MC welcomes four new educators for 2021-22 academic year
Aug. 17, 2021
This fall, Maryville College welcomes to its campus two assistant professors and two visiting lecturers, bringing the total number of full-time faculty members to 73.
“Teaching is the essence of our mission here. To be effective at Maryville College, faculty not only need to know their disciplines in great depth, they also need to be talented instructors and academic mentors,” said Dr. Dan Klingensmith, vice president and dean of the College. “These new faculty will serve our students well, and I’m very pleased by the strengths they bring to our program.”

Doug Davis joins the Division of Natural Sciences as a visiting lecturer in chemistry. Davis holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Milligan College; a master’s degree in chemistry from East Tennessee State University; and an M.Ed. with a concentration in educational leadership, renewal and change from Colorado State University. Most recently, he taught AP chemistry, chemistry and physics honors for grades 9 through 12 at Fernandina Beach High School in Fernandina Beach, Fla., where he has taught since 2014. Prior to teaching, he worked as a project chemist and laboratory manager for a company that makes nuclear fuel for the U.S. Navy.

In the Division of Mathematics and Computer Science, Dr. Barbara Johnson joins the faculty as assistant professor of computer science. Johnson holds a bachelor’s degree in art from Viterbo University; a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Kentucky; and a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Her dissertation title is “Theoretical and Algorithmic Approaches to Field-Programmable Gate Array Partitioning.” Johnson previously taught at Maryville College as associate professor of computer science from 2001 until 2011 and again last year as adjunct instructor. She also has taught as adjunct instructor at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and Pellissippi State Community College. She has industry experience, having served as software engineer and project lead engineer.

Dr. Anne Rea joins the Division of Natural Sciences as assistant professor of cell biology. Rea holds a bachelor’s degree biology from The Ohio State University and a Ph.D. in plant biology from Cornell University, where her concentrations included cell biology, genetics and plant molecular biology. Her dissertation title is “In vivo imaging of the S-locus receptor kinase in transgenic self-incompatible Arabidopsis thaliana.” Most recently, she served as research associate at Michigan State University, and she is assistant features editor of The Plant Cell, a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal of plant sciences published by the American Society of Plant Biologists. Previously, she was a lecturer in biology at The Sage Colleges of Albany and Troy, N.Y. Her areas of expertise include plant cell and molecular biology, plant reproduction, cell-cell signaling, self-incompatibility in plants, and confocal microscopy.

In the Division of Languages and Literature, Anita Voorhees joins the faculty as visiting lecturer in English. Voorhees holds bachelor’s degrees in honors psychology and honors English, as well as a master’s degree in English, all from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. She also holds a graduate linguistics certificate from UT and a Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certification from Columbia University’s Teachers College, in collaboration with Osaka Gakuin University. Most recently, she was a graduate teaching associate in the Department of English at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, where she also served as a writing tutor, tutor trainer and copy editor at the Judith Anderson Herbert Writing Center.
Promotions and Title Changes
- Dr. Sarah Clinton has been promoted to associate professor of finance.
- Dr. Wei Fu has been promoted to associate professor of marketing.
- Dr. Cynthia Gardner, chair of the Division of Education, associate professor of education and director of teacher education, has been granted tenure.
- Irene Guerinot has been promoted to senior lecturer in physics.
- Dr. Andrew Gunnoe has been promoted to associate professor of sociology.
- Dr. Becky Lucas has been promoted to professor of education.
- Dr. Ryan Mickey has been promoted to associate professor of economics.
- Angela Myers, associate professor of American Sign Language and English Interpreting, has been granted tenure.
- Dr. Alesia Orren has been promoted to professor of elementary education.
- Dr. Kristin Riggsbee has been promoted to assistant professor of health and wellness promotion.
- Adrienne Schwarte has been promoted to professor of art.
- Dr. Eric Simpson has been promoted to associate professor of music.
- Dr. Bill Swann has been named chair of the Division of Fine Arts.
- Kim Trevathan has been promoted to professor of writing communication.
- Tracy Wulf has moved from a staff position to lecturer in education.