New Faculty Join the Ranks at Merrimack College

Continuing its commitment to provide an enriched academic experience for students, Merrimack welcomed 13 new faculty members to its ranks this Fall.

New Faculty Join the Ranks at Merrimack College

Meet the newest members of the Merrimack faculty. We are pleased to welcome a diverse and talented group of faculty who will contribute greatly to the common goal of an unsurpassed academic experience for students and who are dedicated to the institution and its mission.

Diana Arterian, Ph.D., M.F.A.

Lecturer, Creative Writing

Merrimack College Lecturer, Dr. Diana Arterian Dr. Diana Arterian is a poet, critic, nonfiction writer, translator and scholar. She earned a doctoral degree in literature and creative writing at the University of Southern California, and a Master of Fine Arts in poetry from CalArts. She is the author of the poetry collection “Playing Monster :: Seiche” (1913 Press) and co-editor of “Among Margins: Critical & Lyrical Writing on Aesthetics” (Ricochet). A poetry editor at Noemi Press, her creative work has been recognized with fellowships from the Banff Centre, Caldera, Millay, Vermont Studio Center and Yaddo, and her poetry, criticism, conversations and translations have been featured in BOMB, Brooklyn Rail, LitHub, Los Angeles Review of Books, NPR, The New York Times Book Review and The Poetry Foundation website, among others. She is currently assistant director for Los Angeles poet laureate Robin Coste Lewis’, Poetic Truths & Reconciliation Commission: Los Angeles project. Dr. Arterian has held teaching positions at CalArts, Fordham University and Wichita State. Her teaching interests include creative nonfiction, documentary poetics, genre-bending, poetry, post-colonialism, translation, trauma and more.

Elizabeth Brault, M.A, A.B.D.

Lecturer, Criminology and Criminal Justice

Merrimack College Lecturer, Elizabeth Brault Elizabeth Brault earned a bachelor’s in sociology (emphasis in criminology) and psychology from the University of Montana, a master’s from Louisiana State University (LSU) and is currently finishing her doctorate at LSU. Her research broadly focuses on the importance of neighborhoods and communities for crime, macro-level patterns in reentry success and hate crimes, and the decision-making processes of the criminal justice system. She specializes in spatial methods and quantitative approaches to address these questions on the individual, neighborhood and county level. Brault’s applied research background informs her teaching, drawing on experience with program evaluation, federal justice reform grants and local interventions. Her teaching focuses on getting students interested and involved in research, fostering critical thinking and becoming informed consumers of research, mass media and social structures. Her research has been published in Social Science Research, Crime & Delinquency, Delinquent Behavior, PLOS One, International Journal of Environmental Research & Public Health and Perspectives on Global Development and Technology.

Susan Carroccino, D.N.P (c), M.S.N., R.N.

Assistant Clinical Professor, Nursing

Merrimack College Assistant Clinical Professor, Nursing, Susan Carroccino Susan Carroccino earned a master’s in nursing, nursing education and a bachelor’s in nursing from Salem State University. She is currently finishing a doctor of nursing practice at Regis College; expected completion is November 2020. Her scholarly focus is an evaluation of the registered nurses’ self-efficacy with the integration of online learning module in the hospital setting. She has been a nurse for 25 years, specializing in critical care and still practices in her field. Carroccino holds several professional memberships and is active in Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society and the Association for Nursing Professional Development. She is a member of the National League for Nursing: Massachusetts/Rhode Island Chapter, the National League for Nursing, the Massachusetts Nurses Association and has served on several committees at Regis College. Carroccino has been awarded the honor of Pride of Regis 2019, from Regis College.

Andrew Cote, D.M.A.

Lecturer, Music and Assistant Director of Bands

Merrimack College Lecturer, Music and Assistant Director of Bands, Andrew Cote Dr. Andrew Cote earned a doctorate in music composition from George Mason University, a master’s in music composition from Central Michigan University and a bachelor’s in music education from the University of New Hampshire. Dr. Cote previously taught music composition, orchestration, music technology and directed the new music ensemble at George Mason University. His former composition instructors include Mark Camphouse, Jesse Guessford, Glenn Smith, David R. Gillingham, Jay Batzner, Andrew Boysen Jr. and Michael Annicchiarico. As a composer of acoustic and electronic music, Dr. Cote’s compositions have been performed and recorded across three continents. His works have been featured at the Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium, the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, the World Saxophone Congress as well as various other festivals and conferences. His latest album is titled, “Ulterior Motives: The Saxophone Music of Andrew Cote.”

Megan E. Cullinan, Ph.D.

Lecturer, Communication and Media

Merrimack College Lecturer, Communication and Media, Megan Cullinan Dr. Megan Cullinan earned her doctorate from the University of Utah, her master’s from the University of Montana and bachelor’s from Willamette University. Her research stands at the intersection of science, health and environmental communication. Because all three interest areas are deeply and materially intertwined, her work aims to help scholars and activists better understand and apply pressure to the tension in societal structures that currently lead to power imbalances and further exploitation of knowledge, people and the more-than-human world. Dr. Cullinan’s current projects include the ongoing project expanding from her dissertation which explores how scientists communicate with both other scientists and with policy makers about emerging technology (using geoengineering as a case study), and a qualitative examination of how artwork can serve as a form of environmental communication, which is funded by the National Geographic Society. Her favorite classes to teach are environmental communication, classical rhetoric, and media ethics and society.

Maureen Daly, M.S.

Lecturer, Mathematics

Merrimack College Lecturer, Mathematics, Maureen Daly Maureen Daly earned a master’s in electrical and computer engineering from University of Massachusetts, Amherst and a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from Michigan State University. She has been teaching at Merrimack College as an adjunct instructor since 2016 for the mathematics department and also working in the Tutoring and Math Center as a professional tutor. Daly enjoys working with and teaching students who are still developing their mathematical skills. She strives to boost students’ mathematical confidence translating into success that they can carry forward into their academics and careers. Before coming to Merrimack, Daly taught at Northern Essex Community College for several years as well as a few years teaching middle school math and volunteering as a math tutor in Lawrence. Prior to teaching, Daly worked at several local companies as an electrical engineer designing high frequency amplifiers.

Jill Guindon-Nasir, Ed.D., MBA, M.S.ED

Lecturer, Hospitality

Merrimack College Lecturer, Hospitality, Jill Guindon-Nasir Dr. Guindon-Nasir earned a doctorate in education and master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business. She earned a master’s of business administration from Marymount University and graduated with a bachelor’s in hospitality sales and meeting management from Johnson & Wales University. Dr. Guindon-Nasir has over 25 years of experience in international business, including teaching courses at the University of Virginia and is an industry scholar for the Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures. Dr. Guindon-Nasir spent over 16 years with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, holding various positions, such as vice president of global business development and healthcare advisory services for The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center. Dr. Guindon-Nasir was recently nominated by Chancellor John Bowen, of Johnson & Wales University, and inducted into the WACE Co-Op Hall of Fame. Using her extensive experience, Dr. Guindon-Nasir will create the hospitality management concentration at Merrimack.

Tahir Hameed Ph.D., P.E.

Assistant Professor, Organizational Studies and Analytics

Merrimack College Assistant Professor, Organizational Studies and Analytics, Tahir Hameed Dr. Tahir Hameed earned a doctoral degree in information technology management from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, a master’s in computer science from Lahore University of Management Sciences and a bachelor’s in industrial electronics engineering from NED University of Engineering and Technology. In his recent research, Dr. Hameed has employed behavioral and socio-cognitive perspectives to address issues in healthcare information technology management, IT-enabled change management, and technology commercialization. His earlier publications focused on information technology standards, technology innovation, and IT policy. He has presented regularly at leading conferences in information systems and technology management and has been on program committees of several other conferences. Dr. Hameed also taught at the master’s and bachelor’s levels in management information systems, technology management, operations management, and data analytics for business at Solbridge International School of Business in South Korea. Prior to joining academia, Dr. Hameed had served in engineering, software and government sectors for more than a decade.

Jeffrey Hovis, M.S.

Lecturer and Director of the Graduate Product Management Program

Merrimack College Lecturer and Director of the Graduate Product Management Program, Jeffrey Hovis Jeffrey Hovis earned a master’s in mechanical engineering and a bachelor’s in chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the director of the graduate product management program in the School of Science and Engineering. His primary areas of expertise are in new opportunity identification, strategic innovation intent for organizations and product, service and business model innovation. He is an active member of the International Society for Professional Innovation Management, where he delivers frequent conference presentations on innovation management in practice. As an academician, Hovis created and teaches the clinical innovation catalyst program for the Institute for Pediatric Innovation. This professional development program teaches innovation opportunity recognition skills to front line clinicians. He is also an active innovation consultant responsible for executive-level interface for global innovation and growth strategy client programs on six continents. Hovis is a frequent guest lecturer in product management and innovation at the MIT Sloan School, Dartmouth College and the Danish Technical University.

Fr. Bryan Kerns, O.S.A.

Assistant Professor of Practice, Religious and Theological Studies

Merrimack College Assistant Professor of Practice, Religious and Theological Studies, Fr. Bryan K... Fr. Bryan Kerns, O.S.A., earned a master’s from The University of Chicago Divinity School, where he focused on the history of Christianity and religious ethics. He also earned a master of divinity from Catholic Theological Union at Chicago. From Villanova University, he took two undergraduate degrees, one bachelor’s in humanities, an interdisciplinary degree focusing on Catholic studies, and another, with honors, composing a thesis on the aspirations of Catholic higher education. His areas of interest are early Church history and theology, especially the thought of Saint Augustine of Hippo; Christian virtue ethics and political theory; the interaction between law and religion; and, more broadly, religion and culture. He has done research in the area of Catholic higher education and Augustine and the virtues, as well as given talks on Augustine’s understanding of friendship. Fr. Bryan comes to Merrimack after two years teaching in an Augustinian preparatory school in New Jersey, where he taught ethics and constitutional law, and served as chaplain for the basketball program.

Aaron Mansfield, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Sport Management

Merrimack College Assistant Professor, Sport Management, Aaron Mansfield Aaron Mansfield earned a master’s in sport management and is completing a doctorate in management at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, expected completion in November. He earned a bachelor’s in English and journalism from the University of Buffalo. Mansfield’s research centers on sport consumer behavior and has been published in the Journal of Sport Management and Sport Management Review. He studies psychological identification in fandom (i.e., why people say “we” won, not “they” won). He teaches courses in sport management and marketing and also serves as an editor for ESPN and a contributing writer for Complex Media.

Bahia Munem, Ph.D.

Lecturer, Women’s and Gender Studies

Merrimack College Lecturer, Women's and Gender Studies, Bahia Munem Dr. Bahia Munem earned a doctorate from Rutgers University, a master’s in women’s and gender studies from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, a master’s in communication from New Jersey Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s in political science and women’s and gender studies from Rutgers, Newark. She joins the College after completing a three-year post-doctoral fellowship in the department of women, gender, and sexuality studies at Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to that, she held the position of scholar-teacher in women’s and gender studies at Rutgers University. Along with feminist, gender and sexuality studies, Dr. Munem’s scholarship brings together the fields of Latinx and Latin American as well as Middle East Studies by examining, through ethnography, transnational migration, diasporas, and gendered and racialized modes of belonging in Brazil and the Americas. She is the author of the forthcoming book on the resettlement and racialization of war refugees in Brazil.

James M. Petty, Jr., Ph.D.

Lecturer, Theatre

Merrimack College Lecturer, Theatre, James Petty Dr. James Petty Jr. earned a doctorate in education from Lesley University, a master’s in theatre education from Emerson College, and a bachelor’s in theatre arts from Stonehill College. Dr. Petty’s research interests revolve around the intersection of the performative aspect of theater arts and its impact on cognitive development in students. Dr. Petty is interested in how a theater arts pedagogy can impact student learning to create deeper empathy and improved critical thinking skills. As a theater practitioner, his area of expertise is in the genre of the science play. Through ongoing research, he hopes to better understand how the theatrical portrayal of scientific concepts regarding fields such as physics, mathematics, chemistry and medicine, influence our society. His hope is that with a continued evaluation of how modern science plays are constructed and presented, both artists and scientists will be provided with a framework to create novel and accessible ways of communicating science to the public. Dr. Petty has worked as a freelance theatre professional in the Boston area for over 15 years.

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