Experts Directory

This directory provides information about faculty and staff members who are willing to serve as media resources or speak to community groups on topics of their expertise. Contact the Marketing and Communications Office at 540-375-2282 with questions or to arrange an interview. 
 
Professor and staff links provide a profile of the expert source with information about their teaching and expertise. 

Art, Music, Literature and Theater 

• Acting Danielle Barre
• Art and architecture of the U.S. Julia Sienkewicz
• Art of the U.S. Capitol Julia Sienkewicz
• Arts education Gordon Marsh
• Classical music Gordon Marsh
• Community-engaged art history Julia Sienkewicz
• Contemporary theatre and politics Nelson Barre
• Creative writing Teresa Milbrodt
• Crip lit (literature by people with disabilities) Teresa Milbrodt
• Directing Danielle Barre
• Disability humor and sexuality Teresa Milbrodt 
• Dramaturgy Nelson Barre
• Folklore Lisa Stoneman
• Irish theatre Nelson Barre
• Jazz and jazz history Marc LaChance
• Landscape art Julia Sienkewicz 
• Popular music Gordon Marsh
• Speculative fiction Teresa Milbrodt
  
• Theatre Danielle Barre
• Theatre History Nelson Barre
• World music Gordon Marsh

Business and Economics 

• Clinical depression and labor market outcomes Alice Kassens
• Consumer sentiment (National and Virginia) Alice Kassens
• Data visualization Alice Kassens
• Discrimination Alice Kassens
• Health and economic development Alice Kassens
• Labor market Alice Kassens
• Obesity Alice Kassens
• Spatial analysis Alice Kassens
• Unemployment Alice Kassens

Criminal Justice and Safety 

• Campus climate Daisy Ball
• Campus safety Thomas Rambo
• Criminal justice and race Daisy Ball
• Death penalty Todd Peppers
• Human security Andreea Mihalache-O'Keef
• Prison education Daisy Ball
• Re-entry/returning citizens Daisy Ball
• School shootings Daisy Ball
• Security studies Jonathan Snow
• Sexual assault Shannon Anderson 
• Terrorism Jonathan Snow

Dragons

• Dragons DorothyBelle Poli
• Dragon Research Collaborative and Treasure Center Lisa Stoneman

Education

• Arts education Gordon Marsh
• Asian American studies Daisy Ball
• Critical theories and education Karin Kaerwer
• Critical thinking and problem solving Michael Maina
• Education policy Karin Kaerwer
• Effective teaching methods Michael Maina
• Elementary education Karin Kaerwer
• Equity and education Karin Kaerwer
• Flipped classroom teaching Daniel Robb
• International service learning Shannon Anderson
• Instructional design Gary Whitt
• Mathematical transition from high school to college Hannah Robbins
• Physical education Michael Maina
• Scholarship of teaching and learning (especially for art history) Julia Sienkewicz
• Science education Gary Whitt
• Statistics for general public and health care Hannah Robbins
• Teaching in physical education Michael Maina 
• Technology in learning environments Gary Whitt
• Transdisciplinary research DorothyBelle Poli
• Transdisciplinary research and pedagogy Lisa Stoneman
• Undergraduate public health programs Shannon Anderson 
• Virtual learning Gary Whitt

Environment and Sustainability 

• Animal ethics Laura Hartman
• Buses and transportation related to environment Laura Hartman
• Christianity and the environment Laura Hartman
• Climate change Laura Hartman
• Consumption and consumerism Laura Hartman
• Environmental ethics Laura Hartman
• Environmental justice Laura Hartman
• Religion and ecology Laura Hartman
• Transportation Laura Hartman

Health Care and Public Health 

• COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 Jonathan Joyce
• Gender and racial/ethnic inequalities in health Kristen Rapp
• Health and economic development Alice Kassens
• Health care reform Alice Kassens
• Health policy Kristen Rapp
• Healthy aging Taylor Rowley
• Obesity and health care Alice Kassens
• Opioid and addiction crisis Kristen Rapp
• Public health Jonathan Joyce
• Public health (HIV, autism, women's health, COVID-19, etc.) Shannon Anderson

Health and Wellness 

• Aromatherapy DorothyBelle Poli
• Exercise Michael Maina
• Exercise Taylor Rowley
• Exercise as medicine Elizabeth Ackley
• Fitness and nutrition Michael Maina
• Health and wellness  Michael Maina
• Infectious diseases Jonathan Joyce
• Physical activity Taylor Rowley
• Physical activity to increase life span Elizabeth Ackley
• Strength training Michael Maina
• Virology Jonathan Joyce
• Visual impairments Elizabeth Ackley

History and International Culture  

• Ancient bread and beer Leslie Warden
• Ancient Egyptian society Leslie Warden
• Ancient Greece Jason Hawke
• Ancient travel Jason Hawke
• Catholic history - U.S. Mary Henold (print media only)
• D-Day Tom Carter
• Egyptian archaeology Leslie Warden
• Excavations in Egypt and repatriation Leslie Warden
• Experimental archaeology Leslie Warden
• Gender/women's history in the U.S. Mary Henold (print media only)
• German history Rob Willingham
• Greek warfare and politics Jason Hawke
• Historic preservation and documentation Julia Sienkewicz
• History of slavery  Jesse Bucher
• Holocaust Rob Willingham
• Latin American history and politics Ivonne Wallace Fuentes
• Latin American revolutionary movements  Ivonne Wallace Fuentes
• Middle East Rob Willingham
• Memorials and Memory  Jesse Bucher
• Naval history Tom Carter
• South African history and politics Jesse Bucher
• U.S. history Mary Henold (print media only)

International Relations and Politics 

• Asian politics Jonathan Snow
• Democracy and democratization Andreea Mihalache-O'Keef
• European politics and history Rob Willingham
• Foreign aid Andreea Mihalache-O'Keef
• German politics Rob Willingham
• Globalization Jonathan Snow
• Human security Andreea Mihalache-O'Keef
• International law Jonathan Snow
• International relations and foreign affairs Jonathan Snow
• Israel/Palestine Jonathan Snow
• Latin American history and politics Ivonne Wallace Fuentes
• Latin American revolutionary movements Ivonne Wallace Fuentes
• Middle Eastern politics Jonathan Snow
• Political violence Andreea Mihalache-O'Keef
• Politics of developing countries Andreea Mihalache-O'Keef
• Politics of multinational corporations Andreea Mihalache-O'Keef
• Russia Rob Willingham
• Security studies Jonathan Snow
• South African history and politics Jesse Bucher
• Terrorism Jonathan Snow

Language

• Language learning Ian Michalski
• Bilingualism Ian Michalski
• Linguistic diversity Ian Michalski
• Spanish in the U.S. Ian Michalski
• Sociolinguistics Ian Michalski
• Language in society, language attitudes and ideology Ian Michalski

Media/Popular Culture

• Journalism Tom Carter
• Media and politics Jonathan Snow
• Music and psychology Chris Buchholz
• Paranormal experiences Tom Carter
• Popular music Gordon Marsh

Political - Virginia and the U.S. 

• Civic organizing (post-2016) Ivonne Wallace Fuentes
• Contemporary theatre and politics Nelson Barre
• Criminal justice and race Daisy Ball
• Death penalty Todd Peppers
• Democracy and democratization Andreea Mihalache-O'Keef
• Foreign aid Andreea Mihalache-O'Keef
• Human security Andreea Mihalache-O'Keef
• Law clerks Todd Peppers
• Local government administration Adam Sexton
• Political communication Jonathan Snow
• Political violence Andreea Mihalache-O'Keef
• Politics and ethics Brent Adkins 
• Politics of multinational corporations Andreea Mihalache-O'Keef
• Public administration Adam Sexton
• Re-entry/returning citizens Daisy Ball
• State and local government Adam Sexton
• U.S. Supreme Court Todd Peppers
• Women in politics Ivonne Wallace Fuentes
• Women's March (U.S.) Ivonne Wallace Fuentes

Psychology

• Cross-cultural psychology Chris Buchholz
• Evolutionary psychology Chris Buchholz
• Music and psychology Chris Buchholz
• Persuasion, conformity, obedience Chris Buchholz
• Personality traits Chris Buchholz
• Prejudice and stereotyping Chris Buchholz
• Self-concept Chris Buchholz
• Self-esteem Chris Buchholz
• Social cognition Chris Buchholz
• Social interaction Chris Buchholz

Religion and Philosophy

• Eastern religions Marwood Larson-Harris
• Ethics Brent Adkins
• Ethics Kevin Cales
• Native American religions Marwood Larson-Harris
• Philosophical counseling Kevin Cales
• Philosophy Brent Adkins

Science and Math

• Biodiversity Rachel Collins
• Biophysics Daniel Robb
• Chaos theory and fractals Roland Minton
• Computational physics Daniel Robb
• Developmental biology Chris Lassiter
• Embryology Chris Lassiter
• Evolution DorothyBelle Poli
• Genetics Chris Lassiter
• How ecosystems work Rachel Collins
• Invasive species Rachel Collins
• Mathematics of golf Roland Minton
• Molecular biology Leonard Pysh
• Plant and animal ecology Rachel Collins
• Plant biology DorothyBelle Poli
• Plant biology Leonard Pysh 
• Plant fossils DorothyBelle Poli
• Restoration ecology Rachel Collins
• Roanoke College Environment Center Rachel Collins
• Science of cannabis DorothyBelle Poli
• Sports ranking system Roland Minton
• Virology Jonathan Joyce

Social Issues

• American identity Shannon Anderson
• Autism and identity Shannon Anderson
• Autism - social factors Shannon Anderson
• Gender and sexuality Shannon Anderson
• HIV Shannon Anderson
• Immigration and assimilation Shannon Anderson
• Intimate partner violence Shannon Anderson
• Public health Jonathan Joyce
• Social determinants of health Shannon Anderson
• Sexual assault Shannon Anderson 

Sports

• Intercollegiate cycling Shelley Olds
• Mathematics of golf Roland Minton
• Olympic cycling Shelley Olds

Tattoos 

• Tattoos DorothyBelle Poli