Faculty & Staff | College of Arts & Sciences

Associate Professor of Religion
10, Rinehart Center for Religious Studies
419.289.5238 / daune@ashland.edu
Department of Religion

Joined Ashland University in 1996 and teaches courses such as Exploring the Bible, Exploring World Religions, Life and Letters of Paul, Understanding Islam, Advanced New Testament (The Gospels), Christian Literature, Footsteps of Paul in Greece (taught in Greece), The Legacy of Paul and Peter in Italy (taught in Italy), and Luther & the German Reformation (taught in Germany)
Research interests include nonviolence in early Christian literature and inter-religious dialogue
Ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and has served as pastor for UCC and Lutheran churches in Florida, Rhode Island and Ohio
Before coming to Ashland, taught part time at a number of colleges in New England, including Providence College, Wesleyan University and Eastern Connecticut State University.

Education

Brown University, Ph.D. in the History of Religions: early Christianity
Regent College, Th.M. in New Testament
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, M.Div.
University of Vermont, B.A. in English Literature

Dr. Robert Bergosh

Associate Professor of Chemistry
422 , Kettering Science Center
419.289.5871 / rbergosh@ashland.edu
Department of Chemistry, Geology and Physics

Joined Ashland University in 2005 and area of expertise is organic chemistry
Teaches courses and labs in general chemistry, molecular architecture and organic chemistry

Education

University of Kentucky, Ph.D. in Organic/Materials Chemistry
Kentucky Wesleyan College, B.S. in Chemistry and Biology

Michael Bird

Professional Instructor of Digital Art and Graphic Design
236, Center for the Arts
419.289.5153 / mbird2@ashland.edu
Department of Art + Design

Joined Ashland University in 2015 and teaches courses in Digital Art and Graphic Design

fine art website:
http://michael-bird.com

graphic design website:
http://graffikworx.com

Education

University of Kansas, MFA
Emporia State University, BFA

Dr. Rowland (Ron) Blackley

Chair, Departments of Music and Theatre, Professor of Music, Director of Choral Activities, Coordinator of Music Education
209, Center for the Arts
419.289.5114 / rblackle@ashland.edu
Department of Music

Joined Ashland University in 1997; supervises all aspects of the choral program and teaches in the areas of conducting and music education
Conducts the University Choir and Chamber Singers and also founded the Ashland Area Chorus
Has served as conductor and music director for several Ashland University theatrical productions
Taught and conducted at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, Lindsey Wilson College, Kent State University and high schools in Ohio and Colorado
Organized and led choirs on several domestic and international tours
Serves as Music Director at Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ashland and is an Associate of the American Guild of Organists
Member of the National Association for Music Education, Dalcroze Society of America, and a life member of the American Choral Directors Association
Popular clinician and adjudicator (vocal, choral, piano). Has over 35 choral compositions published with Southern Music Company and RBC Music

Education

University of Colorado, D.M.A. in Literature and Performance of Choral Music
Kent State University, M.M. in Music Education
Concordia College, B.S. in Music Education

Dr. Diane Bonfiglio

Professor of Psychology, Chair of the departments of Psychology, Criminal Justice and Sociology, Social Work, Addictions, Counseling, Prevention and Human Services
239, Dwight Schar College of Education
419.289.5859 / dbonfigl@ashland.edu
Department of Psychology , Criminal Justice and Sociology Department , Department of Social Work & Family Studies , Department of Addictions Counseling, Prevention, and Human Services

Joined Ashland University in 2009
Teaches courses in introductory psychology, adolescence and health psychology
Specializes in health psychology. Her particular areas of interest include the relationship between social support and health; psychological factors in solid organ transplantation; and flow

Education

The Ohio State University, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology
The Ohio State University, M.A. in Psychology
Ashland University, B.S. in Psychology

Dr. Soren Brauner

Professor of Biology
322 , Kettering Science Center
419.289.5275 / sbrauner@ashland.edu
Department of Biology & Toxicology , Environmental Science Program

Joined Ashland University in 1986 and teaches courses in plants and civilization, molecular and cellular basis of life, general botany, genetics, advanced genetics, environmental science seminar and issues in environmental science
Area of expertise is in plant genetics and evolution and recent work has involved the use of DNA markers as tools for genetic analysis in wild plants and in garden pea
Current research that involves students is examining genetic variation in populations of invasive reed canary grass in our 300-acre Black Fork Wetland Preserve

Education

University of California at Davis, Ph.D. in Genetics
University of California at Santa Barbara, M.A. in Botany and B.A. in Environmental Biology

Katherine T. Brown, Ph.D.

Dean, College of Arts & Sciences
202, Center for the Arts
419.289.5107 / kbrown94@ashland.edu

Walsh University - Previous dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, Director of the Honors Program, professor of art history; led five Global Learning programs to Rome and London.
Prior to Walsh University, Brown held a variety of teaching and leadership positions at several universities in the U.S., as well as education and curator positions in U.S. museums.
Curatorial Team, Treasure of Chianti: Roman Silver Coins of the Republican Age from Cetamura del Chianti, exhibition at the Museo di Santa Maria della Scala, Siena, Italy, May 29 – Sept. 30, 2021
The Legend of Veronica in Early Modern Art. New York: Routledge, Spring 2020
Visiting Scholar, American Academy in Rome, June 2019
Mary of Mercy: Devotional Image and Civic Emblem in Medieval and Renaissance Italian Art. New York: Routledge, 2017
The Painter’s Reflection: Self-portraiture in Renaissance Venice, 1458 - 1625. Florence: Leo S. Olschki Editore, 2000. Volume 33 in Pocket Library in Studies in Art series
Favorite thing about Ashland University is the camaraderie, collegiality and team mentality
Little-known fact: both of her daughters are adopted from Bulgaria

Education

Ph.D. Indiana University-Bloomington
M.A. Indiana University-Bloomington
B.A. Florida State University-Tallahassee

Dr. Christopher Burkett

Department of History & Political Science, Associate Professor of Political Science
129, Andrews Hall
419.289.5686 / cburket1@ashland.edu
Department of History & Political Science

Joined Ashland University in 2005 and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in American political thought and institutions
Fields of expertise include the American founding, American foreign policy and political philosophy
Co-director of the Ashbrook Scholar Program
Named Outstanding Male Faculty Member of the Year in 2008
Received the Edward and Louaine Taylor Excellence in Teaching Award in 2011

Education

University of Dallas, Ph.D. in Politics, M.A. in Politics
Ashland University, B.A

Dr. Christopher Chartier

Associate Professor of Psychology, Founder/Director of the Psychological Science Accelerator
241, Dwight Schar College of Education
419.289.5342 / cchartie@ashland.edu
Department of Psychology

Joined Ashland University in 2013
Teaches courses in General Psychology I, Research Methods, Advanced Research Methods, and Social Psychology
Founder and Director of the Psychological Science Accelerator
Publishes research journals such as Science, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, and Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science
Research interests include tacit coordination and pro-social behavior. Currently studying how shared knowledge of group member traits influences the ease and efficiency with which small groups align their decisions and behaviors for maximal collective benefit

Education

Miami University, Ph.D. in Social Psychology
Miami University, M.A.
Indiana University, B.S. in Psychology

Dr. Rebecca Corbin

Professor of Chemistry, Chair, Chemistry, Geology and Physics Department
423 , Kettering Science Center
419.289.5268 / rcorbin@ashland.edu
Department of Chemistry, Geology and Physics

Joined Ashland University in 2001
Named Outstanding Female Faculty Member of the Year in 2003
Received a national undergraduate teaching award from Iota Sigma Pi in 2007
Teaches analytical chemistry, biochemistry, and Natural Science Core courses.
Expertise includes mass spectrometry and chromatography

Education

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Ph.D.
Alderson-Broaddus College , B.S.

Dr. Perry Corbin

Professor of Chemistry
420 , Kettering Science Center
419.289.5269 / pcorbin@ashland.edu
Department of Chemistry, Geology and Physics

Joined Ashland University in 2001
Enjoys teaching a variety of courses – including general chemistry, molecular architecture, and organic chemistry -- as well as working with undergraduate students on research projects in the general areas of organic and polymer chemistry
Current research projects involving his students include the chemical synthesis and study of polymers that have potential for use in biomedical applications
Dr. Corbin was the recipient of the 2011-2012 Taylor Excellence in Teaching Award at Ashland University and a 2013-2014 recipient of an Ashland University academic mentor award

Education

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Ph.D. in Chemistry
Kentucky Wesleyan College, B.S. in Chemistry
University of Virginia, Post-doctoral Research

Dr. Doug Dawson

Professor of Biology/Toxicology
318 , Kettering Science Center
419.289.5277 / ddawson2@ashland.edu
Department of Biology & Toxicology , Environmental Science Program

Joined Ashland University faculty in 1993
Currently teaches courses in anatomy and physiology, advanced human physiology, pharmacology and toxicology
Conducts research with students in area of toxicology

Education

Oklahoma State University, Ph.D. in Zoology, and M.S.
Transylvania University, B.A. in Biology

Alisha Dennis-Brinson

Assistant Professor
Gerber Hall
419.207.4994 / adennisb@ashland.edu

Joined Ashland University in 2020
Teaches courses in Addictions Counseling, Addictions Treatment Planning and Counseling, and Addictions Psychopharmacology
Has over 10 years of experience in mental health and addictions counseling, supervision, and administration
Is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Supervisor (LPCC-S) and a Licensed Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor Clinical Supervisor (LICDC-CS)

Education

Ashland Theological Seminary, D.Min
Ashland Theological Seminary, MA in Clinical Counseling
Ashland Theological Seminary, MA in Theology

Dr. Hilary Donatini

Chair, English Department, Associate Professor of English
306, Center for the Humanities of Bixler Hall
419.289.5224 / hdonatin@ashland.edu
Department of Languages and Literatures

Joined Ashland University faculty in 2007
Teaches courses such as history of English language, 18th-Century English literature, 17th-Century English literature, themes and topics in literature, studies in Shakespeare, The Poem, British Literature and Composition I and II
Research areas include British Literature 1660-1800, Historical and philosophical contexts for literature, Genre and form, and Histories and theories of satire and humor
Currently writing a book on the justices of the peace in 18th-century British literature. Other publications include: "'Something for an Executive': Satire in Terry Gilliam's Brazil." Quarterly Review of Film and Video 35.2 (2018): 119-36; "Smollett's Justices." The Age of Johnson: A Scholarly Annual 23 (2015): 273-300; “The Holy House of Loreto: Politics and Idolatry in the Long Eighteenth Century.” 1650-1850: Ideas, Aesthetics, and Inquiries in the Early Modern Era 21 (2014): 207-27; "Spotless Minds and Cultural Memory: Teaching Future Teachers in the United States." Digital Defoe: Studies in Defoe and His Contemporaries 5.1 (2013); “Moral and Medical Diagnosis in Maria Edgeworth’s Belinda.” The Eighteenth-Century Novel 8 (October 2011): 247-69; “A Partridge in the Family Tree: Fixity, Mobility, and Community in Tom Jones.” Eighteenth-Century Fiction 17.3 (April 2005): 349-72.
Taught at both UW-Madison and a UW branch campus before joining AU

Education

University of Wisconsin-Madison, Ph.D. and M.A.
The College of Wooster, B.A.

Keith Dull

Professor of Art
343A, Center for the Arts
419.289.5981 / kdull@ashland.edu
Department of Art + Design

Joined Ashland University faculty in 1999
Teaches courses in printmaking, painting, drawing, illustration, and 2D design.
Prints incorporate a wide range of techniques that include color reduction relief, intaglio, lithography and mixed media.
In 1998, developed the Encaustic Intaglio printing process, and his imagery reflects an interest in history and historical uses of prints, as guides, manuals and magic talismans.

Education

University of South Dakota, M.F.A. in Printmaking
Indiana University Herron School of Art, B.F.A. in Printmaking and Painting

Dr. Teresa Durbin-Ames

Artistic Director of Theatre, Associate Professor of Theatre
235, Center for the Arts
419.289.5821 / tdurbin@ashland.edu
Department of Theatre

Joined Ashland University faculty in 2000 and serves as the artistic director of theatre
Teaches courses in theatre history, script analysis and musical theatre
Has directed "Dancing at Lughnasa," "The Mystery of Edwin Drood," "Saint Joan," "Leveling Up," "The Autumn Garden," “Three Tall Women” and "Into the Woods" at Ashland University and "The Sound of Music” and “Gypsy" for Ashland Summer Theatre Festival.
Served as director of theatre at Waynesburg College in Pennsylvania where she directed "Barnum,” “Quilters," "Tally’s Folly," "Antigone," "Love Letters" and "I Hate Hamlet"
Spent several summers at the Huron Playhouse where she served as the box office manager and business manager, and had the pleasure to direct "The Secret Garden," "The King & I," "The Last Night of Ballyhoo" and "The Pajama Game"
Member of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education and a respondent for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival

Education

Bowling Green State University, Ph. D. and M.A. in Theatre
John Carroll University, B.S. in Chemistry

Dr. David Foster

Professor of Political Science
122 , Andrews Hall
419.289.5626 / dfoster2@ashland.edu
Department of History & Political Science

Joined Ashland University faculty in 1998 and serves as chair of the Department of History and Political Science
Teaches courses in political philosophy and international relations and, in the Masters of American History and Government program, courses on Alexis de Tocqueville, the political thought of Mark Twain and the Federalist Papers.
Published on John Locke, liberal education and Mark Twain.

Education

University of Toronto, Ph.D. and M.A.
McMaster University, B.A.

Dr. Scott Garlock

Professor of Music
104, Center for the Arts
419.289.5134 / sgarlock@ashland.edu
Department of Music

Joined Ashland University faculty in 2003 and conducts the Ashland University Jazz Orchestra (which has performed overseas four times) and combos, teaches the low brass studio, music history and music education courses
Given numerous clinics on the recruitment and retention of low brass students, jazz pedagogy at state and national music conventions
Served as president for the Ohio Chapter of the International Association of Jazz Educators and the Jazz Education Connection of Ohio (which he co-created) and was a consultant for a recent edition of Jazz Styles and Analysis. Is currently the Managing Director of the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra
As performer, been featured with Sarah Vaughan, Tony Bennett, Diane Schuur, Carl Fontana, Paquito D’Rivera, Louie Bellson and others in addition to recording over 100 commercials and albums, including the Surprise of Being with Joe Lovano (recorded live at Birdland in NYC).
Performed in the Knox-Galesburg Symphony, the Quad City Symphony, the Peoria Symphony, the Ashland Symphony Orchestra, Firelands Symphony Orchestra and is the lead trombonist in The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, The Cleveland Pops Orchestra
During its more than 40-year tradition, the Ashland University Jazz Orchestra (AUJO) has enjoyed working with many outstanding nationally recognized jazz figures. The orchestra regularly performs works from the entire history of big band music. In a given year, the ensemble may perform swing dances, Dixie-influenced tunes or more avant garde selections. In addition to hosting internationally recognized jazz artisans (including Wycliffe Gordon, The Matt Wilson Quartet, Chip Stephens, Mike Lee, Mike Pagan, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Jane Monheith, Doug Beach, Mark Colby, The Tony Monaco Trio, Pat Harbison and Curtis Hasselbring) in an entertaining and educational event at the Maplerock Jazz Festival in March, the group regularly tours, with four European treks in the last twelve years. AUJO has been featured in recent years headlining at the East Coast Jazz Festival, the Williamstown Jazz Festival , the Villanova Jazz Festival, the University of Louisville Jazz Festival, the University of Missouri-St. Louis Jazz Festival, the Ohio Jazz Summit and the Elmhurst College Jazz Festival

Education

University of Iowa, D.M.A.
University of Akron, M.M. (music performance and music history)
Kent State University, B.S.Ed.

Dr. Maura Grady

Associate Professor of English, Director of English Composition Program
316, Center for the Humanities of Bixler Hall
419.289.5670 / mgrady3@ashland.edu
Department of Languages and Literatures

Joined Ashland University in 2011
Teaches courses in Film, Literature, and Writing
Director of the Composition Program, former Writing Center Director
Has published on The Shawshank Redemption, Mad Men, Doctor Who, and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood
Research interests include gender, popular culture, fandom studies
Has taught in the AU in Germany program in 2014 and 2019

Education

University of California Davis, Ph.D. in Literature with Designated Emphasis in Gender Theory
University of California Davis, M.A., in Literature
Ashland University, M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction
University of Vermont, B.A. in English and German

Dr. Richard Gray

Assistant Chair, Department of Languages and Literatures, Associate Professor of French
210, Center for the Humanities of Bixler Hall
419.289.5792 / rgray6@ashland.edu
Department of Foreign Languages , Department of Languages and Literatures

Joined Ashland University faculty in 2013 and serves as chair of the Department of Foreign Languages and director of the AU in France program
Fields of study include interdisciplinary approaches to French literary studies, post-colonial studies, and Francophone studies
Translator of Zombies: An Anthropological Investigation of the Living Dead (2017). Author of Francophone African Poetry and Drama: A Cultural History since the 1960s (2014). Also editor of The Performance Identities of Lady Gaga: Critical Essays (2012) and co-editor (with Betty Kaklamanidou) of The 21st Century Superhero: Essays on Gender, Genre and Globalization in Film (2011)

Education

University of Texas at Austin, Ph.D.
Purdue University, M.A.
Eastern Michigan University, B.A.

Undergraduate

Graduate

Online-Adult

Education

Education

Education

Education

Education

Education

Education

Education

Education

Education

Education

Education

Education

Education

Education

Education

Education

Education

Education

Education

Pages