Presenters

Dena AuCoin began her career with Purdue Global in 2013 as an adjunct. In the past decade, she has held multiple positions including academic department chair. She holds a doctorate in Curriculum and Teaching and has over 20 years of experience in education from early childhood to higher education. During her time with Purdue Global, Dr. AuCoin has supported many initiatives to build dynamic learning environments, encourage critical thinking, and mentor students and colleagues to successful outcomes. Outside of Purdue Global, she is a PATH equine therapy instructor for children with special needs and a board member of her county farmer's market.

Melissa Bahle is a full-time adjunct in the Composition Department and has been with Purdue University Global for eight years. A teacher for over 20 years, she enjoys helping students discover their “inner writer”. When she isn’t teaching, Melissa works at a local art gallery and spends time developing her skills as a photographer, painter, and glass-fuser. In the past, she has published her poetry in various online literary magazines and taken part in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), where she produced a novel of over 50,000 words.

While she enjoys working on art and writing, she is also passionate about helping her community having started Project Empathy, an exercise in Guerrilla Generosity. Project Empathy helps those in need in the community by providing food and warm winter clothing items. She homesteads on 40 acres in the woods of Pennsylvania with her husband, three dogs, 8 chickens, and a single cantankerous duck. 

Jonathan Cardew is a full time faculty member in the English & Rhetoric department. The author of the short story collection 'A World Beyond Cardboard' (ELJ Editions), his short and shorter stories can be found in journals like Cream City Review, Passages North, 100 Word Story, Best Microfiction 2021, and others. He was the winner of the 2020 Fractured Lit Micro Prize with his story "In Andromeda." His motto is "write short or go home," but he has never said this out loud to anyone. For links to his book and other works: https://elj-editions.com/jonathan-cardew/

Mckenzie Cassidy is a writer, journalist, marketer, and professor living in Florida, teaching part-time at Purdue Global University and Florida Southwestern State College.  His work has appeared in the anthology Walk Hand in Hand into Extinction: Stories Inspired by True Detective, Flash Fiction Magazine, Florida Weekly, and in multiple newspapers throughout southwest Florida. He holds an MFA from Wilkes University and was a previous blogger for the Florida Writers Association. Here Lies a Father was his first novel published in January 2021 by Kaylie Jones Books/Akashic Books.

Dr. Michelle Clemons studied Creative Writing in undergrad before pursuing degrees in Business, Psychology, and Education. She's passionate about finding connections between various fields of study and combining areas of expertise to increase knowledge. She teaches Professional Studies courses at Purdue Global where she's served as an Adjunct for 14 years.

Paige Erickson is a full-time faculty member in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. She is the author of the creative non-fiction book, "The Nice Thing About Strangers," and the play, "Strong City." She spent her prior decade wandering, getting lost, and learning and forgetting languages in Hungary, Austria, Croatia, and Turkey. Now back in her home state of Colorado, she is re-reading Iris Murdoch novels and trying to become mildly outdoorsy.

Liz Fitzgerald lives in Iowa and has been with Purdue Global for 19 years. She currently serves as the Manager of Teaching and Learning in the CTL. Through her work, Liz strives to help faculty and staff increase efficiency and streamline tasks to help maximize their effectiveness in various roles. She enjoys using technology to make things easier and more meaningful. Before working with the CTL, she served as Manager of Campus Curriculum Operations in support of fifteen ground campus and learning center locations. Her research interests include positive psychology, innovative training and development techniques, and using technology to enhance participant engagement in virtual training environments. Liz holds an MBA, a Master of Science in Higher Education, and a graduate certificate in project management. Outside of work, Liz loves spending time with her children and grandchildren, reading, and walking. She enjoys taking and editing digital photos.  

Galia Fussell has taught undergraduate and graduate courses at Purdue Global: Professional Global Communication, Academic and Professional Writing for Graduate Students, Professional Development in Technical Writing, and Introduction to Legal Analysis and Writing. She is teaching composition courses now. She earned several degrees, including Ph.D. in Linguistics, M.S. in Criminal Justice, M.A. in English, M.A. in German, M.A. in Russian, Graduate Certificate in Online College Teaching, Paralegal Certificate, and Human Resources Postbaccalaureate Certificate. She presents at national and international conferences and publishes articles in scholarly journals. 

Day 1 Keynote

Jennifer Harrison is a full-time faculty member in the Humanities & Social Sciences department, and course lead for Purdue Global’s American Women, Social Justice and Sustainability, and Technology and Society courses. She specializes in American women’s history, Civics, and pop culture, with specific research interests involving DEIB and the presentation of women in literature, film, and television. She serves as Chair of the Arts and Humanities GEL committee and as a member of the Library Advisory Committee, and has previously served on the CTL Advisory and Faculty Curriculum committees. 

David C. Hayes has been writing for many years. Sometimes he even writes things that make people laugh... but only sometimes. He is a satirist working in graphic novels, film, prose, and poetry. He has an MFA in creative writing, but doesn't tell people that because they actually expect you to be good. His novels, (like Cannibal Fat Camp), and films (like Rottentail), are, sadly, available worldwide.

Eric Holmes is a full-time faculty member in the English & Rhetoric at Purdue University Global. His research interest is horror and he has published articles and book chapters on EC Comics, Dexter, Stranger Things, and the horror fiction of Anthony Bourdain.

William Ashley Johnson has been teaching in both traditional and online classrooms for over seventeen years and has been a full-time adjunct instructor with Purdue Global since July 2016. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (Poetry) from Eckerd College and his Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (Poetry) at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he worked under the tutelage of Poet Laureate Fred Chappell. He has had many poems, short stories, and book reviews published in print and online journals. He has edited several features, including “storySouth: Best of the South” and “storySouth: Poets Under Thirty,” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize, as well as selected to be featured in the Best New Poets: 50 Poems from Emerging Writers. He is currently compiling a poetry manuscript for publication titled, Speaking in Stones. Ashley and his wife have a houseful of dogs and cats and call the mountains of North Carolina home.  

Jacob Kaltenbach has taught at Purdue University Global since 2004. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in the School of English, Communication, and Philosophy at Cardiff University (University of Wales), and has held teaching, administrative, and examining appointments with the British Council, International Baccalaureate, Nottingham University, the University of Colorado at Denver, New Mexico State University, and the University of Washington (Seattle), and as a visiting scholar in China, Hong Kong, and Russia. Jacob has developed online courses in interdisciplinary humanities and creative writing. He serves on the Research and Publications Committee of the Association for Writing Across the Curriculum (AWAC). He is a past member of PG’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Assessment Advisory Committee. Jacob lives with his partner Norah and their two children in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Michael Keathley has been the chair of composition and writing across the curriculum (WAC) since May 2010. A former monthly columnist for over a decade in four international newspapers, he is the author of more than 500 articles and 5 books published in at least 33 countries and multiple languages. His specializations include global and virtual leadership, writing across the curriculum/writing across the globe, classical rhetoric and humanities, and Macedonian studies. Keathley has been the recipient of leadership and teaching awards (including two for inspiring at-risk learners to persist) and has been a keynote speaker at several international conferences.

Dr. Melinda Linscott joined Purdue University Global in 2020 as a Writing Tutor and is now serving as Team Lead in the Learning for Success Center and as an adjunct professor in the Department of English & Rhetoric. Melinda holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in English and the Teaching of English from Idaho State University, where her research focused on teaching early English poetry and the sonnet tradition. She earned a Master of Arts degree in English Literature and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Creative Writing from Andrews University. Melinda has published both her poetry and short fiction in publications including Spectrum, Black Rock & Sage, and Parnassus. She resides in Chicagoland with her husband, where they keep busy as first-time homeowners and naively ambitious gardeners.

Jessica Love has been with Purdue Global for 11 years. She serves as a full-time faculty member in the Composition Department. She has written one novel and is working on a second.

Dr. McKeon is a photographer by accident, but an admirer by choice. As a full-time Faculty in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Purdue Global for 16 years, Dr. McKeon’s first passion is education! She homeschooled her four sons for 26 years and has 8 degrees to her name. Her passion for photography grew out of a love of watching her children grow up while capturing their homeschooled lives digitally. Through 20 years of taking pictures of family, friends, and nature she has developed a love of life captured in still images.  She has

Irina Negrea started her career in 1999 as a Composition instructor at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania and taught there until 2008. After a year with New Jersey City University in 2009, she relocated with her family to North Carolina, where she taught full-time at Shaw University for 13 years. For more than two decades, she has taught every level of Composition and numerous other literature and humanities/interdisciplinary courses. Negrea started teaching part-time at Purdue Global in 2020 for the Department of English and Rhetoric, School of Multidisciplinary and Professional Studies. She joined the ranks of full-time faculty in February 2023.

Dr. Julee Poole earned two B.S. degrees – Psychology/Sociology (Austin Peay State University) and Criminal Justice with a concentration in Forensic Psychology (Purdue University Global). She earned a M.S. degree in Mental Health Counseling (Austin Peay State University). Dr. Poole earned her Ph.D. in Psychology with a concentration in Family Psychology from Capella University. She worked in the mental health counseling and addictions treatment  for 30 years. She is a board-certified life coach and an IATP Compassion Fatigue Professional. She has taught on ground and online since 2002.

Dr. Poole is the author of two books on children witnessing domestic violence, The Cryin’ House: A Story for Children Who Witness Family Violence and When Hitting Hits Home. She has published in various journals, including the Family Guidance Journal and PsycCritiques.

Dr. Poole lives in Gulf Shores, Alabama. She is an advisory board member for Alliance for Safe Traffic Stop and a volunteer for the Baldwin County Blessing Boxes. She also volunteers with local first responder providing compassion fatigue training.  Dr. Poole received her first camera, a Kodak Duaflex IV, at age 6 and has loved the art of photography ever since.

Kate Scarpena serves as the Department Chair of Humanities and Social Sciences, a unique department comprised of courses and faculty from multiple disciplines that extend across the Arts & Humanities as well as the Social Sciences. The mission of the Purdue Global Humanities and Social Sciences Department is to support life-long learners who appreciate the complexity and diversity of human societies as well as the artifacts and ways of living which reflect the human experience. Her photography is an extension of her passion for the Humanities & Social Sciences and focuses on humanity and the natural environment.

 Melissa Scranton is a full-time mathematics faculty and course lead for Applied Statistics for Psychology at Purdue University Global. She teaches a variety of graduate and undergraduate courses, specializing in statistics. Melissa completed her Ph.D. in Mathematics Education from Illinois State University in 2013 with her primary research in the statistical thinking of middle school students. She serves on the Writing Across the Curriculum committee and is working on initiatives to integrate WAC and STEM. Melissa began her career as a middle and high school teacher, working with the mathematically at-risk and serving as a parent resource coordinator.

Dr. Ritu Sharma is a decorated professor with thirty years of teaching experience. Through her education and work experience, she has integrated technology skills and has developed useful teaching strategies to accelerate the understanding of the students and to boost the results. She actively contributes in multiple committees. Also, she had led as the NSCS faculty adviser for Purdue Chapter and won Faculty Advisor of the Year award. She was nominated and published as the 2019 Top Educators in Ohio. Moreover, she was nominated as one of the Top Ten Best Online Professors in the USA in 2012.

Carolyn Stevenson is currently a full-time faculty member, Education Abroad Faculty Lead, and faculty advisor in the Department of Professional Studies. She completed her Ed.D. from Roosevelt University, M.B.A. from Kaplan University, M.A. in Communications from Governor’s State University and B.A. in English from Northern Illinois University. She has been cited for her expertise in online learning, qualitative research, open educational resources, and prior learning. Carolyn has over 25 years teaching and administrative experience in higher education at the undergraduate and graduate level. She has published texts on technical communication, building online communities, prior learning assessment, open educational resources, and environmental education.

Chad Szalkowski-Ference is an adjunct instructor in the English and Rhetoric Department at Purdue Global and Carnegie Mellon University. He received an MFA from Carlow University and is a doctoral candidate at Duquesne University. His writing has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and been published in Fjords Review, Red Earth Review, and Driftwood. He lives in Pittsburgh with his wife and daughter. 

Stephanie Lewis Thompson earned her undergraduate degree at Duke University and her MA and PhD in English from the University of Tennessee. She has been teaching at Purdue Global since 2007. She served as the course lead for CM 220 for over 10 years and is now the course lead for PR500 (Professional Global Communication). 

Her publications include Influencing America’s Tastes: Realism in the Work of Wharton, Cather, and Hurst and articles related to film and pedagogy, and she has presented at numerous academic conferences. She lives with her husband Jim, son Cooper, and dog Birdie in San Antonio, TX. 

Jan Watson is a full-time faculty member in the Department of English and Rhetoric and the author of two novels. She lives in Pittsburgh, PA with the writer Mason Radkoff and two clingy cats. Her secret nickname is "The Medium Bopper" because The Big Bopper just seems too aspirational (plus, it was already taken). Her sterling wit has earned her half a dozen fans, four of whom are not related to her at all. She will be in town all week!

Sara Wink has been writing all her life, from picture books for preschool to a screenplay for her Masters in Fine Arts. Nowadays she reviews books on her podcast You've Got Five Pages to Tell Me It's Good and writes under the pen name Jean Lee at https://jeanleesworld.com/. She is currently working on her fantasy fiction while teaching composition for Purdue Global University. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and three children.