New Faculty Directory 2023
Augustana welcomes the following faculty for the 2023-24 school year.
JOSHUA D. ADAMS
Visiting Assistant Professor
Department of Math and Computer Science
B.A., Business Administration, University of South Florida
M.B.A., Business Administration Information Security, Saint Leo University
M.S., Information Technology, Walden University
D.I.T., Information Technology, Walden University
Dr. Joshua Adams serves as an educator of computer science, blending academic rigor with hands-on industry insights. Drawing from his rich experience, including pivotal roles at CMU and Mangata Networks, he has seamlessly integrated practical tools like Microsoft Azure into academic curricula. His journey from managing global tech projects to shaping the future of Cloud Computing Content Curriculum showcases a unique blend of academia and industry expertise. With a doctorate in information technology and a track record in both the classroom and the boardroom, Joshua embodies the bridge between theory and real-world application, always with a personal touch and commitment to student success.
REBECCA M. ARNOLD
Part-time Assistant Professor
Public Health Program
B.A., Northwestern University, American Culture and History
M.P.H., University of Iowa, Community and Behavioral Health
Rebecca Arnold is a public health practitioner, primarily in a global context, with experience ranging from grassroots to national levels. She specializes in social and behavior change, strategic communication, participatory research methods and capacity strengthening. She works full-time at the Martin Luther King Community Center in Rock Island. In addition to her role as resource development manager, she is one of the leads on a Collective Impact effort to improve economic opportunity, social equity and meaningful participation among citizens living in the West End of Rock Island. Outside of the MLK Center, Rebecca serves on the board of a nonprofit that feeds children in Bangladesh and the Philippines (thrive-global.org), and finds reasons to travel whenever possible (Morocco and Bolivia in 2023). She lives in Rock Island with her 18-year-old son.
KATHERINE E. BROWN
Assistant Professor
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
B.A., Sociology, Wittenberg University
M.A. and Ph.D., Sociology, Western Michigan University
Dr. Katherine Brown is an intersectional criminologist specializing in women’s victimization and trauma-informed practices. As a critical scholar, she expands definitions of criminality to examine how those in power often commit the most socially injurious acts. Her work identifies the interconnectedness of feminist and state crime literatures, exploring how people adversely impacted by oppressive systems are most at risk of state-sponsored harm and uniquely experience said harm based on their intersecting identities. After a year in North Carolina serving as a sociology program director and interdepartmental assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice, Katherine is looking forward to engaging with domestic violence safe housing and recidivism/re-entry efforts in the Quad Cities.
ÇAĞLAR ÇETIN-AYŞE
Visiting Assistant Professor
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
B.A., Film and Television, Management of Performing Arts, Istanbul Bilgi University
M.A., Visual Arts and Visual Communication Design, Sabanci University
M.A and Ph.D., Sociology, Stony Brook University
Dr. Çağlar Çetin-Ayşe is a Turkish academic, artist and activist. His research focuses on social justice, particularly the intersections of gender and race/ethnicity. His motivation to contribute to the struggles against gender inequality led him to earn a Fulbright scholarship to pursue a doctorate in the United States. His dissertation uses an intersectional lens to explore the gendered and racialized perspectives of diverse young men in Turkey who support gender equality. Çağlar is also an artist who began working at a young age in television screenwriting, short filmmaking and theater acting. He recently completed his low-budget feature debut, "Here It's a Bed of Roses." In his free time, Çağlar enjoys hanging out with his family, watching movies and trying new vegan recipes.
CLAIRE COOK
Professional Faculty
Instructor and Clinical Supervisor
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
B.A., Communication Sciences and Disorders, Augustana College
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Claire Cook has been familiar with Augustana’s speech pathology program since 2003, when her brother began receiving speech services at the Augustana’s Speech, Language, and Hearing Clinic and is now returning “home” to Augustana four years after her time as a student. Following graduate school, Claire returned to the Quad Cities and spent more than year working with the pediatric population, specializing in augmentative and alternative communication and language development in children with complex communication needs. She then transitioned to working with all ages in both the inpatient and outpatient settings here in the Quad Cities. Claire’s clinical interests include augmentative and alternative communication, feeding and swallowing disorders, and voice disorders. In her free time, she enjoys reading, traveling and spending time with her friends and family.
THEODORE R. DINGEMANS
Part-time Assistant Professor
Department of Geography
B.A., Geography, California State University
M.S. and Ph.D., Geography, University of Nevada, Reno
ERIN K. ELGIN
Part-time Instructor
Department of Business Administration
B.A., English and Biological Sciences, The University of Iowa
M.B.A., Business Administration and IT Management, The University of Connecticut
SASHA G.GARVER
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Department of Music
B.M., Music, University of Colorado – Boulder
M.M., Flute Performance, University of Cincinnati College - Conservatory of Music
D.M.A., Flute Performance and Pedagogy, University of Colorado – Boulder
Dr. Sasha Garver recently moved to Bettendorf, Iowa, with her husband and two daughters, ages 7 and 3. Sasha also teaches young music students at the Preucil School in Iowa City. She is known for her research with her husband, an ear, nose and throat physician, in the anatomy/ mechanics of wind playing, and has presented internationally on the intersection of singing and flute performance/pedagogy. Previously, Sasha was music chair at Northern New Mexico College and flute faculty at United World College in New Mexico. Sasha has taught at Colorado Christian University and Regis University in Denver, and has appeared with multiple orchestras, including Santa Fe Symphony, Macau Orchestra (China), Opera Hong Kong, New Mexico Ballet and Steamboat Opera. She enjoys hiking, birding and gardening in her spare time.
MARIA HANNAH
Assistant Professor
Department of Communication Studies
B.A., Communication Studies, Indiana University (South Bend)
M.A. and Ph.D., Communication Studies, Ohio University
Dr. Maria Hannah is a human communication teacher-scholar whose research intersects interpersonal and instructional communication. She investigates instructor communication in challenging teaching contexts, student communication about mental health, and peer-to-peer interactions about learning experiences. In teaching, she encourages students to identify skill-based communication goals toward more mindful and competent approaches to diverse social relationships and applies her work surrounding mental health to help students problem-solve when challenges emerge. She currently serves as secretary for the Instructional Development Division (IDD) at the National Communication Association, the vice-chair-elect of the IDD at the Eastern Communication Association (ECA), and as a task force member for ECA’s Strategic Doing initiative. Outside of academia she enjoys spending time with her wife Michella, playing guitar and watching college basketball.
DUSTIN J. HAWK
Part-time Assistant Professor
Kinesiology Program
B.S., Exercise Science, Human Performance and Fitness, St. Ambrose University
D.P.T., Physical Therapy, St. Ambrose University
MICHELLE HINZMAN-FERRIS
Assistant Professor
Department of Education
B.A., Elementary Education and Psychology, Clarke College
M.A., Educational Assessment, University of Northern Iowa
M.A., Educational Leadership, The University of Iowa
Ed.S., School Psychology, University of Northern Iowa
Ph.D., Teaching & Learning/Special Education, The University of Iowa
Dr. Michelle Hinzman-Ferris is returning to Augustana College after previously serving several years as an adjunct professor in the Education Department. She has worked in the K-12 school setting for more than 15 years as a teacher, school psychologist, special education administrator and researcher. She currently studies effective interventions to teach reading and writing to children with and at risk for disabilities. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, gardening, decorating and spending time with her husband and two children.
RACHEL HORNER BRACKETT
Assistant Professor
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
B.A., Sociology & Anthropology, Knox College
M.A. and Ph.D., Anthropology, The University of Iowa
Dr. Rachel Horner Bracket is an enthusiastic anthropologist who brings her passion for the subject into the classroom. Growing up on a family farm in a small town in northwest Illinois, she had never even heard of anthropology until she inadvertently signed up for an introductory course in her freshman year of college. The rest, as they say, is history. She completed her Ph.D. in cultural anthropology at The University of Iowa (2011), where she also completed a master’s in public health (2005). Rachel conducted dissertation research in Tuscany, where she lived and worked on an agritourism estate in order to study the connections between food traditions, sustainability and heritage management. In 2015, she returned to Italy to study Etruscan archaeology through a National Endowment for the Humanities summer fellowship. Her current research interests include the formation of “Etruscan” identity in modern Italy, culinary traditions in the Midwest and the discourse(s) surrounding health and diet. When she’s not teaching, reading or planning her next trip to Italy, Rachel enjoys organic gardening, spending time with the Brackett family menagerie (two cats, two dogs and two parrots) and dabbling in fiber arts.
MATTHEW KOWALCZYK
Part-time Instructor
Department of Music
B.M.E., Music Education / Bassoon Performance, Illinois State University
M.M., Bassoon Performance, University of Arizona
Matthew Kowalczyk is second bassoon, orchestra librarian and a PLP instructor of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra. In addition to performing, teaching lessons and coaching sectionals with the youth orchestras, he also started the Summer Bassoon Reed Seminar, aimed at helping area school-aged students see and learn the processes of bassoon reedmaking, a critical part of the craft of bassoon playing often overlooked. Matthew held the bassoon fellowship of the Fred Fox Graduate Wind Quintet at the University of Arizona, which included performing and competing throughout the country, and a three-week tour throughout China. Outside of work, Matt is an avid aquarist, maintaining an ever-growing collection of aquatic plants and serving as a board member of the Chicago Aquatic Plant Society.
KATHERINE R. MADEL
Assistant Professor
Department of Political Science
B.A., Political Science and English, North Central College, Naperville
Ph.D. Candidate (expected completion in 2023), Government, The University of Texas at Austin
Katie Madel researches American politics and public policy in political science. While her research interests dabble in areas such as gender, rhetoric and education, her dissertation and passion project lies in studying the purpose of public policy. Outside of academia, Katie raises two dogs and three cats with her partner, Vincent (he/him). In between devouring stories in any format (be it TV or books), she also fosters kittens through the local shelter and loves spending time outdoors.
SETH N. McKNIGHT
Visiting Assistant Professor
B.M.M.E., Music Education, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
M.M. and Ph.D., Music Education, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
At Augustana, Dr. Seth McKnight will specialize in general music education and assessment in music education. His scholarly interests include elementary music teachers’ working conditions and schedules, concerns about LGBTQIA+ low brass players, attrition rates in music education, and informal music learning. He has presented his research at the state and national levels. Before his appointment at Augustana, Seth spent one year teaching music education courses at Western Illinois University and seven years as an elementary general music teacher in the North Carolina public schools. In his free time, Seth enjoys swimming and barbecuing.
SAMUEL J. STAPLETON
Visiting Assistant Professor
Department of Music
B.M., Violin Performance, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
M.A., Orchestral Conducting, The University of Iowa
M.F.A., Violin Performance, The University of Iowa
D.M.A., Orchestral Conduction, The University of Iowa
During the past two decades, Dr. Sam Stapleton has enjoyed an active career as a conductor, violinist and educator. Sam has served as the music director of the Cambridge Philharmonic Orchestra and the Boston New Music Initiative and has directed the orchestra programs at Wartburg College and Central College. Sam has also conducted numerous opera productions including Verdi’s La Traviata, Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors and The Medium. As a professional violinist, Sam has performed with numerous ensembles including the Quad City Symphony, Orchestra Iowa, the La Crosse Symphony (Wisconsin), the Cape Ann Symphony (Massachusetts), Orchestra del Luigi Cherubini (Italy), and others. Outside of music Sam enjoys reading, cooking (eating), and holds the title of Certified Bourbon Professional. He also usually enjoys walking his bassett-lab Frances Begonia.
HOLLY A. STOVALL
Part-time Assistant Professor
First Year Inquiry Program
B.A., Spanish, Western Illinois University
M.A., Women’s History, Sarah Lawrence College
M.F.A., Creative Writing, Northwestern University School of Professional Studies
M. Phil. and Ph.D., Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Literatures and Languages, The Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York
Dr. Holly A. Stovall's short stories and personal essays appear in Midwest Review, Writers Resist, Litbreak Magazine, and Belle Point Press's Mid/South Anthology. She's been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. A former associate professor of women's studies, she lives in Macomb, Ill., with her spouse, teenage son and Standard Poodle.
MOLLY A. SWICK
Visiting Assistant Professor
Public Health Program
B.A., Radio/Television/Film, California State University – Long Beach
M.S.Ed., Secondary Education-Health, Northern Illinois University
Ed.D., Adult & Higher Education, Northern Illinois University
Raised on the shores of sunny California and the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, Dr. Molly A. Swick brings a unique perspective to education. The title of her dissertation is “Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of Hope: An Autoethnography in a Social Justice Classroom.” She is an outdoor enthusiast committed to social, environmental and economic justice. In past faculty positions, Molly taught graduate and undergraduate courses in educational philosophy and foundations, critical pedagogy, health and wellness, public health, health promotion, lifeguarding, CPR, responding to emergencies, water safety and outdoor education. In addition to teaching doctoral courses on adult learning, Molly taught health education courses for the K-12 teaching licensure program at Aurora University. Her core commitment is excellence in teaching, and she is thrilled to be joining the Augustana community. In her free time, Molly enjoys hiking with her dog LuLu, kayaking, rafting, canoeing, X-country skiing, mountain biking and horseback riding.