Faculty

Troy Campus Main Office
Smith Hall, Room 268 | Tel. 334-670-3286 | Fax: 334-670-3519

Kirk Curnutt

Ph.D. (Louisiana State University)
Professor and Chair of English

Kirk Curnutt joined the faculty of Troy University's Montgomery campus in 1993 and was for the first stretch of his career the youngest tenured professor in the system. During his twenty-two years in the capital city, he helped develop first the television distance learning initiative and then the English department's online major and its writing courses. In 2016 he relocated to the Troy campus to oversee English offerings throughout the entire system. Thanks to his time in Montgomery, his research interests have focused on F. Scott Fitzgerald. For many years he served on the board of the Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum in Montgomery and since 2013 has served as the executive director of the international F. Scott Fitzgerald Society. He is the author of several works of fiction and criticism on not only Fitzgerald but Toni Morrison, William Faulkner, the 1970s, and popular music. He teaches both online and on the Troy campus, focusing on creative writing, American literature, senior seminar, and—finally, after many years of begging the music department to let him—the history of rock ‘n' roll. 
Troy Campus Office:  Smith Hall, Room 270  |  Tel. 334-670-3308
E-mail:  kcurnutt@troy.edu  |  Web site:  www.kirkcurnutt.com

Patrick Bonds


Ph.D (LSU), M.Phil (Trinity College Dublin), M.A. (Univ. of New Orleans), B.A. (Baylor University)
Assistant Professor of English

I joined the Department of English in 2010 and teach on the Troy campus. I cover a range of teaching areas, with particular interests in American literature, modern short fiction, the contemporary American novel, and the Literary Western. I currently serve on the Professional Writing Committee and teach technical and professional editing courses.  I am a member of the American Literature Association, the Southwest Popular/American Culture Association, and the Ernest Hemingway Society.
My primary research interests are in nineteenth and twentieth-century American literature and culture. In 2019, I published an essay in Hemingway's Short Stories: Reflections on Teaching, Reading, and Understanding ( Kent State) and the forthcoming Good Country: Ernest Hemingway and the American West (Univ of Nevada).
Troy Campus Office: Smith Hall, Room 174 | Tel. 334-808-6696 | E-mail: pbonds@troy.edu

Shannon Carolipio

B.S., (Troy University), M.S. Post-Secondary Education, English (Troy University)
Adjunct Instructor of English

I have been a TROY Online administrative staff member since 2008, where I now work as the Assistant Director of Testing. I became an instructor for TROY University in 2011, teaching Grammar II & III courses for the AEG. In 2012, I became an adjunct faculty member for the English Department, teaching Preparatory English courses and Comp and Modern English courses online.
Troy Campus Office: Office of Testing and Proctoring | Tel.  334-808-6317 | E-mail: scarolipio@troy.edu

Matthew H. Carpenter

B. A. (Psychology - University of Mississippi), B.A. (English -University of Mississippi), M.A. (Literature -Valdosta State University)
Lecturer of English

My teaching and research interests include American literature, Realism, and Southern United States literature. Recent presentations: ""Load ‘Em Up ‘…Then See What They Do': Learned Helplessness in the Short Fiction of Larry Brown"," SAMLA, Atlanta, Georgia (November 2020). Current research includes: "The Sea as Frontier Underworld in The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym” and “Selling Out or Buying In: The Conflict Between Authenticity and Punk Rock in a Capital Driven Economy.” My nonacademic interests include: horror films, theology, music of all kinds, and true crime.
Troy Campus Office: Smith Hall, Room 180 | Tel. 334-808- 3531| E-mail: mcarpenter32933@troy.edu

Mary Helen Crawford

Adjunct Instructor
(B.S. and M.S., Troy University)

I am very glad to be working at Troy University where my daughter attended and where I earned my B.S. and M.S. in English Education in addition to taking post-graduate classes. I have taught high school in Georgia and Alabama for 42 years, but I am now retired; however, I do not want to lose the opportunity to interact with young adults as we share literature and writing. My hobby involves any aspect of remodeling buildings; it is trilling to transform ugly into beautiful. My two children, ages 38 and 34, are a joy. Though I have no grandchildren yet, I enjoy interacting with our horses, a blue heeler, and cats. It is my goal in teaching to assist all students, regardless of their intended purpose for taking my classes, to grow academically on their way to reaching their goals.
Dothan Campus office: Adams Hall, room 400H | tel: 334-983-6656, ext. 21-398 | Email: mcrawford9173@troy.edu

Suzette Davidson

B.A. (Secondary English Education - Auburn University), M.A. (English Education - Troy University)
Adjunct Instructor of English

I grew up near Fort Payne, AL. I have taught English courses at the secondary and post-secondary level for over thirty years. I have taught online English courses for Troy University for twenty years now. I have experience in freelance writing and editing, and I enjoy helping others improve and develop their reading and writing skills.  I have lived in Alabama my whole life, but I love to travel and experience other parts of our beautiful country.  I have two grown sons, and  my favorite time is that spent with my family and friends.
Email: sdavidson21479@troy.edu

Jason Dew

M.A., Ph.D. (Indiana University of Pennsylvania), M.S. (Instructional Design - Georgia State University)
Adjunct Instructor of English

After graduate school, I moved to Atlanta, Georgia where I now reside with my wife and three daughters. I do a lot of work in online education.  In fact, I also completed an M.S. in Instructional Design and Technology with a focus on that very topic.  In my spare time, I am with my family, walking the dog, or at the gym.  I am also a published novelist.  Gadly Plain, a story about how a young girl is forced to stare down a terrible darkness, came out in 2013, and I am busy trying to get exposure for the two other novels I have completed plus my memoir on fatherhood.
Remote | Tel: 770-274-5489 | Email: jmdew@troy.edu

Ashley Eakes-Henderson

M.S. (Troy University)
Lecturer of English

She serves as the Coordinator of Developmental English for Troy University, and as part of her Coordinator duties is a member of a workgroup that strives to make the learning experience for incoming Freshmen a success.  She has been involved with numerous other Department committees during her tenure with Troy including one that edited the Composition 1101 handbook.  Additionally, Mrs. Henderson was the recipient of The Pick of Pike 2020 Reader's Choice Award for Best University Professor. Her teaching interests include contemporary American literature as well as grammar and composition, and she has also taught courses for Troy's TESOL program and in the secondary school system. She is married to John Henderson and together they share three daughters: Anslee, Ensley, and Addison. 
Troy Campus Office: Smith Hall, Room 186 | Tel. 334-670-3349 | E-mail: aeakes@troy.edu

Angela Farmer (she/her)

Ph.D. (Auburn University)
Adjunct Instructor of English

Dr. Farmer earned a Graduate Certificate in Pastoral Ministries from Saint Xavier University's Pastoral Ministries Institute and is pursuing an MDiv. In addition to teaching for Troy Online, she is currently the Coordinator of Religious Education for a Unitarian Universalist fellowship. Angela loves gardening, woodworking, and her cats -- who often video-bomb her Online lectures and meetings.
E-mail: afarmer@troy.edu

Breanna Gentry

Adjunct Instructor

Breanna (Bre) Gentry joined the English department as an Adjunct Instructor in August 2023.  She serves as the Center for Student Success and Title III Project Director on the Montgomery campus. She thoroughly enjoys theatre and is highly involved in the local community theaters.
Montgomery Campus Office: Rosa Parks Museum, Room 329-N| Telephone:334-241-9777| Email:bgentry@troy.edu

Clayton Lee Graham

Adjunct Instructor of English
M.S. (Troy University)

Clay graduated from Troy with a B.S. in Psychology in 2019, with much of his coursework focusing in language and linguistics. He completed his M.S. in Second Language Instruction (TESOL) in 2022, also from Troy. He has worked for Troy as an academic advisor since 2019, and has taught developmental English courses since 2023. A bucket-list goal of his is to spend a summer teaching English in Spain. He hopes to eventually continue his education, including completing an M.Div. Outside of work, you can find him teaching and volunteering at Grace Bible Church in Troy, or with his family in the stands of just about any Trojan athletic event. Office: 4th Fl Hawkins Hall | Tel: 334-670-5873 | email: cgraham149980@troy.edu

Angela Green

M.Ed. (Auburn University)
Adjunct Instructor of English

I have taught at the collegiate level as an adjunct instructor for over twenty-five years, with more than twenty of those teaching English Composition and World Literature for Troy University both online and in class.  I am also serve as the English tutor for the Phenix City campus. I taught for forty years in public school systems in two states teaching advanced English courses preparing students for their postsecondary education and mentoring younger teachers in their professional careers.
Tel: 334-614-2548 | E-mail: agreen@troy.edu

Jennie Hensarling

B.A., M.A. (University of Southern Mississippi)
Adjunct Instructor of English

A native of South Mississippi, Ms. Hensarling has been teaching with Troy University since 2004. She is currently a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership.  She is a wife and mother of three. E-mail: jhensarling@troy.edu 

Savannah Hollis

B.A. (Troy University), M.L.A. (Auburn University-Montgomery)
Instructor of English

During her time as a graduate student at Auburn University at Montgomery, Savannah spent several months interning with a local publishing company, learning first-hand the fast-paced and intricate nature of the publishing industry. As an English instructor at Troy University, she looks forward to the opportunity to grow professionally in her career at her alma mater. Troy Campus Office: Smith Hall, Room 274 | E-mail: shollis158842@troy.edu

Theresa M. Johnson

Ph.D. (North Central University); M.Ed. (Troy State University)
Assistant Professor of English

Dr. Johnson teaches Theory and Practice of Composition (undergraduate and graduate), World Literature, Sociolinguistics, Methods and Approaches and the Practicum, as well as serving as the University Supervisor for ELA interns and graduate ALT-A interns. Adviser, English Language Arts majors and TESOL minors. Presenter at numerous regional and state writing workshops and panel discussions. Essays published by Pearson and Alabama English. Past President, Public Relations Officer and Grants and Scholarships for the Troy University Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi. Sponsor, Pi Lambda Chapter of Sigma Tau Delta. Charter Member, Mortar Board and Alpha Lambda Delta at Troy University. Member, Omicron Delta Kappa and Golden Key International Honour Society. Past Executive Board Member, Alabama Association for Developmental Education, affiliate of the National Association for Developmental Education. Member, Association of College English Teachers of Alabama, Alabama Council of Teachers of English, National Council of Teachers of English, and Troy Council of Teachers of English. Member and Scholarship winner, Delta Kappa Gamma, Recipient of The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, 2013, Advancement of Alabama Literacy Award, 2018,  and Recipient of The Faculty-Senate Excellence Award, 2019.
Troy Campus Office: Smith Hall, Room 272 | Tel. 334-670-3306 | E-mail: tmjohnson@troy.edu

Ekaterina V. Kobeleva

Ph.D. (Nizhniy Novgorod State Pedagogical University)
Lecturer of English

Dr. Kobeleva holds a Ph.D degree in Literature of the Western Europe from Nizhniy Novgorod State Pedagogical University, Russia. Her research and teaching interests include World Literature, Literary Translation, Advanced Grammar, Teaching English as a Second Language. As a native speaker of Russian, she also teaches Russian and Introduction to Russian Culture. She is the co-editor of The Sea in the Literary Imagination: Global Perspectives (Cambridge Scholars, 2019), Travel Letters from England, France, and Germany by Nikolai Gretsch in 3 vols., (Anthem Press, 2021). She has presented her research at many national and international conferences. She is the member of Nineteenth-Century Studies Association and South Atlantic Modern Language Association. Her current research involves translation of the novel The Black Woman by Nikolai Gretsch (1834).
Troy Campus Office: Smith Hall, Room 253 | Tel. 334-670-3311 | E-mail: ekobeleva@troy.edu

Jonathan P. Lewis (he/him)

Ph.D. (University of California-Riverside)
Associate Professor of English

Dr. Lewis examines twentieth- and twenty-first-century American, Irish, and British literatures, with a particular interest in the intersections of race, power, and technologies in post-World War II narratives. He teaches Science Fiction, Fantasy, American and World Literatures, and composition. He has published in Response: The Journal of Popular and American Culture, Extrapolation, Foundation SF, Pacific Coast Philology, The Eudora Welty Review, Quarterly Horse, SFRA Review, Rougaroo, Notes on Contemporary Literature, The Los Angeles Review of Books, and The Chicago Review of Books. His first book, an edited collection of essays entitled Tomorrow Through the Past: Neal Stephenson and the Project of Global Modernization, was published in 2006, and his current book project, Contemporary Science Fiction and The Many-Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics: Narrative Coherence, examines recent works by William Gibson, Neal Stephenson, Dexter Palmer, and Nicole Galland.
Troy Campus Office: Smith Hall, Room 260 | Tel. 334-357-6820
E-mail: jlewis94822@troy.edu

Jill Magi

BA Sociology, the University of Maryland at College Park; MA English, The City College/City University of New York; MFA Writing, Goddard College
Assistant Professor

Jill Magi is a writer, critic, and artist with over 25 years of teaching experience at research universities, art schools, and small experimental colleges. Areas of teaching and research include the artist's book, fiber arts, alternatives to mainstream publishing, experimental and creative writing pedagogy, black radical thought and literary theory, the literature of work and labor, and anti-memoir as a hybrid genre. She is currently at work on two book projects forthcoming from Nightboat Books and Essay Press: a meditation on textiles and textility, and a volume of her collected essays on poetics and politics. She is the author of six books of poetry, all published by small and independent presses, and has had solo exhibitions of visual work at The Flow Chart Foundation in Hudson, New York, 421 in Abu Dhabi, Grey Noise in Dubai and elsewhere. Jill was listed as among the most inspiring authors in the world by Poets & Writers magazine in 2010, and is the recipient of numerous grants and residencies including with the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and the Brooklyn Textile Arts Center. She will defend her dissertation for the PhD in Literary, Visual, and Musical Thought in the fall of 2024 with the European Graduate School where her degree-work has been supervised by Fred Moten. She joined the Troy University English faculty in fall 2024. Troy Campus Office: Smith Hall, Room 251 | Email: jmagi@troy.edu | Web-site: www.jillmagi.net

Daniel Martin

Adjunct Instructor of English
B.A. (Troy University)

Daniel graduated from Troy with a B.A. in Spanish and a minor in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) in 2020. He has worked for Troy as an academic advisor since 2021. He is currently pursuing a M.S. in Second Language Instruction from Troy University. Office: 4th Fl Hawkins Hall | Tel: 334-808-6466 | email: dmartin152242@troy.edu

Savannah Mathews

B.A. (Troy University), M.L.A (Auburn University at Montgomery)
Adjunct Instructor of English

During her time as a graduate student, she published three works: “Review: Holocaust Survivor Writes a Compelling Memoir” (Montgomery Advertiser, 2014), “In This Moment”, and “Little Boy” (AUM Filibuster, 2015).  Her favorite book is The Great Gatsby, followed by The Giver of Stars, Where the Crawdads Sing, and Wuthering Heights. She teaches Developmental English, English Composition, American Literature, and Creative Writing.
Troy Campus | Tel. 334-670-5878 | E-mail: samathews@troy.edu

Julie Ann Mathis

M.A. (Delta State University)
Adjunct professor of English

I received my B.A. in English from Birmingham Southern College in 2013. I received an M.A. in Liberal Studies with an emphasis on English in 2015. I have taught English Composition and Literature at Troy University as an adjunct professor since 2016. I enjoy researching and teaching ancient literature as a lens to interpret modern literature and current events. I focus on finding and expounding on philosophical insights and theories across movements in my literary research. I also enjoy researching and implementing diverse pedagogical styles to teach literature from various perspectives. In the 2023 MLA Conference in Birmingham, Al., my research topic proposal was on Writing to Build Community: New Critical Literacy in Composition Theory. I am also a member of ACETA. E-mail: jmathis156166@troy.edu

Elizabeth McKibben

Adjunct Instructor
M.A. (English Education, Augusta University), M.A., (Educational Technology, the University of South Carolina)

I have worked as an adjunct English instructor for Troy for many years, first in person at Troy's location in Augusta, GA, and then at the Troy eCampus. By day I am a Director of Technology at an independent school in Augusta. I have four children, two of whom are in college. We are an animal-friendly house with our highest number of pets at any one time totaling 11: 4 cats, two dogs, 4 ferrets and a Chinese water dragon! I love to read, cook, travel, garden, and watch any sort of crime drama on TV. I love teaching and providing students with a glimpse into some of the truly great (and fun to read!) literature that exists. I have a really hard time choosing one classical fiction author as my favorite, but if I have to, I always go with Hemingway.
Email: emckibben@troy.edu

Priya Menon

Ph.D. (Georgia State University)
Professor of English

Interests: I study the literary history of migrants in the Arabian Gulf, primarily from South Asia in the late twentieth and early twenty first centuries. My current project, a monograph entitled Absent Workers of Arabia, aims to bring visibility to the cultural productions of narratives of one of the largest living diasporas in the Arabian Gulf States— emigrants from the south Indian state of Kerala, India that are currently estimated to be around 2.5 million. Some of my research has appeared in the Journal of South Asian Studies, Journal of Literary and Critical Writing, Journal of Postcolonial Cultures and Societies, Language, Literature and Cultural Studies, India Migration 2020 (Routledge,2020), Border and Bordering: Politics, Poetics, Precariousness (Ibidem, Columbia, 2020), Urban and Academic Collaboration in India (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019). I've presented at the MLA, South and Central Asia Fulbright, Grand Challenges University College London, Centre for Development Studies, South Asian Language Association, SAMLA and British Commonwealth & Postcolonial Studies. My work has been funded by the US Department of Educational and Cultural Affairs (Fulbright-Nehru Senior Fellow for Excellence in Research and Teaching 2018), Alabama Humanities Foundation (Great Books Reading Initiative 2016), and the National Endowment for the Arts (Big Read 2015). A member of MLA, SAMLA, SALA, Phi Kappa Phi, I am also a recipient of Troy University's Ingalls Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching (2009) and serve as a Fulbright Scholar Alumni Ambassador (2022-24) for the U S Department of State.
Troy Campus Office: Smith Hall, Room 251 | Tel. 334-670-3518 | E-mail: pmenon@troy.edu

James H. Meredith

Ph.D. (University of Georgia)
Adjunct Instructor of English

Dr. Meredith has been teaching American literature at Troy University since 2006 and started teaching college English in 1985. He publishes with the London Times Higher Education and is a contributing editor for the Clever Chicas Project, a project celebrating ordinary women doing extraordinary things: cleverchicas.com. His work with the Project includes “Pockets,” an animated story of an older bird working to learn new tricks to meet life transitions. Jim is a retired Lieutenant Colonel, USAF, and lives on Clearwater Beach, Florida, with his spouse, Stone. His literary interests include Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Florida culture, and war literature.
Tel: 706-506-5099 | E-mail: jmeredith46024@troy.edu

Ellena Stone Meredith

Ph.D. (University of South Florida)
Adjunct Instructor of English

Stone Meredith has been teaching American Literature classes at Troy since 2007, focusing on key themes still present in American culture today.  She started teaching college English in 1999.  For Stone, her favorite part of teaching at Troy is watching students form their own opinions on American Literature.  Her work in the classroom informs her publications with international periodicals, including The London Times Higher Education, The Ballet Herald, and The Ernest Hemingway Review Blog.  Dr Meredith is the Founder of the Clever Chicas Project, a project celebrating ordinary women doing extraordinary things: cleverchicas.com. Stone is a retired Writing Program Administrator. She lives on the beach in Florida with her spouse, Jim. Her literary interests include Ernest Hemingway, Zora Neale Hurston, and Florida Studies. She enjoys tennis, golf, sailing, and all things related to the water. Links: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/authors/stone-meredith, https://www.balletherald.com/author/stone-meredith/, https://www.hemingwaysociety.org/taking-students-under-ridge-broader-perspective-international-volunteer-army

Jan Weeks Murray

M.S. Strategic Communication, (Troy University) B.S. (Troy University)
Some PhD work, Communication/Strategic Media, (Liberty University)
Adjunct Instructor 

I retired from TROY on Sept. 30, 2024, after working as an academic advisor in the JWS Center for Student Success and with Troy Online Academic Services.  I continue at TROY as an adjunct faculty member for the JWS Center and the College of Communication and Fine Arts, primarily teaching within the English Department. Before TU, I taught multiple subjects, including English and writing online as part of charter schools, ESL programs, and many years ago, as an elementary school teacher. That period followed many years as an award-winning journalist and work in other related fields, such as marketing and public relations. I am also a professional podcaster with listeners in 22 countries. I'm a self-published author, and I edit and format books for other authors through my private company, M13Books. I am also a freelance journalist when the opportunity arises. Besides my passion for my students, teaching, and advising, scuba diving is my non-professional passion--any day under the surface is a great day! A bit of an adrenaline junkie, I also love to skydive and climb lighthouses--my family will tell you that I am not a normal GG/grandma. LOL! I have two grown children and two beautiful grandbabies that I adore, plus pet bunnies, a dog, two cats, and several wild raccoons and opossums that I claim as my own!
Room 274/Adjunct Office, Smith Hall | E-mail: jmurray176958@troy.edu

Susan S. Nash


Adjunct Professor of English
B.S. (Geology, University of Oklahoma), M.A., Ph.D. (English, University of Oklahoma)

I've been teaching English Composition at Troy University as an adjunct professor for more than 10 years. I've been involved in online program development and administration since the late 1990s, and love exploring different ways to engage students and inspire them feel enthusiastic about writing and sharing their stories, insights, and research findings. My research interests include the apocalyptic narrative, climate change and new energy alternatives (geothermal, CCUS, energy storage), Latin American poetry, Paraguayan women authors, and the Mexican Golden Age of Cinema. | E-mail:snash48203@troy.edu

Festus Fru Ndeh

Ph.D. (University of Duisburg Essen, Germany)
Associate Professor of English

F. Festus Ndeh is an Associate Professor of theoretical, postcolonial and world Literature. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in English, Philosophy, and TESOL from various institutions in Cameroon, the UK and Germany. He teaches as a literature generalist, but currently conducts research in (post)colonial Africa and the African diaspora with special focus on the intersectionality between literature and other disciplines.  He has previously researched and published on orature and literature, postcolonial travel writing, the politics of alienation, and human memory. As a globetrotter with a global ethos, he is passionate about the politics of migration, issues of diversity and inclusion, human rights and civil/social justice.  He is a Deutsche Akademische Austauschdiesnt (DAAD) alumnus (2001-2005) and a Humboldt alumnus (2013). Selected publications include Anglophone Cameroonian Literature and the Poetics of Orature (Die Blaue Eule, 2006), Outward Evil, Inward Battle: Human Memory and Literature (Langaa Publishers, 2013) and a myriad of articles.
Troy Campus Office: Smith Hall, Room 249 | Tel. 334-670-3307 | E-mail: fndeh@troy.edu

Richard Scott Nokes

B.A. (Butler University), Ph.D. (Wayne State University)
Professor of English

Dr. Richard Scott Nokes specializes in medieval literature and founder of Witan Publishing. He specializes in medieval manuscripts, modern medievalism, and digital publishing.  After completing his B.A. in English and Political Science in 1992, Nokes taught English as a Second Language in South Korea. In 1993, he established the American Studies Program at Klaipėda University in Lithuania, and taught Canadian literature at Lithuania Christian College. Nokes came to Troy University in 2003 after earning his Ph.D. In 2003 he was a Fulbright-Hayes scholar researching the Maya epic in Guatemala. In 2007, he was a regional finalist for the President's Commission on White House Fellowships. In 2011 he founded Witan Publishing, producing peer-reviewed academic works of medieval scholarship. Nokes has written, edited, and published dozens of peer-reviewed articles, chapters, and books. His most recent book is Beowulf in Comic Books and Graphic Novels (2022).
Troy Campus Office: Smith Hall, Room 246  |  Tel. 334-670-3303  |  E-mail: rsnokes@troy.edu

Anna Orlofsky-Bailey

M.T.W. (Auburn University at Montgomery)
Lecturer of English

Anna Orlofsky-Bailey is a Lecturer of English at Troy University after serving in a similar role at Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM). She earned her Master of Teaching Writing degree from AUM and her Bachelor of Arts degree in both English and Spanish from Troy University. While in graduate school, her research and study centered on composition pedagogy and rhetoric with particular focus on basic writing/introductory composition pedagogy. Her responsibilities as an instructor often involve first-year composition courses, developmental English courses, and undergraduate literature survey courses. Recent publications include work in Critical Insights: Malcolm X (Salem Press, 2020) and Critical Insights: Satire (Salem Press, 2020). Anna has presented at the Southeastern Writing Center Association conference. She currently serves as co-sponsor of the Pi Lambda Chapter of Sigma Tau Delta.
Troy Campus Office: Office: Smith Hall 176 | Tel.: 334-670-3533 | E-mail: aorlofsky@troy.edu

Michael Orlofsky

M.F.A. (University of Iowa Writers' Workshop)
Director of Creative Writing Program and Professor of English

Creative Writing, World Literature, Composition. 2019 Sun Belt Conference Faculty Member of the Year—Troy.  2018 Ingalls Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching.  Vice-President, Troy-Pike Habitat for Humanity.  Distinguished Artist, Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (1998). Publications in Troy Messenger, Troy Life, Troy Today, Postmodern Approaches to the Short Story (Praeger, 2003), The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing (Writer's Digest Books, 2002), Alabama Bound: Contemporary Stories of a State (Livingston, 1995), Writer's Guide to Creativity, WD Guide to Novel Writing, Writer's Digest, The Basics of Writing and Selling Fiction, Iowa Journal of Literary Studies, Prairie Schooner, Alabama Literary Review, and Pulpsmith. Past President, Association of College English Teachers of Alabama. Current project: Michelangelo in Rome (novel)
Troy Campus Office: Smith Hall, Room 242  |  Tel. 334-670-3315  |  E-mail: morlof@troy.edu

James N. Ortego, II


Ph.D. (University of Louisiana at Lafayette)
Associate Professor and Associate Chair of English

Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Composition, Textual Studies of Shakespeare and Chaucer, Cultural and Folklore Studies of Medieval Icelandic Literature.
Dothan Campus Office: Adams Hall, Room 401G | Tel. 334-983-6556, ext. 391 | E-mail: jortego@troy.edu

April M. Parsons

Ph.D. (Rutgers University)
Adjunct Instructor of English

My love of reading caused me to continue in school for many years until I achieved a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Rutgers University.  I also have an Ed.M. in Language Education from Rutgers, and an undergrad degree from Mount Holyoke College.  I am excited to share my love of reading with students at Troy by teaching ENG 1102. When I am not reading (and sometimes when I am), being outside is my happy place.  I live in the Berkshires in Massachusetts, and I teach for Troy online.  I have an adorable rescue dog named Bonny who has ears like Yoda, but runs like the Flash.  We go on a lot of long walks together in our beautiful neighborhood; it's wonderfully rural and peaceful here. E-mail: amparsons@troy.edu

Lori Pennington

B.A., M.A. (Boise State University)
Adjunct Instructor of English

I have taught at the university level for 14 years. My experience encompasses English composition, preparatory writing, literature, and technical communication courses in face-to-face, online, and hybrid settings. For me, teaching is not a job – it is a passion. A passion I take serious and enjoy very much. I blend reading, lecture, collaboration, and hands-on experience into my classes and believe in being fully accessible to students, regardless of the classroom setting or my personal obligations. To promote success, I engage students in discussions and apply proven learning theory concepts to the course work and instruction, as well as provide alternative options if students struggle with a certain delivery method based on his/her learning style. At the personal level, I am a mother, grandmother, writer, and artist. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, painting, writing, fishing, and volunteering in the community.
E-mail: lpennington@troy.edu

Nicholas Pincumbe

M.F.A. (University of Alabama)
Lecturer of English

Lightly published fiction writer, professional encourager, and board game aficionado, Nicholas Pincumbe is a working father who endeavors to never let perfect be the enemy of the good and to help any student realize they can write effectively, if they're willing to go one step at a time.  A graduate of Western Michigan University and the University of Alabama, “Mr. P.” has been teaching in the English Department at Troy since 2015. 
Troy Campus Office: Smith Hall, Room 182  | Tel. 334-670-3310 | E-mail: npincumbe@troy.edu

Katharyn Privett-Duren

Ph.D. (Auburn University)
Adjunct Instructor of English

Dr. Privett-Duren has taught in both brick-and-mortar and online formats since 2000.  In addition, she is a freelance author for Farmer-ish and Magnolia and Moonshine magazines and finds creative nonfiction to be her favorite form of writing.  As Dr. PD (the title her students have granted her) began her academic career as a non-traditional student, she is dedicated to the education and progress of all students.  Her specialties include Composition Studies, American Literature, and Rhetoric. She has taught online courses for Troy University since the beginning of 2007 and is invested in their mission of “discovery and the exploration of knowledge” as a foundation for successful careers and futures.
E-mail: kprivett@troy.edu

Abbey Richards

Lecturer
(M.A., Auburn-Montgomery)

I am the Director of the Writing Center and English lecturer on the Dothan Campus. I received my undergraduate degree in English from Troy University in 2019 and my graduate degree in Liberal Arts from Auburn University at Montgomery in 2021. I have been an employee of Troy University since 2019. I began my employment as the recruiter for the Dothan campus. My goal when finishing my undergraduate degree was to take over the Writing Center and teach English composition and literature classes. I enjoy coming to work every day.  
I have been married to my husband since 2011. We have two beautiful daughters who are current students at Troy University's Dothan campus. We spend our free time together at home or traveling around the US. We plan to see all fifty states by the time we have been together for fifty years. Since 2016 we have seen twenty states and Washington DC.
Dothan campus office: Malone Hall, room 115 | tel: 334-983-6556, ext. 21-465 |  email: arichards154275@troy.edu

Ben P. Robertson

Ph.D. (University of Tulsa)
Professor of English

Dr. Robertson has been teaching at Troy University since 2003. He earned his doctorate from the University of Tulsa in 2003 in British Romantic literature with special emphasis on women's writing and transatlantic/transnational confluences.  His publications include two monographs on Elizabeth Inchbald, a three-volume edition of Elizabeth Inchbald's diaries, two editions (in seven volumes) of travel literature by John Moore and Nikolai Gretsch, and essay collections on ESL Teaching, Romantic sustainability, the sea in literature, and conflict in the American South.  He has published a number of journal articles, book reviews, and encyclopedia entries, and he is a member of a dozen national and international academic associations.
Troy Campus Office: Smith Hall, Room 258  |  Tel. 334-670-3672  | E-mail: bprobertson@troy.edu | Web Site: http://spectrum.troy.edu/robertson

B. N. Rogers

M.F.A. (Savannah College of Art and Design)
Lecturer of English

B. N. Rogers is a native of Montgomery, AL. While attending Alabama A&M University, she majored in Communications before graduating and receiving her M.F.A in Writing at Savannah College of Art and Design. A self-taught etymologist, Ms. Rogers has been a part of Troy's English faculty for eight years and enjoys art and gardening in her spare time.
Troy Campus Office: Smith Hall, Room 178 | Tel. 334-670-3301 | E-mail: brogers150756@troy.edu

Kristin C. Ross

(Ph.D., Louisiana State University)
Associate Professor of English

Dr. Ross specializes in Victorian studies, feminist theory, and gender studies. Selected publications include “Preparing the Girl for the ‘Fight of Life': Female Education and the New Woman in Ella Hepworth Dixon's The Story of a Modern Woman” in Women's Writing and “Creating Dialogical Spaces in Blended Environments: A Case Study of Classroom Design in Two English Literature Courses” in Practical Applications and Experiences in K-20 Blended Learning Environments. She was chosen as a National Humanities Center Summer Institute scholar and has served on the MLA Delegate Assembly.  
Troy Campus Office: Smith Hall, Room 252  | Tel. 334-670-3313 | E-mail: rossk@troy.edu

Katelyn Schuler

Lecturer of English
(BS, Troy University)

Katelyn Schuler is an alumnus of Troy University and has taught on campus and online since 2019. She has experience teaching developmental grammar and writing as well as composition. She recently lived in Hiroshima, Japan, where she taught conversational English to senior citizens and children with dyslexia and executive function disorder. Her literature interests include writers of the Lost Generation, Southern Studies, and Genbaku Bungaku (Atomic Bomb Literature). Schuler has attended the Southern Studies Conference in Montgomery, Alabama, and the F. Scott Fitzgerald Society Conference in Paris, France. Schuler enjoys scuba diving and collecting vintage vinyl.
email: ksmith149857@troy.edu

Glennie Fitzgerald Sewell 

· In progress: PhD Degree Program in Transformative Studies at California Institute of Integral Studies, MFA (Goddard College), MA (English,Middlebury College), M.Ed., (Western Carolina University)
Adjunct Instructor of English

My entire name is Glennie Fitzgerald Sewell. I grew up in central Maryland, just off the Severn River, in the town of Severna Park. Before my teenage years, my family occasionally lived in Houston, Texas.I graduated high school in 1987 (in Maryland), and attempted a stint in the United States Air Force that same year, but it didn't take me where I needed to go in life. I've also lived and taught in West Virginia (9.5 years); Western North Carolina (13 years); and Ohio (Summers 1993, 95-2000, 2002-2006). I've lived summers in the United Kingdom since 2000. Tel: 802-589-0820 | E-mail: gsewell@troy.edu | Messenger Guardians Paranormal Investigation Studios (MGPIS)

Kyle Shook

M.Ed. (Auburn University Montgomery)
Lecturer of English

After graduating from Troy University with a B.S. in English, Shook pursued graduate education at AUM with a goal of teaching high school English. In that time, Shook began adjuncting in the English department at the Montgomery and main campuses, and he quickly realized that pivoting into full-time university teaching needed to be the new goal. After teaching for a few years at the middle school level, Shook has returned to his alma mater on the other side of the lectern. One of his proudest professional achievements is becoming a published poet in the journal Three Line Poetry. He has plans of pursuing further education by earning a doctorate one day. In the meantime, he enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter while serving in his local church.
Office: Smith Hall, Room 273 | Email: kshook@troy.edu

Audra Shumpert-Ebarb 

M. S. (Troy University)
Lecturer of English

After graduating from Troy University in 2007 with my Bachelors, I decided to continue in the TESOL graduate program. I was a Teaching Assistant and adjunct professor for the English department at Troy throughout completing my graduate degree. I felt so at home while teaching that I knew after graduation, I had to follow that career path. I was lucky that I found a home and employment at Troy in the English department where I had spent so much time developing my love of teaching literature and rhetoric. Over the last decade teaching, I have fostered my love of reading with various subjects and eras starting with the Victorian era and Southern American literature, and I spent the summer of Covid reading and researching narratives of early enslaved Americans and the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Most recently, I have shifted my area of study to Latin and South American authors like Ruben Dario and a personal favorite Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Troy Campus Office:  Smith Hall, Room 247 | Tel. 334-670-3971 | E-mail: ashumpertebarb@troy.edu

Tatyana Slobodchikoff

Ph.D. (University of Arizona)
Lecturer of English

Theoretical Linguistics, Linguistic Theory, Syntax/Morphology, Historical Linguistics, Slavic Languages, English Composition. The Evolution of the Slavic Dual: A Biolinguistic Perspective (Lexington, 2019).  Additional publications in peer-reviewed journals.  Presentations at many prestigious theoretical- and Slavic-linguistics conferences in the United States and internationally.
Troy Campus Office: Smith Hall, Room 256 | Tel. 334-670-3535 | E-mail: tslobodchikoff@troy.edu

Katelyn Smith 

B.A.(Troy University), M.L.A. (Auburn University at Montgomery)
Adjunct Instructor of English  

Katelyn Smith returned to her alma mater of Troy University in 2019, where she taught preparatory English and writing. A year later, she joined the Troy Online faculty as she moved abroad. She recently lived in Hiroshima, Japan, where she enjoyed volunteering with Tsubakikaikan, an English class for Japanese senior citizens. She also taught English and baking courses at Decopoco: a school founded to serve Japanese children with executive disfunction disorders. Her literature interests include the writers of the Lost Generation, Southern Studies, and Genbaku Bungaku (atomic bomb literature). Smith enjoys scuba diving and collecting vintage vinyl. Currently, she lives in Savannah, Georgia with her husband and two dogs. |Email: ksmith149857@troy.edu

Pamela Tharp Thompson

M.F.A. (Savannah College of Art and Design)
Adjunct Instructor of English, Tutor for the Center for Student Success

Ms. Thompson received a BS in English with an Emphasis in Professional Writing from Troy University Montgomery (2013 Cum Laude) and an MFA Writing from Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD 2018). She holds numerous anthology awards from American Poetry Association, World of Poetry, and Great American Poetry Association which include over twenty Golden, Silver, and Honorable Mention Awards, among others. Thompson sold over one thousand bookmarks of her award-winning poems: “Life” and “Forever Friends” at the Rosa Parks Museum (2010-2015). As a published author, her authentic southern voice flows naturally across the pages of her debut memoir (2019), Searching for Daddy A Memoir (Available at Barnes & Noble bookstore and on Amazon), as she remembers growing up in the South with a Deputy Sheriff for a father who scared off more boyfriends than she can count. Currently, a Troy University Montgomery Adjunct Professor (ENG-1101/1102), author, and freelance writer, Mrs. Thompson plans to continue sharing her memories of growing up in the South, along with her rhyme-time children's stories, poetry collections, and young adult mysteries. Professor Thompson lives with her husband and mother in Hope Hull, just south of Montgomery, Alabama, on a red dirt road.
Montgomery Campus Office: Whitley Hall – Center for Student Success | Tel. 334-590-6593 | Toll-Free: 888-357-8843, ext. 9777 | Fax 334-832-7297 | E-mail:  ptharp@troy.edu | www.amazon.com/author/pamelatharpthompson

Shannon Thompson

B.A. (English and Classics - Emory University), M.A. (University of Virginia), M.S. (Troy University)
Lecturer of English

Professional Memberships: National Council of Teachers of English; ALAN, Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE. Publication: The Sea in the Literary Imagination: Global Perspectives, 2019, co-editor
Troy Campus Office:  Smith Hall, Room 188  |  Tel. 334-670-3677  |  E-mail:  sthompson29236@troy.edu

Anna Shay Wasden

Lecturer
B.S. (Troy University)

Anna Shay has experience as an English as a Second Language Instructor in Spain, helping students aged 10-18 develop their English-speaking abilities and guiding them to Cambridge certification. Since August 2020, she has taught remedial English courses at Troy University, instructing over 300 students. Anna Shay is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Composition and Rhetoric at the University of North Alabama as well as a Master of Science in International Relations at Troy University. She has attended literary conferences for F. Scott Fitzgerald in France and Sweden. She has been published in the Ernest Hemingway Society Newsletter, writing about her experiences living in Pamplona, Spain. Anna Shay is an avid reader and enjoys travelling.

Katona Weddle 

M.A. (Central Missouri State University)
Lecturer of English

Co-Editor, The Sea in the Literary Imagination: Global Perspectives (Cambridge Scholars, 2019). Essays in Publications of the Missouri Philological Association (1998) and Chair Academy Journal (2002). Co-Organizer, Literature at Sea Conference I (2016) and II (2018).  Co-Organizer Domestic Cats in Literature Conference (2021). Presenter: Cats in Literature Conference: Men in Black's Orion the Cat, Protector of the Galaxy, a Mouse with a Key Role (2021). Presenter: South Atlantic Modern Language Association: Expressing Power and Helplessness through Dance in Novels by D. H. Lawrence (2019); Harsh and Merciless: The Native American Quest for Justice (2020); and Emotional Distancing and Filling the Void in Dahl's Edward the Conqueror (2021). Member, South Atlantic Modern Language Association.
Troy Campus Office: Smith Hall, Room 250  |  Tel. 334-670-5670  |  E-mail: kdweddle@troy.edu

Leslie Whatley

Ph.D. (Florida State University)
Lecturer of English

Leslie Whatley is a native of Alabama and a graduate of Auburn University; he received a Ph.D. from the Creative Writing Program at Florida State University in 2008 and has been an English teacher since 1997. Over the last 25 years, Dr. Whatley has taught almost 250 courses in writing and literature and has held teaching positions at Auburn University, the University of Alabama, and at schools in Greece, Spain, and The Bahamas. He has been a Lecturer with the English Department at Troy University since 2010. Dr. Whatley's publications include essays, poetry, and short stories, and his main areas of interest are 20th century American literature, experimental fiction, philosophy and literature, and writing and spirituality. Recent courses include: The Midcentury American Novel: Post-War Identity (1950-1970), Contemporary Genre Studies: The Superhero in Literature, The Beat Generation
E-mail: jlwhatley@troy.edu

John Willey

Ph.D. (Florida State University)
Lecturer of English

Dr. John Willey was born immediately after World War II to a U. S. Navy pilot, Pacific-Theater veteran. He lived the East-Coast, West-Coast, Navy life until the family retired in Florida. He attended the University of Florida on a football scholarship and was there with Steve Spurrier (as a player, not coach) and Jack Youngblood. He then attended the University of West Florida for a year and moved on to Florida State University to receive a PhD in English. He has written many online courses, taught on military bases for over thirty years and is now in his twenty-ninth year with Troy University.
Tel: 850-910-5676  | E-mail: jwilley@troy.edu