Faculty
The Honors College attracts outstanding teachers, prominent researchers, authors and scholars to teach its classes. Find contact information for both affilitated faculty and those who teach full time in the Honors College.
Honors Full-Time Faculty
Maria Brown, MD, EdM, joined the Honors College in Spring 2025. Dr. Brown holds an undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master’s Degree in Human Development and Psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a Medical Degree from George Washington University. She completed her residency training in Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins.
Dr. Brown is a pediatrician and children’s environmental health advocate. While working in clinical practice in Baltimore, she co-created the "Docs in the Park Program," an alliance of Baltimore City professionals across sectors of recreation, health, education, and environmental advocacy. The mission of this program was to promote outdoor physical activity and connection to nature. The communities she worked with inspired her to promote healthy environments for all children and commit to environmental health education. Dr. Brown has diverse teaching experiences with undergraduates, medical students and pediatric residents on environmental degradation and climate change.
Before joining the Honors College, Dr. Brown worked as a Consultant in UNICEF’s Healthy Environment for Healthy Children Programme. In this role, she collaborated with colleagues from UNICEF and WHO on the first global e-course on children’s environmental health. She also recently served as President of the Maryland Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Brown is excited to work with TU students and hopes to engage them in local environmental advocacy efforts.
Michael Elliott, Ph.D.
Honors College Faculty Director, Professor of Sociology
Phone
Michael Elliott, Ph.D. joined the Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice Department at Towson in 2008 after receiving his Ph.D. in sociology from Emory University in the same year. He began teaching in the Honors College in Spring 2013, starting with SOCI 102, but now offers TSEM 190 and an upper-level seminar on globalization on a regular basis. In addition to teaching, Dr. Elliott has been increasingly involved with curriculum development, admissions review and student research in Honors. His current research explores the globalization of world heritage and the sacred dimensions of fan devotion in popular culture.
Amy Sowder Koch, Ph.D.
Honors College Associate Dean, Professor of Art History
Phone
Amy Sowder Koch, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Art + Design, Art History, and Art Education and the Associate Dean of the Honors College. She holds a B.A. in Art History and History from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (2001), and an M.A. (2004) and Ph.D. (2009) in Art History from Emory University. She joined the TU faculty in 2009.
She is a scholar of ancient Greek art, particularly specializing in bronze vases and architectural sculpture, and teaches a wide range of classes focusing on the art, architecture and archaeology of the ancient Mediterranean world. Her current research focuses on the development of form and iconography of bronze hydriai, or water jars, and on the publication of metal small finds from the Western Hill in the Sanctuary of the Great Gods, Samothrace (Greece).
She’s an active member of the Managing Committee of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and a past president of the Baltimore Society of the Archaeological Institute of America. She has extensive experience in leadership, curriculum and program development at both undergraduate and graduate levels, assessment processes, experiential learning, scholarships and grants, research and creative inquiry, interdisciplinary collaboration, mentorship and community engagement to the position.
Her pedagogical approach for Art History is based on an Honors model, with interdisciplinary perspectives and opportunities for research, co-curricular exploration, writing, presentation, peer communication and reflection in every syllabus. She deeply values interdisciplinary communication, collaboration and academic excellence and enjoys working with students, faculty and administration from across campus as a member of the professional staff of the Honors College.
Derek McAllister, Ph.D.
Assistant Teaching Professor
Phone
Derek McAllister, Ph.D. joined the Honors College in Fall 2026, having previously been on Philosophy faculty at Towson from 2022. He earned a Ph.D. in Philosophy (Baylor University, 2020), two M.A.s in Philosophy (U. of Arkansas, 2015; Talbot School of Theology, 2013), and a B.A. in Philosophy (U. Central Arkansas, 2010). A Templeton Foundation grant recipient (2019–2020) for research in Psychology and Neuroscience, Dr. McAllister's Ph.D. dissertation (2020) focused on the conceptual history of depression and mental illness, while his earlier M.A. thesis (2015) explored the rationality of belief within the problem of epistemology of disagreement, namely in counterfactual scenarios (e.g., “If you were born in Saudi Arabia, you’d be Muslim”).
He has published peer-reviewed academic articles and chapters on Bioethics, Depression, History of Mental Illness, the Seven Deadly Sins, Divine Hiddenness, and Pedagogy, among other topics. He has presented conference papers as far flung as Kraków, Barcelona, and Oxford. In recent years, he has focused on Virtue, Classical Law Tradition, Abortion, Sexual Ethics, Meta-Ethics (Moral Relativism & Subjectivism), and Atheism, exploring many of these topics through his educational video essays and interviews with established scholars (@TheDrDerek). He also reserves a fascination for the mytho-historical tradition of G.K. Chesterton, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Dr. Martin Shaw.
Dr. McAllister is a founding board member for the Mother Teresa Institute in D.C., and his public-facing work has been covered by Catholic World Report, Catholic News Agency, Catholic Review, and others. His favorite philosopher is St. Thomas Aquinas, and, along with NASA brass, he still believes Pluto is a planet. Originally from Ft. Smith, Arkansas, he is married with one son and resides in Baltimore City.
Alison Rios Millett McCartney, Ph.D.
Honors College Dean, Professor of Political Science
Phone
Alison Rios Millett McCartney, Ph.D. became dean of the Honors College in July 2024. Dr. McCartney began her career at Towson University as a professor of political science in the Department of Political Science. During her more than 20 years as a member of the Towson University faculty, she has served as director of the international studies program, chair of the Faculty Committee on Service-Learning, co-founder of the TU-Baltimore County Public Schools Model United Nations program, co-founder of the Undergraduate Research Club, and member of the Latinx Faculty Staff Association.
Professor McCartney won the University of Maryland Regents Award for mentoring in 2009, the Maryland-D.C. Campus Compact Service-Learning Scholarship in 2012, the TU Outstanding Service-Learning Faculty Member Award in 2015, the BTU Partnership Award and the Campus Compact Mid-Atlantic P20 Partnership Award in 2018 and the Distinguished Service Award from the APSA Political Science Education section in 2020.
Her publications include co-editing three books on civic engagement education— Teaching Civic Engagement Globally (2021), Teaching Civic Engagement Across the Disciplines (2017), and Teaching Civic Engagement: From Student to Active Citizen (2013)—and many other book chapters, articles and webinars on civic engagement education, undergraduate education and contemporary German foreign policy.
Her teaching interests include undergraduate research, civic engagement, European politics, foreign policy and international relations. She is a member of the American Political Science Association (APSA) and past president of the Political Science Education section of APSA.
KT, Ph.D. earned her B.S. in English with a concentration in creative writing from Towson University in 2015. She received her M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of California, Riverside in 2018, where she studied poetry in the Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts program. She later completed her Ph.D. at Florida State University as a Kingsbury Fellow, earning a doctorate in Poetry and Post-1900 Literary and Cultural Studies with a minor in Feminism, Sexuality, and Gender Studies.
Her poetry and verse plays have appeared in New York Quarterly, Harpur Palate, Washington Square Review, The Spectacle, Peripheries Journal, Foothill Journal, and other literary publications.
KT previously taught as an adjunct faculty member in Towson University's Department
of English. Since August 2025, she has served as an Assistant Teaching Professor in
the Towson University Honors College, where she teaches TSEM 190 and HONR 290. She
also serves as faculty advisor for the Honors College's Not Your Granny's Book Club
and advises first-year Honors College students and English majors.
Honors Affiliated Faculty, 2026
| Name | Contact information |
|---|---|
|
Elyshia Aseltine, Ph.D. |
easeltine AT_TOWSON 410-704-5222 Liberal Arts, Room 3341 |
| Shantanu Bagchi, Ph.D. Professor, Economics |
sbagchi AT_TOWSON 410-704-2191 Stephens Hall, Room 101A |
| Thomas Bechtold, M.F.A. Assistant Teaching Professor, English |
tbechtold AT_TOWSON |
| Sharon Becker, Ph.D. Assistant Teaching Professor, English |
becker AT_TOWSON 410-704-4275 Liberal Arts, Room 5327 |
| Amy Bennett, Ph.D. Associate Teaching Professor, Psychology |
abennett AT_TOWSON 410-704-4152 Liberal Arts, Room 2103 |
| Sue Borchardt Adjunct Professor, Interdisciplinary Fine Arts |
sborchardt AT_TOWSON |
| Gretchen Carlson, Ph.D. Assistant Teaching Professor, Music |
gcarlson AT_TOWSON 410-704-6318 Center for the Arts, Room 2106 |
| Jack Carneal, M.F.A Teaching Professor, English |
jcarneal AT_TOWSON 410-704-3346 Liberal Arts, Room 4343 |
| Isabel Castro-Vázquez, Ph.D. Professor, Spanish |
icastrovazquez AT_TOWSON 410-704-2878 Liberal Arts, Room 4147 |
| Gilbert (Zhe) Chen, Ph.D. Associate Professor, History Honors College Faculty Fellow |
zchen AT_TOWSON 410-704-2912 Liberal Arts, Room 4229 |
| Joseph Clark, Ph.D. Associate Professor and Assistant Chairperson, Political Science |
jrclark AT_TOWSON 410-704-4490 Liberal Arts, Room 3235 |
| Terry Cooney, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus, History Former Dean, College of Liberal Arts Former Rector, Honors College |
tcooney AT_TOWSON 410-704-4677 7800 York Road, Room 134H |
| David Cosper, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Music |
dcosper AT_TOWSON 410-704-2830 Center for the Arts, Room 2093 |
| Nicole Fabricant, Ph.D. Professor, Anthropology |
nfabricant AT_TOWSON 410-704-5221 Liberal Arts, Room 3355 |
| Erin Fehskens, Ph.D. Professor and Chairperson, English |
efehskens AT_TOWSON 410-704-6212 Liberal Arts, Room 4210J |
| Chantal Francois, Ed.D. Associate Professor, Instructional Leadership & Professional Development |
cfrancois AT_TOWSON 410-704-4623 Hawkins Hall, Room 417E |
| Raquel Frye, M.S. Associate Teaching Professor, Economics |
rfrye AT_TOWSON 410-704-2642 Stephens Hall, Room 100D |
| Seth Gitter, Ph.D. Professor, Economics |
sgitter AT_TOWSON 410-704-3275 Stephens Hall, Room 101J |
| Sarah Haines, Ph.D. Professor, Biological Sciences |
shaines AT_TOWSON 410-704-2926 Science Complex, Room 3101K |
| Tobias Hasse, Ph.D. Assistant Teaching Professor, Physics, Astronomy, and Geosciences |
thasse AT_TOWSON 410-704-6282 Science Complex, Room 3150G |
| Heather Hax, Ph.D. Assistant Teaching Professor, Sociology |
hhax AT_TOWSON 410-704-5216 Liberal Arts, Room 3347 |
|
Jonathan Hensley, Ph.D., J.D. |
jhensley AT_TOWSON 410-704-2850 Liberal Arts, Room 3234 |
| Jacob Hovind, Ph.D. Associate Professor, English |
jhovind AT_TOWSON 410-704-4958 Liberal Arts, Room 4338 |
| Adam Jabbur, Ph.D. Associate Professor, English |
ajabbur AT_TOWSON 410-704-3615 Liberal Arts, Room 4333 |
| HaeDong Shawn Kim, Ph.D., LCMFT Assistant Professor, Family Science |
haedongkim AT_TOWSON 410-704-3377 Liberal Arts, Room 2234 |
| Ryan King-White, Ph.D. Professor, Sport Management Honors College Faculty Fellow |
rwhite AT_TOWSON 410-704-3157 Burdick Hall, Room 121G |
| John Kirch, Ph.D. Professor, Journalism and Media Studies |
jkirch AT_TOWSON 410-704-5705 Van Bokkelen, Room 208A |
| Christian Koot, Ph.D. Professor, History Associate Provost for Academic Affairs |
ckoot AT_TOWSON |
| Gauri Kulkarni, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Marketing |
gkulkarni AT_TOWSON 410-704-5048 Stephens Hall, Room 123L |
| Mildred Landrum-Hesser, M.A. Teaching Professor, English |
mlandrumhesser AT_TOWSON 410-704-4820 Liberal Arts, Room 5323 |
| Jonathan Mattanah, Ph.D. Professor, Psychology |
jmattanah AT_TOWSON 410-704-3208 Liberal Arts, Room 3147 |
|
Kathryn McDougal, Ph.D. |
kmcdougal AT_TOWSON 410-704-4166 Science Complex, Room 4101E |
|
Donnie McMahand, Ph.D. |
dmcmahand AT_TOWSON 410-704-2857 Liberal Arts, Room 4337 |
| Peggy McNeal, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Physics, Astronomy, and Geosciences |
pmcneal AT_TOWSON 410-704-2441 Science Complex, Room 2150D |
| Morna McNulty, Ph.D. Professor, Elementary Education |
mmcdermott AT_TOWSON 410-704-4050 Psychology, Room 116 |
| Abby Mello, Ph.D. Professor, Psychology |
amello AT_TOWSON 410-704-2709 Liberal Arts, Room 2146 |
| Kevin Murphy, Ph.D. Teaching Professor, English |
klmurphy AT_TOWSON 410-704-4708 Liberal Arts, Room 4353 |
| Elysa Newman, M.A. Assistant Teaching Professor and Advising Coordinator, Mass Communications |
enewman AT_TOWSON 410-704-3253 Media Center, Room 005A |
| Elizabeth O'Hare, Ph.D. Clinical Associate Professor, Biological Sciences |
eohare AT_TOWSON 410-704-3367 Science Complex Room, 5150D |
| Karen Oslund, Ph.D. Professor and Assistant Chairperson, History |
koslund AT_TOWSON 410-704-4525 Liberal Arts, Room 4230 |
|
Salvatore Pappalardo, Ph.D. |
spappalardo AT_TOWSON 410-704-3493 Liberal Arts, Room 4210K |
| Christa Partain, M.S. Assistant Teaching Professor, Biological Sciences |
cpartain AT_TOWSON 410-704-4167 Science Complex, Room 3101L |
| Makmiller Pedroso, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Philosophy & Religious Studies |
mpedroso AT_TOWSON 410-704-7111 Liberal Arts, Room 4122 |
| Akim Reinhardt, Ph.D. Professor, History |
areinhardt AT_TOWSON 410-704-3932 Liberal Arts, Room 4235 |
| Cecilia Rio, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Women and Gender Studies |
crio AT_TOWSON 410-704-2859 Liberal Arts, Room 3129 |
|
Molly Ruhlman, Ph.D. |
mruhlman AT_TOWSON 410-704-5728 Liberal Arts, Room 3203 |
| Charlotte Saylor, M.S. Assistant Teaching Professor and Assistant Chair, Biological Sciences |
csaylor AT_TOWSON 410-704-3042 Science Complex, Room 5150Q |
| Miriam Sealock, Ph.D. Professor, Criminal Justice |
msealock AT_TOWSON 410-704-5165 Liberal Arts, Room 3342 |
| Kari Schumm, M.S. Associate Teaching Professor, Mathematics |
kschumm AT_TOWSON 410-704-4998 7800 York Road, Room 358 |
| Jessica Shiller, Ph.D. Professor, Instructional Leadership and Professional Development |
jshiller AT_TOWSON 410-704-4623 Hawkins Hall, Room 404B |
| John Sivey, Ph.D. Professor and Department Chairperson, Chemistry and Forensic Science |
jsivey AT_TOWSON 410-704-3055 Science Complex, Room 4301A |
| Nicholas Tebben, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Philosophy and Religious Studies |
ntebben AT_TOWSON 410-704-2753 Liberal Arts, Room 4119 |
| Yury Urnov, M.F.A. Visiting Assistant Professor, Theater |
yurnov AT_TOWSON 410-704-42791 Center for the Arts, Room 3037 |
| Amanda Walter, Ph.D. Assistant Teaching Professor, History |
awalter AT_TOWSON 410-704-4083 Liberal Arts, Room 4234 |
| Benjamin Warner, M.F.A. Teaching Professor, English |
bwarner AT_TOWSON 410-704-3140 Liberal Arts, Room 5319 |
| Niya Werts, M.S., E.H.S., M.I.S., Ph.D., L.M.T. Adjunct Professor, Honors College |
nwerts AT_TOWSON 410-407-4677 7800 York Road, Room 134H |