Governor’s Teaching Fellows Academic Year 2022-2023 Dr. Charity Armstead Assistant Professor of Fashion Brenau University Dr. Laura Christian Lecturer of Biomedical Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology Dr. Sanjay Gupta Professor of Accounting Valdosta State University Nancy Guyse Assistant Professor of Respiratory Therapy Middle Georgia State University Meghan Hood Lecturer of English Georgia State University at Perimeter Dr. Meca Williams-Johnson Professor of Educational Research Georgia Southern University Dr. Sharon Jones Assistant Professor of Nursing University of North Georgia Sasha McBurse Instructor of Health & Wellness University of West Georgia Dr. Dina Schwam Assistant Professor of Psychology Mercer University Dr. Sondra Smith Assistant Professor of Accounting Georgia Southwestern State University Dr. Robert Sumowski Associate Professor of Education Georgia College and State University Dr. Virginia Wilcox Associate Professor of Education Wesleyan College Governor’s Teaching Fellows Academic Year, 2021-2022 Dr. Christopher Allen Assistant Professor of Psychology Kennesaw State University Dr. Jennifer Brown Professor of Educational Foundations Columbus State University Dr. Marlene Call Associate Professor of Nursing Augusta University Dr. Aimee Cribbs Assistant Professor of Education Dalton State University Dr. Linda De La Garza Associate Professor of Chemistry Valdosta State University Dr. Casey Dexter Associate Professor of Psychology Berry College Dr. Angus Galloway Assistant Professor of Art Georgia State University - Perimeter College Dr. Peter Huwe Assistant Professor Biochemistry Mercer University Dr. Carl Ide Instructor of Sociology South Georgia State College Dr. Ernie Kaninjing Assistant Professor of Public Health Georgia College Dr. Stephanie Rountree Assistant Professor of English University of North Georgia Dr. Joanna Schwartz Professor of Business Georgia College Dr. Christopher Serafin Assistant Professor of Business Administration Andrew College Dr. Sabrina Wengier Associate Professor of French Middle Georgia State University Summer Symposium 2021 Dr. Aisha Adams Assistant Professor of Psychology Columbus State University Ms. Kristin Baumann Instructor of Dental Hygiene Georgia Highlands College Ms. Tashia Caughran Senior Lecturer of Chemistry University of North Georgia- Oconee Campus Dr. Jasmine Clark Senior Instructor of Nursing Emory University Dr. Deidra Donmoyer Professor of Communication & Women’s Studies Wesleyan College Dr. Sheikh Tijan Drammeh Senior Lecturer of Political Science University of West Georgia Dr. Ashok Hegde Professor of Biomedical Science Georgia College and State University Dr. Matthew Hipps Associate Professor of Political Science Dalton State College Dr. Matthew Paproth Associate Professor of English Georgia Gwinnett College Dr. Erika Parra Professor of Modern & Classical Languages Valdosta State University Mr. Tony Pearson Associate Professor of Theatre Gordon State College Dr. Devesh Ranjan Professor of Mechanical Engineering Ring Family Chair Professor Georgia Institute of Technology Dr. Winston Tripp Associate Professor of Sociology University of West Georgia Academic Year Symposium 2020-2021 Dr. Latasha Adams Assistant Professor of Education Clayton State University Dr. Nadia Behizadeh Associate Professor of Middle and Secondary Education Georgia State University Dr. Juman Al Bukhari Assistant Professor of Modern & Classical Languages University of North Georgia Dr. Kathy Dolan Associate Professor of Sociology Georgia State University-Perimeter College Dr. Flavio Fenton Professor of Physics Georgia Institute of Technology Dr. Steve Haberlin Assistant Professor of Education Wesleyan College Ms. Anna Holcomb Lecturer of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology Dr. Katherine Keib Assistant Professor of Communication Oglethorpe University Dr. Kimberly Kellett Assistant Professor of Biology Georgia State University-Perimeter College Dr. Vicki Luther Associate Professor of Education Mercer University Ms. Candace Lynn Assistant Professor of Mathematics East Georgia State College Dr. Nicholas Miller Assistant Professor of English Valdosta State University Dr. André Nicholson Associate Professor of New Media & Communication Middle Georgia State University Dr. Debbie Palmer Associate Professor of Psychology Georgia Southwestern State University Ms. Kamina Pinder Associate Professor of Law Emory University Ms. Lauren Poss Instructor of English Oconee Fall Line Technical College Dr. Andrea Smith Assistant Professor of Early Childhood- Secondary Education University of West Georgia Mr. Joseph Turner Aviation Instructor Augusta Technical College Academic Year Fellows, 2019/2020 My experience in the Governor’s Teaching Fellows Program was both transformative and inspiring. Not only was I fortunate enough to spend three days each month surrounded by top-notch educators from around the state, the pedagogical tools and techniques that were shared have allowed me to greatly enhance my teaching skills. I was able to immediately implement a variety of innovative methods in my classes, both in person and, perhaps more importantly, in a suddenly remote, online teaching environment. Without a doubt, my participation in this program has re-ignited my passion for teaching, and I now have an amazing group of colleagues in my network who continue to share ideas and offer encouragement and motivation even after the program has ended. I am incredibly grateful for being provided with this opportunity, and I’m quite certain that I, as well as my colleagues and our students, will reap the benefits for years to come. -Alicia Briganti Dalton State College GTF provided me with a valuable opportunity to learn innovative teaching strategies, collaborate with colleagues, and develop tactics to overcome obstacles often faced in higher education. Through GTF, I have been able to cultivate my own unique pedagogy which is successful in promoting active learning and critical thinking skills among college students. -Holly Cole Wesleyan College Attending the Governor’s Teaching Fellowship gave me the space to explore new ideas and think about how I could implement them in my courses. It was wonderful to meet colleagues in different disciplines from around the state and to learn from them. Discussions with professors in design, rhetoric, chemistry, sociology, and other disciplines encouraged me to think about new ways to use media and resources in my courses. This focused time for collaboration and innovation was inspiring and the results will continue to be so in the semesters to come. -Kelly Frances Davidson Valdosta State University The Governor’s Teaching Fellows Program has transformed the way I approach teaching. Being equipped with innovative teaching strategies will provide my students with enhanced and engaging learning experiences. I am thankful for the opportunity to participate in GTF and collaborate with fellow participants. -Elnora Farmer Clayton State University The Governor’s Teaching Fellows program has really changed the way I design, teach, and engage with my students. Students have already told me that the formative assessments and other active engagement activities I have introduced in my courses have increased their learning. Thank you GTF for a wonderful program that takes teaching pedagogy to the next level. -Charlie Harris Clayton State University Aside from just being a whole lot of nerdy fun, participating in the Governor's Teaching Fellows Program introduced me to colleagues from around the state of Georgia who are doing impactful things in their own classrooms. I really enjoyed hearing from folks who teach at community colleges, tech schools, and both private and public universities. I learned a lot from the scheduled programming and from my accomplished colleagues. -Amanda Hedrick Georgia Southern University Can’t think of a better time to be part of GTF! Not only learning the most effective teaching strategies but also knowing that my GT fellows are there to lean on during these unprecedented times is a blessing. -Hasitha Mahabaduge Georgia College & State University Participating in the GTF program has been a highlight of my academic year 2019-20.This enriching, stimulating, transformative professional development experience was exactly needed for me after 15 years of teaching college. This is the program that every teaching professional who values quality teaching should experience and share with others. -Bhavya Mathur Chattahoochee Technical College GTF has given me the opportunity to expand my ideas and practice for teaching. I appreciated not only its evidenced-based approach to student-learning but also the creativity of GTF faculty and the other fellows. Having opportunities to collaborate on ideas with colleagues that each brought a unique perspective and diversity was a singularly great experience. It made me love teaching even more than I already did and helped me foster ideas that could be immediately put into place in my classroom/lab. What a wonderful experience! -Stephanie Puffer Chattahoochee Technical College The premise of the Governor's Teaching Fellows Program is an important one: bringing together committed, creative educators to learn together best practices, innovative methods, and to rededicate ourselves to the craft of teaching. The realized experience is even better than imagined. I came away from each session with practical strategies to implement that have enhanced the learning experience for students and rejuvenated my own joy in teaching. And it is a special gift now to have a cohort of new friends and colleagues from across the state who can continue thinking together and inspiring one another to excellence in teaching! -Tyler Schwaller Wesleyan College It was an honor to be chosen to participate in the Governor’s Teaching Fellowship. I met some incredible professors who shared many great stories and ideas. The tools that I took back to my college have become invaluable. I know I will use them for the rest of my career! I’ve already been able to pivot quickly and successfully to online teaching during a pandemic thanks to nuggets of wisdom GTF and the other fellows shared. I look forward to implementing new things for years to come. -Anna Shelton Emmanuel College My experience in Governor's Teaching Fellows has led me to challenge many of my assumptions about my teaching, and helped me to renew myself as a teacher at the university level. I would recommend the program for anyone who values teaching as a calling. -Bryan Sorohan Brenau University Inspiring, enriching, motivating define GTF. The program inspired new ways to approach the classroom experience from creating a class plan to developing creative assessment tools to delivering of course content. The program enriched my teaching by having me experience and observe new teaching techniques from the viewpoint of the student and the instructor. The program and its leaders motivated me which has elevated my passion and purpose as a teacher. I highly recommend the GTF program! -Cynthia Tori Valdosta State University GTF has allowed me a great opportunity to reflect on my own teaching philosophy, pedagogy, and practices over the past 15 years. It offered me a treasure box full of new teaching theories, methods, and examples that I can immediately use in my own classroom (physical or virtual) to enhance student learning. It also wired me into a network of GTF participants with bottomless teaching experiences and ideas that I know I can always fall back on for my future teaching needs. If you are a serious teacher, APPLY for it NOW! -Wei Tu Georgia Southern University The GTF program has been (and remains to be) a worth-while transformative investment for me. In addition to advancing my teaching and pedagogical skills through this fellowship, I met a group of phenomenal colleagues that I now call friends with the same passion for teaching. Through GTF, I have been able to rethink the way I teach daily, which ultimately promotes student success on a larger scale, ranging from my course and assessment design to classroom delivery to mentoring. GTF has further catalyzed my spark of passion for teaching and will continue to impact my students in years to come. -Omar Villanueva Georgia Gwinnett College It was an honor to participate in Governor’s Teaching Fellows program. I gained innovative teaching techniques and became friends with amazing educators from all over the state of Georgia. I have learned invaluable lessons that will benefit my students’ learning in the years to come. -Yelena White East Georgia State College The Governor’s Teaching Fellowship has enabled me to expand my teaching pedagogy. It has provided me with multiple teaching tools to enhance the classroom experience for both my students and me. In addition, I have been able to work with many incredible educators throughout the state. The Governor’s Teaching Fellowship is truly an incredible experience. -Margaret Williamson University of North Georgia Directory of Past Participants
