New Faculty

Maxwell Becton College of Arts and Sciences

Fiona Gladstone, assistant professor, human geography (Metro) — PhD, University of Arizona; MA, Portland State University; BA, Reed College

Derek Larson, associate professor, animation, and director, video game and game animation programs (Flor) — MFA, Yale University; BFA, Indiana University Herron School of Art and Design

Patrick Polsin, visiting lecturer, theater (Flor) — MFA, University of Memphis; BFA, Central Washington University

Lee Gildart and Oswald Haase School of Computer Sciences and Engineering

Jamal Alsakran, lecturer, computer science (Van) — PhD, Kent State University; MS, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Jordan; BS, Yarmouk University, Jordan

Jeeho Ryoo, assistant professor, computer science (Van) — PhD, MS, University of Texas at Austin; BS, Cornell University

Muhammad Umer, assistant professor, electrical engineering and electrical engineering technology (Metro) — PhD, MS, Rowan University; BS, National University of Sciences and Technology, Pakistan

Peter Sammartino School of Education

Melissa Smith, associate professor, education, and QUEST director (Metro) — PhD, Syracuse University; MA, University of Nebraska at Omaha; BA, Creighton University

Henry P. Becton School of Nursing and Allied Health

Vera Castellano, lecturer, nursing (Metro) — DNP, Fairleigh Dickinson University; MSN, Walden University; BSN, Berkeley College

Joseph Jennas, clinical assistant professor, nursing, and director, master’s entry to RN practice track (Metro) — MS, SUNY Downstate Medical Center; BSN, Adelphi University; AAS, Long Island College Hospital School of Nursing

Sincere McMillan, clinical assistant professor, nursing, and director, adult gerontology and primary care track (Metro) —DNP, Walden University; MS, New York University; BSN, Adelphi University; BS, State University of New York at Stony Brook

Cheryl Meddles-Torres, clinical associate professor, nursing, and director, psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner track (Metro) — DNP, State University of New York at Stony Brook; MS, BSN, Molloy University

Kathleen Smith-Wenning, clinical assistant professor, nursing, and program track director for allied health programs (Metro) — MA, Montclair State University; BA, Thomas Edison State University

Mary Templeton, instructor, clinical lab nursing, and director of clinical laboratories (Metro) — DNP, Fairleigh Dickinson University; MSN, Ramapo College; BS, New York University

Carolina Vilchez, lecturer, nursing (Metro) — MS, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; BS, Fairleigh Dickinson University

School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Ilana Beitscher, assistant professor, occupational therapy (Flor) — PhD, The University of Cumberlands; MS, BS, Elizabethtown College

Allison Buckingham, assistant professor, public health (Flor) — PhD, Teachers College, Columbia University; MBA, University of New Haven; MS, University of Bridgeport; BS, Empire State University – State University of New York

Ayana DaSilva, lecturer, social work, and field coordinator, Master of Social Work program (Flor) — MSW, Kean University; BA, Rider University

Krissia Melgar, clinical assistant professor, pharmacy practice (Flor) — PharmD, Temple University; BA, Drew University

Michael Murphy, clinical assistant professor, physician assistant studies (Flor) — MS, Rutgers School of Health Professions; BA, University of Stirling, United Kingdom

Frank Ostella, clinical assistant professor, physician assistant studies (Flor) — DO, Nova Southeastern University; MS, Fairleigh Dickinson University; BA, Montclair State University

Dina Prisco, assistant professor, occupational therapy; doctoral capstone coordinator and assistant chair, occupational therapy (Flor) — PhD, University of the Cumberlands; MS, BA, New York University

Nicole Spaldo, assistant professor, occupational therapy, and academic fieldwork coordinator, occupational therapy doctorate program (Flor) — OTD, Misericordia University; MS, BSHS, University of Scranton

Anthony Volpe, clinical assistant professor, physician assistant studies (Flor) — MD, Autonomas University of Guadalajara School of Medicine, Mexico; BA, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

School of Psychology and Counseling

Marc Diener, associate professor, psychology (Metro) — PhD, MA, Adelphi University; BA, Yeshiva University 

Yuqing Qiu, assistant professor, clinical mental health counseling (Flor) — MS, Johns Hopkins University School of Education; BS, China University of Political Science and Law, China

Alan Sheinfil, assistant professor, clinical psychology (Metro) — PhD, MS, Syracuse University; BA, Queens College, The City University of New York

Sharron Spriggs, clinical lecturer, forensic psychology (Metro) — PhD, Fairleigh Dickinson University; MA, Columbia University; BA, Coppin State University

School of Public and Global Affairs

Hossein Hakimpour, lecturer, administration (Van) — PhD, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia; MS, BS, Islamic Azad University, Iran

Mohammadreza Khoee, assistant professor, administrative science (Van) — PhD, Concordia University, Montreal, Québec, Canada; MBA, Kharazmi University, Iran; BSc, Islamic Azad University of Najafabad, Iran

Promotions

Maxwell Becton College of Arts and Sciences

To Professor

Joseph Agugliaro, biology (Flor)
Douglas Evans, criminal justice (Metro)
Amy Shlosberg, criminology (Flor)

To Clinical Associate Professor

Cynthia Loewus, dance (Flor)

To Associate Professor

Justin Bogart, inorganic chemistry (Flor)
Luz Huertas Castillo, history/Latin American studies (Flor)

To Senior Lecturer

Natalia Carrillo, mathematics (Flor)
Madelyn Ferrans, social sciences/history/prelaw (Flor)
Natalie Yang, mathematics (Flor)

Silberman College of Business

To Professor

Vijay Sampath, accounting/tax/law/information systems (Metro)
Omer Topaloglu, marketing/management/entrepreneurship (Metro)

To Associate Professor

Isabella Krysa, marketing/management/entrepreneurship (Van)

Lee Gildart and Oswald Haase School of Computer Sciences and Engineering

To Associate Professor

Avimanyou Vatsa, computer science (Metro)

Peter Sammartino School of Education

To Associate Professor

Sora Suh, second language acquisition (Metro)

International School of Hospitality, Sports, and Tourism Management

To Professor

Jarrett Bachman, hospitality/tourism management (Van)

To Senior Lecturer

Denise Chiang, hospitality/tourism management (Van)

School of Psychology and Counseling

To Professor

Benjamin Freer, psychology (Metro)

School of Public and Global Affairs

To Professor

Ajay Garg, administrative science (Van)

Tenure

(Effective fall 2025)

Maxwell Becton College of Arts and Sciences

Justin Bogart, inorganic chemistry (Flor)
Luz Huertas Castillo, history/Latin American studies (Flor)

Silberman College of Business

Isabella Krysa, marketing/management/entrepreneurship (Van)
Vijay Sampath, accounting/tax/law/information systems (Metro)

Lee Gildart and Oswald Haase School of Computer Sciences and Engineering

Avimanyou Vatsa, computer science (Metro)

Peter Sammartino School of Education

Sora Suh, second language acquisition (Metro)

Sabbaticals

Maxwell Becton College of Arts and Sciences

Brian Knorr, physics (Flor), fall semester
Meghan Sacks, criminology (Flor), fall semester
John Schiemann, government (Flor), fall semester
Amy Shlosberg, criminology (Flor), spring semester
Neelu Sinha, computer science (Flor), academic year

Silberman College of Business

Gerard Farias, marketing/management/entrepreneurship (Flor), academic year

Lee Gildart and Oswald Haase School of Computer Sciences and Engineering

Wonjae Choi, mechanical engineering/mechanical engineering technology (Metro), fall semester

Peter Sammartino School of Education

Khyati Joshi, multicultural education (Metro), academic year