Charlotte Shepherd

Professional Faculty Instructor of Education

• Phone: 309-794-7803
• Email: charlotteshepherd@augustana.edu
• Office: Evald 213

Charlotte Shepherd has 14 years of experience in K-12 education, including 10 years of classroom teaching in Quad-City area schools. She specializes in science education, and has a strong interest in inclusive teaching practices in STEM classrooms. Her two children and Standard Poodle claim most of her free time, but when nap times synchronize, she enjoys cooking and reading. She also loves birding and kayaking with her husband.

Nicholas Scalora

Assistant Professor of Biology

• Phone: 309-794-7334
• Email: nicholasscalora@augustana.edu
• Office: Hanson 314

Dr. Nick Scalora studies the role of topoisomerase II in cancer progression and metastasis. Outside of the lab, he enjoys watching and playing soccer and spending time with his wife, Lindsay, and their dog, Winston.

Anne Heide they/them/theirs

Visiting Assistant Professor of Art

• Phone: 309-794-7490
• Email: anneheide@augustana.edu
• Office: Art Studios 7

Website: www.annexavierheide.com

I teach courses on weaving, sculpture, fabric design, and contemporary artistic practice.

I make artwork that considers the environmental and social impacts of contemporary clothing overconsumption as well as gender and class norms that clothing embodies. I research and use craft practices that historically repurposed and repaired worn-out clothing alongside contemporary digital weaving and garment construction techniques. These practices include quilting, rag rug weaving, hand papermaking, and mending. Through combining these contemporary and historical practices, I produce fluid alternatives to the rigid constraints of contemporary clothing consumption that center reuse and gender diversity.

Projects include exhibitions with Manifest Gallery (Cincinnati, OH), Handweavers Guild of America (Convergence 2024 in Wichita, KS), Surface Design Association (Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens, OH). I also facilitate public events and workshops including 2022 mending workshops in collaboration with the Spencer Museum of Art (Lawrence, KS).

I grew up on the south side of Chicago and completed my MFA in Fiber/Textiles at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS in 2024. Before starting graduate school, I lived in Iowa City, IA where I completed a graduate certificate concentrated in hand papermaking at the University of Iowa Center for the Book and worked odd jobs including being a youth bicycle educator and croissant baker.

Specializations: Art, Textile history, Contemporary art, Weaving, Queer Studies, Gender and feminist theory, Environmental studies

Erin Hopkins she/her/hers

Assistant Professor of Music

• Phone: 309-794-8054
• Email: erinhopkins@augustana.edu
• Office: Bergendoff 120

Dr. Erin Hopkins specializes in general music methods and assessment in music education. She holds Level 1 certification in both Orff Schulwerk and Music Learning Theory– Early Childhood. Prior to joining the Augustana faculty, she taught elementary general music for eight years in Michigan and Ohio, the majority of which was in urban and Title 1 public schools. She has also taught middle school general music, beginning orchestra, and beginning band.

Dr. Hopkins created the Music Makers program for Gigi’s Playhouse Cleveland, a nonprofit organization that provides free educational and therapeutic programming for children and adults with Down Syndrome, which she led for six years. She is pleased to continue this volunteer work with Gigi's Playhouse Quad Cities.

Dr. Hopkins's research is interdisciplinary, focusing on intersections between neurodiversity studies, music cognition, and music education praxis. She has conducted studies on topics including the perspectives and expertise of neurodivergent music educators, equity of access to music for students with disabilities, musical stimming in autistic adults, and cognitive processes involved in reading music notation. She has presented her work at state, national, and international conferences and has published articles in the Journal of Music Teacher Education, Contributions to Music Education, and Science.

Find more from Dr. Hopkins at www.neurodivergentmusiceducation.com.

Specializations: Elementary General Music Education

Dong Yeol Hong

Part-Time Assistant Professor of Music

• Phone: 309-794-7299
• Email: dongyeolhong@augustana.edu
• Office: Bergendoff 22

Dr. Dong Yeol Hong firmly establishes himself as a serious performer and teacher. Dr. Hong joined the faculty at Augustana College in 2024. At the same time, Dr. Hong is currently on the faculty at Indiana State University School of Music. Previously instructed cello at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and the Moscow Conservatory Pre-College. As a guest artist and educator, he has performed and taught at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Indiana State University, Delta State University, Northwestern State University, and Mississippi University for Women.

Dr. Hong has appeared as a soloist with the Korea National Orchestra and Moscow Pre-college Chamber Orchestra. As a dedicated chamber musician, Dr. Hong has performed with numerous faculty members from the Cleveland Institute of Music and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music among others. Recently, Dr. Hong has expanded his performance activities by forming a Piano Trio with faculty members from Jacobs School of Music and Indiana State University. Festival appearances have included the Bowdoin International Music Festival, Moscow Conservatory Chamber Music Festival, New Music on the Bayou, and Classical Music Festival in Austria.

Dr. Hong has claimed top prizes in the Korea National Symphony Orchestra International Competition, Korea Youth Competition, Second Prize in the Moscow Pre-Conservatory Ensemble Competition, Moscow Conservatory International Competition, Moscow Contemporary Music Competition, and CBS Korea Broadcast International Competition.

Dr. Hong holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and recently completed his DMA at Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Also, additional studies include Moscow Conservatory and among others. His primary teachers include Stanislav Nicholivich, Maria Tchaikovskaya, Alan Harris, Stephen Geber, Peter Stumpf, and Alan Rafferty.

Specializations: Cello

Sulina Baek

Part-Time Assistant Professor of Music

• Phone: 309-794-8628
• Email: sulinabaek@augustana.edu
• Office: Bergendoff 162A

Born in South Korea, Sulina Baek started playing the piano at age 6 and picked up her mother’s flute at age 12. As a passionate orchestral musician, she has appeared in Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the Metropolitan Museum in New York City, Norwalk City Hall, Fischer Center at Bard, and Krannert Center for Performing Arts Center, etc. Dr. Baek has performed with Norwalk Symphony Orchestra, The Orchestra Now, New Britain Symphony Orchestra, Nutmeg Symphony, Montclair Symphony Orchestra, Chelsea Symphony Orchestra, Astoria Choir Orchestra, and Loft Opera. She was nominated as a flute fellow in the Sarasota Music Festival, Orchestra of Americas Academy and Napa Valley Festival Orchestra. As an active chamber musician, she appeared as a principal flute for Naxos Records titled “Equinox” 21st Century Orchestral and Chamber Works with Foot in the Door Ensemble.

Her gifted artistry has been recognized by American Protégé International Woodwind and Brass Competition, New Jersey Young Artist Competition, Alexander and Buono International Flute Competition, Nancy Crew Eller Artist Competition, New York Flute Club Competition, Atlanta Flute Club Young Artist Competition, South Carolina Collegiate Competition, Wisconsin Young Artist Competition, and Young Artist Competition for Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. 

In addition to her performing Dr. Baek is a passionate teacher and adjudicator. She holds a private studio in CT where she teaches and mentors students of all levels. She has been an adjudicator for the Schubert Music Club of Fairfield County in Connecticut.

Dr. Baek earned her Master of Music degree at Mannes School of Music under the tutelage of Judith Mendenhall, her Bachelor of Music at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign studying under Jonathan Keeble. She completed her Doctoral of Musical Arts degree at the University of Hartford – The Hartt School. The title of her doctoral dissertation is “Thirty Caprices, op. 107 for Solo Flute by Sigfrid Karg-Elert as Models for Flute Solo Repertoire and Orchestral Excerpts.

Dr. Baek recently joined Augustana College in 2024 as a part-time assistant professor of flute, and she also teaches at Wheaton College-Conservatory (IL) as a guest lecturer in flute.

Jaehyuk Choi

Adjunct Instructor of Music

• Phone: 309-794-7319
• Email: jaehyukchoi@augustana.edu
• Office: Bergendoff 138A

Jaehyuk Choi holds a bachelor's degree in Voice Performance from Hanyang University in South Korea and a master's degree in the same field from Lamar University in Texas. He is currently ABD and pursuing a DMA in Voice Performance at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

He has been a prizewinner in numerous vocal competitions, including the 14th Lois Alba International Aria Competition (Robin Angly and Miles Smith Award & 1st Place Max Locher Audience Choice Award), 1st prize at the Greater Houston NATS Competition, the Daegu Vocal Music Competition, and the Belvedere International Competition Seoul chapter, among others.

Jaehyuk has performed opera roles such as Roberto in Le Villi, Alfredo in La Traviata, Alfred in Die Fledermaus, and Tamino in The Magic Flute. As a soloist, he has performed in Handel’s Messiah, Schumann’s Requiem, and Bruckner's Te Deum.

Reynard Benschop he/him

Director of Student Activities

• Phone: 309-794-2695
• Email: reynardbenschop@augustana.edu
• Office: Gerber Student Center 432

Specializations: Student Life