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Wilkes University Welcomes New Faculty for 2019-2020 Academic Year

Wilkes-Barre, PA (09/05/2019) — Wilkes University welcomed 16 new faculty members at the start of the 2019-2020 academic year. New faculty included new tenure-track faculty, as well as visiting professors and faculty of practice. The new faculty and their areas of specialization are:

Saroj Adhikari has joined the electrical engineering and physics department as a visiting assistant professor of physics. He received his doctorate in physics from the Pennsylvania State University and his bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Central Arkansas. Prior to joining Wilkes he was a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan.

Timur Akhunov has joined the department of mathematics and computer science as a visiting assistant professor of mathematics. He holds a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Chicago and earned master's and bachelor's degrees in mathematics from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Prior to joining Wilkes, he was a visiting assistant professor of mathematics at Binghamton University and the University of Rochester. He also was a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Calgary.

George Bruhn has joined the electrical engineering and physics department as a visiting assistant professor of physics. Bruhn earned a doctorate and a master's degree in physics from Johns Hopkins University. Prior to joining Wilkes, Bruhn was a visiting assistant professor of physics at Millsaps College and at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He also was a postdoctoral research fellow in physics at Johns Hopkins University.

Dwight Camillucci has joined the performing arts department as assistant professor of theatre. He earned the master of fine arts degree in theatre design from Utah State University, a bachelor's degree in modern history from the University of Montana Western and an associate's degree in theatre arts from Flathead Valley Community College. Prior to joining Wilkes, he was a theatre instructor at Utah State University where he also served as technical director and assistant technical director on a number of their theatre productions. Camillucci also held technical theatre positions at Trollwood Performing Arts and Lyric Repertory Company.

Misty Cook has joined the Passan School of Nursing as an assistant professor. Cook is a nurse educator with clinical background in medical-surgical units, mental health, community health, medically fragile neonatal and pediatric care, and long-term care. She earned a doctor of education from Walden University and a master of science in nursing from Chamberlain College of Nursing. Cook earned the bachelor of science in nursing degree from Misericordia University. Prior to joining Wilkes, she was a faculty member of the Wilkes-Barre Career and Technical Center Practical Nursing Department and was a clinical nurse manager for Bayada Home Health Care-Pediatrics.

Brenda Gruver has joined the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy as an assistant professor of pharmacy practice. Gruver earned the doctor of pharmacy degree from Wilkes University. Prior to joining the Wilkes faculty, she was a clinical assistant professor of pharmacy at Campbell University in North Carolina. Gruver completed post-graduate pharmacy residencies at Wingate University in Wingate, N.C., and at St. Luke's University Health Network in Bethlehem, Pa.

Mark Johnson has joined the performing arts department as assistant professor of music. In addition to teaching, he will direct Wilkes' Marching Colonels and other ensembles. Johnson earned a doctorate of musical arts in wind conducting at the University of Southern Mississippi. He holds a master's degree in wind conducting and a bachelor's degree in music education from Winthrop University. Prior to joining Wilkes, he was a graduate assistant at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he managed logistics for the 285-member Pride of Mississippi Marching Band and conducted several other university bands and ensembles. From 2011 to 2016, he was director of bands for the Northwest School of the Arts in Charlotte, N.C.

Danielle Kieck has joined the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy as an assistant professor of pharmacy practice. Kieck earned the doctor of pharmacy degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from St. John Fisher College. She completed a post-graduate pharmacy residency teaching in the Ohio State University College of Pharmacy and was a community-based pharmacy resident at Uptown Pharmacy in Columbus, Ohio. Prior to joining Wilkes, she was a preceptor for student pharmacists at the Ohio State University College of Pharmacy, Ohio Northern University Raabe College of Pharmacy and Cedarville University College of Pharmacy.

Na-Yoon Kim has joined the Sidhu School of Business and Leadership as an assistant professor of management. Kim earned a doctorate in organizational behavior from Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations. He earned a master's degree in management and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Yonsei Univesity in Seoul, Korea. Prior to joining Wilkes, Kim was a visiting fellow in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell.

Leesa Levy has joined the performing arts department as visiting assistant professor of music. Levy has taught voice at Wilkes University since 2013, serving as principal voice instructor in the musical theatre program. Earlier in her career, Levy was associate professor of music at Valley City State University in North Dakota. She also taught music at schools in New York and in Germany and maintained a career as a soprano soloist. Levy earned a bachelor's degree in music education at Mansfield University, a master's degree in performance and pedagogy from the University of Texas and a doctorate in performance and literature from North Dakota State University.

Han (Anna) Ma has joined the Sidhu School of Business and Leadership as an assistant professor of marketing. She earned a doctorate in marketing from the University of Texas at Arlington and earned the master of business administration degree from New York Institute of Technology. Ma also earned a bachelor's degree in English with a concentration in international business from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Prior to joining Wilkes, she was an instructor at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Jennifer Moses has joined the Passan School of Nursing as faculty of practice in its graduate nursing programs. She has been an adjunct clinical instructor in the Passan School's master of science in nursing program since 2014. Moses is a nurse practitioner providing palliative care to patients at Allied Services in Scranton, Pa., and previously held nursing positions with Geisinger Health System. She earned her associate's degree in nursing at Palm Beach Community College, bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing at Florida Atlantic University and the doctor of nursing practice degree from Bloomsburg University.

Shuo (Andy) Ren has joined the integrative media, design and art department as an assistant professor. He holds a doctorate and a master's degree in modeling, simulation and visualization engineering from Old Dominion University. Ren earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech. Prior to joining Wilkes, he was a graduate teaching and research assistant at Old Dominion University.

Amy Sopcak-Joseph has joined the global cultures department as an assistant professor of history. She earned a doctorate and a master's degree in history from the University of Connecticut and a bachelor's degree from Dickinson College in English and history. Prior to joining Wilkes, she was a lecturer in history at the University of Connecticut. Earlier she was education coordinator for the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Mass.

Benjamin Toll has joined the political science department as an assistant professor. He earned a doctorate and a master's degree in political science from Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., and a bachelor's degree in political science and sociology from Taylor University. Prior to joining Wilkes, Toll was an assistant professor at Lake Superior State University since 2016. Earlier he was a visiting assistant professor of political science at Miami University.

Frances Turner joined the Sidhu School of Business and Leadership as an assistant professor of marketing. Turner earned the doctor of business administration degree from Grenoble Ecole de Management in Grenoble, France. Turner earned the master of business administration degree from the University of Chicago and a bachelor's degree in social studies from Harvard University. She was a visiting fellow at Oxford University's Hams Manchester College Summer Research Institute. Prior to joining Wilkes, Turner was an assistant professor of marketing at Menlo College and a visiting assistant professor of marketing at Bucknell University.

Letitia N. Warunek has joined the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy as an assistant professor of pharmacy practice. Warunek earned the doctor of pharmacy degree at Wilkes University with a minor in Spanish. Prior to joining the Nesbitt School, she taught at the Buffalo University School of Pharmacy and Marshall University School of Pharmacy, earning teaching certificates at both institutions. She completed post-graduate pharmacy residencies at the Huntington Medical Center in Huntington, Va., and with Kaleida Health at the Buffalo General Medical Center in Buffalo, N.Y.

Photo: Sixteen new faculty members were welcomed at Wilkes University for the 2019-2020 academic year. New faculty are pictured from left to right. Front row, Jennifer Moses, faculty of practice in graduate nursing programs; Na-Yoon Kim, assistant professor of management ; Letitia Warunek, assistant professor of pharmacy practice; Danielle Kieck, assistant professor of pharmacy practice and Mark Johnson, assistant professor of music. Second row, Misty Cook, assistant professor in nursing; Amy Sopcak-Joseph, assistant professor of history; Brenda Gruver, assistant professor of pharmacy practice; Dwight Camilucci assistant professor of theatre and Saroj Adhikari, visiting assistant professor of physics. Third row, Benjamin Toll, assistant professor in political science; George Bruhn, visiting assistant professor of physics and Shuo (Andy) Ren, assistant professor in integrative media, design and art department. Not pictured are Timur Akhunov, a visiting assistant professor of mathematics ; Leesa Levy, visiting assistant professor of music; Han (Anna) Ma, assistant professor of marketing and Frances Turner, assistant professor of marketing.

About Wilkes University:

Wilkes University is a private, independent, non-sectarian institution of higher education dedicated to academic and intellectual excellence through mentoring in the liberal arts,sciences and professional programs. Founded in 1933, Wilkes is on a mission to create one of the nation's finest doctoral universities, offering all of the programs, activities and opportunities of a large university in the intimate, caring and mentoring environment of a small college, open to all who show promise. The Economist named Wilkes 25th in the nation for the value of its education for graduates. In addition to 46 majors, Wilkes offers 24 master's degree programs and five doctoral/terminal degree programs, including the doctor of philosophy in nursing, doctor of nursing practice, doctor of education, doctor of pharmacy, and master of fine arts in creative writing. Learn more at www.wilkes.edu.

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