The Office of the Provost recognizes the following faculty members for tenure and promotion:
Tenured and Promoted to Associate Professor
Zhanar Berikkyzy
College of Arts and Sciences
Mathematics Department
Dr. Zhanar Berikkyzy is a mathematician specializing in Graph Theory and Combinatorics. Her recent work on rainbow solutions to the Sidon equation studies a classical object in additive number theory that is used to measure the additive energy of a set. Her research is funded by both Fairfield University and external grants, facilitating collaborations and enabling her to travel to various mathematical institutes and conferences across the US. This summer, Dr. Berikkyzy will spend three weeks collaborating and participating in workshops at the American Institute of Mathematics housed on the campus of Caltech, and one week at the Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics housed on the campus of Brown University. In addition to her scholarly pursuits, she places great value on mentoring students. Dr. Berikkyzy is the director and faculty mentor of the Fairfield REU program that will run for 8 weeks this summer. Funded by NSF-MAA, this program aims to support four undergraduate students from underrepresented minority groups.
Patrick Brooks
College of Arts and Sciences
Visual and Performing Arts Department
Patrick Brooks is a writer and director, living in New York City. He is also an accomplished cinematographer, whose work has screened at Tribeca, Palm Springs ShortFest, Vancouver and Slamdance. He has also presented creative work at the University Film and Video Associate Conference in 2019, 2021 and 2023. Patrick is currently in post-production on multiple short fiction films and in-production on a documentary set in rural eastern Oregon about the links between ancient volcanism, climate change and the identity of the American West (funded by grants from the NSF and Fairfield’s own Fredrickson Innovation Lab). In addition to his work in film, Patrick also co-founded the New York Virtual Volcano Observatory in NYC, supported by a residency with the Governors Island Trust and a grant from the American Geological Union. This public exhibition combined elements of traditional video projection, virtual reality, and multimedia installation, a true collaboration between visual artists and geology researchers at Rutgers, NYU and Columbia. Patrick holds a M.F.A. in Film Directing from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television, has taught at Northwestern and DePaul universities and, at Fairfield, is currently the Program Director of FTMA and inaugural Director of the newly-formed Media Institute.
Christopher Casement
College of Arts and Sciences
Mathematics Department
Dr. Christopher Casement is a statistician. Dr. Casement received a doctoral degree in statistics from Baylor University. He also holds two master’s degrees, one in mathematics and one in statistics, from Wake Forest University and Virginia Tech, respectively. His research includes the creation of statistics education software for use by statistics faculty and students, as well as the development of methods that enable subject-area experts to incorporate their knowledge into statistical analyses. Dr. Casement has published several papers, including one in the prestigious Journal of Statistics and Data Science Education. He also has been heavily involved in curriculum development, having helped lead the development of four minors and a master’s program – at Fairfield, the applied statistics and mathematical statistics minors.
Tanika Eaves
Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies
Social Work Department
Dr. Tanika.Eaves is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Infant Mental Health Specialist with over 20 years of clinical practice, training and consultative experience. Dr. Eaves is a Fairfield University alum from the College of Arts and Sciences Psychology Department and she holds a masters degree in social work from Rutgers University. She received her doctoral degree in human development and family science from the University of Connecticut. Dr. Eaves’ research interests include: reflective supervision and other workplace supports promoting workforce well-being, culturally responsive parent-infant psychotherapeutic interventions, and achieving equity in maternal-infant health and mental health outcomes. Dr. Eaves regularly mentors undergraduate students in her research and enhances student experiences through community-engaged learning. She has disseminated her research findings in numerous national and international peer-reviewed mental health and social service journals and conferences. Dr. Eaves sits on the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Association for Infant Mental Health. In 2023, Dr. Eaves was awarded a Fulbright Post-Doctoral Research Scholarship to study models of perinatal care for expectant families suffering from perinatal mental health conditions in New South Wales, Australia.
Kara Hunter
Dolan School of Business
Accounting Department
Dr. Kara Hunter received a doctoral degree in Accounting from Bentley University. She is a licensed CPA in the state of Massachusetts. Her research interest is in the transformation of audit education, focusing on the impact of audit technology and the incorporation of soft skills. She has published several papers in prestigious journals, such as Accounting and Business Research, Issues in Accounting Education, and The Journal of Emerging Technologies in Accounting. Dr. Hunter is the 2022 recipient of the American Accounting Association Innovation in Auditing and Assurance Education award. She serves on the Board of Governors for the Institute of Internal Auditors Fairfield/Westchester chapter and the Emerging Leaders Council of Make-A-Wish Connecticut.
Regina Kim
Dolan School of Business
Management Department
Dr. Regina Kim obtained her doctorate and master's degrees in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University and a bachelor's degree from Smith College. Her research concentrates on workforce diversity, cross-cultural management, and conflict management and negotiations, with a particular focus on understanding the implications of diversity and cultural differences within organizations and enhancing both employee experiences and organizational effectiveness. Dr. Kim's scholarly contributions have been featured in esteemed journals such as the American Behavioral Scientist, Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, International Journal of Conflict Management, Journal of Language and Social Psychology, Conflict Resolution Quarterly, and Journal of Research in Personality. Moreover, her work has garnered attention in media outlets including CNBC, the Atlantic, and Scripps News. She has a wealth of teaching experience spanning undergraduate, graduate, and executive levels in the United States, France, Italy, and South Korea. Prior to her academic career, she consulted in the domains of personnel selection, conflict management, leadership development, and intercultural communication.
Isaac Macwan
School of Engineering and Computing
Electrical and Biomedical Engineering Department
Dr. Isaac Macwan’s research focuses on bioelectronics in general, and biosensors in particular, where he integrates nanofabrication strategies such as electrospinning and electro-polymerization with molecular dynamics to study the nature of interface between biological macromolecules and nanoparticles. Through his research background, Dr. Macwan intends to understand the role of carbon allotropes such as graphene, graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes and their potential in applications such as biological recognition elements for biosensors and engineered scaffolds for tissue engineering. He has published several peer-reviewed articles in journals including Nature Scientific Reports, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, Biosensors and Bioelectronics, IEEE/ACM transactions in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Journal of Applied Physics, and PLOS ONE, and has presented several platform papers and posters at various national and international conferences.
Lisa Sundean
Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies
Nursing Department
Dr. Lisa Sundean is Director of the Healthcare Administration Program. She is recognized for her breakthrough research and scholarship to advance the science of nurses in governance leadership and is a national leader with the Nurses on Boards Coalition. She teaches across curricula and disciplines and has served on multiple Nursing doctoral committees at multiple universities. In the community, she contributes her expertise with service on multiple boards of directors. Her proposal contributions led to the $35 million dollar Connecticut Health Horizons state initiative to bolster the nursing and social worker workforces. She has recently been recognized by the University of Connecticut School of Nursing with a distinguished service award, by the Organization of Nurse Leaders MA, RI, NH, CT, and VT with an award for excellence in policy advocacy, and by the international Daisy Foundation with an award for extraordinary faculty. Dr. Sundean holds two Master's degrees in Nursing and Healthcare Administration and a PhD from the University of Connecticut.
Wen Zhao
College of Arts and Sciences
Communications Department
Dr. Wen Zhao is the Director of the Public Relations Program and holds an affiliation with the Asian Studies Program. Her research focus includes Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) communication, social media analytics, and emerging media technologies. Dr. Zhao’s work has been published in leading strategic communication peer-reviewed journals, including Computers in Human Behavior, Social Science Computer Review, Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising, Atlantic Journal of Communication, and Journalism Practice, among others. Her contributions have earned top paper awards from the National Communication Association (NCA), the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), and the Eastern Communication Association (ECA). As an educator, Dr. Zhao is committed to community engagement and engaged learning. Her collaborations with the local community, including the Age-Friendly Research Project with the Town of Fairfield and numerous local nonprofits such as the Connecticut Audubon Society, the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce, Fairfield Senior Advocates, and Caroline House, highlight her dedication to extending learning beyond the classroom and facilitating student involvement in diverse community settings.
Tenured Faculty
John Kiweewa
School of Education and Human Development
Counselor Education Department
Dr. John Kiweewa holds a doctoral degree in Counselor Education and Supervision from Syracuse University. He also holds a master’s degree in International Relations from Syracuse University, in addition to master’s degrees in Theology and Community Counseling from the University of Scranton. Dr. Kiweewa’s scholarship is multidisciplinary with a focus on group work processes, mental health and school counseling systems in international global contexts, and the interface of behavioral and mental health in HIV/AIDS care and treatment. Similarly, he focuses on interdisciplinary approach to counselor preparation and culturally-responsive clinical practices tailored to the needs of diverse populations. He is the recipient of two respective fellowships from the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (2016) and the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship (2018). In addition to being a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in New York State, Dr. Kiweewa is an active member in several professional counseling organizations, including the American Counseling Association, Association for Specialists in Group Work, Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES), and North Atlantic Region Association for Counselor Education (NARACES).
Philip Maymin
Dolan School of Business
Analytics Department
Dr. Philip Maymin is the program director of the M.S. in business analytics. He holds a Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Chicago (dissertation chair: Richard H. Thaler), a Master's in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University, and a Bachelor's in Computer Science from Harvard University. He also holds a J.D. and is an attorney-at-law admitted to practice in California. He was awarded a Wolfram Innovator Award in 2015. He won the Wolfram Live Coding Challenge in 2016 and second place in 2018, and he won the Wolfram One-Liner Competition in 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019. He was named one of the Top 50 Data and Analytics Professionals in the US and Canada by Corinium in 2018. He is the only person to have won both the Grand Prize for Best Research Paper (2018) and the Hackathon (2020) at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. He is also a contributor to Forbes.com on AI and finance and is the founding managing editor of Algorithmic Finance and the co-founder and co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Sports Analytics. He has published in the Nature journal Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Journal of Portfolio Management, Journal of Business Analytics, International Journal of Forecasting, International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, and Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sport, among others, and his textbook Financial Hacking was published by World Scientific.
Anthony Santella
Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies
Public Health Department
Dr. Anthony Santella serves as Professor of Public Health and Director of the Master of Public Health (MPH) program. His research is focused on improving the health and well-being of those who are living with or at risk for HIV, viral hepatitis, and STDs. Additionally, he is scholarship ensures that gender and sexual minorities, justice-involved individuals, youth, and people experiencing homelessness have a fair and just opportunity to achieve their full health potential. With 45 peer-reviewed articles, 35 competitive grants/contracts, and 80 national and international conference presentations, Dr. Santella has made significant academic contributions to the field of public health. He also holds leadership positions with the New Haven-Fairfield Counties HIV Ryan White Planning Council, the Connecticut HIV Planning Consortium, the American Public Health Association, and the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing. Dr. Santella holds an MPH from Emory University, a Doctor of Public Health from Tulane University, and an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Health Professions Education from Hofstra University. He is also Certified Public Health and a Master Certified Health Education Specialist.
Promoted to Professor
Anna Maria Aksan
Dolan School of Business
Economics Department
Dr. Anna-Maria Aksan is a development economist whose research focuses on the relationship between health, population dynamics, and economic development. She received her BA in Quantitative Economics from Tufts University in 2004 and PhD in Economics from the University of Oregon in 2010. She has published theoretical and empirical studies in prominent economics and interdisciplinary journals, including World Development, Review of Development Economics, Journal of Demographic Economics, European Economic Review, Population and Development Review, International Journal of Public Health, and Water Economics and Policy. Dr. Aksan teaches courses in principles of economics, development economics, income inequality, health economics, mathematical economics and econometrics. She brings global health issues into the classroom through service-learning collaborations with Catholic Medical Mission Board. She also works more locally on issues of food insecurity, in partnership with non-profit United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut. Dr. Aksan is a former director of the Fairfield Asian Studies program. She is an Associate Editor of Population Research and Policy Review, and recently guest co-edited a special topics issue in Frontiers entitled “Health Inequities and Reproductive Justice in the Modern Era”.
Bryan Ripley Crandall
School of Education and Human Development
Educational Studies and Teacher Preparation Department
Dr. Bryan Ripley Crandall is Director of the Connecticut Writing Project. He earned a prize for outstanding doctoral research from Syracuse University in 2012 and publishes widely on writing activity genre research, young adult literature, teaching writing in K-12 schools, and supporting literacies of all young people, including immigrant- and refugee-background youth. His community-engaged scholarship has been recognized with numerous awards, including an Outstanding College-Community Project by the Coalition of Community Writing, the Rev. Jeffrey von Arc, S.J. Award for Excellence in Community Engagement, the Elizabeth M. Pfriem Civic Leadership Award, a Thomas Ehrlich Civically-Engaged Faculty Honoree Award, a Martin Luther King, Jr. Vision Award, and a George E. Lang Award. In addition, Crandall is recipient of four Divergent Awards from the Initiative for Literacy in a Digital Age, including a 2025 Award for Literacy Implementation in recognition of ten years of hosting young adult literacy labs and publications at Fairfield University. Crandall co-hosts The Write Time, a video podcast bringing teachers and writers of children’s and young adult texts together to discuss books, life, and writing.
Michelle Farrell
College of Arts and Sciences
Modern Languages and Literatures Department
In her research, Dr. Michelle Farrell focuses on emerging independent cinemas, the uses of piracy as democracy, and digital platform distribution in Cuba, Venezuela, and Brazil. In these areas she publishes in international and international peer-reviewed journals as well as creates and publishes in the avantgarde field of videographic scholarship. She is active in making her scholarship public-facing as she often is chosen to serve as a juror at New York and Boston-based Latin American film festivals. In support of her on-going research, she has won grants from the American Association of University Women, the American Philosophical Society, and the generous support of the Humanities Institute. Dr. Farrell teaches Latin American cinemas, and literatures, as well as both the Spanish and Portuguese languages. Dr. Farrell is committed to bringing her innovative scholarship, festival work and reflective teaching practices into the classroom. To further support student learning and community needs, she is a newly-minted nationally certified medical interpreter. She has been awarded the Alpha Sigma Nu Teacher of the year award. She is committed to meaningful leadership in service, as the current chair of her Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, the former chair of the Rank and Tenure Committee, and the former chair of Film Studies in the Latin American Studies Association.
Jerelyn Johnson
College of Arts and Sciences
Modern Languages and Literatures Department
Dr. Jerelyn Johnson is a professor of Spanish language and literature whose scholarship is focused on the representation of memory and history in contemporary Spanish drama. She is a leading international scholar on the work of Juan Mayorga, Spain’s most renowned living dramatist. Her most recent publication is the book Juan Mayorga: Six Plays (Routledge, 2024), the first English-language collection of Mayorga’s plays in translation, providing insight into the extraordinary range and quality of one of the Spanish-speaking world’s most distinctive voices. She has published several articles on the theatrical representation of questions of memory, history, and maps in leading peer-reviewed journals such as Cincinnati Romance Review, Hispanófila, Hecho teatral, Romance Notes, and Estreno: Cuadernos del teatro español contemporáneo (of which she was recently appointed Associate Editor) and has presented her work at several regional, national, and international conferences. She is also co-founder and producer of, and actor in the theater company The Academy Players of Fairfield University. She has held several leadership positions on campus including Chair of the DMLL, Executive Secretary and Chair of Academic Council, Associate Director of the Humanities Institute, and Interim Director of the Humanities Institute.
Jenna LoGiudice
Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies
Nursing Department
Dr. Jenna LoGiudice is a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) with 16 years of direct patient care experience. Her leadership within the midwifery and nursing communities as a clinician, scholar, educator, researcher, and advocate to advance equitable solutions to the nation’s most complex healthcare challenges has been recognized through her inductions as a Fellow of the American College of Nurse Midwives (FACNM) in 2019, and as a Fellow within the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN) in 2023. Her specific contributions as an academic, nurse midwife change agent hinge on dissemination of trauma-informed care best practices, education of Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE) nurses, development of an innovative trauma-informed care midwifery DNP curriculum, and leadership in achieving scalable Medicaid pay parity legislation for nurse midwives in Connecticut. She has numerous research publications in leading midwifery and nursing journals, and is the co-author of a book titled “Re-imagining Motherhood and Career: Insights from a time of crisis.” At Fairfield, she is the program director of the Nurse Midwifery DNP program, and she developed and teaches an honors course titled “Mothering in the Americas” for which she received social justice designation. She is the program director of a $1.22 million MatCare (Maternity Care Nursing Workforce Expansion) HRSA grant to increase the diversity and number of nurse midwives prepared to deliver evidence-based, culturally-competent practices to vulnerable populations in order to address maternal health disparities in the United States.
