The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors approved the following promotions, tenure, and continued appointments at its June 2 meeting.

Promotion to associate professor with tenure, collegiate faculty:

  • Alan Abrahams, business information technology;
  • Elisabeth Austin, foreign languages and literatures;
  • Joseph Baker, electrical and computer engineering;
  • Maria Balota, plant pathology, physiology, and weed science;
  • James Bassett, School of Architecture + Design;
  • Hilary Bryon, School of Architecture + Design;
  • Susan Day, forest resources and environmental conservation;
  • Jeremy Ernst, teaching and learning;
  • Charlene Eska, English;
  • Mariana Falconier, human development;
  • Mazen Farhood, aerospace and ocean engineering;
  • Aarnes Gudmestad, foreign languages and literatures;
  • Heather Gumbert, history;
  • Matthew Heaton, history;
  • Piedad Natalia Henao-Guerrero, small animal clinical sciences;
  • Yili Hong, statistics;
  • Jennifer Mackay, communication;
  • Kevin McGuire, forest resources and environmental conservation;
  • Anthony Peguero, sociology;
  • Monica Ponder, food science and technology;
  • Henry Quesada-Pineda, sustainable biomaterials;
  • Cara Rawlings, School of Performing Arts;
  • Mark Reiter, crop and soil environmental sciences;
  • Robert Rhoads, animal and poultry sciences;
  • Vito Scarola, physics;
  • Durelle Scott, biological systems engineering;
  • Paula Seniors, sociology;
  • John Socha, engineering science and mechanics;
  • Cornel Sultan, aerospace and ocean engineering;
  • Valerie Thomas, forest resources and environmental conservation;
  • Kwok Tsang, economics;
  • Alan Weinstein, School of Performing Arts;
  • Robert Weiss, geosciences;
  • Donna Westfall-Rudd, agricultural and extension education;
  • Christopher Williams, mechanical engineering / engineering education;
  • Mark Williams, horticulture;
  • Danfeng (Daphne) Yao, computer science; and
  • Pengtao Yue, mathematics.

Tenure with promotion to professor, collegiate faculty:

  • Stephen Eubank, population health sciences.

Tenure at the currently held rank of associate professor, collegiate faculty:

  • Kathleen Alexander, fish and wildlife conservation;
  • T. Charles Clancy, electrical and computer engineering;
  • Mintai Kim, landscape architecture;
  • Rolf Mueller, mechanical engineering; and
  • Helene Renard, interior design.

Promotion to professor, collegiate faculty:

  • Kathryn Albright, architecture;
  • Brian Benham, biological systems engineering; 
  • Markus Breitschmid, School of Architecture + Design;
  • Sonia Hirt, urban affairs and planning;
  • Jennifer Hodgson, population health sciences;
  • William Hopkins, fish and wildlife conservation;
  • Brett Jones, learning sciences and technologies;
  • Jonathan Link, physics;
  • Wenjing Lou, computer science;
  • Kumar Mallikarjunan, biological systems engineering;
  • Achla Marathe, agriculture and applied economics;
  • Djordje Minic, physics;
  • Alexander Niemiera, horticulture;
  • Christopher North, computer science;
  • Mark Paul, mechanical engineering;
  • Robert Pleasant, large animal clinical sciences;
  • Michel Pleimling, physics;
  • Stephen Prisley, forest resources and environmental conservation;
  • Madeline Schreiber, geosciences;
  • Sunil Sinha, civil and environmental engineering;
  • Erik Westman, mining and minerals engineering;
  • Joseph Wheeler, School of Architecture + Design;
  • Craig Woolsey, aerospace and ocean engineering; and
  • Yi Heng Zhang, biological systems engineering.

Promotion to advanced instructor, collegiate faculty:

  • Jennifer Barton, English;
  • David Carroll, geography;
  • Karen Gallagher, human development;
  • Richard Jones, business information technology; and
  • Edward Lautenschlager, English.

Promotion to senior instructor, collegiate faculty:

  • Robin Allnutt, English;
  • Jennifer Lawrence, English;
  • Julie Mengert, English; and
  • Michael Rosenzweig, biological sciences.

Promotion to assistant professor of practice, collegiate faculty:

  • Jason Malone, finance, insurance, and business law.

Promotion to associate professor of practice, collegiate faculty:

  • Derek Klock, finance, insurance, and business law.

Continued appointment at the currently held rank of assistant professor, extra-collegiate faculty:

  • Marc Brodsky, University Libraries.

Continued appointment with promotion to associate professor, extra-collegiate faculty:

  • Patrick Tomlin, University Libraries.

Promotion to senior Extension agent, extra-collegiate faculty: 

  • Ambre Dickerson, Montgomery County Cooperative Extension; and
  • Kendra Young, Henrico County Cooperative Extension.

Promotion to Extension agent, extra-collegiate faculty:

  • Stephen Barts, Pittsylvania County Cooperative Extension;
  • Travis Bunn, Patrick County Cooperative Extension;
  • Cathy Howland, Powhatan County Cooperative Extension;
  • Cristy Mosley, Culpeper County Cooperative Extension; and
  • Amanda Simons, Frederick County Cooperative Extension.

The Office of the Provost provided the information for this story. Content-related questions should be directed to Cyndi Hutchison at 540-231-2350.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.

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