E-Colleague

Courtney Anderegg joins the university this fall as an assistant professor of communication. She arrives from The Ohio State University, where this August she earned a PhD in communication and specialized in college and university teaching. She has spent the last six years as both an independent instructor and teaching assistant at Ohio State, specializing in courses that cover topics including communication and society, nonverbal communication, public speaking, and persuasive communication. Her research interests include romantic relationships, interpersonal communication, media portrayals of relationships, social networking sites and attachment. Prior to earning her doctorate, Courtney earned a master’s degree in communication from Ohio State (2013) and a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Pittsburgh (2011). She lives in Newberg with her husband, Jon, and son, Liam.

Barb Bokenyi joins the university as the department coordinator for the Department of Professional Studies. For 11 years, from 2005 to 2016, she was assistant director of the criminology and criminal justice online program at Portland State University, managing the day-to-day operations of the bachelor’s degree-completion program. Previously, she worked for one year (2004-05) as an administrative program specialist at Reclaiming Futures, an organization dedicated to helping young people recover from drugs, alcohol and crime. Barb also gained administrative experience as a program manager for the Tribal Administration Program (2000-03) and as an administrative assistant for the Graduate School of Social Work at PSU (1996-2000). She holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Miami University of Ohio (1974). Barb lives in Lake Oswego and has three children –  Leanne, Phillip and Derek – and attends Holy Trinity Church in Beaverton.

Patrice Brown joins George Fox as an assistant professor of art and design this fall. She arrives with more than 10 years of commercial experience in the interior design field in healthcare, government, banking and retail settings. For the past three years she worked as a senior occupancy planner for Verizon/JLL in Alpharetta, Georgia. Four years prior, she was in space management/lease administration for Acentia/Federal Aviation Administration in College Park, Georgia, where she prepared construction documentation for construction bids and managed computer-aided facilities management/computer-aided drafting software for long-term facility planning. Her previous work experience included stints with the Coca-Cola Company as an assistant project manager (2005-07) and with Equifirst Corporation/Barclays Bank as a space planner (2007-08). Patrice earned an MFA in interior design from Brenau University (2016), an associate of arts degree in interior design from American InterContinental University (2004) and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Tuskegee University (1994).

After spending the past four months as a regional international student advisor at Miami University in Middletown, Ohio, Tiona Cage is returning to George Fox this fall to work as an instructor of social work. Tiona served as the assistant director for international student services and as a diversity and inclusion specialist at George Fox from 2015 to the spring of this year. Prior to her employment at George Fox, Tiona worked at Florida State University as an international student adviser from 2010 to 2015 and as a Peace Corps volunteer in Botswana from 2008 to 2009. Tiona holds a master’s degree in social work from Florida State University. She lives in Newberg and is excited to be back on campus.

Lisa Cleath joins the university this fall as an assistant professor of biblical studies. She makes the move to Oregon from Berlin, Germany, where she was a research fellow of Aramaic papyri with the Elephantine Papyrus Digitization Project at the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection of the State Museums of Berlin. Previously, she earned a PhD at UCLA in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, with a focus in Hebrew Bible, in 2016. She has taught on a wide range of subjects since 2009, including Old Testament Hebrew, literature and religion of the Hebrew Bible, New Testament Greek, and French for academic reading. In 2016-17, she worked on an adjunct basis for Portland Seminary, for which she taught the online courses Introduction to Old Testament Hebrew, Hebrew II, and Ancient Near Eastern Backgrounds in the Old Testament. In addition to a PhD, Lisa earned a master’s degree in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures from UCLA (2011), a master’s degree in biblical studies and theology from Fuller Theological Seminary (2006) and a bachelor’s degree in French and Bible/theology from Wheaton College (2000). She plans to live in Newberg and enjoys cooking with butter, experiencing art installations, and bouldering cave ceilings.

Bryce Coefield joins the university to work as the assistant director of intercultural life. Since February of this year he was an adjunct professor teaching on cultural diversity in the workplace at the College of Extended Learning at Point Loma Nazarene University. Before that, he worked for three and a half years as the assistant director of intercultural affairs and student organizations in the Intercultural Affairs Office at Pepperdine University. In the year prior to that assignment, he worked in the same office as an intercultural programming advisor. Also, for the past two years, he was an executive board member for the California Council of Cultural Centers in Higher Education. Bryce is currently a doctoral student in Azusa Pacific University’s Doctor of Philosophy program (anticipated completion in 2020). He holds a master’s degree in college counseling and student development from Azusa (2013) and a bachelor’s degree in Africana studies from Pitzer College (2011). He recently moved to Newberg from Santa Clarita, California, with his wife Kari.

Min Choi joined George Fox in July as an area coordinator for residence life. He most recently worked for four years as a residence director at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago (2012-16) and as a teacher’s assistant at the same institution in 2012. Min also served as a pastoral resident intern at Park Community Church in 2015 and 2016, working two years as a campus pastor intern. He earned a Master of Divinity from Moody Bible Institute in 2016 and a bachelor’s degree in zoology from The Ohio State University in 2010. Min lives in Newberg with his wife, Sarah, and their 20-month-old son, Isaac. The family attends Journey Church in Sherwood.

Juliette De Soto joins George Fox this fall as a visiting assistant professor of English. She arrives from Providence Christian College in Pasadena, California, where she worked as an assistant professor of English and instructor of English from 2011 to 2016. Juliette also served as director of the college’s Academic Resource Center and as its Accreditation Liaison Officer (2013-16). Before Providence, she taught at Biola University as an adjunct professor of English (2008-10). Her teaching and research interests include twentieth-century American literature, gender studies, and literary theory. Juliette earned a PhD in English from Claremont Graduate University in 2016, a master’s degree in English from California State University, Northridge in 2010, and a bachelor’s degree in English from Biola University in 2005. She lives in Portland with her husband and attends Grace United Reformed Church.

Pam Fifer joins the university’s nursing program to serve as director of the department and as an assistant professor of nursing. For the past year and a half she served as the academic coordinator of health sciences at Chemeketa Community College in Salem. Previously, she taught theory and clinical courses as a nursing faculty member at Chemeketa from 2004 to 2015. Before that, she was a resident care manager with Keizer Retirement and Health Care Village in Keizer, Oregon (2004) and both an interim site manager (2003) and director of nursing (2003) at West Valley Hospital in Dallas, Oregon. In all, she has worked 25 years in the nursing profession, beginning as a registered nurse at Salem Hospital in the early 1990s. Pamela is currently enrolled in the doctor of education program at George Fox and holds both a master of science in nursing (1997) and a bachelor’s degree in nursing (1992) from the University of Portland. She lives in Keizer with her husband David, and the couple has one grown son, Aaron, who is married to Beth. The Fifers attend Lakepoint Community Church in Keizer.

The seminary has hired Rachael Fissell as an administrative assistant for its masters programs. From 2014 to 2016 she worked as a show coordinator for the Journey Arts Group of Vancouver, Washington, for whom she supervised operations and organizational aspects for three annual productions. Also, from 2011 to 2016, Rachael was the owner and operator of Your Cleaning Time, a housecleaning business. She attended the University of Oregon in the early 1990s. She lives in Beaverton with husband Garrett and their three children – Eli, Madison and Riley. The Fissells attend Westside Community Church.

After a year away, Karlyn Fleming returns to George Fox this fall as an executive assistant in University Advancement. She originally began her career at the university in 1988, working in both the registrar’s office and career services. She returned to the university in 1998, when she began a 10-year stint as the administrative assistant in the school’s spiritual life office. More recently, she served as an executive assistant in the Office of Academic Affairs (2008-14) and as an executive assistant at Portland Seminary (2014-16). Karlyn holds a master’s degree in ministry leadership from Portland Seminary (2016) and a bachelor’s degree in social science from Trine University (1987). She lives in Newberg with her husband Jim, and they attend Countryside Community Church.

An alumna of both the university’s undergraduate and master of education program, Carrie Hall, joins George Fox this fall as an assistant professor of education. She has worked the past three years as a teacher at Bridges Middle School in Portland, where she taught fifth- through eighth-graders. Previously, she taught third- and fourth-graders at Joint School District #2 in Meridian, Idaho (2008-12) and third-graders in the Hillsboro School District (2006-08). More recently, she gained clinical experience as an educational specialist with Northwest Neurobehavioral Health of Meridian, Idaho (2012-14). She is currently in the process of earning a PhD through the Center on Disabilities and Human Development at the University of Idaho, with a focus on neurodevelopmental disabilities and special education. She graduated from George Fox’s MEd program in 2008 and earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the university in 2004. She lives in Portland with her husband Trevor and sons Jadon and Ian, and attends Eden Community Church.

A licensed clinical social worker, Shereen Hullum, joins the university this fall as an assistant professor of social work. It is a homecoming of sorts for Shereen, who both attended George Fox as an undergraduate student and also worked as an adjunct professor of social work at the institution from 2014 to 2016, specializing in teaching the courses Social Work with Children and Diversity Issues in Social Work Practice. For the past three years, she has worked as a child and family therapist in the Intensive Community Treatment Services division of Trillium Family Services of Portland. Before that, she was a case manager and therapist in the foster care unit of the Beech Brook behavioral health agency in Pepper Pike, Ohio. Among her areas of specialization are child and family therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, trauma informed care, and crisis intervention. Shereen earned a master’s degree in social administration from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2011 and a bachelor’s degree in social work from George Fox in 2010. She lives in Vancouver, Washington, with her husband Christopher. The couple attends New Direction Community Church in Portland, where she has volunteered the past three years as a core planning committee member, as a co-youth pastor and as a children’s church teacher.

After working on a part-time basis, Justin Johnson was hired full time earlier this summer as a senior engineering technician. For the past six years he has worked as a laser applications engineer for LPKF Laser and Electronics. In all, Justin has worked in the engineering profession for 26 years, employed as a robotics technician, shop supervisor and technical supervisor in the 2000s and as an engineering technician in the early- to mid-1990s. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering technology from the Oregon Institute of Technology in 1999 and an associates in applied science in mechanical engineering from Portland Community College in 1994. He lives in Newberg with his wife Danna and son Jack. The family attends Newberg Christian Church.

The Office of Spiritual and Intercultural Life welcomes Monik Kadarmanto as a trips coordinator. She has worked since May as a Friends leadership training coordinator for the Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends, working with George Fox’s financial aid office and Portland Seminary to disperse donor-funded scholarships to Quaker students. Also, since January, she has worked as a program coordinator for Peace Village, a day camp for children ages 2 to 8 in Newberg. During the fall semester of 2016, Monik worked as an adjunct instructor for the university’s Liberal Arts & Critical Issues class. She led a George Fox summer serve team to China in 2016. She holds a master’s degree in social justice in education from Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia (2012) and a bachelor’s degree in communication arts and sciences from Calvin College (2003). Monik lives in Newberg with her husband Dwight Burton, a George Fox alumnus, and they attend North Valley Friends Church.

Young-Il Kim joins George Fox this fall as an assistant professor of sociology. For the past three years he has worked as a research assistant professor in the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University. His fields of interest include family, religion, and civic engagement. Young-Il earned a PhD in sociology from the University of Virginia in 2010. His undergraduate and master’s degrees were from Yonsei University in South Korea. He lives in Sherwood with his wife Gahyoung and daughters Claire and Elaine. The family attends Korean Bethel Presbyterian Church.

The university welcomes David Martinez this fall as an assistant professor of Spanish. He arrives from the University of Georgia, where he has worked as a graduate teaching assistant since 2012. Previously, he was a visiting assistant professor at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, New York, in 2011. David has also taught internationally, spending two years as an English and Spanish teacher at Fu Ren High School and Long School in Chiayi, Taiwan (2009 to 2010), and the two years before that teaching the same two subjects at the Kennedy Language Solutions and Open Schools in Madrid, Spain. In all, he has taught Spanish in a variety of settings for 13 years. David has a PhD in Romance languages from the University of Georgia (2017), a master’s degree in Spanish from the University of Tennessee (2006) and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and Spanish from Taylor University (2001). He lives in Newberg with his wife Susana Barnreuther and their children Alba, Lucas, Vanessa and Nicholas. The son of missionaries to Spain, David enjoys the outdoors (climbing and mountaineering), traveling, soccer and ping-pong.

The university has hired a former All-American lacrosse athlete, Katie Mastropaolo, as the new head coach of its women’s lacrosse program. She comes to George Fox after a four-year career at the University of Mary Washington, where she graduated in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in geography. She was named the Virginia State Sports Information Directors’ Association College Division Women’s Lacrosse Player of the Year her senior season. She was a star defender during her four-year career, earning multiple accolades for leading the Lady Eagles’ backline. Katie was named first-team All-American in her final year, as well as a two-time all-region athlete and a three-time all-conference player. Most recently, she spent the 2015-16 year working as an international humanitarian aid worker. She served as squad leader for the 11-month mission trip around the world, partnering with existing churches and organizations to further ministry and those in need. She also has six years of coaching experience within the Nike Lacrosse Camps, the Randolph Macon Lacrosse Camp and the Seminole Summer Lacrosse League. Katie lives in Newberg and is seeking out a church home.

Katherine Morland joins the university this fall as an administrative assistant in the College of Engineering. She is the bookkeeper for her husband’s business, Red Wall Property Inspection, and since 2011 has worked as a solutions clerk for New Seasons Market at Progress Ridge in Beaverton. Previously, she worked in inventory management and bookkeeping for Provvista Specialty Foods in Portland. She holds a master of arts in teaching degree from Lewis & Clark College in Portland (1991) and a bachelor’s degree in English from Alma College in Michigan (1982). She lives on a 40-acre farm near Ewing Young Elementary School in Newberg with her husband of 26 years, Tim, a 1984 George Fox alumnus. They have two sons, Sam (a 2017 George Fox graduate) and Aaron, currently a junior at Cal Poly. The Morlands have three dogs, a small herd of cattle, seven chickens and two barn cats. Tim and Katherine attend 2nd Street Church in Newberg, where Katherine is a catechist in the children’s Atrium program.

The university’s William Penn Honors Program welcomes Heather Ohaneson as an assistant professor this fall. For the past two years, she has worked as an assistant professor in Azusa Pacific University’s Honors College, specializing in courses that covered both classic literature and biblical texts. In addition to teaching Contemporary Civilization as a preceptor and lecturer at her alma mater, Columbia University, she has served as an adjunct instructor at Fresno Pacific University and as an associate faculty member at the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research. Heather’s teaching and research interests include the history of Western civilization (from Plato to postmodernity), philosophical theology, 19th-century philosophy, the history of Christian thought, and the Hebrew Bible. She holds a PhD in religion (2013), a master of philosophy in religion (2010) and a master’s degree in religion (2008) from Columbia, as well as a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and religion from Barnard College in New York (2003). Heather lives in Newberg. She hasn’t found a church home but plans to periodically attend St. Kevork, the Armenian Apostolic Church in Clackamas.

Grace Packer has joined the university as the office coordinator in the IDEA Center. A former student-employee at the university, Grace has worked since May as a summer intern at the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, where she observed the grant and proposal processes and learned about nonprofit leadership and management. Previously, she was a Cultural Ambassadors intern during her senior year at George Fox (2016-17). She also worked in the university’s IDEA Center as a career and academic planning office assistant (2016-17) and as a registrar’s office assistant (2015-16). Grace earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from George Fox in the spring of this year. She lives in Newberg and currently attends Red Hills Church.

Vicki Piersall, who brings more than 20 years of senior leadership experience at Xerox, Schnitzer Steel and Sims Metal Management, has been hired as chief financial officer. She was worldwide controller and director of consolidation at Xerox, a leading printer company with annual revenue at the time of $22 billion. When Tektronix was acquired by Xerox in 1999, Vicki oversaw global consolidation efforts. She moved to Schnitzer Steel in 2002, serving as chief accounting officer and chief strategy officer. During her tenure, the enterprise transformed into a significant international company and grew from $800 million to $4 billion in annual revenue over a 10-year period. From 2012 to 2014, Vicki served as senior vice president of strategy and business development for Sims Metal Management. She assisted in the turnaround of the North American recycling business, taking it from the red into the black over a three-year period. Since 2015, she has served as an independent consultant, providing expertise in the areas of financial business assessment and turnaround planning, strategic planning, and merger and acquisition transactions. Vicki has a bachelor of business administration degree from Oregon State University and a master’s degree in information technology from the University of Oregon. She lives in Portland with her husband, Mark, and attends Westside (Solid Rock).

Erica Ramirez joins Portland Seminary this fall as the Richard B. Parker Assistant Professor of Wesleyan Theology. A San Antonio native, Ramirez earned degrees from Southwestern Assemblies of God University and Wheaton College, and she is a PhD candidate at Drew University’s Graduate Division of Religion. She is presently completing her dissertation, “Making Pentecostal Matriarchal Divinity: A Bakhtinian-Kristevan Reading of Azusa Street Mission.” Erica has contributed articles to Annual Review of the Sociology of Religion, Canadian Journal of Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity, and Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies. She has presented academic papers to the Society for Pentecostal Studies, Association for the Sociology of Religion, and the Red de Investigadores de Fenomenos Religiosos. She is an Hispanic Theological Initiative scholar, a fellow with the Forum for Theological Exploration and a doctoral fellow with the Louisville Institute. Her research interests include women’s lived religion, Latin American religion, 20th century Pentecostalism, and Latina/o Pentecostalism. Erica is passionate about the value of Pentecostal worship traditions and has served as a worship leader in congregations throughout the United States. This December, she and husband Chris will celebrate 16 years of marriage; together they have three children.

The university welcomes Melissa Ramos this fall as an assistant professor of biblical studies. For the past eight years she has worked as a lecturer in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at the University of California, Los Angeles, specializing in teaching courses on Jerusalem and Near Eastern languages and cultures. She has also served as an adjunct professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary since 2007. Previously, Melissa was an associate pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Wichita, Kansas, from 2003 to 2006. She holds a PhD in Near Eastern languages and cultures from UCLA (2015), a master of philosophy in religious studies in biblical Hebrew from Cambridge University (2002), an MDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary (2001) and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, Irvine (1997). She currently lives in Ojai, California, and will be moving to the Newberg area with her husband Francisco this fall. They will be looking for a Presbyterian church (PCUSA) to attend. Melissa does equestrian riding and has an Arabian mare named “Liliana.”

The graduate admissions team welcomes Bethany Ramse as admissions counselor for the Graduate School of Counseling. For the past four years she has worked as an account executive and outreach strategist for MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International of Denver, working remotely to begin new church partnerships, support organizational growth, and develop lead generation strategies. Previously, Bethany worked as the director of Christian education and outreach for Peace Lutheran Church of Robbinsdale, Minnesota, and as the young adult coordinator for World Mission Prayer League of Minneapolis, Minnesota, from 2008 to 2013. Bethany earned a bachelor’s degree from Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota (2008), with a double major in parish education and administration, and outreach. She lives in Tualatin with her husband, Jonathan, an economics professor in the university’s College of Business. They moved to Oregon this past December and attend Trinity Lutheran Church in Hillsboro.

Alumnus Pete Rusaw joins George Fox as a visiting assistant professor of mathematics this fall after serving in the department on an adjunct basis during the 2016-17 academic year. He also taught math at Newberg High School over the past year, and since 2001 he has served as pastor of Wapato Valley Church in Gaston, Oregon. He taught math for 22 years (1994 to 2016) at Forest Grove High School and also taught the subject at Portland Community College from 2002 to 2004. Pete also coached three sports – baseball, softball and volleyball – at the high school level in the early 2000s. He earned a master’s degree in mathematics from Portland State University in 2001 and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics education from George Fox in 1994. He lives in Cornelius with his wife Amy, also a 1994 George Fox graduate, and their children Annika, Linnaea, Noah and Moira. They live in Newberg and plan to find a church home in the community.

Jim Russell has joined the IT department as a computer support specialist. He has more than 25 years of experience in the computer industry, working on both server and client platforms. He was employed previously at Intel Corporation in Hillsboro, Oregon, serving as a systems engineer from 2008 to 2015 and, before that, as a processor and chipset validation manager from 1992 to 2007. Jim holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Marylhurst College (1992), an associate’s degree in computer science from Portland Community College and an associate’s degree in electronics from Fullerton College. He lives in Hillsboro with his wife Mila, a native of Belarus. Jim has three grown sons (Matthew, Jonathan and Patrick), a step-daughter (Arina) and a step-son (Peter). Jim and Mila attend Athey Creek Christian Fellowship in West Linn and enjoy traveling, hiking and golf.

The George Fox Graduate School of Counseling welcomes alumna Emily Sallee as a visiting assistant professor of school counseling this fall. She has worked as a school counselor at Holcomb Elementary School in the Oregon City School District since 2009, and she currently serves as the Oregon School Counselor Association’s president-elect. At Holcomb, she was responsible for providing individual and small-group counseling, classroom guidance lessons, and serving as a primary behavior intervention specialist. This marks a return to George Fox for Emily, who earned a master’s degree in school counseling from the university in 2009. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in human development from Warner Pacific College (2007) and is currently a doctoral candidate in Oregon State University’s counselor education and supervision program. She lives in Tigard with her husband Matt and their children Willa, Josie and Logan. The family attends St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Portland and occasionally St. John Fisher in Portland.

The marketing communications office welcomes Sarah Small as the university photographer. An alumna of the university, Sarah has worked as a self-employed professional photographer for the past three years, during which time she built up a network of 7,000-plus followers on social media while specializing in taking photos for weddings and websites. She has also worked since January of this year as a staff writer for The Good Trade, an online publication that serves as a resource for ethically minded consumers. She earned a bachelor’s degree in art from George Fox in 2016 and served as a resident assistant for residence life in 2014-15. Sarah lives in Salem with husband Daniel, a student at Willamette Law School. They attend Salem Alliance Church.

A current and past George Fox student, Bethany Stoller, joins the university as a visiting assistant professor of education this year. She is currently enrolled in the university’s EdD in educational leadership program (expected completion in spring of 2018) and holds a master of arts in teaching degree from George Fox (2011). She has stayed in the area since completing the MAT program, working as an instructional coach and English language development teacher at Chehalem Valley Middle School in Newberg since 2015. Previously, Bethany was a language arts and reading teacher at Chehalem Valley (2012-15) and a humanities and reading teacher at the school (2011-12). She has also served as a children and youth director at Resonate Christian Church in Sherwood since 2012. In addition to her MAT at George Fox, Bethany earned a bachelor’s degree in cross-cultural ministry and the Bible from Boise Bible College (2010). She lives in Sherwood and serves at Resonate Christian Church.

A 2017 alumna of the university, Mckenna Tillotson, joins George Fox as affinity marketing coordinator. For three years, from 2014 to 2017, she worked as an intern in the university’s sports marketing office, and during her senior year she coordinated the school’s Penn Pals Kids Club. She also had the opportunity to study abroad at the American University of Rome during her college experience. In addition to her position at the university, Mckenna gained work experience as an intern for PDX Parent magazine in the summer of 2015, and in the summer of 2016 she was the director of PDX Parent with her own intern and volunteer team. She earned a degree in marketing from George Fox this spring and recently got married to Jack Tillotson. They live in West Linn and attend Rolling Hills Community Church in Tualatin, where Mckenna has been volunteering in the nursery for the past 10 years.

Maranda Turner joins George Fox this fall as an assistant professor of education. She most recently served as a K-12 sheltered instruction coach in the Gresham-Barlow School District, creating professional development sessions for teachers of all grade levels. She also worked as an adjunct professor at Portland State University (2010-17), where she specialized in graduate-level courses that included the English for Speakers of Other Languages endorsement and bilingual special education. She taught previously as an adjunct at Concordia University in Portland (2010-13) and taught at the elementary-school level (K-5) in the Reynolds School District in Troutdale, Oregon. Maranda holds a master’s degree in special education from Portland State University (2010), a master of education degree in educational leadership from the University of Portland (2002) and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Concordia University (1998). She lives in Corbett, Oregon, with her husband Troy, her daughter Claire, and a small flock of animals. She attends St. Anne’s Catholic Church in Portland.

The university has hired a former NCAA Division III All-American, Natalie Turner, as its first head coach of the newly created men’s and women’s swimming programs. She will build the culture and the team from scratch in the 2017-18 academic year, with plans to compete in the 2018-19 season as a member of the Northwest Conference. Natalie comes to George Fox from Spokane, Washington, where she was the head coach of the Spokane Waves Aquatic team since 2012. Previously, she was the assistant coach for the Coeur d’Alene area swim team in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Natalie graduated from Whitworth University with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and criminal justice (2010). A four-year swimmer, she was a four-time NWC Swimmer of the Meet and a 12-time individual NWC champion. She still holds the individual NWC record in the 200 free, 500 free and 1,650 free. She was a 10-time NCAA Division III All-American and a two-time NCAA Division III Relay All-American. In 2010, she was named Whitworth University Female Athlete of the Year. She lives in Wilsonville with her husband Michael Woodward.

The residence life office welcomes Kristina Van Der Eems as an area coordinator this fall. For the past year she worked as a resident director in the student life office at Mount Vernon Nazarene University in Mount Vernon, Ohio. Before that, she was an administrative assistant (2015-16), a resident director (2015) and a graduate assistant of residence life and student success in the student development office at Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Massachusetts. Kristina also gained experience as a student development intern in Asbury University’s student development office in 2014. She holds a master’s degree in education from Eastern Nazarene College (2016) and a bachelor’s degree in English from Asbury University (2014). Kristina lives on campus with her husband Seth and her daughter Evelette (“Etta”).

The nursing department welcomes Jenny Vuksich as an administrative assistant. For 11 years, from 2005 to 2016, she worked directly with the CEO and CFO of Disability Specialists, Inc. to provide support as an executive administrative assistant, for which she created marketing documents, prepared instruction manuals for policies and procedures, and hosted training sessions. She was also a commissions specialist for the company from 2007 to 2016. More recently, in 2016-17, she worked as an operations manager for The Folder Center in Portland. Jenny holds an associate’s degree in business administration from Heald College of Portland (2003). She lives in Newberg with her husband Malcolm and two teenagers, Evie and Tj. She also has two crazy dogs, Elvis and Gracie. She has been a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church & School in Sherwood for more than 20 years.

An assistant professor of art and design, Brandon Waybright, joins the Department of Art and Design this fall. He arrives from Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois, where he has worked as an assistant professor of graphic design since 2013. He has also been a regular lecturer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for the past year, and he continues to run the mobile design studio he founded, CAPE design, for which he creates identities, objects, websites, posters and publications for clients. Previously, Brandon served as the outreach and education coordinator for the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art at Westmont College (2012-13). He won the President’s Prize for Teaching at Trinity College in 2016 and has showcased his work at exhibitions throughout the Midwest and West Coast and offered presentations at Princeton, Northwestern and DePaul University, among other national colleges. He holds a master of fine arts in graphic design from Otis College of Art and Design (2012) and a bachelor’s degree in studio art with an emphasis in printmaking from Westmont College (2009). He lives in Newberg with his wife Kelsey.

The Office of Student Life has hired Kristi Welker as the director of commuter programs. She arrives from Western Oregon University, where she was the Apartments resident director. Previously, she was a resident director at the College of Brockport, State University of New York, a resident director at Oklahoma Baptist University, and an admissions counselor at Huntington University. Kristi earned a master’s degree in higher education administration, with an emphasis in student affairs, from Upper Iowa University in 2015 and a bachelor’s degree in youth ministry from Huntington University in 2009. She lives in Newberg with her husband, Tyler, an assistant professor of cinematic arts, and their children, Mackenzie (5) and Logan (1).

Sunggu (Paul) Yang has joined the College of Christian Studies as an assistant professor of Christian ministries. For the past two years he has served as the Louisville Institute’s Post-Doctoral Teaching Fellow at Wake Forest University School of Divinity, where he taught courses ranging from homiletics and worship to prophetic ministry and “Film & Preaching: The Gospel According to Hollywood.” Also, since 2014, he has served as founder and general editor of The Journal of Asian American Theological Forum. He was also managing editor of The Journal of Homiletic (2011-15) and is the author of one book, Evangelical Pilgrims from the East: Faith Fundamentals of Korean American Protestant Diasporas (2016), and two books that are in progress. Sunggu, ordained by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), has preached at venues around the nation. He holds a PhD in religion from Vanderbilt University (2014), a master’s degree in liturgical studies from Yale Divinity School (2010), an MDiv from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University (2009) and a bachelor’s degree in theology from the College of Theology at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. He lives in Sherwood with his wife, Rebecca Jeong, and they are expecting their first baby girl in September.

Rodney Birch (Library) left George Fox earlier this month. He is now working at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho, where he is the coordinator for instruction and research services in the Riley Library, part of the Leah Peterson Learning Commons.

Dana Bates (Athletic Training) left George Fox on July 30. She is making the move to Pacific University, where she will be an assistant professor teaching in the school’s Master of Science in Athletic Training (MSAT) program.

Bree Stairs (Residence Life) left the university in mid-July.

Diana Koba (Registrar’s Office) left the university in late July to get married and is moving to Washington D.C., where her husband lives.

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