Huntington University welcomes 20 new faculty, staff

HUNTINGTON, Ind. Twenty new faculty and staff joined Huntington University this year.

Pamela Anderson joined the university in October of last year as the nursing lab coordinator. She works part-time in the department, and has been a Registered Nurse since 1992.
Amy Biegel begins this fall as an assistant professor of social work. She worked in the field of social work for 13 years, working mostly with children, adolescents and their families. She is a licensed clinical social worker with a bachelor's degree in both psychology and social work from Indiana Wesleyan University and a master's in social work from Indiana University. She was recently accepted to begin doctoral studies in social work at Indiana University.
Kahle Bryant has worked at HU as a graduate student for the past two years, but joined the staff full-time this summer as the residence director of Livingston Hall.
Kathryn Eckert joined the staff this summer as the Learning Center secretary. She holds an associate's degree in elementary education and previously worked as the program support assistant at the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).
Dawn Ford joins the faculty this fall as an associate professor of digital media arts. She is an independent producer/director of films, television series and new media. Career highlights include her early work as a broadcast recording engineer on NPR's "All Things Considered," in sound post-production at Lucasfilm on "Return of the Jedi," "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," "The Right Stuff" and "Star Trek III", among others. She holds an M.F.A. in professional screenwriting from National University in La Jolla, CA; an M.A. in television, film and new media from San Diego State University; and a B.A. in radio, television and film from the University of Maryland.
Shelly Francka came to HU in September of last year as the director of the Adult Degree Programs. She holds a Master in Business Administration degree from Southwest Baptist University, a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and an Associate in Science degree in practical nursing. She is currently working on her doctorate in business administration.
Andrew Freehauf joined the university this summer as an admissions counselor. He earned his undergraduate degree in psychology from IPFW. Prior to joining Huntington, he worked for Pathfinder Services Inc.
Nathan Hartman was named the digital media arts studio supervisor this month. He came to the university in November as the digital media arts recruiter, and alsohelped to plan the Fandana Film Festival. He is a 2010 film studies and broadcasting graduate from Huntington.
Bo Helmich joins the ministry faculty this fall as an assistant professor of worship leadership. He holds degrees from Stanford, Oxford and the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary. He is currently in the process of finishing a doctorate in Theology at Duke University. Prior to coming to Huntington, he served for a number of years as a local church pastor, teacher and worship leader.
Shoshannah McKinney joined HU this summer as the associate director of the Institute for TESOL Studies and as the international admissions counselor. She is a 2003 graduate of Huntington with a bachelor's degree in math education. Upon graduating, she moved to China to teach English at Liaocheng University. While there, she earned her Master of Arts degree in TESOL from Azusa Pacific University.
Katie Martin joined the staff this summer as an admissions counselor. She is a 2012 HU graduate with a degree in elementary and middle grades education.
Kyle Metzger joined the staff this summer as the coordinator of student activities/multicultural activities. He graduated from Bluffton University in 2008 with a degree in social work.
John Noble begins this fall as an assistant professor of Bible and religion. A candidate for the PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University, he holds MDiv and MA degrees from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and the BA from Taylor University. As a graduate teaching fellow, he has taught in several core courses at Harvard, with topics ranging from the Book of Job to Homeric Epic and to Reason and Faith.
Amber Prather joined the Adult Degree Programs staff in January as the online course designer. She is certified as a Microsoft Office Specialist and completed her Associate of Applied Science degree from Ivy Tech Community College. Her previous positions include working for the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, H&R Block and as an interpreter for the hearing impaired.
Mark Schenkel came to HU this month as the director of community relations and as a major gifts officer. He is a lifelong resident of Huntington and carries a wealth of experience in management and sales and marketing. He is a graduate of Ball State University and Taylor University with degrees in general studies and business administration, respectively.
Dr. Timothy Troyer joins the faculty this fall as an assistant professor of chemistry. He earned a B.A. in chemistry and physics from Goshen College in 1996, an M.S. in chemistry from the University of Michigan in 1999, and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Vanderbilt University in 2008. He worked for Bristol-Myers Squibb pharmaceutical company for several years in the area of new drug development.
Tyler Welker joins the faculty this fall as a visiting instructor of digital media arts. He was one of the first graduates from the program in 2008, and then worked as the lead animator at Sound Ideas in Columbia City. He is working on his MFA in 3D Animation at the Academy of Art University and owns his own freelance business called Infused Digital Media Inc.
Kristi Welker came to HU's Adult Degree Programs in February as the online program admissions counselor. Before this position, she worked for the United Way of Huntington, and currently coordinates programs for college students in her church. She holds a Bachelor of Science in youth ministries from Huntington, and has started work on a Master of Arts in higher education from Geneva College.
Rachel Whitehurst joins the ministry staff this fall as the PRIME coordinator. In her position, she helps to find internships for ministry students. Previously, she served as a Communications and Media Consultant for the Wycliffe Asia Area Communications team Monsoon Studios. During this time, she and her husband Colin Whitehurst documented the ongoing work of various Wycliffe language projects scattered around the Asia Pacific.
Rachel Wust joins HU as the director of human resources. She has worked in human resources for the past 20 years in the automotive and food manufacturing industries. She is a graduate of Ball State University with a major in psychology and minor in business. She also holds an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University.