39 New Faculty Bring Exciting Expertise as Gonzaga Begins 2025-2026 Academic Year

Gonzaga begins the 2025-2026 academic year with an incredible 39-person new faculty cohort, as well as one Fulbright and eight global scholars.

Interim Provost Mia Bertagnolli states “I am excited to see the infusion of interests and expertise that our new faculty bring to Gonzaga. Our students will truly benefit from the courses, projects and mentoring provided by our new faculty. I am grateful that these colleagues chose Gonzaga and are invested in our mission. Welcome!”

Broadening the expertise of our university, these faculty conduct research in areas such as ecological disease control, mental health stigma, machine learning, negotiation and conflict management, and trial advocacy.

Learn more about our new faculty members: 

College of Arts and Sciences

Elizabeth Bell, Lecturer of Philosophy -- Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2025. Expertise in epistemology, cognitive science, aesthetics, and logic.

Jessica Bertram Williams, Assistant Professor of Theatre & Dance -- M.F.A., University of Colorado Boulder, 2024. Expertise in contemporary dance, particularly from Afro-Diaspora, womanism, black-feminism, and Afro-Futurism.

Kelly Buch, Assistant Professor of Mathematics -- Ph.D., University of Tennessee Knoxville, 2022. Expertise in the interface of mathematics and ecology.

Brian Connolly, Lecturer of Biology -- Ph.D., Washington State University, 2013. Expertise in plant ecology, forest regeneration, climate change, and urbanization.

Nora Donoghue, Lecturer of History -- Ph.D., Florida State University, 2024. Expertise in classical and gender archaeology, Roman history, and Etruscan archaeology.

Robert Gipal, Fulbright Scholar in Modern Languages & Literature – M.A., Caraga State University 2025. Expertise in English and Tagalog language instruction.

Nathan Huff, Lecturer of Psychology -- Ph.D., University of Massachusetts-Amherst, 2024. Expertise in social psychology, mental health stigma, emotions in healthcare, and scale development/measure.

Ka Yu Hui, Lecturer of Philosophy -- Ph.D., Boston College, 2025. Expertise in 20th century European philosophy, social and political philosophy.

Andrew Johnson, Lecturer of Political Science -- Ph.D., University of California Santa Barbara, 2022. Expertise in political theory, police institutions, contemporary social movements.

Christina Nickerson, Lecturer of Integrated Media -- Ph.D., Washington State University, 2025. Expertise on family communication about sexual health and substance use during late adolescence into emerging adulthood.

Zachary Roman, Lecturer of Integrated Media -- Ph.D., University of Oregon, 2020. Expertise in cinema/industry studies, genre studies, and the political economy of mass media.

Kristen Skruber, Assistant Professor of Biology -- Ph.D., University of Florida, 2020. Expertise in cell biology, actin cytoskeleton, and biophysical models of cell motility.

Annastacia Stegall, Lecturer of English -- M.F.A., Eastern Washington University, 2025. Expertise in rhetoric and writing studies with an emphasis on first-year writing.

Mario Tumen, Lecturer of Critical Race and Ethnic Studies -- Ph.D., University of California Santa Barbara, 2023. Expertise in 19th century critical race and ethnicity in Latin America. 

Learn more about all of the new College of Arts & Sciences faculty here.

School of Education

Takeshi Barnes, Assistant Professor of Kinesiology and Sport Management -- Ph.D., University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 2025. Expertise in exercise physiology and protein metabolism. See profile.

Hannah Brinser, Lecturer of Counselor Education -- Ph.D., Idaho State University. Expertise in professional identity and advocacy in school counseling and crisis and trauma practices in schools. See profile.

Gerald Dryer, Lecturer of Educational Leadership and Administration -- M.A., Goddard College, 2011. Expertise in personalized learning, participatory cultures, and connected learning. See profile.

Mick Miller, Lecturer of Educational Leadership and Administration -- M.Ed., Whitworth University, 1990. Expertise in public education administration and how to foster resilience in the classroom. See profile.

David Smith, Lecturer of Kinesiology and Sport Management -- M.Sc., German Sport University Cologne, 2020. Expertise in sport and exercise science, psychology, and sociology. See profile.

School of Engineering & Applied Science

Mutasem Alzoubaidi, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering -- Ph.D., University of Wyoming, 2022. Expertise in transportation engineering, traffic engineering, highway design, and connected vehicles. See profile.

Kerry Lane, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering -- Ph.D., University of California Santa Barbara, 2023. Expertise in mechanobiology, using techniques of microfabrication, tissue culture, live-cell imaging, and image processing and analysis. See profile.

Sophina Luitel, Assistant Professor of Computer Science -- Ph.D., North Carolina A&T State University, 2024. Expertise in audio sentiment and emotional classification, machine learning, and investigating bias and gender-related disparities in affective computing systems. See profile.

Dominic MacIsaac, Lecturer of Computer Science -- M.S., Eastern Washington University, 2025. Expertise in algorithms and multi-objective optimization. See profile.

Yu Wang, Assistant Professor of Computer Science -- Ph.D., The University of Aizu, 2019. Expertise in distributed systems, internet of things, AI for sustainable materials, and industrial robotics systems. See profile.

Nathan Zavanelli, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering -- Ph.D., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2023. Expertise in medical electronics and sensors, biomedical signal processing and machine learning, printed electronics, and medical sensing materials. See profile.

Foley Library

Rebecca Devereaux, Lecturer -- M.A., M.L.I.S., Simmons University, 2025. Expertise in history and archives management.

School of Health Sciences

Kathleen Barbera, Lecturer of Nursing -- M.S.N., Western Governors University, 2019. Expertise in critical care. See profile.

Stephen Mengoni, Assistant Professor of Human Physiology -- Ph.D., Oregon State University, 2025. Expertise in biomechanics with an emphasis on ACL injury prevention. See profile.

School of Law

Sonya Garza, Visting Assistant Professor of Law -- J.D., Stanford University, 2000. Expertise in constitutional law and family law. See profile.

Sarah Harmon, Lecturer of Law -- J.D., Gonzaga University. Expertise in LGBTQ+ rights, civil and human rights and liberties, and trial advocacy. See profile.

Nick Marquiss, Assistant Professor of Law -- J.D., Ph.D., Vanderbilt University, 2021. Expertise in empirical microeconomics. See profile.

Vanessa Montoya, Lecturer of Law -- J.D., University of Idaho, 2016. See profile.

Conrad Sturm, Visiting Assistant Professor of Law -- J.D., Nova Southeastern University, 2003. Expertise in legal skills, legal research and writing, and business associations. See profile.

Vanessa Waldref, Distinguished Visiting Assistant Professor of Law -- J.D., Georgetown University, 2008.

Kai Wang, Assistant Professor of Law -- J.S.D., L.L.M., Cornell University, 2024. Expertise in financial regulation, specifically in banking, payment systems, and cryptocurrency. See profile.

School of Leadership Studies

Philip Mathew, Assistant Professor of Leadership Studies -- Ph.D., Gonzaga University, 2009. Expertise in global leadership, human resilience, leadership and neuroscience, and negotiation and conflict management. See profile.

Manoj Thirupal, Lecturer of Leadership Studies -- Ph.D., Gonzaga University, 2025. Expertise in Dalit perspectives, Caste Mindset Theory, change talk leadership for social justice, and narrative inquiry. See profile.

Military Science

MAJ Ian McBride, Assistant Professor of Military Science -- M.A., Missouri Science and Technology. See profile.

MAJ Benjamin Reed, Assistant Professor of Military Science -- B.A., Oakland University. See profile.