RELEASED: September 10, 2009

DANVILLE, KY—The start of a new academic year brings with it a number of new faces around campus, as well as some familiar faces in new positions.

New Centre Faculty
Marian F. Anton, Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics, comes to us from the Mathematics Department at the University of Kentucky. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame and M.S. and B.S. degrees from the University of Bucharest in Romania.

Carmen Arranz, Visiting Instructor of Spanish, who has most recently been an instructor in the Hispanic Studies Department at the University of Kentucky. She earned her M.A. from the University of Kentucky and her B.A. from the Universidad de Valladoid, Spain.

Jennifer A. Asmuth, Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology, comes to Centre from Northwestern University, where she has been instructor of psychology both at the university and its School of Continuing Studies. She earned her Ph.D. and M.A. at Northwestern and her B.A. at St. John’s College.

Jarrod Brown, Visiting Instructor of Spanish (part-time), comes to us from the University of Kentucky where he is working on his Ph.D. Jarrod completed his M.A. from the University of Notre Dame, an M.T.S. from Duke Divinity School, and B.A. from Centre.

Robyn E. Cutright, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, received her Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of Pittsburgh and her B.A. from Lawrence University. She comes to Centre after being an instructor in the College of General Studies at the University of Pittsburgh.

Chris Garris, Visiting Instructor of Psychology (part-time), is currently working on his Ph.D. at the University of Kentucky. Chris received his B.A. from Morehead State University and his M.S. from the University of Kentucky.

Brianna N. Leavitt-Alcantara, Assistant Professor of History, earned her Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley, where she was also a Graduate Student Instructor. She received her B.A. at the University of San Francisco.

Joel M. Kilty, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, joins Centre after being a Math Instructor at the University of Kentucky. He received his Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of Kentucky; his B.A. is from Asbury College.

Daniel J. Kirchner, Visiting Instructor of Philosophy, was most recently Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Salem State College in Salem, MA. He is a Ph.D. candidate at Indiana University. He received his M.A. from Harvard University and his B.A. from Johns Hopkins University.

John M. Medley, Visiting Instructor of Chemistry, is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Kentucky. He holds M.S. degrees from the University of Kentucky and the University of Michigan and a B.A. from Transylvania University, where he has been part-time Instructor of Chemistry.

J. Christopher Paskewich, Assistant Professor of Government, has most recently been a Political Science Instructor at the University of Connecticut and Manchester Community College. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Connecticut and his M.S. and B.A. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Kerry A. Paumi, Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry, holds a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Wake Forest University, and a B.S. from Gettysburg College. She has been an Adjunct Professor of Chemistry at Villa Julie College in Stevenson, MD and Visiting Scientist at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Andrew R. Roche, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, served as Visiting Assistant Professor at Wheaton College last year. He holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University and a B.A. from Amherst College.

Brian L. Storz, Assistant Professor of Biology, holds Ph.D. and M.A. degrees from Florida State University and a B.S. from the University of California, Davis.

Brett A. Werner, the ACS Post-Doctoral Fellow in Environmental Studies, has been instructor in History and Environmental Studies at Saint Olaf College in Northfield, MN. He is defending his dissertation at the University of Minnesota only a few days before classes start, so wish him well! He received his M.A. at Minnesota and his B.A. at Saint Olaf College.

New Centre College staff
James Barnard is the assistant director of annual giving. He grew up in England and moved to Kentucky in 2008. He attended Lancaster University in the North West of England and after graduation began working in the residence life office there. It was at Lancaster that he met his future wife, Allison, a Transylvania University student studying abroad. They married in 2008 and live with their dog, Griffyn, in Lexington. As the assistant director of annual giving, James' primary responsibilities include coordinating the annual phonathon, overseeing the senior class gift campaign, and assisting with the day-to-day operations of the annual fund. Whenever they can, James and his wife like to return to England to visit family and friends.

Julie Beer launches Centre's inaugural women's lacrosse program after having been the assistant lacrosse coach at Framingham State College. In her first year at Framingham, the women's varsity team finished 4-6. In her second year, they finished 7-7 and had a bid for the Eastern Coast Athletic Conference finals. During the 2009-10 school year, she'll be actively recruiting student-athletes to begin intercollegiate competition in the fall of 2011. 

Adam T. Brown, a 2007 graduate of Centre, is the digital recruitment specialist for admissions. Adam is an admissions counselor who, while lacking a physical territory, interacts with prospective students via digital and online communications. He monitors the College's web presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and many other social media sites as well as orchestrating Centre's email communication with students interested in the College.

Sharon Duncan joins the registrar's office as academic records specialist. She lives in Danville with her husband, Dr. Jim Duncan, and children, Anna (10) and Luke (9). She brings seven years of experience in student services and holds a B.A. in psychology and an M.A. in management. Her hobbies include glass crafting, tennis and outdoor activities. She also spends time volunteering with the site-based council at Woodlawn Elementary, the Community Arts Center and other community organizations.

Jeff Goode joins Centre as a custodian at Hillside, after 22 years as a Health Inspector for Washington Co. Health Dept.   Jeff graduated in 1979 from Eastern Kentucky University of Richmond with a BS in Agriculture and a minor in Business.  Jeff is from Springfield, Kentucky.

Megan Haake takes over as alumni director.  A Centre alumna, Haake has served as the associate director of alumni affairs and assistant director for the last two years. She’s made important contributions in all facets of the College’s alumni programs, most notably in improving electronic communications with alumni, revitalizing the CentreLink online alumni community, and supporting the work of the regional Centre Clubs.

Kyle Hankins comes to Centre from Kentucky Wesleyan College as the Men’s Basketball Assistant Coach. Kyle Graduated from Morehead State University where he played basketball and obtained a BS in Sports Marketing Management. He has also served at Brescia College in Owensboro as an Assistant Basketball Coach.

Kerri Howard is returning this year to Centre as the Coordinator of Community-Based Learning through the VISTA Americorp Program. Kerri graduated from Centre in May 2008 with a BA in Anthropology/Sociology. She spent last year working with the Americorp Program at the Arcadia Community Center in Louisville. Kerri is originally from Mount Sterling, Kentucky.

Paige Matthews is the admission welcome centre coordinator. She is a native of Danville and comes to Centre after many years with Symbiotix, Inc., where she was a project coordinator. She attended Western Kentucky University and began her career as a catering manager with Hilton Hotels. Paige lives in Danville with her husband, Michael, and two girls, Bailey and Mackenzie. Her primary responsibilities are to welcome prospective students and their families to Centre as well as assist with arranging tours and visits. She will also work closely with Colonel Corp to ensure the visits are staffed appropriately.

Mary Beth Turner Neiser takes on a new role as director of leadership gifts and the parent fund. Neiser, a 1998 Centre graduate, returned in 2006 after leading the annual giving program at the University of Rochester. Since then, she has provided leadership for the nationally recognized Centre annual giving program as the director.

Libby Poland serves as the sports information intern for Centre athletics. She received a B.S. in sport management from High Point University, and her M.S. in sports administration from Valparaiso University. While at Valparaiso, Libby worked with the sports information department for a year. She is originally from Danville.

Louisville native Jacob Raderer graduated from Centre in 2009 with a B.A. in music, and returns to serve as the area coordinator for residence life. In this position he will work closely with the resident assistants on programming and residential issues, coordinate the Wellness Library, and work with the RA Advisory Board. While a student at Centre, Jacob served both as a resident assistant and a residence director. He also spent four years as a member of the Student Government Association, serving as president during his senior year.

J.E. Bert Severns takes over as the men’s lacrosse coach at Centre College, recruiting players to begin intercollegiate competition in the fall of 2010. An All-American as a player at Cortland State, he brings an impressive coaching resume to the College. Severns has coached lacrosse teams at the United State Naval Academy, Alfred University, and West Point.

Jacky Thomas begins a new position as director of annual giving. Thomas, a Centre alumna, has served the College as the director of alumni affairs since 2003. Thomas was involved with the College’s most recent strategic plan development, and launched the College’s first alumni webpage. She established Centre Clubs in key markets across the country to help alumni, parents and friends remain engaged with Centre.

Miho Toyomasa will be joining us a Japanese Language Assistant to work with Fumie Bouvier in the Japanese classes. Miho graduated in September 2008 from Faculty of Intercultural Studies at Yamaguchi Prefectural University.

Marcus Waldner, a 2008 graduate of Centre College with a B.A. in studio art, returns to Centre's art department as the graduate assistant. Marc has spent the past year in Louisville working at Flamerun Glass Studio and for the University of Louisville's glass program. He is currently an assistant to world-renowned glass artist and Centre professor Stephen Powell, and has had the opportunity to travel with Powell to various events for glass-blowing demonstrations, including the Sculpture Objects & Functional Art exposition (SOFA) in Chicago.  As the G.A., Marc will be responsible for maintaining equipment in the art studios, helping to teach introductory glass-blowing, and coordinating  work studies for students in the department. He’ll also be working on a solo exhibition that will be shown in Centre's Aegon Gallery in Febuary 2010.

Elizabeth Wisman served for two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Madagascar before returning to her alma mater as Bonner Scholars program coordinator. During her time as a Centre student, Wisman was an active student leader participating in the Bonner Scholars Program, the Panhellenic Council, residence life, and Kappa Alpha Theta sorority.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.