New Faculty Bring Innovation, Expertise
Six new professors on tenure track or with multiyear contracts joined the Westmont faculty this fall. Jonathan Diaz (English), Kevin McGuire (economics and business), Sara Morrisset (history) and Jada L. Willis (kinesiology) step into tenure-track positions. Stephanie Cowell ’04 (chemistry), Laura Drake Schultheis ’06 (biology) and Mike Ryu (computer science) all previously taught at Westmont and return on tenure track or with multiyear contracts.
Diaz graduated from Biola University, earned an MFA from the University of Notre Dame and expects to complete a doctorate in English from Baylor University this year. His latest research — the subject of his dissertation — examines religious identity and Latino literature. “I consider how authors in Latin America and the U.S. use their writing to explore questions about the nature of God, the self and community,” he says. “Just this past week, I’ve discussed with students how colonial Americans and Mexican authors used scripture to establish principles of justice in the New World.”
He has published a chapbook, “Rumors of Rain, poems,” and more than a dozen poems in magazines and literary journals. “I hope students see the influence of my Christian faith in every part of my teaching, which provides a purpose for literary study,” he says. “More than a practice of critical thinking or an exercise of empathy, literary study is a truth-seeking endeavor, to which the God of truth invites us.”
McGuire, earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Oklahoma Christian University and a doctorate in business administration from the University of Oklahoma. He has published several research articles, including “Brand Animacy: Applying Linguistic Theory to Social Media Communications.” “I look forward to bringing the social, cultural and spiritual contexts that shape the relationship between modern marketing and society in a way students can engage with and connect to their other classes,” he says.
McGuire says his faith informs his teaching style. “I want to equip students with the knowledge and resources to be prepared to work in business and social environments, which will often challenge their convictions,” he says. “I have a sense of obligation to give my students the best education I can based on the principle of doing everything to the glory of God.”
Morrisset graduated from UCLA before earning both a Master of Philosophy and a doctorate in archeology from the University of Cambridge. She has conducted archeological fieldwork in the Ica Valley of Peru since 2016 and has numerous publications about the sociopolitical organization of the Ica people from 1000-1476 A.D. as well as their cultural identity, memory and political collapse. “We have also discovered aspects of daily life in the past, such as how the people who lived in the ancient city ate chili peppers and lima beans,” she says.
Someday she hopes to involve Westmont students with this excavation project on the Peruvian south coast, which collaborates directly with the local Peruvian community and their regional museums. “As a teacher, I believe the ability to love others, especially those from different cultural backgrounds, is heightened by the experience of learning about other cultural contexts and histories,” she says. “The knowledge and appreciation of difference help create a true community.”
Willis earned a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University before earning both a Master of Science and a doctorate in nutritional sciences from Texas Tech University. Since 2011, she has been a registered dietitian nutritionist. Before coming to Westmont, she was a tenured associate professor at Texas Christian University in the department of nutritional sciences. She holds an unpaid faculty position at the Anne Marion Burnett School of Medicine at TCU.
She looks forward to marrying her knowledge of nutrition with kinesiology in her classes. “I aim to teach students interested in movement how the body processes and expends fuel input,” she says. “To understand the mechanics of an automobile, you must grasp how gasoline produces horsepower. I want our students to think of the human body in the same way.”
Her research ranges from body composition to athletic performance, and has more than 30 peer-reviewed publications in esteemed journals. “The epicenter of my work has been the design and conduct of controlled clinical trials that manipulate diet and physical activity to modulate performance, appetite, macronutrient oxidation and energy expenditure,” she says.
Cowell, who returned to her alma mater to serve in the chemistry department in 2019, will serve in a more permanent position teaching in both classes and the lab, doing pre-health and academic advising, and managing the chemistry lab. She earned a teaching credential and a Master of Science in chemistry degree at UC Irvine before teaching overseas in Ciro, Egypt, and Cape Town, South Africa. Upon returning to the U.S., she served as a teacher and science instructional coach for Environmental Charter Schools in Inglewood and Lawndale before returning to Westmont. “I love interacting with students each year who plan to pursue a variety of scientific disciplines. I have the privilege of introducing students to chemistry and supporting them in their learning to develop joy and wonder in the subject and instill confidence and persistence in chemistry or other sciences.”
Ryu, an assistant professor of mathematics and computer science, says he enjoyed serving as a visiting professor and with the Center for Applied Technology (CATLab) during the summer. “It was dreamy,” he says. “I got to witness firsthand just how dedicated everyone is to sincerely upholding Westmont’s mission to cultivate ‘thoughtful scholars, grateful servants and faithful leaders.’ I cherish the relationships I’ve built with my students and colleagues and look forward to seeing those blossom further in the coming years.” Ryu earned a Bachelor of Science in software engineering and a Master of Science in computer science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo before working at a for-profit corporation in the San Francisco Bay Area. “There’s huge potential in programs such as CATLab to bolster and better equip aspiring computing professionals,” he says.
Schultheis, who came back to Westmont as an adjunct in biology in 2020, describes herself as an ecologist. “Returning has felt like coming home, and securing a tenure-track position means I can settle into exploring research and teaching practices that will benefit this community for the long-term.” Schultheis earned a master’s degree in ecology and a doctorate in plant ecology from UC Santa Barbara. This summer, she and student Isabella Garcia ’25 presented a paper, “Purposeful Planting: Characterizing Plant Flammability Using Functional Traits for Defensible Space,” at the Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, one of the largest ecology conferences in the nation. “Westmont students have played a crucial role in helping collect data for two summers and one of them will be first author on a paper we hope to get published in the next year,” she said.
Leanne Dzubinski, the new dean of faculty development and global education, has taught for more than 15 years, worked as a dean and has extensive experience in Christian higher education and mission organizations. She most recently served at Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky afterbeing an interim dean at Biola. She has lived and taught internationally and is fluent in Spanish and German.
Nicole Marsh (biology), Brett Shagena (kinesiology) and Dana Wong (nursing) will serve in full-time, one-year appointments with the faculty.