The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors approved the following promotions, tenure, and continued appointments at its Monday meeting.

Promotion to associate professor with tenure, collegiate faculty:

  • Ariel Ahram, government and international affairs;
  • Eric Bahel, economics;
  • Esther Bauer, foreign languages and literatures;
  • Bahareh Behkam, mechanical engineering;
  • Stanca (Mihaela) Ciupe, mathematics;
  • Melissa Coburn, foreign languages and literatures;
  • Eva Colla'kova, plant pathology, physiology, and weed science;
  • Deborah Dickerson, civil and environmental engineering;
  • Robert Efird, foreign languages and literatures;
  • Elizabeth Grant, architecture;
  • Jason (Matthew) Holliday, forest resources and environmental conservation;
  • Leanna House, statistics;
  • Sunghwan Jung, biomedical engineering and mechanics;
  • Stephen LaConte, biomedical engineering and mechanics / Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute;
  • Tristram McPherson, philosophy;
  • Constantin (Leonardo) Mihalcea, mathematics;
  • Michael Moehler, philosophy;
  • Kim Niewolny, agricultural, leadership, and community education;
  • Sakiko Okumoto, plant pathology, physiology, and weed science;
  • David Sample, biological systems engineering;
  • Birgit Scharf, biological sciences;
  • Sonja Schmid, science and technology in society;
  • Gary Seidel, aerospace and ocean engineering;
  • Ryan Senger, biological systems engineering;
  • Onur Seref, business information technology;
  • Sarah Sierra, foreign languages and literatures;
  • Manisha Singal, hospitality and tourism management;
  • Anne Staples, biomedical engineering and mechanics;
  • Brian Strahm, forest resources and environmental conservation;
  • Vinodh Venkatesh, foreign languages and literatures;
  • James Vollmer, English;
  • Abby Whittington, materials science and engineering / chemical engineering; and  
  • Yang Zhang, urban affairs and planning.

Tenure at the currently held rank of associate professor, collegiate faculty:

  • Mantu Hudait, electrical and computer engineering; and
  • Biswarup Mukhopadhyay, biochemistry.

Promotion to professor, collegiate faculty:

  • Masoud Agah, electrical and computer engineering;
  • Marwan Al-Haik, biomedical engineering and mechanics;
  • Brian Bond, sustainable biomaterials;
  • Thomas Brandon, civil and environmental engineering;
  • Urs Buehlmann, sustainable biomaterials;
  • Jaime Camelio, industrial and systems engineering;
  • Terry Clements, landscape architecture;
  • Rafael Davalos, biomedical engineering and mechanics;
  • Brenda Davy, human nutrition, foods, and exercise;
  • Stephen Edwards, computer science;
  • Paul Emmons, architecture;
  • Patrick Huber, physics;
  • Jill Kiecolt, sociology;
  • Neal King, sociology;
  • Brian Lattimer, mechanical engineering;
  • Dongmin Liu, human nutrition, foods, and exercise;
  • Chang Lu, chemical engineering;
  • Peizhen (Kathy) Lu, materials science and engineering;
  • Lin Ma, aerospace and ocean engineering;
  • Klaus Moeltner, agricultural and applied economics;
  • Ignacio Moore, biological sciences;
  • T. M. Murali, computer science;
  • Jung-Min (Jerry) Park, electrical and computer engineering;
  • Padmavathy Rajagopalan, chemical engineering;
  • Adrian Rodriguez-Marek, civil and environmental engineering;
  • Eric Sharpe, physics;
  • Steven Sheetz, accounting and information systems;
  • Mark Stremler, biomedical engineering and mechanics;
  • Deborah Tatar, computer science;
  • John Taylor, civil and environmental engineering;
  • Wade Thomason, crop and soil environmental sciences;
  • Pamela VandeVord, biomedical engineering and mechanics;
  • Jianhua (Jason) Xuan, electrical and computer engineering; and
  • Anne Zajac, biomedical sciences and pathobiology.

Promotion to advanced instructor, collegiate faculty:

  • Derley Aguilar, communication;
  • Cinita Easterwood, accounting and information systems;
  • Gebremeskel Gebremariam, economics;
  • Nicolin Girmes-Grieco, human nutrition, foods, and exercise;
  • Jessica Hurdus, mathematics; and
  • Evgeny Savel'ev, mathematics.

Promotion to senior instructor, collegiate faculty

  • Zana Combiths, English;
  • Serena Frost, English;
  • Jenny Lo, engineering education;
  • Pavli Mykerezi, agricultural technology;
  • Steven Oakey, English; and
  • Emily Wilkinson Stallings, communication.

Promotion to associate professor of practice, extra-collegiate faculty:

  • Keith Zawistowski, School of Architecture + Design, and
  • Marie Zawistowski, School of Architecture + Design.

Promotion to assistant professor of practice, extra-collegiate faculty:

  • Lynn Almond, accounting and information systems.

Promotion to professor, extra-collegiate faculty:

  • Andrew Dolloff, fish and wildlife conservation, and
  • John McGee, forest resources and environmental conservation.

Promotion to associate professor, extra-collegiate faculty:

  • Annette Bailey, University Libraries, and
  • Jess Jones, fish and wildlife conservation.

Continued appointment at the currently held rank of assistant professor, extra-collegiate faculty:

  • Kira Dietz, University Libraries, and
  • Jennifer Nardine, University Libraries.  

Continued appointment with promotion to associate professor, extra-collegiate faculty:

  • Rebecca Miller, University Libraries.

Promotion to senior Extension agent, extra-collegiate faculty: 

  • Kathryn Alstat, Greene County Cooperative Extension, and
  • Bruce Jones, Appomattox County Cooperative Extension.

Promotion to Extension agent, extra-collegiate faculty:

  • Dara Booher, Rockingham County Cooperative Extension;
  • Sonya D. Furgurson, Halifax County Cooperative Extension;
  • Jennifer Ligon, Buckingham Cooperative Extension;
  • Timothy Mize, Fauquier County Cooperative Extension;
  • Reginald B. Morris, City of Alexandria Cooperative Extension;
  • Kathryn Strong, Fairfax County Cooperative Extension; and
  • Tadashi Totten, City of Danville Cooperative Extension.

The Office of the Provost provided the information for this story. Content-related questions should be directed to Cyndi Hutchison at 540-231-2350.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.

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