Huntington University welcomes 20 new staff, faculty

HUNTINGTON, Ind. Twenty new faculty and staff have joined Huntington University for the 2013-14 school year.

Dr. Dawn Anderson joins the faculty this fall as a professor of exercise science. Before coming to HU, she had been a full professor in the Department of Health, Exercise and Rehabilitative Sciences at Winona State University. She received her bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Minnesota-Morris, her master's degree in exercise physiology from Iowa State University and her Ph.D. in human bioenergetics from Ball State University. She is a scientific adviser on the International Society of Sports Nutrition Advisory Board, and she is a certified strength and conditioning specialist.
Sara Baldwin joined the graduate and Professional Programs staff in April as an admissions consultant. She earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and human resource management from the IUPUI Kelley School of Business-Indianapolis in 2008. She has experience working in multiple functions of human resources in the health care and production industries.
Melissa Diaz Bennetts has joined the graduate programs staff as the coordinator of the youth ministry leadership program. She is a 2009 graduate of Bethel College where she previously served as a divisional assistant to the dean of religion and philosophy. She also holds a master's degree in youth ministry leadership from HU.
Amber Brady joined the Student Life staff as the secretary to the office shortly after graduating from HU with a bachelor's degree in history.
Roni Brocher joined the Technology Services team in February as the helpdesk/computer labs coordinator. She is a graduate of Miami (of Ohio) University where she earned a bachelor's degree in systems analysis with minors in mathematics and operations research. She has worked for Electronic Data Systems (EDS), NCR and IBM.
Jay Canul returned to the digital media arts department this fall as a visiting instructor after graduating in 2011 with a degree in animation. He also holds an MFA from Ball State.
Becca Cline transitioned from a graduate assistant into the role of graduate admissions counselor in March. She is currently enrolled in HU's master's degree program in counseling. She obtained her bachelor's degree in 2008 from Western Michigan University in business administration.
Rebekah Coffey joined the Student Life staff earlier this year as the Forester Village resident director. She graduated from HU in 2012 with a degree in psychology. She also works at the Bowen Center in Huntington.
Dr. Daniel Dobbs joined the faculty this fall as an assistant professor of mathematics. He comes to HU from the University of Virginia where he earned his Ph.D. His current mathematical interest is in the field of probability.
Jodi Eckert joined the nursing department this summer as the coordinator of the nursing learning lab. She graduated from nursing school in 1998 and started working in the surgical-trauma ICU at Parkview Hospital. She eventually moved to Parkview Huntington where she functioned in the role of house supervisor for several years and then transitioned into the role of case manager in January 2010. She recently went back to school to earn her RN-MSN.
Dr. Collin Hobbs joined the faculty this fall as an assistant professor of biology. He holds a Ph.D. in biology from Indiana University and a bachelor's degree in biology with a minor in music performance from the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire.
Lori Ingle joined the athletics department as the office secretary in July. She came to HU having spent nine years working in various secretarial roles for the Huntington County Community School Corporation. She graduated in 2009 from HU with an associate degree in organizational management.
Nina Newton joined the Professional Programs team last October as the curriculum assistant. She earned a bachelor's degree in ancient languages from Cornerstone University, a bachelor's degree in classical studies and philosophy from Calvin College, and a master's degree in medieval studies: history of theology from the Medieval Institute at Western Michigan University.
Dr. Tamara O'Hearn joined the faculty this fall as a visiting assistant professor of English. She earned her Ph.D. from Ball State in 1996. Her current areas of research include the spiritual crisis in America, digital plagiarism of readership and teaching college essay writing and creative writing to inmates.
Nancy Richison joined the faculty in January as an instructor of nursing. She came to HU after serving as a nursing educator at Parkview Huntington Hospital. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in biology from Huntington College in 1992 and holds a BSN in nursing from Indiana Wesleyan University and an MSN in nursing education from IUPUI. After working at Ecolab, she entered the nursing field, serving as an RN at Parkview Huntington before becoming a nurse educator there in 2009.
Adam Skiles joined the staff this May as the director of information and technology services. Before coming to HU, he worked in K-12 education for nearly 14 years. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Indiana Wesleyan and is currently working toward a master's degree in business administration from the same institution.
Robert Sommers joined the staff in January as the director of financial aid. He previously served as the technology coordinator for financial aid at Indiana Wesleyan. He graduated from Indiana Wesleyan with a degree in accounting and business administration in 1993 and later earned his MBA from the school in 1998.
Nichole Surbaugh joined the Professional Programs staff earlier this year as the online admissions counselor. She earned her bachelor's degree from Ball State in 2005 and is a graduate student in the counseling program at HU.
Chris Tillett joined the coaching staff this year as the head women's soccer coach. With more than a decade of head coaching experience, he has amassed a 125-54-8 career record at the high school level. In addition to earning three coach of the year honors, his teams have won four sectional titles and a conference championship.
Susanne Watson joined the undergraduate admissions staff this summer as an admissions counselor. She previously worked in enrollment at Harrison College for two years. She is a 2011 graduate of HU with degrees in history and entrepreneurial small business management.