At Willamette University, academic excellence is fueled by close-knit mentorship and a shared passion for discovery. For the 2026–2027 academic year, a new cohort of faculty joins our Salem and Portland campuses — scholars, artists, researchers, and leaders who bring dynamic expertise and fresh energy to our classrooms.
These educators expand our course options across disciplines, offering students opportunities from lab science and studio art to field research and public policy. They arrive ready to challenge students, guide original research, and help turn knowledge into action on and off campus.
Meet the newest members of the Willamette community below and discover some of the courses they will be offering this year.
School of Computing & Information Sciences
Steven Cox, Adjunct Faculty, Data Science
Steven Cox has spent his career on the inside of the problems this course examines: architecting GDPR-compliant systems for 6,000 users across 40 countries at Mercy Corps, and now leading a Microsoft migration into a controlled data environment at Vigor Marine. He is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) and taught technology for eighteen years as a tenured professor. Students in his course work cases that are still unfolding. Steven will be teaching Data Ethics, Privacy and Humans.
Esther Klabbers, Adjunct Faculty, Data Science
Esther Klabbers joins Willamette’s School of Computing and Information Sciences as Adjunct Faculty this fall. She is a researcher in text-to-speech synthesis with over two decades of experience. She has previously worked as an assistant professor at OHSU’s Center for Spoken Language Understanding and as a senior research scientist at ReadSpeaker. She also currently serves as the Vice President of the International Speech Communication Association (ISCA). Esther will be teaching Spoken Language Processing in the Master’s Data Science program.
Kester Wade, Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering and Operational Research
Kester Wade is an Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering/ Operations Research and will be starting up the new Industrial Engineering major at Willamette. He focuses on decision-making under constraints in socio-technical systems and his research centers on modeling people’s choices and how they affect energy system resilience and infrastructure planning. He holds a PhD and an MSc in Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University, and a BSc in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University. His experiences in equity, development, sustainability, and energy issues span the US, Caribbean, and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Pacific Northwest College of Art
Erin Bodfish, Instructor, Art and Art History
Erin Bodfish is a painter, florist, and writer based in Oregon. Through the intersection of her writing and painting practice, Bodfish weaves together a history of grief, memory, and presence of the body in an emotive landscape. Bodfish received her Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Oregon State University along with a Minor in Applied Visual Arts. As a Merit Scholar, she completed her dual Masters of Fine Arts in Visual Studies and Masters of Arts in Critical Studies at Pacific Northwest College of Art. Bodfish is currently an instructor of Art and Art History at Oregon State University, Willamette University, and Pacific Northwest College of Art.
Brett Carville, Instructor, Illustration
Brett Carville graduated from Ringling College of Art and Design in 2012 with a BFA in Illustration and a minor in visual development for animation. Carville moved to Portland to work at LAIKA Entertainment as a puppet fabricator on the movies The Boxtrolls and Kubo and the Two strings. He also worked at PowerHouse Animation Studios in Austin Tx, as a Background Designer, Concept Artist, and Color Script Artist for over six years. In his spare time he writes and draws comics and loves learning new ways to make art.
Grace Hartley, Instructor, Drawing and 3D Design
Grace Hartley is an interdisciplinary confessional artist who creates objects that hold and are meant to be held. These tactile vessels of care and contradiction are made using ceramics, glitter, epoxy, fabric, spoken word, and her own body. Blending traditional ceramic craft with a ritualistic meditative practice, she explores the vulnerability of being in relation with others. With a background in community art and recognition as an NAEA award-winning art educator, Grace approaches both teaching and making as acts of reciprocity. Her installations, performances, and intimate objects invite viewers into moments of personal reflection, often functioning as containers for quiet witnessing. She is a current MFA candidate at Pacific Northwest College of Art where she is a Wilbur Larson Memorial Scholar, Graduate Excellence Scholar, and Visual Studies Graduate Merit Scholar.
Colin Kippen, Visiting Assistant Professor, 3D Art + Sculpture
Colin Kippen holds an MFA in Craft (2015) and a Post-Bacc Certificate in Metals (2006) from Oregon College of Art and Craft along with a BA in Studio Art (2004) from Carleton College. His sculptural practice loosely references domesticity, waste streams, and parenting. Along with a recent solo show at Well Well Projects in Portland, OR, Colin has exhibited along the West Coast including Eastside International, Los Angeles, CA, SOIL Gallery, Seattle, WA; and Dakota Art Gallery, Bellingham, WA. Colin has taught as an adjunct professor of sculpture, design and drawing at Portland Community College, Oregon College of Art and Craft, University of Portland and Clark College in Vancouver, WA.
Kate McCallum, Lecturer, Quantitative Studies
Kate McCallum completed her practice-based PhD in fine art and linguistics, a communicate ethnography of research mathematics with artistic research methods, at the University of Brighton in the UK in 2020. Her research focus is the capacity of art and other methods of inquiry to propose consistent yet unfamiliar systems of reasoning, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary inquiry and the theoretical warrant for artistic research. McCallum’s art-theoretical and interdisciplinary research has been published in Leonardo, Philosophy of Science, Review of Philosophy and Psychology and the Journal of Artistic Research, and their work on mathematical communication was included in the Diversity Project Reading List for People and Proofs. McCallum encourages an experimental, interdisciplinary outlook in students, with a focus on practice as a form of inquiry, community and environmental engagement, and bringing scientific and mathematical concepts to an artistic audience. McCallum is also a Faculty Development Specialist at Pacific University.
Liza Rietz, Assistant Professor of Creative Leadership and Entrepreneurship
Liza Rietz will be the first to hold this role at PNCA. She will teach Applied Creative Practice and Foundation courses, and work to link students’ artistic skills with real-world business acumen, while leading collaborations with industry, student venture design, and career partnerships. After nearly 15 years of designing and running a retail boutique that focused on sustainable fashion and participating in dozens of fashion shows, Liza gravitated towards teaching as a means to reconnect with the artistic and experimental side of fashion while engaging with individuals in her community. Her teachings approach garments as soft sculpture and are rooted in innovative concepts that push the envelope of what fashion is. She has taught Innovative Design classes and workshops at the Oregon College of Art and Craft and Nike, participated as a mentor for the Applied Craft and Design program, and currently teaches at Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland State University Fiber Arts/Sustainable Fashion Program and Portland Fashion Institute. Her areas of interest and expertise are Innovative Design, Sewing Construction, Pattern Making, Draping, Soft Sculpture, and Fashion Research and Ideation. All her garments are handcrafted in Portland, Oregon.
Anna Rogers, Instructor, Illustration
Anna Rogers is a multidisciplinary artist and art curator based on the West Coast. She was co-founder of Fishbowl Gallery and is now affiliated with Antler & Talon Gallery in NE Portland. She earned her Master’s in Library & Information Science from Dominican University (with specialization in curation and archives) and received her Bachelor’s from University of Washington. While most of her professional work revolves around art direction/branding and digital illustration, her preferred analog media are ink illustration, murals, and woodworking/painting. Past and current design and illustration clients include Noisepop, Portland Monthly, The Guild Theatre, Madre Linen, and Bolt Fabrics. Her work has been exhibited at Pamplemousse Gallery, Antler & Talon, Paradigm, The Purple Door, and Seattle Art Fair.
Egon Selby, Instructor, Graphic Design
Egon Selby is driven by his desire to do work that reflects not just passion for design, but fresh solutions to complex visual problems. His path has wound through agencies both large (Wieden+Kennedy, Adidas) and small (adCreep, Inc., ID Branding), and to Cranbrook Academy of Art where he earned his Masters in 2D Design.
Noa Taylor, Lecturer, Studio Art
Noa Taylor joins the Willamette University community as a Lecturer of Studio Art beginning this fall. They earned their BA in Art from Whitman College, their MFA in Studio Art from the University of Oregon, and previously served as Visiting Teaching Assistant Professor of Emergent Digital Practices at the University of Denver. Taylor is an interdisciplinary artist working at the intersection of emerging technologies, traditional and experimental imaging, and critical inquiry. Their practice focuses on reexamining queer representation, both contemporary and historical, through the lens of digital image circulation. Taylor will be teaching Foundation and Interdisciplinary Studies courses at PNCA.
Manny Wong, Instructor, 3D Rigging
Manny Wong will be teaching the inaugural class for Intro to 3D Rigging. Manny has a Bachelor of Science degree in Transportation Design from the Art Center College of Design. By using animation to explain innovative designs, Manny ventured into the CG realm. Eventually mastering all disciplines to become a CG Supervisor, an Animation Supervisor and a Rigging Supervisor. Manny has worked with companies such as Mattel, Sony, Digital Domain and Laika to name a few.
Willamette College
Meghan Albritton, Assistant Professor of Public Health
Meghan Albritton joins Willamette University as an Assistant Professor of Public Health. Originally from Georgia, she earned her BA in Spanish and BS in Environmental Science from Berry College before completing her MPH, MS in Geography, and PhD at Virginia Tech. Her research centers on the use of participatory mapping to examine the syndemic health impacts of extractivism across diverse communities in the US and abroad. By blending spatial analysis, public health, and community-engaged research, she explores how environmental and social factors intersect to shape health outcomes.
Fernando Munoz Gomez Andrade, Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology
Fernando Andrade is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology. His work as a human factors psychologist studies how people allocate attention and make decisions in applied settings. His research identifies the strengths and constraints of human performance to guide the design of safer, more efficient systems. He also conducts research on psychometrics and meta-science to strengthen robustness in psychological science. This fall he will be teaching Introduction to Psychology.
Damian Berdakin, Conductor-in-Residence and Director of Instrumental Music
Damian Berdakin serves as a director within the music department where he oversees a wide range of chamber ensembles. In addition to his role at the university, Berdakin is a highly prominent music educator and conductor in the Pacific Northwest region. Originally from Córdoba, Argentina, he is a trained double bassist and conductor. He holds degrees from the Longy School of Music in Boston and a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Los Angeles.
Madison Booth, Visiting Assistant Professor of Theater
Madison Booth has called Denver home for the past five years. Since starting her costume career she has designed costumes for plays, musicals, digital productions, immersive theatre, and live music groups. She’s excited to join the Faculty at Willamette this fall, teaching Costume Design and Global Fashion History as well as designing the costumes for the department’s theatrical productions. Select Costume Design: Into the Woods (University of Denver), Pippin (Phamaly Theatre Company), The Flying Dutchman (Opera Colorado), Cinderella (Arvada Center), Amerikin (Curious Theatre Company), Rent (University of Denver), Little Women (Theatreworks UCCS), and La Bohème (Opera Steamboat). Madison holds an MFA in costume design from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Kent State University.
Gabrielle Choma, Adjunct Faculty, Department of Music
Gabrielle Choma joins Willamette University this Fall as an Adjunct Faculty of Music teaching the Musicianship 2 Lab. She recently graduated from the University of Oregon with her Ph.D. in Music Theory where she studied and published research on 21st century composers and how modern audiences can derive meaning from increasingly pluralistic contemporary styles. She regularly presents her research throughout the West Coast and is excited to join the robust community of musicians and performers at WU.
Susannah Gibbs, Assistant Professor of Scientific and Professional Communication
Susannah Gibbs joins Willamette as Herrin Chair of Scientific and Professional Communication and Assistant Professor of Public Health. She is a social scientist and scientific writer with research and applied experience in global health. She holds a PhD and MSPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and previously served as Senior Technical Writer for Public Health Research at Population Services International. Her current research interests include global sexual and reproductive health and the impact of generative AI tools on scientific communication.
Kylie Pine BA’06, Adjunct Faculty, Department of Art History
Kylie Pine will serve as an Adjunct Faculty member this term teaching Introduction to Museum Studies. She is currently the Philip and Penny Unverzagt Endowed Curator and Collections Manager at the Willamette Heritage Center. She works in the Salem community to gather, preserve and share the history of the Mid-Willamette Valley through exhibits, publications, and the center’s extensive collections. A Willamette alum, she received her M.A. in Museology from the University of Washington.
Alexander Sodeman, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science
Alexander Sodeman is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Science. He was previously a Lecturer of Environmental Science at the Bronx Community College and earned his PhD in Geography from Simon Fraser University. He is a glacial geologist and geomorphologist with a research focus on reconstructing paleo ice sheets and glaciers using field- and lab-based methodologies. This fall he will be teaching Earth System Science and Geomorphology.
Evangeline Starchman, Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Evangeline Starchman is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry. Her research primarily focuses on the synthesis and characterization of natural products. As a member of Dr. Chris Beaudry's research lab at OSU, her work targeted the complex structure of Asterelin A, a molecule known for its anti-fungal properties. By recreating and investigating these fine details, her research aims to advance drug development pathways and broaden the understanding of complex natural molecules. She earned her PhD in Organic Chemistry from Oregon State University. This fall she will be teaching General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry.
Jiesha Stephens, Adjunct Faculty, Department of Women’s and Gender Studies
Jiesha Stephens joins Willamette University’s Women’s and Gender Studies program for Fall 2026, where she will teach Black Feminism. She earned her Ph.D. in English from the University of Oregon. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on African American, Afro-Caribbean, and Afro-Latinx literature and culture, drawing on Black visual culture, performance studies, and Black feminisms.
Koichiro Uno, Visiting Assistant Professor of Japanese Studies
Koichiro Uno is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Japanese. He earned his M.A. in Japanese and M.Ed. through the International Teacher Education Program at Portland State University. Prior to joining Willamette, he taught Japanese at Portland State University and has experience teaching Japanese language and culture in a variety of educational settings. His interests include Japanese language pedagogy, intercultural learning, and creating opportunities for students to engage with Japanese language and culture. Koichiro will be teaching Elementary Japanese I (JAPN 131) and Intermediate Japanese I (JAPN 231) this fall.
Jen Vaughn, Visiting Assistant Professor of Studio Art
Jen Vaughn is a Visiting Assistant Professor in Studio Art. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Oregon and is a former member of Ditch Projects. Her interdisciplinary work employs a wide range of materials and processes to weave together interests in geology, the environment, and the cultural complexities surrounding ideas of nature. Using sensory experience as both a mode of thinking and feeling, her sculptural and video installations incorporate mineral matter, auditory disruption, geologic forms, living materials, and industrial waste to create temporary structures that shift over time. The entangled relationships and concepts within her work raise questions about human notions of place, ownership, and collective destiny.
Willamette Law
Alexander Chen, Assistant Professor of Law
Alexander Chen joins Willamette Law as an Assistant Professor of Law teaching Torts this Fall. He was previously at Harvard Law, where he was founding director of their LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic. He came to that clinic after clerking on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He also spent several years in advocacy practice in the San Francisco Bay area.
Alexandra Cook, Assistant Dean of Career Planning and Development and Assistant Professor of Experiential Learning
Alexandra Cook joins Willamette Law as Assistant Dean of Career Planning and Development, as well as an Assistant Professor of Experiential Learning. She will be teaching Legal Analysis for the Bar this fall. Dean Cook has many years of experience in private practice in Oregon, but comes to us most recently from her position as Director of Academic Excellence and Inclusion at Lewis & Clark Law School.
Anne Marie King, Visiting Professor of Law
Anne Marie King joins Willamette Law as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Law, teaching Civil Procedure in the Fall and PR this coming spring. She has had years of experience as an ethics law attorney to federal government political appointees and attorneys, has taught as an Adjunct at Lewis and Clark, and has a number of years of experience as a law clerk at, and advisor to, the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. She has also worked in private practice and for Disability Rights Oregon, and most recently has been a Visitor and Fellow at Oxford University.
Crystal Mahoney, Assistant Professor of Law
Crystal Mahoney joins Willamette Law as an Assistant Professor of Law teaching two sections of Lawyering. She most immediately comes from private practice in Kentucky, although she also served there with the ACLU, as a clerk to several Federal District Court judges, and as an adjunct professor at University of Louisville Law. A graduate of UCLA Law, she also practiced and clerked in California for several years.
Alyne Sanchez, Assistant Professor of Clinical Education and Criminal Defense Clinic Instructor
Alyne Sanchez has served as a contributing instructor for Willamette Law’s criminal Client Interviewing and Counseling Course. She will continue to teach that course in the fall while also beginning her new role as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Education and instructor of our Criminal Defense Clinic. A Willamette Law 2022 graduate, she comes to us from a private criminal defense practice as well as several years at the Metropolitan Public Defenders’ office in Washington County.
Sarah Schra, Assistant Professor of Law
Sarah Schra joins Willamette Law as an Assistant Professor of Law teaching two sections of Lawyering. She is a Willamette Law 2025 graduate who comes to us from her position as an OWR Immigrant Justice Attorney Fellow at the Afghan Support Network, and has a decade of experience working in law clerk and paralegal positions at a local Salem law firm.
Michael Sewell, Adjunct Faculty, Law
Michael Sewell joins Willamette Law as an Adjunct Professor of Law teaching Advanced Training in Legal Skills. He is a Willamette Law 2022 graduate who joins the law school from a private law firm in Salem, Oregon. His practice focuses primarily on business and nonprofit law, general civil litigation, legislative and public policy, and estate planning.
