserve where he achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant(P). He received a Direct Commissioned to the Military Intelligence branch and continued to serve as part of the 104th Training Division. He served in various assignments such as Committee Chief, Company Commander, Assistant S3, and Executive Officer for the Ministry of Interior Military Advisory Group in Saudi Arabia.  His military education includes Army Basic Training Course, Warrior Leadership Course, Army Instructor Training Course, Army Basic Officer Course, Military Intelligence Basic Officer Leadership Course, Company Commander First Sergeant Course, and the Military Intelligence Captain Career Course. MAJ Westland graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology from Mary Baldwin College and earned a Master’s in Human Services Counseling-Business from Liberty University.
MAJ Westland overseas deployments include a tour at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in 2005, a combat tour in Iraq 2011, and a tour to Saudi Arabia in 2015-2016.

His awards and decorations include the Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal (2 oak leaf clusters), Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal with (3 oak leaf clusters), National Defense Service Medal (BS), Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal (M and Hourglass Device), NCO Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Joint Meritorious Unit Award , Basic Aviation Badge, German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge (Gold)

MAJ Westland is a resident of Roanoke, Virginia and is married to the former Jill Kristin Trussell. Together they have a blended family of six children, Amelia (19), Kyle (19), Anne-Michael (17), Shea (16), Owen (16), and Macy (13).

In his civilian career, MAJ Westland is a retired police officer and is currently a real estate agent in Southwest Virginia.

Assistant Professor
Psychology

Instructor
Human Performance and Wellness

Rodney F. Wilkins III, Ph.D., is an esteemed academic and engineering expert. His impressive academic journey includes a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Virginia, an M.E. in Civil Engineering from the same institution, and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from VPI&SU.

Currently, as an Instructor at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) since 2020, Rodney imparts his knowledge and expertise to aspiring engineers. His academic experience extends to roles as an Assistant Professor and Laboratory Manager at Eastern Mennonite University and previous instructional roles at the University of Virginia and James Madison University.

Beyond academia, Rodney's career has been a journey of remarkable achievements, including serving as Research Manager at Energizer Holding Corporation and fulfilling various managerial roles at ASR Company. His career began as a Power Maintenance Engineer at Westvaco Corp and General Motors (SSG Division).

With certifications including a Professional Engineer in Virginia, Rodney is actively involved in professional organizations. His dedication to service is evident through his involvement in various community initiatives and educational outreach programs.

Rodney's contributions to research and engineering are significant, with a range of publications and presentations over the past five years, including studies on energy infrastructure planning, environmental life cycle analysis, and more.

His commitment to professional development continues with ongoing consultancy work and contributions to collaborative book projects, making him a valuable asset to the engineering community.

Areas of Expertise

• Multiphase flow in porous media
• High pressure and vacuum applications in Fluid Mechanics
• Pump and piping systems

Courses Taught

• CE 203 Statics
• CE 322 Water Resources
• CE 350 Project Management
• CE 417X Infrastructure
• CE 121L Surveying
• CE 305L Materials
• CE 306L Geotech
• CE 448 Capstone

Areas of Interest

• Sustainable energy systems and Infrastructure
• Surface Engineering (Physicochemical processes)
• Breaking down complex subjects in learning: How things work

Maj. Wilkins Resume

Capt. Travis Williams commissioned as an armor officer from the ROTC program at Western Kentucky University in 2011 with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology.  He also holds a Master's Degree in organizational leadership from Columbus State University.

Following the Officer Basic Course and Army Reconnaissance Course, he was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord as a platoon leader in Troop A, 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Striker Brigade, a unit of the 2nd Infantry Division, while deploying in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.  After his time as a platoon leader, he acted as a plans officer and air officer in charge of the 3rd Squadron, 38th Cavalry Regiment, 201st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade. Capt. Williams later served as an executive officer in Troop C, 5th Squadron, 15 Cavalry Regiment as well as Company A, 1st Battalion, 81st Armor before attending the Maneuver Captains Career Course. Following Career Course, he acted as the brigade assistant S-3 for the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division and went on to command Company B, 1st Battalion, 37th Armor while deployed in support of Operation Spartan Shield.

Among Capt. Williams awards and decorations are the Defense Meritorious Service Medal (with one oak leaf cluster), the Army Commendation Medal (with one oak leaf cluster), the Army Achievement Medal (with one oak leaf cluster), and the Parachutist Badge

He and his wife, Chelsea, have been married for three years.

A 2005 graduate of the Institute, Maj. Henry Wise taught for several years in Taiwan, where he worked for the ROC Military Academy in Fengshan, selecting, instructing, and training cadets who would go on to study in American military institutions, including VMI. In 2015, he earned his MFA in poetry from the University of Mississippi, where he continued to teach creative writing and composition until he joined VMI’s English faculty in 2017. At VMI, he teaches American literature and creative writing and serves as faculty adviser to Cadence (formerly The Sounding Brass), VMI’s annual fine arts journal, which he edited as a cadet. He has taught a variety of courses, among which are those of his own design on the subjects of Frontier American Literature and the works of Nobel Prize-winning author William Faulkner. Maj. Wise has advised several independent cadet projects on topics as varied as environmental anxiety in Cormac McCarthy’s novels, Mark Twain’s challenging of romanticism in Roughing It, and reconciling Ralph Waldo Emerson’s surprising involvement in the Abolitionist movement with his skepticism of society in “Self-Reliance.” A writer across multiple genres, his poetry has been published in Shenandoah, Radar Poetry, Clackamas, Eunoia Review, and elsewhere; his nonfiction can be found in Southern Cultures. His debut novel, Holy City, will be published by Grove Atlantic in 2024.

Assistant Professor
English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies

Commander James Sullen, Jr, a native of Tuskegee, Alabama, joined the United 
States Navy in 1997 and was commissioned under the Seaman to Admiral -21 
program in 2004, receiving a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Electrical 
Engineering from Auburn University.  

His first assignment was onboard USS ROOSEVELT (DDG 80) as the Electronic 
Warfare Officer, where he was twice deployed in support of Operation 
Enduring Freedom. After attending the Navy's Nuclear Power School, he 
reported to USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73) in August 2007 as the Reactor 
Mechanic Division Officer where he conducted a homeport shift to Yokosuka 
Japan, becoming the first nuclear powered warship not stationed in the 
United States.  

In July 2012 assignment was to the USS MOMSEN (DDG 92) as the Operations 
Officer where he conducted an independent deployment in support of Seventh 
Fleet Operations. In February 2014 he was assigned to USS NIMITZ (CVN 68) 
where he served as the Chemistry and Radiological Controls Assistant.  In 
February 2016, he took over as the Navigator onboard USS KEARSARGE (LHD 3) 
where he conducted relief following Hurricanes land falls on Puerto Rico and 
the US Virgin Islands.  

His shore tour was to Surface Warfare Development Group JEB Little Creek. 
While here, he was selected for an Individual Augment as the Postal Officer in 
Charge for all postal operations in Kabul, Afghanistan. 

Commander reported to USS JOHN C. STENNIS as the Assistant Reactor Officer 
in June 2018. His personal awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy 
Commendation Medal (3 awards), the Navy Achievement Medal (3 awards), and 
the Army Achievement Medal. 
 

Dan Barr is a professor emeritus of electrical and computer engineering at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia. He continues work in emerging and disruptive technologies as a civilian consultant for the United States Army.

Dan’s experience includes radiation effects on integrated circuits, electron beam lithography, gallium arsenide mixers, millimeter wave superconductivity, microelectronic electromechanical systems, system modeling and design, and microelectronic development for military applications. He holds registration in Virginia as a professional engineer and is a member of the Sigma Xi (scientific research), Sigma Pi Sigma (physics), Tau Beta Pi (engineering), Eta Kappa Nu (electrical engineering) and Phi Kappa Phi (scholarship) honorary societies.

While serving on Army active duty after earning his Ph.D., he worked as a research and development officer at the Harry Diamond Laboratories (now the Army Research Laboratories) and taught electrical engineering at the United States Military Academy.

Dan has taught electronic warfare, served as an adjunct faculty member for the Command and General Staff College, and graduated from the U.S. Army War College. He is fully credentialed by the Defense Acquisition University in Program Management, Systems Planning/Research/Development and Engineering, Systems Engineering Management, Information Technology and Test and Evaluation.

Dr. Bechtel holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Lebanon Valley College, a Master’s degree in Exercise Science with a focus on Performance Enhancement and Injury Prevention from California University of Pennsylvania (now PennWest University), and a Doctorate in Psychology with a specialization in Sports and Performance from the University of Arizona.

With a deep passion for fitness and athletics, Dr. Bechtel is a former collegiate field hockey player and a PA Golden Gloves champion, as well as a professional boxer from 2000 to 2004. She has competed in the figure division as a professional fitness competitor. Her work with the military includes overseeing the High Intensity Tactical Training program for the Marines and developing fitness programs for military contractors such as Triple Canopy. Dr. Bechtel also contributed to the rollout of the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) for TRADOC at Ft. Eustis.

In her leisure time, Dr. Bechtel enjoys hiking, kayaking, and spending time with her gigantic dog, Kosi.

Professor Mark Boonshoft received his B.A. from SUNY-Buffalo and his Ph.D. from Ohio State University. His first book, Aristocratic Education and the Making of the American Republic, was published in 2020 by the University of North Carolina Press and was a finalist for the 2021 George Washington Book Prize. Boonshoft's second book, The Violent Origins of Constitutional Democracy in Revolutionary New York, is under contract with Yale University Press.  He has also published a number of articles and essays, including “From Property to Education: Public Schooling, Race, and the Transformation of Suffrage in the Early National North,” which appeared in the Journal of the Early Republic and was awarded the 2022 History of Education Society Prize for “the most distinguished scholarly essay in educational history—broadly defined to cover a wide range of educational and cultural institutions inside and outside the United States— … published in any journal over the previous two-year period.” Most recently, he was co-editor of American Revolutions in the Digital Age (Cornell University Press).  

Before joining the VMI history department, Boonshoft was a post-doctoral fellow at the New York Public Library, taught American history at Norwich University and SUNY-New Paltz, and was Executive Director of the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies. As the Conrad M. Hall ’65 Chair in American Constitutional History, he directs VMI’s constitutional history program and teaches HI 300: American Constitutional History, as well as advanced courses in American political history, early U.S. history, and the history of race and civil rights.  

Dr. Bouillon is a Lecturer of French at Virginia Military Institute where she teaches French language and culture courses. She earned her Ph.D. in French and Francophone Studies from the University of Pennsylvania in 2025. Prior to this, she received a Masters in FLE (Teaching French as a Foreign Language) from the Sorbonne (Paris IV). Her primary research interests include nineteenth-century French literature, sensory studies, and sound studies, with a focus on representations of sound and sound reproduction technologies in late nineteenth-century French fictions (i.e., Villiers de l’Isle-Adam, Maupassant etc.). Prior to joining VMI full-time, she taught at UPenn and Washington and Lee University.

Expertise: Biological Safety and Security.  Chemical and Biological Warfare/Terrorism Threat analysis and Doctrinal Response.  Environmental Science and System Modeling.  Leadership education, Development and Organizational Development. 

Research: Significant Background in Intelligence Community Research and Analysis and Production of classified Estimates at the level of the National Intelligence Council and Defense Intelligence Analysis Program.

• Adjunct in Biology since 2016, teaching introductory biology for non-majors. Developed and Taught Course in Biological Agents in Warfare and Terrorism since 2019.
• Leadership Fellow for the Center for Leadership and Ethics Teaching core Couse in Leadership (LEAD 344) to all Cadets.
• Assistant Instructor in the Rat Challenge Program for New Cadets and for Corps marksmanship program.

Interests: Virginia Master Naturalist Program; Veterans Organizations; VMI Alumni affairs.

I received my undergraduate degree from Sweet Briar College where I majored in biology and minored in chemistry. While there I participated in research focused on the impact of MACF1 suppression on the proliferative and differential capacity of HGSOC. I completed my masters at Johns Hopkins University studying biotechnology with a focus on biodefense. I teach introductory biology for non-majors (BI101 and BI102) where I have the privilege of introducing cadets from a wide variety of backgrounds to fundamental biological concepts. My goal is to help each of my students find some part of science to get excited about!

Lt. Col. Joel C. Christenson is Associate Professor and Director of the John A. Adams ’71 Center for Military History and Strategic Analysis. Prior to joining the VMI faculty he served as Senior Historian in the Historical Office, Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), where he worked on the Secretaries of Defense Historical Series and coordinated long-term historical research and publishing. Before joining OSD he worked in the Policy Studies Division of the Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State. He holds a Ph.D. in American history from West Virginia University, where his research examined the origins of U.S. naval and military advising in Latin America. Prior to his doctoral work, Joel worked as a Senior Defense Analyst for the U.S. Government Accountability Office, and as a Research Assistant at the Institute for Defense Analyses. He is a distinguished graduate of VMI (Class of 1999) and holds master’s degrees from the University of Kentucky and George Mason University, as well as a Command and Staff Diploma from the U.S. Naval War College. 

Zachary W. Deibel is a historian of Early America and the American Revolution. He earned his bachelor's degree in history at American University, after which he taught high school history and social studies from 2013 to 2020. While teaching, he earned his master's degree in history at Arkansas State University, supported by a fellowship from the James Madison Memorial Foundation, where his thesis project explored radical political and social ideologies in the era of the American Revolution. Deibel earned his doctorate from Binghamton University in 2024, and his dissertation and current research projects investigate how debates over learning, knowledge, and education became key frontiers of colonial and revolutionary politics throughout the eighteenth century in New York and throughout North America. 

Before beginning his professorship at VMI, Dr. Deibel taught courses on early American history and social studies teaching methodologies at Binghamton University. He also served as the History of Education Society's Graduate Student Council Chairperson from 2022 to 2024, worked as a Graduate Student Associate for the New York State Museum, and earned research fellowships from the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Binghamton University's Harpur College of Arts and Sciences. He has published reviews and essays in History of Education, New York History, and the History of Education Society Blog, and his article "'Let Us Avoid that Infernal Wisdom: Learning and State Formation in Eighteenth-Century New York" will be published in the 2024 edition of New York History. Deibel also coordinates the annual Cincinnati Lecture at VMI in cooperation with the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Virginia.

Assistant Professor
Civil Engineering

Education:

• Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (Construction Engineering), Florida State University, 2018
  • Dissertation: "Risk-Benefit Analysis and Optimization of LEED-Certified School Buildings Design and Construction: Statistical and Machine Learning Approaches"
  • Advisor: Dr. Yassir Abdel Razig
• M.S. in Civil Engineering, Florida State University, 2014
  • Thesis: "Buildings’ Sustainability Analysis: Analytical Hierarchy Process to Analyze Cost, LEED Credits, and Carbon Neutrality Utilizing a Building Information Modeling Platform"
• B.S. in Civil Engineering, Florida State University, 2012

Profile:

Dr. Ryan Doczy is an expert in sustainable design and construction, Building Information Modeling (BIM), and decision-making tools. He aims to quantify the health and productivity benefits of sustainable design to better understand its financial impacts. He has developed a passion for teaching through his experiences as a graduate teaching assistant and now as an Assistant Professor.

Research and Teaching Interests:

• Sustainable Infrastructure
• Building Information Modeling
• Energy and Environmental Modeling Software
• Renewable Energy Systems
• Green Buildings
• Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
• Operations Research
• Ergonomics
• Driving Simulation Technologies
• Traffic Safety

Selected Publications:

• Elkhapery, B., Kianmehr, P., & Doczy, R. (2023). "Tradeoff between well-being of students and cost of greening schools in arid regions." *Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, 34*(3), 794-819.
• Mafi, S., Abdelrazig, Y., & Doczy, R. (2018). "Machine learning methods to analyze injury severity of drivers from different age and gender groups." *Transportation Research Record*.

Professional Development:

• Magna’s ‘Practical Solutions for Faculty: Higher-Order Learning’ (Fall 2023)
• Harvard University’s ‘Teaching Students to Ask Their Own Questions: Best Practices in the Question Formulation Technique’ (Spring 2022)

Professional Affiliations and Services:

• Faculty advisor for the student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers at American University in Dubai (2019-2022)
• Chair of the AUD Committee on Recruitment and Retention (2020-2021)

Dr. Doczy is a dedicated educator and researcher, committed to advancing the field of civil engineering through sustainable practices and innovative teaching methods.

LinkedIn Profile

Maj. Ryan Doczy Resume

Donaldson is originally from Cardenden in Fife, a small mining village in Scotland. When he was growing up, each local mine, or colliery, had its own pipes and drums corps, providing a spirit of community and kinship. The corps were supported by the miners who each contributed one penny of each week’s wages. Both Donaldson’s father and grandfather were miners. His father, himself a renowned bagpiper and teacher, taught Donaldson to play.

After graduating from high school, Donaldson served his apprenticeship at Inveran House, a bagpipe maker at Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. “I commuted 45 miles one-way every day by train to Edinburgh from my hometown. I left home at 6 a.m. and didn’t get back until 7 p.m.,” said Donaldson. 

At a young age Donaldson played with the world-famous Dysart and Dundonald Pipe Band, winning every major championship in the pipe band world. Later, he enlisted in the Scots Guards, whose primary duty is to guard the British monarch, and served with the regiment all over the world. He passed his pipe majors course at the Army School of Piping at Edinburgh Castle in 1982. He soldiered in the Falklands War and served tours of duty in Northern Ireland during the height of the unrest. Later, he was posted to the Army School of Piping as an instructor for three years. He was subsequently promoted to pipe sergeant in 1993, then to the pipe major, the leading musician in a bagpipe band, in 1995. “I played many times for her majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, at Balmoral Castle and in her birthday parades, called the Trooping of the Colour. I had opportunities to dance with her and with Princess Diana as well,” reminisced Donaldson.

In 1998, Donaldson became pipe major at the Army training regiment in Glencourse, Scotland.  He served out his 22-year military career teaching at the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Donaldson became one of the most renowned pipers in the British Army. He has earned many awards in multiple competitions including the Highland Society of London’s Gold Medal, the most coveted award in piping; the Bratach Gorm, the highest prize given by the Scottish Piping Society of London; and the Donald MacDonald Quaich.  He has been invited numerous times to the famous Glenfiddich Piping Championships at Blair Castle in Pirthshire, Scotland.

After a successful military career, Donaldson returned to his trade as a bagpipe craftsman. He purchased the company where he apprenticed and changed its name to Inveran Bagpipe Makers. “To me, the name Inveran House sounded like a hotel,” he quipped.

In 2012, he was offered a position teaching at St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin, where he taught for seven years.  He taught at Missouri Military Academy in Mexico, Missouri for two years before accepting the position of director of the pipes and drums at VMI. 

Captain Dryden received her degrees from Auburn University and master’s from Virginia Tech. Captain Dryden’s teaching responsibilities are Swimming, Wellness Concepts and Drug and Alcohol Awareness. Captain Dryden has returned to VMI after living in South Korea for the past 9 years.

MAJ Bryant Etheridge teaches courses on United States constitutional history, the history of American capitalism, modern U.S. politics, and the African American civil rights movement. His research focuses on the history of the U.S. in the mid-twentieth century, especially the role of federal social policy in addressing economic inequality. Much of his work uses the city of Houston as a case study in order to examine the local impacts of federal policies. His scholarship has been published in the Journal of Policy History and the Journal of Southern History.  

Before joining the VMI History Department, MAJ Etheridge taught at Plymouth State University, Bridgewater State University and MIT. In 2015-16, he was the Clements Fellow for the Study of Southwestern America at Southern Methodist University. A native of Hickory, Virginia, he holds degrees from the College of William & Mary, the University of Texas at Austin, and Harvard University. 

Associate Chaplain to the Corps of Cadets

Chaplain (Captain) Eli B. D. Facemire ’19 was born and raised in Radford, VA and is a 2019 VMI graduate. While at VMI he served as Class President and Cadet Chaplain and held rank in Hotel Company his third- and second-class years. Upon graduation, he attended seminary at the J.W. Rawlings School of Divinity at Liberty University.

While in seminary, Chaplain Facemire served on the pastoral staff in his home church, leading the college and worship ministries. During this time, Chaplain Facemire also served as a Chaplaincy Services Intern at Carilion New River Valley Medical Center, providing emotional and spiritual support to patients, family members, and staff.

In June of 2023, Chaplain Facemire was selected as the Institute’s second Associate Chaplain to the Corps of Cadets, the role previously held by the current Institute Chaplain, Chaplain (Colonel) John P. Casper ’04.

Chaplain Facemire holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from VMI, as well as a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) in Professional Chaplaincy: Military from the J.W. Rawlings School of Divinity at Liberty University.

Efat Fathalla is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Virginia Military Institute, USA. She earned her Ph.D. in 2024 from Old Dominion University, USA. Her research interests include privacy-preserving technologies, blockchain applications, the Internet of Things (IoT), and cryptography.

Efat has worked on several research projects focusing on security in both the physical and application layers of communication systems. She has authored multiple patents, book chapters, journal publications, and papers presented at esteemed conferences.

Dr. Bárbara Xavier França is an Assistant Professor of Spanish at Virginia Military Institute. She holds a Master of Arts and a Ph.D. in Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Literatures from Tulane University, New Orleans, LA. Her research discusses the role of chemically induced altered states of consciousness in Latin American fiction and reflects on the tensions between pharmacology and coloniality displayed in contemporary literature. She also earned a Master of Arts degree in Social Communication, specializing in Image Pragmatics (Film Studies), from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Communication/Journalism from the same institution. 

Dr. Xavier França has taught Spanish language and literature at Tulane University and Washington and Lee University. She has also taught courses on the introduction to academic research and narratives in UFMG’s Department of Social Communication, as well as in the Faculty of Languages, Literature, and Linguistics, and has served as a news reporter for Sempre Editora (O Tempo and Pampulha newspapers) in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. 

She has published academic works on contemporary Argentinean, Chilean, and Colombian novels, Peruvian and Paraguayan films, and Brazilian documentaries, prose, and poetry. Moreover, Dr. Xavier França has conducted fieldwork in Spain, Mexico, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba, and has presented papers at comparative literature, cultural studies, and modern languages conferences in Brazil, the United States, Spain, Canada, Colombia, and Greece. 

Maj. Katie Ginsbach earned her Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She previously taught at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and St. Norbert College before joining the faculty at VMI in 2025 as an Assistant Professor of Spanish. MAJ Ginsbach specializes in Peninsular literature from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries and is a licensed educator who has taught Spanish courses at all levels. Her research and teaching interests include Spanish literature and culture, the historical novel and historical memory, as well as media, film, and television studies. 

MAJ Ginsbach has presented on teaching and research at national and international conferences, and her scholarship examines ways in which the distant past is remembered and portrayed in contemporary Spanish society. Her current scholarly project analyzes the historical novels of Arturo Pérez-Reverte. 

Publications:  

• “Through the Doors of Time: Media Interactions and Cultural Memory in El Ministerio del Tiempo.” Mediating Vulnerability: Comparative approaches and questions of genre, edited by Anneleen Masschelein, Florian Mussgnug, and Jennifer Rushworth, UCL Press, University College London, 2021, pp. 203-22. https://www.uclpress.co.uk/products/179751 

• “Metafiction, Metanarrative, Autofiction and the Library in Pérez-Reverte’s Hombres buenos.” Crear entre mundos: nuevas tendencias en la metaficción española, edited by Iana Konstantinova and Sabrina S. Laroussi, Diálogos Peninsulares Series, Albatros Ediciones, 2021, pp. 181-203. 

• “El enigma del convento: entre la memoria y la historia.” La narrativa de Jorge Eduardo Benavides: Textos críticos, edited by César Ferreira and Gabriel Saxton-Ruiz, Editorial Universitaria, Universidad Ricardo Palma, 2018, pp. 129-52. 

Dr. Semih Gokatalay teaches advanced courses in Middle Eastern history and a two-semester freshmen course in world history. His research focuses on economic history, nationalism, capitalism, diplomacy, gender, children, and state-society relations in the modern Middle East. He has published scholarly books, articles, and chapters on the region’s history.

Lt. Col. Matthew Halligan, who leads the Regimental Band, the Commanders Jazz Band, the Institute Brass Ensemble, the Herald Trumpets and Drummers, and the Cadet Buglers, holds a doctorate degree in music performance from George Mason University, and has extensive experience in directing marching bands in high schools and colleges.  

He comes to VMI directly from Missouri Western State University in Saint Joseph, where he served as director of athletic bands and director of the percussion studio for two years. Prior to that, he worked at the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) in Annapolis, Maryland for three years, where he directed the Naval Academy Drum and Bugle Corps, and oversaw all instrumental music ensembles, including the pep band, the jazz band, the pipes and drums band, and the Naval Academy Orchestra. In addition, he coordinated football halftime performances, and performed with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra. Before working at the USNA, he was an adjunct faculty member for multiple colleges and universities including Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria and Annandale, Virginia; Stevenson University in Stevenson, Maryland; and George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. He also worked with the marching bands at the University of Maryland in College Park, and Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky.  

Read more in the news release announcing Lt. Col. Halligan's arrival.

Md Kamrul Hasan received his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from New Mexico State University in 2021. He joined the Mechanical Engineering Department at Virginia Military Institute in Fall 2023. Before joining VMI, he was appointed as a Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Maryland, College Park. His teaching interests include fluid mechanics, computational fluid dynamics,  programming, thermodynamics, heat transfer, and statics. His research areas are hydrodynamic instability, computational fluid dynamics, and computational grid generation.)

MAJ Hoyle joined VMI as both the Writing Center Coordinator and an ERHS Instructor in Fall 2024. He previously taught composition and literature courses at several Virginia colleges, including the University of Virginia, Bridgewater College, and Mountain Gateway Community College. He holds an M.A. in English from the University of Virginia (2020) and a B.A. in English from Bridgewater College (2018). His master's thesis focused on characterization in the work of Sir Thomas Malory.

In his capacity as Writing Center Coordinator, MAJ Hoyle is always on the lookout for cadets who might do well in and gain from consulting in the Writing Center. He encourages those interested to contact him directly.

In addition to managing the Writing Center, MAJ Hoyle teaches first year composition (ERH 101 and 102) and summer session literature courses (ERH 203). Students enrolled in his courses can expect an emphasis on discussions and workshopping.

Outside of VMI, MAJ Hoyle is an active member of the Stuart Hall School Alumni Association and Shenandoah Latin Dance. His research interests include composition studies, poetics, and medieval literature. He is currently drafting a paper on Robert Frost's poetry and a conference presentation on late medieval Robin Hood texts. In his spare time, he enjoys swimming, dancing, learning new languages, and reading (over and over again) Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series.

MAJ Hoyle joined VMI as both the Writing Center Coordinator and an ERHS Instructor in Fall 2024. He previously taught composition and literature courses at several Virginia colleges, including the University of Virginia, Bridgewater College, and Mountain Gateway Community College. He holds an M.A. in English from the University of Virginia (2020) and a B.A. in English from Bridgewater College (2018). His master's thesis focused on characterization in the work of Sir Thomas Malory.

In his capacity as Writing Center Coordinator, MAJ Hoyle is always on the lookout for cadets who might do well in and gain from consulting in the Writing Center. He encourages those interested to contact him directly.

In addition to managing the Writing Center, MAJ Hoyle teaches first year composition (ERH 101 and 102) and summer session literature courses (ERH 203). Students enrolled in his courses can expect an emphasis on discussions and workshopping.

Outside of VMI, MAJ Hoyle is an active member of the Stuart Hall School Alumni Association and Shenandoah Latin Dance. His research interests include composition studies, poetics, and medieval literature. He is currently drafting a paper on Robert Frost's poetry and a conference presentation on late medieval Robin Hood texts. In his spare time, he enjoys swimming, dancing, learning new languages, and reading (over and over again) Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series.

MAJ Brandon Johnson joined the Virginia Military Institute after completing his Ph.D. in Communication Arts and Sciences at Penn State University. In his scholarship, he studies presidential rhetoric, U.S. politics, and the history of the presidency. His essay on Herbert Hoover’s rhetoric of “rugged individualism,” which won the 2023 Kenneth Burke Prize in Rhetoric at Penn State, was published in Rhetoric & Public Affairs; his work also appeared in the interdisciplinary journal Politics. He teaches classes on the history and practice of rhetoric, public speaking, and writing, including ERH 101 and 102: Writing and Rhetoric I and II, ERH 103: Fundamentals of Public Speaking, ERH 201 and 202: Foundations of Rhetorical Traditions I and II, and ERH 301: Rhetoric and Public Address. He is an active member of the Rhetoric Society of America, National Communication Association, and the American Society for the History of Rhetoric.

Dr. Kimsey has taught speech and political communication at the University of Virginia and James Madison University, as well as modern business communication at Vietnam National University’s Hanoi School of Business and public speaking at Ho Chi Minh City’s Development Learning Center.

He has served on graduate faculties at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and James Madison University, teaching strategic communication, propaganda, and persuasion. His research, published in national journals, explores conflict, mediation, and negotiation. He co-authored Mediator Communication Competencies: Transformative and Problem-Solving Approaches (Pearson) and the article The Effect of Narcissism on Conflict Management Message Style Preference: A Look at Millennials (American Communication Journal).

As a Commonwealth-certified court mediator, Dr. Kimsey has facilitated community disputes and designed U.S./Ireland study programs on The Troubles. He has coached military commanders in strategic speech and negotiation, and prepared soldiers and marines for deployment with training in small group communication.

Outside academia, he is a member of the U.S. Marine Corps Marathon Runners Club and, with his wife Candace, runs a small alpaca and sheep fiber farm. 

Instructor
English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies

Dr. Melissa S. Krawiec (née Williams) is a board-certified Family Practice physician and Virginia native.

Dr. Krawiec earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Virginia Military Institute in 2001 and completed her medical degree at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in 2005.

She completed internship at WVU’s Charleston Area Medical Center and family practice residency at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Maine.

Following several years in Family Practice and Urgent Care in the Portland, Maine area, Dr. Krawiec joined the U.S. Department of State as a Regional Medical Officer. She served two overseas tours in this capacity, in New Delhi, India and Warsaw, Poland, respectively.

Following over a decade of service in the U.S. State Department she is thrilled to join the VMI family and give back to the Institute in such a meaningful way. 

Dr. Qiong Liu teaches the two-semester World History courses as well as upper-division courses on the Chinese Communist Revolution, gender and sexuality, and the cultural history of Martial Arts. She came to VMI in 2022 after receiving degrees from Nanjing University and the University at Buffalo. Her current research projects focus on gendered violence in the Chinese Communist Revolution. She is working on a book tentatively titled "Sullied Women, Unruly Revolutionaries: Class, Sexuality, and Gendered Violence in Chinese Land Reform, 1946-1953." She has served as the advisor of the Martial Arts Club, sweats with them, and is overwhelmed by punches, kicks, and Kimura Locks. 

Donald M. Martin is a dedicated civil engineer with a Master's in Civil Engineering from the University of Virginia (UVA) and a Bachelor's from Virginia Military Institute (VMI). He leverages his extensive academic background as an Adjunct Professor at VMI, contributing his expertise to future engineers.

Donald's non-academic journey includes roles at the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), where he excelled in geotechnical and materials engineering. He also serves as a Special Forces Intelligence Sergeant in the US Army, earning honors for his commitment.

His professional accomplishments include becoming a licensed Professional Engineer in Virginia and active membership in various engineering organizations. Donald's commitment extends to community service, exemplified by his involvement with Habitat for Humanity and Timber Framing.

He is also a published author and presenter on topics ranging from carbon offsets to geotechnical case studies. His dedication to professional growth is evident through recent participation in Virginia Tech's Wood Design and Structural Design courses.

Donald M. Martin's multi-faceted career showcases his unwavering commitment to engineering, education, and service.

Donald M. Martin Resume